Self-Care #2: Faces!
Monday already?
Somehow I thought that adding another self-care challenge each week would be fairly easy. It turns out that I’m more fargone than I knew!
How are your hands? Did you try the scrub?
Are we ready to add on?
This week…the face!
Personal glimpse:
I have extremely acenic skin. Oddly enough, my skin has become only more blemished, reddened, and scarred in my adult years. There are various reasons; perhaps environmental sensitivities (cold winds do nothing good for me!), and diet (I’m a gal who enjoys a dark beer, but my skin doesn’t seem to appreciate it as much), or stress (give me a big marital conflict and I’ll be breaking out for a week!). whatever the reasons, I’m no peaches-and-cream when it comes to my face.
That said….
Two of the most beautiful women I have ever known had imperfect skin. The one was my maternal Grandma Anna. The other was a spiritual mother, also named Anna (oh the reasons our daughter would have carried an Anna name….). My grandma Anna had thicker skin and pores, skin tags which needed a hair trimming every month or so, and dark eyes eyes which were legally blind. My other Anna was adorned with age spots and wrinkles and a nose which seemed a step ahead of her.
Both these women were exceptionally beautiful.
Their faces carried peace and shone with inner joy.
Grandma Anna knew most of Psalms and Proverbs by memory and would often sing the hymns quietly to herself on her chair. Mama Anna had only one, constant, greeting for me, “The Lord BLESS you!” she would cry, embracing my face in both hands and kissing my cheek.
As with these women, let our inner care, cleansing, and Life be the mark of beauty on our faces.
First.
Foremost.
Always.
With that as our foundation, here is the hands-on initiative for our face this week. (And remember, this is coming from someone doing baby steps so if it’s too easy well…you’re doing great!)
As our inner faces need the washing of confession and forgiveness, so do our outer faces require regular cleansing and care to prevent shadows, filth, and damage. As women on the run, it’s easy to re-apply make-up over yesterday’s fare, to crawl into bed without cleansing, and to forgo altogether the long-term care such as moisturizing. These days, I don’t have as much time (or budget!) for make-up, although I really do enjoy getting done up now and then. For now, I really jsut want to see my face looking healthy and cared for; with or without paint.
– Commit to five (yup, just five) full minutes in the morning and the evening to tend to your face. Then, in the next six days, fulfill the following:
– Gentle water cleansing every morning
- Wash face with warm water and soft cloth
- Apply toner if desired
(I’m currently using a mix of witch hazel, lavender, tea tree, and water) - Apply a daily moisturizer
(I’m currently using clear jojoba oil, lightly applied)
– Gentle water cleansing every evening
- Find a cleanser (not necessarily oil free!) which works for you.
(I’m currently using a toxin-free liquid from New Directions, with some lavender oil. I find makeup is best removed with oil; apricot kernel or coconut oil being my favorites) - Moisturize!
(I do the light jojaba, as well as a blend of carrot seed and rosehip oils in the eye area when I remember)
– Exfoliation two mornings (I’ll be doing mine Wednesday and Sunday)
(Try some new and natural recipes; my current favorite is fresh pineapple. Smush it all over and leave the juice on for a minute or two. It’s the perfect acid exfoliation. Other easy and natural options include honey (yup, just smear honey all over your face and wash off!) or ground oatmeal mixed with yogurt. Try to avoid things like ground apricot shells or other materials which can actually cause damage to your face). Let me know if you’d appreciate a post with more recipes and ideas in this area.
– Moisturizing or repair treatment two evenings (I’m doing Tuesday and Saturday)
(I’ll be doing a white kaolin clay mask and perhaps a special oil treatment with the carrot seed oil blend)
Alright. This isn’t that tough. For the pro’ pretty face care folks, well, it’s nothing at all. For me, I’m going to make some notes in my dayplanner and be sure I see it through…while keeping up with my hands from last week.
What are other simple, natural, and effective face treatments you’ve come to love? Or that you’d love to try? What do you avoid?
What do you find most challenging when it comes to maintaining healthy skin on your face?
What do you wish you had been told in your teen years regarding face care which would have helped now?
The day is flying and there’s much to do. J’ is in town (can I get a hallelujah?!) and out on a ride-along with the Town Station (y’all be praying your pretty faces off with me that he gets a station placement, kay?). Lots happening in our home and family these days, and many good things ahead.
Whole Dei 
i too have gotten worse skin with the years…
i use witches hazel for cleaning and tea tree oil and love it… i will try what you have reccomended in other areas… i would love more recipies in the exfolating department… this sounds strange but i can’t handle eating or even touching fruits during the spring time as it makes my skin and mouth itch like crazy! as well as any gluten products.. i thought i could handle oatmeal.. but that gives me an allergic reation as well.. i will have to try the honey… do you think that agave necture would produce the same result? I have some of that on hand right now.
As for mositurizing carrot seed oil??? okay i’m gonna sound senstive again but carrot are a big no no for me to eat (terrible stomach cramps ect…) i’m scared to do any carrot based skin treatment as well! any other suggestions???
Hand treatment last week as fabulous! Thanks for sharing it! I must do it more often!
I do well in the face department in the morning, usually just some ground up oatmeal and drops of lavendar in the shower. Occasionally if I am having a bad skin day, I use some rosemary for clarifying. Night time is when I forget to wash my face before falling into bed:), I have been thinking for a while that I need to work on that.
I have been using coconut oil as a moisturizer for a long time but I have been thinking about trying argan oil. Have you heard of it? I’ve read good things but I don’t know much about it. My skin tends to be pretty sensitive so I have gotten to the point where I don’t even try a whole lot because I don’t want to irritate it.
oo coconut oil on the face… i’ll try that one! rosemary for clarifying? hmm i’ll have to try that one as well! Thanks for sharing missy