The good news about having an oily skin is that it ages slowly, but you know what they say about too much of everything. Today's discussion is centred on one of the safest and cheapest ways of putting too much oil in check.
Before we proceed, bin those fancy face wash, with fancy names, toner, and cleanser containing salycic acid, micro balls, alcohol etc. Yes you heard me, get rid of them right away!
Well well well, if you are a doubting Thomas like I was, you can hold on to them for another week, but I hereby recommend that you use honey as facial wash henceforth. Now lets get down to business.
The face has its natural oily substance secreted by sebaceous glands containing anti bacterial and other properties, that is called the sebum. If you strip sebum off the facial surface, it reacts by producing excessive oil in defense and this is exactly what harsh salycic acid and other chemicals in that category do. However, if you use products without these culprits, sebum does not feel threatened, and everything is alright in your facial world. There are both natural and man made products that are gentle on the skin, but today, we are team natural, and as such, our Honey talks.
Honey is fantastic for all types of skin, as it has antibacterial, medicinal, and healing properties, it contains high amount of pottasium that kills bacteria which clogs the pores.
BENEFITS OF USING HONEY AS A FACE WASH
*Honey gently removes dirt and impurities without stripping the skin of natural oils. *Foaming cleansers and soaps frequently strip the skin of these protective oils and cause the skin to overproduce oil.
*The natural antibacterial and probiotic properties of raw honey effectively reduce breakouts and prevent new acne.
*Since it is so gentle and nurturing to the skin, it is ideal for very sensitive skin, rosacea, and eczema .
*It works well on all skin types. It balances oily skin and moisturizes dry skin.
*As far as excellent facial cleansers go, it is much cheaper than store bought options!
So now that we have ascertained the importance of honey, any brand of raw honey would do just fine, but you must make sure that, it is neither overprocessed nor dilluted, since any of these would cause it to lose its healing properties.
HOW TO IDENTIFY UNDILLUTED HONEY
Dip a match stick into the honey and strike the stick against the match box, if it lights up, the honey is undilluted vice versa.
HOW TO WASH YOUR FACE WITH HONEY
Get a teaspoon of honey, a whit pure cotton handkerchief, and whole milk for moisturising and matte look, I prefer powdered milk because it is easier to preserve
Step 1
Apply the honey gently all over your face and leave for at least 10 minutes.
Step 2
Dip the white cotton handkerchief into warm water and gently wipe the honey off your face (the cotton handkerchief removes every trace of dirt and maybe dead skin because it serves as a mild exfoliating agent).
Step 3
Splash cool water on your face to close the pores.
Step 4
Apply milk as moisturiser ( if it is powdered milk, mix with a little water for spreadable consistency. I will discuss benefits of milk in the next article)
Repeat this process every morning and evening if you do not wear make up. Remember that good honey is not a make up remover, thus, I recommend the use of natural oil such as olive and coconut oil and your cotton wool to remove make up.
Tips
*Do not use cleanser or toner during this period
*Washing your face with cool water twice a day is better than using chemicals on your skin
*Avoid harsh moisturiser that will exacerbate your oil problem
*Mix d milk with a drop of almond or olive oil if you have a dry skin
*Use an SPF during the day
*Keep hair away from your face especially if it is oily
*Constantly touching your face will transfer dirt and oil to it
*Clean your make-up brushes once a week
*Use water based cosmetics and avoid heavy make-up that will clog your pores and lead to breakout
*Go bare faced whenever you can
*Drink plenty of water to hydrate, refresh and detoxify skin from the inside
*Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
*Eat food rich in enzymes like pineapple, milk and pumpkin to help dissolve oil that attracts dirt and dead skin to skin surface
*Avoid artificial perfumes, colouring agents, synthetic chemicals and mineral oil
*To avoid side effects, always use natural products and home remedies
I will recommend other natural products that are toners in our next article. Stay cool.
Have you tried using honey or milk to reduce the oil on your face? Or do you know of any method other than the ones mentioned here? Share your experience with us!
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