This blog post was inspired by one of my favorite bloggers, Maddy Corbin. If you don’t know who that is, go check her out. She’s awesome!
So I decided to do 7 days without makeup and 7 days without heat on my hair. For my hair – this wasn’t that big of a challenge. It is very rare that I actually do my hair anyways, so I knew it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.
The no makeup is a different story. Normally I don’t mind going a day or two without makeup. I usually don’t wear makeup when I am off of work (like weekends). However, my skin has been really irritated and has an on and off rash for months now. Not only that, but I had just recently broken out before I started this. I felt that because of this it was a very good time to give my skin a long break from makeup.
The first day I was so excited to start these challenges. I knew that my skin needed some extra care and attention.
Here are the products I use for my face:
Neutrogena face wash: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NR1YWC6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera: https://www.amazon.com/Thayers-Alcohol-free-Petal-Witch-Hazel/dp/B00016XJ4M/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1545001524&sr=1-1&keywords=thayers&th=1
St. Ives Moisturizer: https://www.amazon.com/St-Ives-Moisturizer-Collagen-Elastin/dp/B000UVZU1S/ref=sr_1_19_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1545001776&sr=1-19&keywords=moisturizer+for+face
Here are the products I use for my hair:
Shampoo & Conditioner: https://www.walmart.com/ip/TRESemm-Moisturizing-Shampoo-and-Conditioner-for-Dry-Hair-Rich-Moisture-28-oz-2-Count/50678148
The second day was really rough. I woke up itching and scratching. My face was so, so itchy. All down the right side of my neck and the back of my neck was driving me crazy as well. As was the first day, my skin was very dry, especially on my nose and my forehead. I washed my face, and put moisturizer on. As the day went on, my face slowly got better. I was feeling very self conscious because my face had broken out and as I got ready I didn’t think I would feel that I needed to wear makeup! But I did. I wanted to put on makeup so badly! I threw on some glasses to make me feel a little bit better. I was feeling insecure and vulnerable.
The third day was a little bit better with my rash, but my face was getting a little more splotchy and red. My skin was a little less dry, but still very dry as that’s always how my skin has been. My acne was about the same, but I found that I was touching my face a lot more without my makeup.
The fourth day was a lot worse with my acne. My face hurt and was itchy that day. I wanted more than ever to cover up my acne and my blotchy skin. I stopped using my face wash every single day, and it helped with the dryness. I was putting on moisturizer a lot more often too.
Fifth day I was feeling a little bit more confident and I was accepting my skin. I wanted to do this challenge to help it recover a little bit, and learn how to take care of it better. Everyone’s skin is different, and different products work for different people. I found that using my face wash every day was drying out my skin, and that I have to be careful of how much I was using it. I also found that my Thayers product work very well for my acne. I’ve used it before and loved it, but it was cool being able to feel your skin getting better by using it consistently.
The sixth day I was feeling good. Even though it seemed that my acne was getting worse, I felt better. My skin was still itchy but not as much, and I was feeling more confident without makeup. I used to be insecure about not wearing makeup, but when I got to college that changed. I didn’t wear it very often, or do my hair very often. I felt better about myself than I ever had, and I kept learning to accept and love how I look for myself. Since than I have never had a problem not wearing makeup, but I won’t lie this week was tough for me. I couldn’t wait to put some foundation on or mascara.
The seventh day was super easy (and it seems that I didn’t get any pictures) I was with my boo all day and he always makes me feel great about myself. He always says I don’t ever need makeup! And I don’t normally wear makeup when I’m with him all day so it was pretty normal. My face was extra itchy, though. I’m going to try some allergy medicine for my rash, some people think that it might be some kind of allergic reaction.
I’m glad I was able to do this, because it helped me learn a lot about my skin specifically. And myself! I don’t want to feel insecure about not wearing makeup, even if I have a breakout. I want to feel comfortable in my skin no matter what. I’m hoping to learn more about skin care.
And for my hair… It stayed pretty much the same. My hair is naturally curly, but as I’ve gotten older my hair is not as curly anymore – it is just frizz. Normally if I want to wear my hair curly or in a bun I don’t brush it, because the frizz just gets 10x worse. If I’m braiding it I will usually brush it through and then put a lot of product in it to control it. Anyways, this was nice because it took me about 2 minutes to get ready in the morning. I now know how my husband feels!
Before brushing…
After brushing… HAHA
Thanks for reading again. If you have any skin care product suggestions or hair product suggestions, let me know. 🙂
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