Girl, you've got some soft skin . . .

Lately, I've gotten several compliments on my skin and decided that I’m willing to give up a secret or two to help my fellow beauty addict.

BODY

I've made it my business to stop using all those cutesy soaps/body washes that dry your skin out. About two years ago, I fell in love with Lush solid soaps and haven’t stopped using them since. They are all natural and because they are super concentrated a $10 chunk usually lasts me 2-3 months.

To moisturize, I have found that the lotion from my childhood works the best, St. Ives Renewing Collagen Elastin - during the winter (or for a hot date) I mix it with body butter from Bath and Body Works for extra softness.

I constantly experiment with exfoliators. Currently, I am using St. Ives Mineral Therapy body scrub - I found at a discount store and I will be going back to pick up more. It not only exfoliates, but cleanses and moisturizes all in one swoop. I use it 1-2 times weekly.

FACE

One day it occurred to me that I could no longer wash my face with only water and expect it to stay looking vibrant and healthy. It took several combinations, but I have gotten my facial care down to a science. Here are a few things that work for me.

I constantly change my facial soap and moisturizer. In my bathroom, I have at least 4 kinds of soap and three moisturizers in my medicine cabinet. Your skin is a living, breathing organ that reacts to the environment around it, so it’s necessary to give it what it needs.

Fresh Farmacy

To fight acne I use Fresh Farmacy from Lush as well as Clinique liquid facial soap. As soon as my face starts feeling dry I use good ole Oil of Olay bar soap. For an every day cleanser I use Ocean Salt Cleanser by Lush.

Clearly, I am a Lush addict and my toner is also a product of this company – the Tea Tree Water Toner is my best friend and strongest defense against pimples.

As you may have guessed, I am in love with Lush moisturizer and there are two that I LIVE for – Gorgeous (light, smells amazing, and quite refreshing) and Vanishing Cream (controls oil, helps with scaring, helps with acne). My third moisturizer I got from Sustainable NYC, I use this one in the winter to help restore moisture.

HAIR

Now, it gets really tricky with my hair. I use SEVERAL products as I do for my face – but this list is twice as long because I also use different products when I want to wear it natural (curly) or straight. But heck, it’s the summer, and I am on my natural kick most days, so let’s stick to the products I am using the most now.

Hask Henna 'n' Placenta plus Olive Oil

To get my locks clean, I switch between Aphogee Shampoo for Damaged Hair and Trichomania (another Lush product).  In my opinion, you could probably get away with using cheap shampoo, but you can not skimp with the conditioner. I use the Balancing Moisturizer and the 2-Minute Keratin Reconstructor by Aphogee as well as Jungle by Lush.

Because I wash my hair so much, I make it my business to deep condition at least 2-3 times a week and I rotate between Garnier’s 3 Minute Undo, Lush’s H'SUAN WEN HUA, and MoroccanOil’s Restorative Conditioner (not so easy on the pockets).

To style I alternate between the leave in conditioner by Aphogee and Hask Henna 'n' Placenta plus Olive Oil – both are amazing. To keep the frizz away, I use MoroccanOil’s Intense Curl Crème with a splash of their oil treatment. When I want to be certain it stays the way it looks all day – I give it a few sprays of Aphogee’s hair spritz and a dab of Cantu shea butter clear conditioning gel - extra hold. 

I am always trying new combinations and products. Tell us what works best for you, or what you think of my suggestions.

HERE IS TO BEING HEALTY AND BEAUTIFUL.

Cheers,

Theory