Ooh, Palmolive!

During lunch a couple days ago, my cousin stared at me and said I had flawless skin. She did! She actually said, "Flawless eh, your skin!" which, if you think about it, is how Yoda would sound if Star Wars movies had been Singaporean.

In any case, as much as I'd like it to be, my skin is obviously not 'flawless' at all; I get the occasional pimple now and then if I neglect to wash my face, and there are times when I can't resist squeezing those unsightly pimples which ends up in some slight scarring and marking here and there.

But all in all, I'm still glad that I don't really have much of a problem with acne. The reason for this isn't that my parents have great skin, so I don't think it really has everything to do with genetics (though obviously some people may be genetically predisposed to acne attacks). No, I believe it is mostly due to my skin care regimen and the products I use, which I mentioned in a post a while back about my being metro and how serious I am about my facial care.

I've been using Clean & Clear Foaming Facial Cleanser for years now, and lemme tell you, it really works. The ones they sell here don't have the pump though, only a purple cap. Doesn't matter too much; same stuff, different packaging. You can find them at just about any place that has facial products.

The active ingredient is triclosan, a "potent wide spectrum antibacterial and antifungal agent." So obviously that's the stuff that helps your skin fight off bacteria that could cause those nasty blackheads and whiteheads.

Pour a drop the size of a 5¢ coin onto your palm, lather with water and cleanse face. Do this twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, and you'll stave off the 'heads.

But every so often, one needs to exfoliate. For most of you, hearing that word brings up images of women and facials and spas and stuff. But never fear, it's a good thing.

Clinique says this:

Exfoliation is the skin's natural process of shedding dead cells. Everyday or so, our bodies naturally exfoliate. A new layer of cells is formed at the bottom of the epidermis and pushes the old skin cells to the surface where they eventually dislodge and flake away. By adding exfoliation to your daily skin care routine, you can assist this natural process at the surface and encourage newer, better-looking skin.

My choice for an exfoliator is St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub. It comes in different types too; there's one for normal skin, sensitive skin, and one for blemish and blackhead controls, so take your pick. I use the one for blemish and blackhead control. I buy mine at Winmark in The Mall.

The scrub contains natural exfoliators like walnut shell powder and corn kernel meal, and the particles are quite large so you don't want to rub too vigorously. It's meant to remove dead skin cells, not scrape off new ones. NB: There is a similar range that uses non-natural microbeads. You don't want that one, it sucks! So make sure you check the ingredients!

It also contains 2% salicylic acid, and don't be freaked out by the idea of "acid" since this particular one is a key ingredient in many skin-care products for the treatment of a number of skin dermatoses, including acne.

The directions say to "moisten face, apply with wet fingertips and massage into skin for about one minute. Rinse well and pat dry." I use about a centimetre of it every couple days and it makes my face feel pretty smooth.

One more thing-- If you shave, exfoliation is a good way to help smoothen your skin and lessen the chance of cuts. But make sure you DO NOT use any scrub right before or after you shave. Like scrubbing, shaving also removes dead skin cells, and scrubbing right before or after shaving can hurt! I usually scrub the day before I shave. But obviously you want clean skin when you shave, so wash your face with a cleanser before you start shaving. Washing your face also helps shaving by removing dirt and grime, and it also removes dead skin cells. Exfoliating with a scrub just does it better hehe.

But at times I find that this particular scrub, despite being a great exfoliator, doesn't manage to remove all the oil on my skin, so I remedy that by first washing with Nivea Visage Refreshing Cleansing Gel. It feels pretty good and doesn't dry out skin.

I haven't used it for a while though since it's quite pricey; last time I checked it was $12 at Guardian. But I still have a soft spot in my facial heart for it, so I plan to eventually start using it again. I also use it as a cleanser after shaving to clean any cuts or nicks I may have gotten. It saves me the trouble of having to use an aftershave.

Obviously the caveat here is that everyone has different skin, and you should find the facial products that best suit your type. No point using a facial cleanser just because it works for me, even though it dries your face off. But if your skin is anything like mine-- accumulation of dirt and grime due to sweat, and prone to being oily, but not overly so-- then these products are great.

By Chester with 6 comments