BEAUTY RITUALS

By now, you've probably read thousands of "beauty secrets I swear by" and "beauty secrets that will change your life" posts. However, I still have the intention on sharing my personal daily rituals that have made an impact on my skin or well being one way or another. From skin products, to supplements, here is my list of beauty rituals and items that I live by.

DRY BRUSHING

It was actually my mother who introduced me to this idea of dry brushing your legs to get rid of various veins and stretch marks. As a teenager, I did end up noticing some feint veins behind my legs and it made me so anxious as I noticed no one else around me had them. This led to me never wearing skirts without tights on (even on hot days). I must say that after a few days/weeks/months/years (eek I know I can't remember) I don't have that problem anymore. Even though I didn't have the intention of using this to rid my stretch marks, it did make a drastic difference. 

How I use it: Eveyday before my shower I will dry crush the whole bottom half of my body in upwards motion so the blow flows towards your heart. I am aware you can use body oils along with this but I personally don't. 

Natural Skincare

1. Witch Hazel: I only became aware of Witch Hazel a year ago when I started working in an Organic Health shop. I had seen some youtubers and beauty bloggers praise it, but had never come across it in stores so I wasn't fussed about getting my hands on it. I don't have the "THAYERS" brand, I use a different organic brand but I am aware this one is the most commonly used one. I use mine as a toner in my daily morning and evening Skincare routine.

2. Tea Tree Toner: Tea Tree is one of the most commonly raved about natural Skincare products. I've gone through three Lush "Breath of Fresh Air" toners but I don't intend on buying it anytime soon (not because the product is good, only because the price has raised three times since I started buying it). I know use organic 100% tea tree oil and dilute it with pure water and other essential oils. I also use this as a toner as part of my daily Skincare routine.

3. Rosewater: Wow. Amazing. Unbelieveable. Groundbreaking. Rosewater deserves the recognition it gets. I own both 100% rosewater in its natural form and the Mario Badescu facial spray. If you don't like products that contain alcohol, then stick with 100% organic rosewater. I also use this as a toner (again) as part of my daily Skincare routine and also as a mist for a pick-me-up during the day. It can also be used as a primer and setting spray, apparently.

FACE MASKS

Mask of Magnaminty: This has always been an OG face mask which I only got round to try in March this year. The larger size pot is pricey, but it lasts. I use it weekly and have had the same large pot since March (why does that sound so much more gross reading it than saying it?) Shoutout to my amigas for buying this for my birthday! I've heard some say they've slept with it on overnight, but haven't tried nor intend to try that out soon. 

Sheet Masks: I've tried a handful, including the OG Tony Moly, and to be completely completely completely truthful I hate the feel of them on my face. But that hasn't stopped me from collecting various different ones. I've read they're to be used after your Skincare, not before like normal face masks. 

SHEA BUTTER

Shea Butter is a fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree. It is usually yellow in color when raw, with unrefined, refined, and ultra-refined Shea butter being ivory or white in color. I buy mine from a brand called Shealife and it is 100% raw and unrefined so it can be used on the body as well as the face. It's quite thick and sticky so I don't use this for body, however I do use a Cocoa Butter for an all over body lotion as it does tend to smell a lot nicer than shea butter. Whenever my skin is feeling a bit drier than usual, which is hardly ever as I'm part of the oily girl-squad, that is when I use shea butter as a night treatment to be slept in. 

BODY OILS

If you haven't jumped on the body oil bandwagon yet, where have you been? Body oils are mostly used in and after your shower, but can be used anytime of day. I use a normal body oil inside the shower especially on freshly shaved legs, but also used to apply some along with my body butter after my shower. Shimmer body oils have increased with popularity within the recent years with big brands like Tom Ford and Nars releasing them to the public. A perfect addition to any body lotion when vacationing this summer, if you haven't already.

SUPPLEMENTS: Used for Acne

1. Zinc: Zinc is known to commonly treat acne, growth and idea overall wellbeing. Once I heard it was good for acne, I immediately bought some. As someone who suffers from acne and has tried out all natural rememdies, supplements were my second option. I have noticed that my acne isn't as bad as it was a couple months ago, but I can't say it was Zinc that definitely cleared it up. I've also found that my diet and my hormonal balance had a major impact on my skin, so if you suffer from acne, take a look at your diet and other internal factors. 

2. Pro-Biotics: They are live bacteria that are good for your health, especially your digestive system. We usually think of bacteria as something that causes diseases but our body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are often called "good" or "helpful" bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy. I used this as another option to also help acne.

3. Krill Oil: Lastly, this is another supplement I got my hands on to help with my acne. I didn't use this brand, but another one. It is used as a health supplement for heart disease, high levels of certain blood fats, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer, osteoarthritis, depression, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and painful menstrual periods. Whilst taking this, (I haven't taken it in a while) I noticed it had a major impact on my period cramps (TMI?) 

Thanks for reading!

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