Simple Skin Hygiene; Be-you-tiful

Hello beautiful readers!

I wanted to share my skin care routine with everyone because it is cheap and it works. I get compliments on my skin all the time, especially since I don't wear make-up—it makes it easy to see my natural skin. I inserted a picture of myself as the cover to show a split between my natural skin and what it would look like if I had make-up or an edited, filter picture. I used to and still get acne all over my body if I don't follow my routine.

What I use:

1. Exfoliating brush: I start with circulating my lymphatic flow and rubbing off dry, dead skin. I do this before turning the shower on. Best to do this in the tub/shower so the dead skin falls in there versus the floor. This takes about 1-2 minutes if you listen to music and sing & dance along in the bathroom, like me. You can get a good quality brush for about $5.00 at Shopper Drug Mart or other department stores for $10-15.00.

2. Exfoliating glove: Our pores open when exposed to warm/hot water. Once open the glove will penetrate all dirt that is deeply embedded in the skin throughout the day. You want to use light pressure, you do not need to irritate/scratch your skin. Rinse your glove with soap before or after use, or both. I get my exfoliating gloves from Shoppers Drug Mart and they are around $2.00 for a pair. I use one at a time so a pair lasts me twice as long. I do not keep one glove for longer than 1 month-1.5 months.

3. Toner: I like to rinse off with room temperature/cool water so my body temperature can adjust properly. It also helps close my pores, making them smaller. With open, clean pores, toners will help balance the appearance of skin. This is especially useful for skin with stretch marks or pimple scars that are unwanted. I don't mind my stretch marks and often skip this step altogether. I am a believer that similar products have similar ingredients and thus, give you the same result; you can get a toner for $15.00 from Shoppers Drug Mart but they can get pretty expensive if you get into branding and so on.

4. Moisturizer: After toning, it is important to replenish our skin with essential vitamins, minerals, and oils (that get stripped away through cleaning out our pores). I suggest a natural moisturizer such as coconut oil, cocoa butter, and almond oil or Cetaphil lotion if oil is not your thing. I use coconut oil and it helps reduce the colour of my stretch marks, it doesn't smell, and it makes your skin feel as soft as a baby's bum. This step is a MUST! I find my skin feels dry, itchy, and irritated if I do not moisturize, causing ashy and unsatisfactory skin-the opposite of what we want. Coconut oil costs me about $3.00 for a tin of 350ml or sometimes I get the 500ml jar for $10. I get it at the grocery store, Walmart, or department stores—I stock up when it's on sale :)

Check out the gallery for pictures of each item!

Thank you and remember: BE-YOU-TIFUL