Beauty Buzz Spotlight: just.frank Life Blog

My very best friend (under the pseudonym Elizabeth Frank) writes just.frank Life Blog, detailing her opinions and experiences on more healthful and conscious living on the inside and out and also sharing her insights and viewpoints on modern living and societial norms at large. In particular, as I am becoming evermore interested in becoming more proactive about taking charge of my physical health in and outside of the world of beauty products , she has been an incredible well from which to draw for information both personally and though her writing. Recently, she has published a particularly wonderful article covering her extensive and evolving journey into the world of skincare and skincare products, what worked for her, what didn't, and how her search for the best skincare led her into a total-body health transformation. Read on for her words about her journey:

a year of skincare

Last year when everything shut down due to the coronavirus hikes, I decided to take the time to focus on my health, and I wanted to start by finding a solid skincare to help me (finally) feel confident in my bare skin. A year later. I would definitely say it was a journey full of trial and error, and it inevitably ended with an unexpected twist. Read my recap and learn in 8 minutes what I learned in 12 months.

My skin in March 2020: My adult and teenage life, I struggled with somewhat minor bouts of acne mainly around my jaw. This never seemed to correlate with my menstrual cycle or stress, in spite of research suggesting it was hormonal. I had large pores that always seemed to look dirty and have a rougher texture, and I also had minor discolorations (scarring) from years of pimple popping and extracting. I have sensitive skin, so any product containing salicylic acid caused swelling, redness, and more breakouts and dry skin that never seemed to be quite satisfied no matter how much moisturizer was on it. I also always had a rosiness to my skin that I could never be rid of, meaning foundation was a must to even my skin tone.

Process 1: I tried many, many products over the course of a year. Most products were not drugstore, and they ranged in price. Brands I tried included The Ordinary, Derma-E, Glamglow, Glossier, DHC, Biotherm, Sunday Riley, Ahava, Farmacy, Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, Dr. Jart+, Summer Fridays, Vintner’s Daughter, and Skinceuticals. I tried C serums for the slight scarring, acids and clearing masks for pores and texture, and healing oils and serums for the redness and sensitivity. Additionally, I tried some at-home remedies such as home-made masks and drinking lots of water.

Note: My diet throughout this process did not generally change. I stuck to 2-3 meals a day with little to no snacking, and meals mostly consisted of meat and veggies for lunch and/or dinner and oatmeal for breakfast. I did play with different caloric intakes through the process, but it seemed to have no effect. I also took a daily multivitamin that focused on hair, skin and nails, but did not see improvement.

My Findings: Generally, I found that products overall did very little to actually fix and combat my skin issues. Some would show temporary improvement, and other products improved my skin issues but didn’t fix the problem. I did, however, find products I like to use, and still use today. Biotherm’s Aquasource was a standout product because I saw reduced redness and more bounce and hydration, and also saw quick healing from sunburns. DHC’s Deep Cleansing Oil has become a staple because it removes makeup very well, is gentle, non-stripping, and healing, and can be used as a pore clearing product (and it frankly works better than all the others I tried). When using it to deep clean, it takes some time (for me 10-20 minutes of massaging it into my face) which I find relaxing and therapeutic. Derma E’s Anti-Wrinkle Renewal Cream became my favorite night cream due to its healing and plumping ability. After trying 4 vitamin C serums, I’m not super convinced they do much for me (even the popular Skinceuticals C) . Research seems to suggest that C serums are more of a long-term preventative product, but I was still expecting some brightening and scarring improvement. None of the acids (glycolic and lactic) provided improvement, even to texture. The famed Glamglow Supermud has become a favorite because it gives a refreshing glow and speeds up the healing process of a pimple. Plus, the calming sensation calms my skin, reduces redness, and is an instant stress reliever. The last product I will mention is the very expensive Vintner’s Daughter. This product has become a favorite for different reasons compared to the others. While it does wonders for healing, calming, and reducing redness, it calms me down, like a therapeutic oil. I’m not sure if it’s purely the smell, but the experience of the product is unlike any other I tried, and it makes me truly feel like I’m giving myself a spa treatment. It may not justify the price tag, but it is (sadly) very tough for me to live without. As for the home-treatments, some worked well, but nothing blew my mind. Rinsing with cool water helped with redness, but was more of a temporary solution. Drinking more water, contrary to what I thought, did not seem to affect my skin either.

Changing Things Up/Process 2: After months of seeing only minimal improvement, I developed product fatigue and became more interested in my overall health. After lots of research I became very aware of the weaknesses my body had and decided to try to heal previous damage with diet changes and supplements. I continued to work out, but also focused on sleep and stress maintenance. This changed everything.

Findings2/Epiphany: After a couple of weeks, I started noticing a change in my skin. It was glowing, becoming more plump, pores were visibly smoother, and I had less breakouts, redness, and irritation. My vitamin intake started focusing on healing my body, such as taking Choline to heal my liver and DIM to balance my hormones. I also changed where my B vitamins came from, since synthetic B vitamins tend to not work well. All in all, I am currently taking 9 different vitamins.

Final Thoughts: Handling my health issues and addressing any deficiencies has created a solid base to self-healing, and it has greatly benefited my skin. I still use skincare products, but now the whole idea of a beauty routine has shifted. (Hence, my beauty bag has a small handful of products, but is stuffed to the brim with vitamins!) I use less products now because I know which ones are relevant and which ones aren’t. Most of what I use is to help keep physical irritators at bay. This means, a good gentle cleanser to take makeup and dirt off, a serum to heal and protect from environmental allergens (if you’re allergic to pollen, your skin may not like it either), a vitamin C serum to protect against the sun sun and lighten up previous scarring, a vitamin A (derivative that’s not potent enough for my skin to become dependent upon) night cream for plumping and regeneration, a light daily moisturizer to add an extra skin barrier and seal in moisture, and a sunscreen to protect against the sun. Most importantly, I use skincare as a way of loving myself and decreasing stress, which is a major contributor to health. I use products I love and that spark joy so that I feel like I’m giving myself a spa treatment.

This new perspective on skincare seems to be working with me. My overall health journey will be in another article, and includes more than just clearer skin. In the meantime, take care of and love yourself on the inside, and it will show on the out.

Cheers,

Frank

* Shared with permission from the author.

The article above is just a small taste of this woman's powerful, friendly, candid voice sharing her thoughts and experience in health, wellness, and all things in living in a healthful, open-minded, and evolving way as woman, artist, wife, and working mom. If you liked this article, please be sure to stay tuned the ongoing series of health journey articles that accompany this one and all her other content. Click the link to just.frank Life Blog to discover more!