Why Does My Skin Break Out in Dry Weather || 5 key suspects in my Harmattan Break Outs

So two weeks ago I'm scrubbing my face with my DIY dilke body scrub (coming soon!) and I feel a little, painful bump.

What's this? A pimple? No way!

But I've been good, haven't I?

I hadn't had a break out in over 10 months!

So I became more serious and made sure I was sticking to my daily routine while being cautious and less aggressive to my sensitive skin.

That should help control the pimples right?

WRONG!

As we speak my forehead is quite bumpy with at least 3 mini clusters of raised skin. There's also a little cluster on both cheeks and one on my chin.

*breathing hot air*

But I was being so good!

*sigh*

Wait, hold on, didn't this happen last year? January, to be precise!

Rewind a little, I think it happened in January 2015 too! 2014 doesn't count because I was heavily preggers and and my face resembled sand paper, but all the Januaries after that have been a little pimply.

What is it with January (The month I was born!!!) and break outs?

Well, in Nigeria January is smack in the middle of Harmattan season, which is very dry, windy, dusty and often cooler than other months.

Could this be the reason my skin is at its worst during Harmattan?

Lets rule out the constants: PCOS, Hormonal Changes and my oily/combination skin are constant all year round.

What changes?

Let's discuss 5 reasons why I'm blaming Harmattan for my breakouts!

HAIR PRODUCTS:

Dry Season = Dry Hair = More Hair Products. I should've known this al along. My hair gets super dry and coarse when there's no humidity so I usually switch from Coconut oil (which is light) to shea butter and Castor oil (thick oil). 

I also noticed I only have pimples on my forehead and my cheeks. None on my nose, which is an oily area. 

I'm very hairy (Hirsutism rocks!) and my hairline touches my brows from the sides and I also have side burns that go down to my jaws. Now that I look at it, most of my pimples are localised within an inch or two of my hairline!

SOLUTION:

I need to get me one of these ASAP!

I think I'll wear it at night and around the house all day and hopefully it'll prevent the oil from melting down my face. 

Since it contains oil, I have to also wash it daily! 

Maybe I should get two! Or three!

PARTY SEASON:

Let's see, how many weddings did I attend in December/January? Well, much more than the total number of weddings I attended all year, that's for sure! Then there's Office parties and special birthdays and your favourite out of towners are visiting, so you're taking them out more often! 

Bottom line is you're getting dressed and glamming up much more than you used to making...

Party Season = Make Up season! 

I went from only wearing a full face of make up 2 to 3 times a week to glamming up almost daily over a two week period!

Even though I always remove my make up before going to bed, there are nights when we get home and 1am and all you're thinking about is rushing to bed, so your face won't be as clean as it should be...

Skin doesn't get time to breath and all that prodding and rubbing causes inflammations causing blocked pores and all that jazz! *sigh*

SOLUTION: 

I'm letting my skin breathe this January! No foundation till my birthday (Jan. 29th!) My studio fix powder should be okay.

I also clean my makeup brushed much more regularly now. I now wash my beauty blender BEFORE and AFTER each use instead of only AFTER use.

DRY AIR:

There's pretty much no humidity in the air both indoors and outdoors and this really dries my skin out. Dry skin = Dead skin cells that can clog pores and trap sebum, leading to breakouts! 

SOLUTIONS:

I exfoliated my skin yesterday using a glycolic acid peel and oh, I instantly felt an improvement . Exfoliation really works and that is why I love doing a dilke scrub once in a while. Skin feels soft and refreshed instantly.

I'm also going to be turning on my humidifier more often! I bought one of these ones when Baby R had tonsillitis. We use it from time to time and now that I know humidity helps my skin, I'm going to be turning it on all night. 

INCONSISTENCY:

Sometimes, being away from home can really throw me off my normal routine. Like at home my cleanser is always beside my toothbrush so I apply cleanser, brush my teeth and then wash it off; its almost robotic. But since we've been in Kano and Daura for most of the holiday, I wasn't in my zone so I didn't exfoliate at all and well, sometimes, I didn't even use a toner after cleanser! *yikes!*

Also, all these dilke and kurkum scrubs can be a little tedious when I'm in a hurry so sometimes I give my weekly facials a miss.

SOLUTION

This year I plan on making a Beauty Calendar that'll include hair, skin and other feminine type things. I work well with calendars and planners, so I'm hoping it'll keep me consistent. *fingers crossed*

HARD WATER

We moved to our current district almost two years ago, and immediately we noticed the water is so different!

I would spare you a photo of the residue that's left behind when soap mixes with this hard water of ours. The water contains heavy minerals, making if difficult for other substances to dissolve in it. Whats left is a film of sticky residue, so we end up using more soap, more detergent, more cleanser which can seriously irritate skin. Its so obvious on Baby R's feet, cos her toe nails appear brittle and the skin on her feet is often dry and peeling.

Let's just say the entire family now suffers dry scalps, coarse hair and, as I noticed dry skin.

From a physiological stand point, dry and irritated skin thats been stripped off all its natural oils will cause a negative feedback system because on noticing excessive dryness, the body overcompensates by producing excess oil leading to more clogged pores.

Apparently even our clothing and linen washed with hard water can further irritate our skin and even lead to dermatitis,  which I've had in the past and it sucks majorly. *sigh*

SOLUTION

We are currently looking for a lasting solution to the problem. We might have to just install a water softener in the tanks and call it a day. Until then... well, I just have to deal with it. sigh

That's it guys! These are the five things I'm suspecting are responsible for my current break out and I am currently working on a new routine to help me tackle them swiftly. 

My birthday is on the 29th and I don't want any blemishes on this very special milestone birthday of mine! *sigh*

Thanks for reading!

I hope you find my tips helpful for you too.

Any questions? leave them in the comments below.

Lot's of Windy love!

Ummmi

x o x o

My First Oriflame Purchase

For the past four-five months my PCOS has been acting up big time and my entire hormone regulation has been erratic, to say the least.

 

Now this isn't the first time I've had crazy symptoms because of this condition, I've been dealing with it since I was 18!

 

However, this is the first time that I've had acne as a symptom! Like terrible acne! All over my face! Along with this comes discolouration, lots of it! I never even had acne as a teenager during puberty, so to be getting acne as an adult in my late twenties, it's very disconcerting to be honest.

 

That's a post for another day though.

 

In my panic, I decided to do something about it before it takes over my entire face! It's already halfway there.

 

I was changing up my facial routine and then I remembered. Oriflame! I can't even remember when I joined Oriflame. I just know a colleague at work had been pressuring me to join and the membership was really cheap (N1700).

 

Even though I've been a member of Avon in the past, I actually really hate network marketing with a passion. My mum (like many Nigerians) used to be obsessed and she's done it all! In Nigeria she did GNLD and Forever Living and When we moved overseas she did Amway, Nutrimetics and Avon.

 

I personally find it annoying when these sales people try to stuff their products down your throat. Some can be fussy and pushy and I avoid them a lot.

 

But I joined Avon because the makeup and fragrances were great (as a teen and college student) but I only ever purchased for personal use.

 

So I joined Oriflame cos their products seemed cool and reasonably priced. Until I got the catalogue and saw the sizes! Like 50ml for body creams? Too small.

 

However, in my acne hysteria I decided to try a few of their products so I shopped online at their website. Here's what I got:

 

 

Love Nature Face Toner and Blemish Solver

This Range contains tea tree oil and I know tea tree is great for acne: in fact, my current cleanser contains tea tree and I like it. So I needed a good toner to close my pores and complement the cleanser.

The blemish solver claims to target spots and reduce scarification.

 

Pure Skin Blackhead Control Toner

Pure Skin Blackhead Control Toner

Hopefully this would help with black heads.

 

Essentials skin care range

Now I was sceptical about getting this set of products because it mentioned 'lightening'. I'm not a fan of skin lightening products but I checked the ingredients and it had no chemicals that could lighten the skin! A friend that's also been using this products said she hadn't seen a change in her skin colour. Just soft skin.

 

Which leads me to believe that it's all a marketing ploy! The whole world knows that Nigerian women are obsessed with becoming fairer and they'd use any means to make money off gullible Naija girls.

 

The only difference between the ingredients in these products and another non 'skin Lightning range is the SPF so I think they're banking on SPF= lighter skin which is a big lie under the Nigerian sun! I used to use SPF 20 quite religiously when I first came back and my skin stayed the same. No difference.

 

I was attracted to this range cos of the pH balancing cleanser. It's really mild and skin feels refreshed after use.

 

I also got a kajal which I really didn't need. But yay! Love it!

Quite pigmented but can get runny when under the hot sun or sweaty.

I also got this for the husband. I wanted to get him the entire north for men range but only the aftershave was in stock. :(

 

 

He really likes it though so yay. I will be purchasing the entire range later.

 

 

 

 

So I'll be giving these products a go to see which one my skin responds to best so I can stick with it. I'm really hoping I find a solution to this problem because the hyper pigmentation going on on my face is really getting out of hand.

 

 

Would I recommend Oriflame?

 

 

Yeah, sure! Especially for personal use. If you're already in the cosmetic retail business then adding these products to your stock is great however, you're like me and not into network marketing then join to get a 20% discount on cosmetics.

 

 

If you're in it for the money you could make let me warn you now, it's quite difficult to get to that point.

 

 

You need to get about 100 points consistently every month which comes to around 9000naira/ month or 11 if you add shipping. if you lose your streak, you've got to start all over again. And if you don't get up to,100points, you lose those points and start over again the next month, they don't cumulate

 

 

You also need to get people to register under you and they have to get others to register under them and so on so you can move up the ladder.

 

 

I find that quite stressful and of all the peopl I know into this, I'm yet to find anyone that has actually made hard cash.

 

 

For personal use, I was able to get 8 products for 9,900naira which became 11,200 after shipping. Not bad at all.

 

 

 

Have you ever used Oriflame?

 

 

What was your experience like?

 

 

Would you recommend it?

 

 

Have you used it to make money?

 

 

Let us know in the comments below.

 

 

Until then, have a blemish free rest of the week!

 

 

 

Lots of fresh skin love,

 

 

 

Ummi

 

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Beauty: Get perfect skin with turmeric! (Curcur scrub)

People see my wedding photos and say, “Wow! Your skin was so fresh then, what happened now?” At that point, I’d be like “Dude, haven’t you heard of photoshop?” But no matter how much credit I give makeup and photoshop, I know there’s one component that deserves some praise as well, and that is the turmeric scrub, aka Curcur.

I first came across the turmeric facial during the “gyaran jiki” phase of my wedding prep. For my non-Hausa friends, “Gyaran Jiki” literally means “fixing the body” and in the context of a wedding, its a series of body treatments the bride has to go through so she can look super glamourous during her wedding. I know what you’re thinking, and no, I’m not talking about bridalplasty. This is more like body scrubs, perfumes and other edible stuff which I won’t go into right now. So we pretty much do gyaran jiki to look (and smell) good. I used this scrub every morning for 3 weeks prior to the wedding.

Since returning to Naija I have noticed it is fast becoming very common practice among Hausa people, even though we borrowed it from the Kanuri people, who borrowed it from Sudanese people, who may have been influenced by Indians. Suffice to say, it may be borrowed but its here to stay cos its pretty damn good!

I hated it at first. Why? Cos I was FORCED to get it done before my wedding. FORCED! Against my will! By my Mum! So I had to hate it at first, just to spite her :) :) but I eventually gave in.

I was skeptical for 2 reasons.

How can a spice that I add in to curry magically transform my skin? What is the evidence base for this practice? Is it on PubMed?

Even if it works, why should I do it? I like my skin just the way it is. I mean, sure the Australian sun might have battered it a little, but its nothing my St. Ives lotion and SPF 30 can’t fix. I don’t want to be one of those brides that have beautiful dark skin and then suddenly go all li’l Kim at their wedding!

Anyhow I was wrong, turmeric doesn’t bleach the skin (thankfully!) but when used regularly, it does give soft, acne-free skin and a yellow undertone that gives the illusion of a glow and then gradually fades out after a few weeks. Kinda like what henna does with red, although unlike henna, turmeric isn’t as pigmented and in most people, you don’t really see a difference in skin colour, only soft and luminous skin.

After suffering in Ibadan, I realised my skin was in a dire SOS mode so why not recreate it? Only this time I wasn’t going to buy the premixed scrub, but make it myself. I twisted the arm of my aunt who makes these for a living and she let me in on the formula for the Curcur scrub. It’s easy and most of the stuff you already have at home!  

Here’s what I used

The quantities can vary according to your needs. If your skin is too dry, add more oats! If you are fast tracking like me, add extra turmeric. Just make sure you don’t put too much lemon/lime juice cos its acidic.

Main Ingredients

Turmeric - 2 tablespoons

Honey - 2 tablespoons

Yeast - 1 tablespoon

Lemon or lime juice 1 tablespoon

Optional 

Oats - 2 tablespoons

Humrah - a dash (Traditional perfume, I used pineapple flavour)

Lotion - enough amount to last me a week.

Plain flour - if consistency is too runny, add flour, one teaspoon at a time to make a thick paste.

Extras

Mixing bowl and spoon

Deep pore cleanser 

Sunscreen

Perfume

Here’s what to do

1. Pour all the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix them
2. Then pour the lemon juice and honey and mix to a paste
3. Add lotion to your desired quantity, make sure you add just enough and not too much otherwise your scrub will be runny.
4. Add a dash of non irritating perfume (humrah, cologne, eau de toilette or body mist) to the scrub (optional)
5. If your paste is too runny, you can add plain flour, one teaspoon at a time and mix thoroughly till you get the desired consistency.

You’re ready to use!

How to use it on the face

1. First, I make sure I’ve washed my face thoroughly with warm water 
2. Then I smear small amounts of the scrub to my face and work it in firm circular motions until every surface is covered.
3. I wait 30 minutes or until the scrub dries and then I rub it off in firm circular motions to get an exfoliating effect.
4. When its all off, I wash it off. First with water and then with a nice deep pore cleanser.

How to use on the whole body

1. Take a shower to wash the body thoroughly then blot with a towel and make sure you’ve dried completely.
2. Stake out an area where you’ll stay and cover the floor with old newspapers or plastic sheets or just go to a tiled area that can be cleaned easily.
3. Wear no clothes! Just tie an old towel, or an old wrapper or just laze around in the buff. Whatever you choose, don’t wear clothes or they might get stained. 
4. Work small amounts of the scrub all over the body surface in circular motions until everywhere is covered. You can ask someone to help you with the hard to reach areas.
5. Leave the scrub on for about 30 minutes or until its completely dry. It may start crumbling off when its dry, so its best to remain within the news-papered area.
6. When dry, go to a bath tub or shower. Start rubbing off the scrub in circles. This will have an exfoliating effect.
7. When its all off, have a shower with warm water and use a sponge to wash off any left over scrub.
8. Use humrah or a perfumed lotion all over body to mask any odours that may linger.

That's it! I usually avoid the sun when I'm using this scrub but when i have to go out, I use sunscreen SPF 30. Enjoy fresh blemish-free skin! Thank me later :)