What comes to your mind when you hear the term “beauty secrets”?
Stop thinking now. The list is endless. With all the products out in the market claiming to make you “this” and “that” in a matter of weeks, days, or even an instant — we understand if you’ve grown confused. So, let’s break the news at the onset: there is no such thing as a beauty secret.
Yes, you read it right. There are no secrets to staying young and retaining that vibrant skin and figure — or even plain getting it. The only “secret” (if we may call it one) is knowledge. And, don’t worry since you don’t need an MBA or even a bachelor’s here. The basic things you ought to know are fairly simple, and they are:
Your age category
Our skin types and metabolism variables as we age. As we add digits to our years, our metabolism slows down, and we have to start being extra careful with what we eat and drink. If you’ve enjoyed that McDonald’s burger every day in your teens, start cutting it down as early as you can. Go for greens, watery fruits, and lots of fiber (cereals, whole wheat bread, etc.).
And, we’ve got to accept the fact that our skin doesn’t get any better as we grow older. You find fine lines and wrinkles (around your eye and lip areas — laugh lines as some would call them). Aging is inevitable. However, you can opt to take control over your aging instead of it taking control over your confidentiality and inhibiting you.
There are various methods and product types to help your certain age group. Skin category age grouping is usually in 10s after your teens. So, there are certain ingredients you’ve got to look for in your moisturizers or night creams in your 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s.
Your skin type category
You don’t just jump into any regimen because it has been recommended by a friend or relative. No, not because you can’t trust them. But because what worked wonders for one may spell disaster for you and your skin. No one knows your skin better than you do.
Have you got dry skin? If so, hydration and extra moisturizing are what you need (We say extra moisturizing because no matter your skin type, you’ve got to moisturize). Knowing whether you fall under the dry skin category is quite easy. Just roll a fingernail through your skin and if you find your skin as if a chalkboard, then that’s it. Drink lots of water — fluid intake and eat lots of water-based fruit and vegetables like apples, oranges, watermelon, tomatoes, cabbages, and lettuce.
Is your trouble on your T-zone and beyond being greasy? Then, you’ve got oily skin. Oil is actually a good thing — but too much is not. Oil means you’re naturally moisturized. You can take control of your oily skin and the zits that usually go with it in more ways than one. But, the basics are constantly washing and freeing yourself of makeup for oily skin is more prone to blocking dirt that causes breakouts (which we all hate).
You can also be oily in some parts (like on your face) and dry in others — that’s combination skin. You can also identify if you’re allergic and if your skin reacts faster to factors that irritate like heat, etc. We’d love to talk in more detail about skin types in our future posts.
Your habits and/or regimen one of beauty secrets
“You are what you eat” is still true. Your skin reflects what you do. Patience is the key to snagging that gorgeous no-makeup look we all want to do. Do you smoke? What’s your diet? Do you sleep with your makeup on?
Being faithful to your beauty secrets rituals pays off big time. You won’t like to start taking care of yourself when the damage has been done. However, “it’s better to be late than never” also applies. Do you eat just about anything? Soon, we’d be posting diet tips for your age group and skin type. We hope you look forward to them.
Your beauty secrets “troubles”
What part or parts of your face/body do you need to pay extra attention to? Once you’ve found out, do so. Although overall caring for your skin and body highly matters, knowing what you regularly get (e.g. tummy flab, zits, face craters) and paying more attention to it by knowing its cause and how to deal with it will help you big time.
How to deal with you!
If you are unsure about how to classify your skin type or if you are having skin issues you and the various products you’ve tried can’t deal with, then seeking expert advice is not something you should doubt. Never find seeing your dermatologist expensive. Always ask yourself, “how much are my skin and wellness worth?” A few bucks for consultation every once in a while instead of the expensive, heavy-on-carbs meal can do it for you.
A lot of products are tempting, but you don’t need them all. Plus, buying them all does not guarantee you wellness and/or better skin, for the matter. And, being beautiful (physically, this is) need not be expensive all the time.
Lastly, we want you to keep in mind that we are all beautiful. And, if a beauty secret does exist, then it’s plain confidence! Remember that people see you as you see yourself. Value and treat yourself as you’d have others treat you. If you think you’re gorgeous, then walk like you’ve got your name in Hollywood! That’s no biggie and, who cares? How you feel about yourself will always be what matters.