Women go through hell and high water to achieve flawless skin that they can flaunt to the world.
I can only speak for myself, but I've “invested" tons of money into skincare products that promised to give me the skin of my dreams to no avail. As a teen, I boasted about acne skipping right past me, but here I am now, as an adult, trying to figure out why breakouts decided to start making an appearance now. After years of studying skin and trying to really comprehend what the hell it is that I'm doing wrong, it seems as if the answer lies in the initial step of my 10-step skin regimen--washing my face.
My skin used to be so perfect that I could just “wash" my face with a warm rag and the result would be a morning glow. Nowadays, for myself and many other women, it's not so easy. After many trials and tribulations - and much research - I finally understand why that first step - washing your face - is so important and what many of us have been doing completely wrong.
1. Not Washing Off Makeup Beforehand
1. Not Washing Off Makeup BeforehandWhen washing your face, makeup serves as a barrier that makes it almost impossible for your skin to get properly cleansed. While I hate to add another step to your twice-a-day regimen, removing makeup with a remover/cleanser specified for makeup then following up with a cleanser may be the better option. Makeup remover removes makeup while cleansers remove dirt and oil. In my own experience, 2-in-1 products have yet to do the job of both.
2. Over-Cleansing
Too much of something is good for nothing. How many times have you heard this saying in your life? Plenty of times, I'm sure. Washing your face should be done 1 to 2 times a day and typically for 30 seconds to one minute at a time. You don't have to scrub for five minutes to get a proper cleanse.
3. Using Scalding Hot Water
I'm a big offender when it comes to this no-no. I hate the feeling of cold water unless it involves a swimsuit, sand, and 80 degrees+ weather. Hot water is actually very damaging to the skin and can dry it out. Cool water is your best friend when it comes to washing your face. If you take hot showers much like myself, avoid washing your face in the shower to resist the urge.
4. Sharing Clothes/Brushes
This is just asking for trouble and asking for that person's bacteria to now become your problem.
5. Using a Scrub as a Cleanser
I've been surprised by how many people I've had consultations with over the years that religiously use scrubs like the infamous St. Ives Apricot scrub to clean when it's meant to be a 2-3 times a week exfoliator. Using a scrub everyday is a bit much and disrupts the skin, causing a lot of damage, including the very thing you're trying to prevent: breakouts.
6. Not Completely Rinsing off the Skin
Soap, whether it's on your body or your face, is meant to be rinsed off for a reason. Make sure you take the time to really wash off all of your facial cleanser (even if you're in a rush) to eliminate the risks of breakouts or any other pesky skin issues that may arise.
7. Drying Your Face With a Towel
I have two words for you: air and drying. If you've read my previous article “Why I Am No Longer Using Washcloths & Loofahs To Shower" featured here on xoNecole, you know that towels and washcloths are a breeding ground for bacteria and therefore, it should be the last thing that you want to dry your face with. Air dry instead and save yourself an extra towel a day.
8. Not listening to your skin
My favorite thing about beauty and people in general is that what works for one person won't necessarily yield the same results for someone else. Even though having a one size fits all cheat sheet to great skin would be awesome, there is nothing more satisfying than when you find a product that works wonders for you. Listen to your skin's wants and needs instead of going off of someone else's.
If you're not properly washing your face, you've already lost the battle. Proper cleansing sets the tone for the rest of your regimen, including how effectively your other products absorb through your skin and work for you overall. Eliminate these face cleansing no-no's and watch how much your skin will thank you for it later.
Do you have some other tips for washing your face that we didn't mention hear? Share them below if you do!
RELATED
The seeds for these entrepreneurs were planted during their time as students at schools like Spelman, North Carolina A&T, and more, which is why xoNecole caught up with Look Good Live Well’s Ariane Turner, HBCU Buzz’s Luke Lawal and Morehouse Senior Director of Marketing and Comms and Press Secretary Jasmine Gurley to highlight the role their HBCU roots play in their work as entrepreneurs, the legacy they aim to leave behind through the work that they do, and more as a part of Hyundai’s Best In Class initiative.
On Honoring HBCU Roots To Create Something That Is For Us, By Us
Ariane Turner
Courtesy
When Ariane Turner launched Look Good, Live Well, she created it with Black and brown people in mind, especially those with sensitive skin more prone to dryness and skin conditions like acne and eczema.
The Florida A&M University graduate launched her business to create something that addressed topical skin care needs and was intentional about its approach without negative terminology.
Turner shared that it is important to steer clear of language often adopted by more prominent brands, such as “banishing breakouts” or “correcting the skin,” because, in reality, Turner says there is nothing wrong with the way that our skin and bodies react to various life changes.
“I think what I have taken with me regarding my HBCU experience and translated to my entrepreneurial experience is the importance of not just networking,” Turner, the founder and CEO of Look Good, Live Well, tellls xoNecole.
“We hear that in business all the time, your network is your net worth, but family, there’s a thing at FAMU that we call FAMU-lee instead of family, and it’s very much a thing. What that taught me is the importance of not just making relationships and not just making that connection, but truly working on deepening them, and so being intentional about connecting with people initially, but staying connected and building and deepening those relationships, and that has served me tremendously in business, whether it’s being able to reach back to other classmates who I went to school with, or just networking in general.”
She adds, “I don’t come from a business background. As soon as I finished school, I continued with my entrepreneurial journey, and so there’s a lot of that traditional business act and the networking, those soft skills that I just don’t have, but I will say that just understanding how to leverage and network community and to build intentional relationships is something that has taken me far and I definitely got those roots while attending FAMU.”
On Solving A Very Specific Need For The Community
Luke Lawal Jr.
Courtesy
When Luke Lawal Jr. launched HBCU Buzz, his main focus was to represent his community, using the platform to lift as they climbed by creating an outlet dedicated to celebrating the achievements and positive news affecting the 107 historically HBCUs nationwide.
By spotlighting the wonderful things that come from the HBCU community and coupling it with what he learned during his time at Bowie State University, Lawal used that knowledge to propel himself as an entrepreneur while also providing his people with accurate representation across the internet.
“The specific problem in 2011 when I started HBCU Buzz was more so around the fact that mainstream media always depict HBCUs as negative,” Lawal says. “You would only see HBCUs in the mainstream media when someone died, or the university president or someone was stepping down. It was always bad news, but they never shed light on all the wonderful things from our community."
So, I started HBCU Buzz to ensure the world saw the good things that come from our space. And they knew that HBCUs grew some of the brightest people in the world, and just trying to figure out ways to make sure our platform was a pedestal for all the students that come through our institutions.”
“The biggest goal is to continue to solve problems, continue to create brands that solve the problems of our communities, and make sure that our products, our brands, our companies, and institutions are of value and they’re helping our community,” he continues. “That they’re solving problems that propel our space forward.”
On How Being An HBCU Alum Impacts The Way One Shows Up In The World
Jasmine Gurley
Courtesy
Jasmine Gurley is a proud North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alum. She is even more delighted with her current role, which enables her to give back to current HBCU students as the Senior Director of Brand Marketing and Communications and official press secretary at Morehouse College.
“It was a formative experience where I really was able to come into my own and say yes to all the opportunities that were presented to me, and because of that, it’s been able to open the doors later in life too,” says Gurley of her experience at North Carolina A&T. “One thing I love about many HBCUs is that we are required to learn way more about African American history than you do in your typical K through 12 or even at the higher ed level."
She adds, “It allowed us to have a better understanding of where we came from, and so for me, because I’m a storyteller, I’m a history person, I’m very sensitive to life in general, being able to listen to the stories and the trials that our ancestors overcame, put the battery pack in my back to say, ‘Oh nothing can stop me. Absolutely nothing can stop me. I know where I came from, so I can overcome something and try anything. And I have an obligation to be my ancestors’ wildest dreams. Simultaneously, I also have a responsibility to help others realize that greatness.
Gurley does not take her position at an HBCU, now as a leader, lightly.
“People think I’m joking when I say I’m living the dream, but I really am,” she notes. “So I wake up every day and know that the work that I do matters, no matter how hard it might be, how frustrating it may be, and challenging it. I know the ripple effect of my work, my team, and what this institution does also matter. The trajectory of Black male experiences, community, history, and then just American advancement just in general.”
On the other hand, through her business, Sankofa Public Relations, Gurley is also on a mission to uplift brands in their quest to help their respective communities. Since its inception in 2017, Sankofa PR has been on a mission to “reach back and reclaim local, national, and global communities by helping those actively working to move” various areas of the world, focusing on pushing things forward for the better.
“Through Sankofa, we’ve worked with all different types of organizational brands and individuals in several different industries, but I would think of them as mission-based,” says Gurley.
“So with that, it’s an opportunity to help people who are trying to do good in the world, and they are passionate about what they’re doing. They just need help with marketing issues, storytelling, and branding, and that’s when my expertise can come into play. Help them get to that moment where they can tell their story through me or another platform, and that’s been super fulfilling.”
Join us in celebrating HBCU excellence! Check out our Best In Class hub for inspiring stories, empowering resources, and everything you need to embrace the HBCU experience.
Feature image courtesy
