Charcoal Soap

Charcoal has been used throughout Asia for skin care purposes.  The carbon in charcoal draws out impurities and residues from pollution and cosmetics, leaving skin firmer, glowing, and softer.  With a hint of cinnamon scent, charcoal soap is delightful for cleansing oily skin after a long day in the sun and pollution, or after a night out filled with sweats and heavy makeup. 

I've been using charcoal soap for over a month now.  The first few times I washed my face with it, I noticed that my skin felt a little bit tight.  After 2 weeks, I noticed that my skin complexion was more even. The downside is that frequent use tends to dry out.  I wouldn't recommend washing your face with charcoal soap on a daily basis, maybe 2-3 times per week followed by moisturizer. 

Aloe for sunburn treatment

So you have forgotten to wear sunscreen with SPF at least 30+, and now you are left looking like a red lobster. Soon enough, you will be golden brown with dead skin peeling off like a snake shedding its skin. The best remedy and the first step in treating sun burns is to slap on a fresh piece of aloe right on the burn areas.

Aloe has both cooling and moisturizing effects as it miraculously absorbs the heat from the burned skin. I rubbed fresh pieces of aloe on the sun burned areas and I could feel the skin cooling and relieving the sting. After the gel dries out, slice off the dry layer to expose a fresher layer.  Aloe, if not fully used, can be kept in the refrigerator or submerged in water.  It will become hydrated again.  The next day, my skin is not as red, there is no skin peeling, and the stinging disappeared.

If you are unfortunate and no aloe plant can be found nearby, the next alternative is to find aloe gel in a local drugstore. Your skin will still peel, but will heal much faster and less painful than without. Once the skin starts to peel, exfoliate with loofah and coconut body scrub to remove dead skin, soften and moisturize the new layer of skin. Don't forget to moisturize with lotion containing shea butter or oatmeal at least twice a day.

Summer time skincare

Each summer vacation I spend outside of North America, particularly in hot tropical weather where the heat rises up to 40 c, I always feel like peeling off my face and get brand new skin. As I spend most of the time in Canada where the weather is mostly cold and dry, being in Asia has caused all my pores to open up 10 times more than normal. Imagine all the worst factors that can possibly ruin your skin combined all together. For example, Thailand has the heat + humidity + makeup (because sometimes, you just have to) + pollution = one dirty face. Having sensitive AND mixed combination skin type does not help. Delicate treatment and prevention are crucial. To save myself from spending the rest of the vacation looking like a grease monkey, I searched and searched for remedy and how to battle the weather. Luckily, I found a few solutions that are working against the environment.

1. The miracle of WATER

Your body sweats a lot more during intense heat, leaving you dehydrated. Coupled with pol

lution, and poor diet, this could really damage your skin. It is important to clean from the inside as well as outside. Drink lots of water throughout the day to replenish lost fluids and also to help your body clean out the toxins from the air and diet. I try to practice what I preach, but sometimes I find it extremely hard to keep up with drinking 7-8 glasses of water per day. So as a rule, I force myself to drink a glass of water when I wake up, one glass with each meal, one during the afternoon, and one before bed. That's already 6 minimum, though, it's not difficult to accomplish when the weather is scorching hot outside and you feel like you're dying of thirst.

2. A good bar of herbal soap

Twice a day, wash your face with glyceri

n soap that has ingredients containing AHA and anti oxidants. I find herbal soaps great because they only contain natural ingredients which won't harm the skin in the long run. I use aloe and seaweed glycerin soap which keeps my skin squeaky cleaned and dehydrated at the same time.

Too much pollution in the air also causes redness on my cheeks. Before bed, I use charcoal soap which detoxifies and removes impurities off the skin. After 3 weeks, I notice that the redness and rashes on my cheeks subdued and my complexion also is also lightened and even out. The glycerin soaps are not long term therapeutic and have to be used regularly. I find that once I stop using charcoal soap for a few days, the rash and acne start to come back. Also, you should test of sensitive your skin is the the soap by testing small amount on the body first to see if there is irritation.

3. Deep cleansing

When I feel like my face still has a lot of oil and dirt build up, small amount of Neutrogena astrigen does the trick. As a mild alcohol base, astrigent deeply removes excess dirt and oil. Only use it in oil prone areas such as t-zone, though, as it tends to dry out the skin.

4. Moisturize

Because of my mild combination skin, I need to use moisturizer that is light and not too greasy. I also try to stick to the ones with the least amount of chemicals as possible. I find Thann rice extract lotion, which is high in Vitamin E, really light and not sticky at all. Best of all, my skin is left silky soft and smelling nice.