Help me adult my skin care and hair care

[wawa]

tell me about your OCM disaster. skin disaster or execution issues? I use it, so I'm not sure that any of my suggestions will be useful if our skin is so different that it was that terrible for you.

and what kind of hair do you have? Straight? Curly?

[wawa]

Dec 2, 2016 12:39:06 GMT -5 Adora Belle Dearheart said:

Dec 2, 2016 12:06:54 GMT -5 wawa said:

tell me about your OCM disaster. skin disaster or execution issues? I use it, so I'm not sure that any of my suggestions will be useful if our skin is so different that it was that terrible for you.

and what kind of hair do you have? Straight? Curly?

It was an epic breakout that took forever to heal. I'm still not sure why. Perhaps I was using the wrong oils (I've been reading a bit about lipids and skin types, which is really interesting). I might try a DIY cleansing balm using oils that are supposedly good for me.

Hair is super thick and wavy. I don't heat style it because it's just too time-consuming. 

re: hair - your hair sounds similar to mine, but I'm just overwhelmingly cheap as fuck when it comes to my hair, so I don't have anythign special to report.  I use the Trader Joe's tea tree shampoo and conditioner.  It's cheap.  I like it.  It works.  The end.  Styling I've yet to buy the same thing twice, so I'm not at all helpful.  I've used some samples of purology stuff and nothing knocked my socks off, especially at that price. 

re: OCM Interesting.  I'd give it a shot with a different set of oils if you're really into DIY.  What were you using the first time? 

So I accidentally wrote a novel here.  So as a shortcut if you don't want to read my babble - Fiddy covers it all pretty well here: fiftyshadesofsnail.com/2015/07/30/shopping-with-fiddy-put-together-a-simple-or-starter-asian-beauty-routine-with-amazon-prime/

As for your original question about basic steps this is my take on it after following allow with the AB thread for a while and testing a bunch of stuff:
First things first - Cleanse.  I'm at this point a two step cleansing evangelical.  Oil based cleansing + a low pH foaming cleanser.  The low pH part is SUPER IMPORTANT.  specific products - most of the asian style cleansing oils are very reasonably priced.  The banila Clean it zero is a favorite, as is the Face Shop something soething rice something.  I DIY with a mix of castor and avocado I'm not much help on that part.  Some sort of oil based cleansing step is a must for me.  It works better than anything else to just get everything off of there.  I've started following it up with just plain old (cheap) cera ve foaming cleanser.  Low pH.  Works.   I have no idea on the cruelty free or recyclable aspect of the packaged cleansing oils.  Pretty sure the packaging on the cera ve is recyclable?   That's a good question...

Moisturize/Hydrate - i like to hit this from two fronts.  One - hydration using the Hado Labo Premium Lotion.  it's a hard core humectant.  i follow it up on dry days with a light facial spray (I use the mario badascu spray, this is very DIYable though - distilled water, some rose water,  some blobs of aloe in a spray bottle that does a nice fine mist.  Shake.  Done.  Rose water can be found in the grocery store, at an asian or middle eastern store if you have one, sometimes just in the "ethnic" aisle if you're not blessed with every kind of niche grocery in the world like I am)
And then to seal that in in the summer I was just using a few drops of straight up argan oil purchased from a hippy store.  CHEAP.  works fine.  For the winter I've been experimenting with a whole pile of random AB samples and have nothing useful to report as of yet.  But starting with just a straight facial oil would be reasonable.  Or Lush is also cruelty free and has great low impact packaging on a lot of their stuff and people here rave about some of their moisturizers.  secretlyevil I think?  I can't think who else at the moment.  But keep in mind the two sides of it - water based hydration and then oil based sealing.  Not just one or the other.  Though you may need one way more than the other...  But I think checking out some Lush products would be a good plan for you. 

Sunscreen If you're going to use an AHA or other active (and even if you're not) a good daily sunscreen is a must. And not like the 15 spf Olay. I use this the Biore water essence. it's amazing.
smile.amazon.com/dp/B00LA6QEOE/ref=sr_ph_1_s_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1480701950&sr=sr-1&keywords=sunscreen

But for something that fits your requirements I've seen good reviews of Coola I think.

And that's it.  In terms of must haves.  But from there it gets fun. (i think anyway.  this is why that thread is so long)

ACTIVES!!  yay. 
For dullness a gentle AHA would be a good start.  It's a chemical exfoliant - helps take off the top layer of dead skin cells. I use the St. Ives pads.  smile.amazon.com/Ives-Face-Care-Exfoliating-Count/dp/B00CHJU06G/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_g2609328962?_encoding=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0&ie=UTF8
Paula's Choice has good options here that are cruelty free.  First Aid Beauty makes a very similar product and they are cruelty free. 

I was also using a VitC serum, but it oxidized and I don't miss it.  meh.  Supposed to be good for "brightening" though, which is beauty speak for fading sun darkening mostly.

I don't have much in the way of breakouts - but I do use a regular BHA (cosRX BHA Blackhead Power liquid) which has made some serious progress on clearing out my nose grits.  It's an oil soluble chemical exfoliant.  Helps get down in the pores and clean out the crap.  Again  maybe look at Paula's choice for something cruelty free if you want to go this route.  And then when I do get a random zit here or there, I dab it with some diluted tea tree oil.  Mine is Body Shop brand (cruelty free.  glass bottle), but this is something you can easily find at a hippy store/online for DIYable use.  You just need a carrier oil that you know won't break you out further for dilution if you buy straight essential oil.   Smells like musty dirt, but fades quickly.

EVERYTHING ELSE
There's an entire world of other stuff.  Snails and bees and so forth may or may not jive with your cruelty free stance.  You'll have to look into that brand by brand maybe?  Donkey milk.  Bird spit.  Etc.  All kinds of stuff.  But also assorted botanical extracts (I'm currently using the CosRX galatocmyces stuff, which does seem to be making my skin more glowy), particularly if you're looking for brightening products.

But first...start with the bolded steps above.  get that settled before you start adding in a ton of other stuff because you dont' want to throw the kitchen sink at your face to start.  Figure out your cleanser and moisturizing steps, and then come back for more ideas. 


*everything I've said was cruelty free is based on a quick google.  I'm not gospel here.

[wawa]

yeah, the thing with the hair stuff is that if you cut out SLS but don't cut out EVERYTHING silicone related in the conditioner and styling products, you're just going to make a mess of yourself. You need the SLS's to cut through the buildup of the silicone-based ingredients. But if you like what the 'cones do for you on the styling side (as I do) then you occasionally have to use something with the SLS's to clean it all out. ce la vie.

If you want to try staying away from "ingredients", I'd check out styling products marketed to ladies of color. They're usually pretty good about calling out if they're 'cone free. If you've got thick wavy hair you can probably use the stuff intended all but the kinkiest hair without weighing it down too badly as long as you use a light touch. Mixed Chicks is cruelty free and gets great reviews. No idea on their "ingredients" stance since I haven't actually tried them. I've liked the stuff I've tried from the Shea Moisture brand (samples), and it's on my list to circle back to once I use up the stuff I'm currently working on. They don't do animal testing and are basically "everything free".

otherwise, seems reasonable to go with your stylists recs if you like their work!

For the PM routine in the winter at least you'll probably want another layer of moisture at the end if you've already got dry skin. I stop at the oil in the summer, but once the heat kicks on in my house I need a heavier moisturizer to seal it all in. Definitely check out Lush because they appear to sell in the great frozen north and totally align with your philosphy. Also, if/when you want to add in actives, they go first after cleansing. But yeah, that seems like a reasonable starting point for something DIY friendly, cruelty free, and recyclable.

[wawa]

Dec 2, 2016 15:29:36 GMT -5 Adora Belle Dearheart said:

So it would be cleanse, vitamin c/BHA/AHA, then oil then maybe heavier moisturizer?

No wonder my face hates me. It does NOT get this much care at all.

yup.


and LOL at the second part.  Mine was lucky if it got washed most days.  I didn't wear makeup daily so I figured I had no reason to do so.  I got away with that for my 20's and then started looking old as fuck with no warning.  (I blame the children)  So I stepped up my game.  I still some days do the absolute bare minimum, but my bare minimum now is cleanse, a few drops of oil and then sunscreen for the day so...a little different than my old literal NOTHING. 

[secretlyevil]

Dec 2, 2016 14:04:19 GMT -5 wawa said:

Dec 2, 2016 12:39:06 GMT -5 Adora Belle Dearheart said:

It was an epic breakout that took forever to heal. I'm still not sure why. Perhaps I was using the wrong oils (I've been reading a bit about lipids and skin types, which is really interesting). I might try a DIY cleansing balm using oils that are supposedly good for me.

Hair is super thick and wavy. I don't heat style it because it's just too time-consuming. 

re: hair - your hair sounds similar to mine, but I'm just overwhelmingly cheap as fuck when it comes to my hair, so I don't have anythign special to report.  I use the Trader Joe's tea tree shampoo and conditioner.  It's cheap.  I like it.  It works.  The end.  Styling I've yet to buy the same thing twice, so I'm not at all helpful.  I've used some samples of purology stuff and nothing knocked my socks off, especially at that price. 

re: OCM Interesting.  I'd give it a shot with a different set of oils if you're really into DIY.  What were you using the first time? 

So I accidentally wrote a novel here.  So as a shortcut if you don't want to read my babble - Fiddy covers it all pretty well here: fiftyshadesofsnail.com/2015/07/30/shopping-with-fiddy-put-together-a-simple-or-starter-asian-beauty-routine-with-amazon-prime/

As for your original question about basic steps this is my take on it after following allow with the AB thread for a while and testing a bunch of stuff:
First things first - Cleanse.  I'm at this point a two step cleansing evangelical.  Oil based cleansing + a low pH foaming cleanser.  The low pH part is SUPER IMPORTANT.  specific products - most of the asian style cleansing oils are very reasonably priced.  The banila Clean it zero is a favorite, as is the Face Shop something soething rice something.  I DIY with a mix of castor and avocado I'm not much help on that part.  Some sort of oil based cleansing step is a must for me.  It works better than anything else to just get everything off of there.  I've started following it up with just plain old (cheap) cera ve foaming cleanser.  Low pH.  Works.   I have no idea on the cruelty free or recyclable aspect of the packaged cleansing oils.  Pretty sure the packaging on the cera ve is recyclable?   That's a good question...

Moisturize/Hydrate - i like to hit this from two fronts.  One - hydration using the Hado Labo Premium Lotion.  it's a hard core humectant.  i follow it up on dry days with a light facial spray (I use the mario badascu spray, this is very DIYable though - distilled water, some rose water,  some blobs of aloe in a spray bottle that does a nice fine mist.  Shake.  Done.  Rose water can be found in the grocery store, at an asian or middle eastern store if you have one, sometimes just in the "ethnic" aisle if you're not blessed with every kind of niche grocery in the world like I am)
And then to seal that in in the summer I was just using a few drops of straight up argan oil purchased from a hippy store.  CHEAP.  works fine.  For the winter I've been experimenting with a whole pile of random AB samples and have nothing useful to report as of yet.  But starting with just a straight facial oil would be reasonable.  Or Lush is also cruelty free and has great low impact packaging on a lot of their stuff and people here rave about some of their moisturizers.  secretlyevil I think?  I can't think who else at the moment.  But keep in mind the two sides of it - water based hydration and then oil based sealing.  Not just one or the other.  Though you may need one way more than the other...  But I think checking out some Lush products would be a good plan for you. 

Sunscreen If you're going to use an AHA or other active (and even if you're not) a good daily sunscreen is a must. And not like the 15 spf Olay. I use this the Biore water essence. it's amazing.
smile.amazon.com/dp/B00LA6QEOE/ref=sr_ph_1_s_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1480701950&sr=sr-1&keywords=sunscreen

But for something that fits your requirements I've seen good reviews of Coola I think.

And that's it.  In terms of must haves.  But from there it gets fun. (i think anyway.  this is why that thread is so long)

ACTIVES!!  yay. 
For dullness a gentle AHA would be a good start.  It's a chemical exfoliant - helps take off the top layer of dead skin cells. I use the St. Ives pads.  smile.amazon.com/Ives-Face-Care-Exfoliating-Count/dp/B00CHJU06G/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_g2609328962?_encoding=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0&ie=UTF8
Paula's Choice has good options here that are cruelty free.  First Aid Beauty makes a very similar product and they are cruelty free. 

I was also using a VitC serum, but it oxidized and I don't miss it.  meh.  Supposed to be good for "brightening" though, which is beauty speak for fading sun darkening mostly.

I don't have much in the way of breakouts - but I do use a regular BHA (cosRX BHA Blackhead Power liquid) which has made some serious progress on clearing out my nose grits.  It's an oil soluble chemical exfoliant.  Helps get down in the pores and clean out the crap.  Again  maybe look at Paula's choice for something cruelty free if you want to go this route.  And then when I do get a random zit here or there, I dab it with some diluted tea tree oil.  Mine is Body Shop brand (cruelty free.  glass bottle), but this is something you can easily find at a hippy store/online for DIYable use.  You just need a carrier oil that you know won't break you out further for dilution if you buy straight essential oil.   Smells like musty dirt, but fades quickly.

EVERYTHING ELSE
There's an entire world of other stuff.  Snails and bees and so forth may or may not jive with your cruelty free stance.  You'll have to look into that brand by brand maybe?  Donkey milk.  Bird spit.  Etc.  All kinds of stuff.  But also assorted botanical extracts (I'm currently using the CosRX galatocmyces stuff, which does seem to be making my skin more glowy), particularly if you're looking for brightening products.

But first...start with the bolded steps above.  get that settled before you start adding in a ton of other stuff because you dont' want to throw the kitchen sink at your face to start.  Figure out your cleanser and moisturizing steps, and then come back for more ideas. 


*everything I've said was cruelty free is based on a quick google.  I'm not gospel here.

Yes, most definitely check out Lush's products. I will update this when I get home with the moisturizer(s) I am using at night.

Also, really recommend using Thayer's alcohol-free witch hazel as a toner. It has helped significantly. I have it in a spray bottle which I just did recently, thanks to someone on here, game-changer!

[secretlyevil]

Currently I am using Lush's skin drink as a moisturizer at night. Before my skin was in good shape, I was using jojoba oil as a moisturizer. I still use it a couple of times a week.