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I was scrolling along the other day on FB and ran across a video of a woman claiming to be the dermatologists worst nightmare.  She had a very well put-together video showing how she only used water to “wash” her face and how skincare is just a scheme to make money.  I watched the whole video to see what kind of examples she provided and why she felt she was the expert.  I was not impressed.

Her claims were that for hundreds of years we haven’t needed any skincare and have been just fine.  She even went on to say skin repairs itself and that by using skincare, we just become reliant upon it and the skincare industry preys upon women to buy into the claims of healthy and youthful skin.  She never did give any credentials so as far as I know, she was some woman with a fancy camera who needed attention.  Some of what she said was true, but let’s get into this a tad more, shall we?

For hundreds of years women have used anything from egg whites to avocado to help the texture and appearance of their skin.  I found a separate article for you to check out at your leisure to highlight some of the odd things women have been doing for years.  Click here to view it!  We have all heard about ancient beauty secrets of the Greek, Chinese, and Egyptians, right?  I wonder if she missed history class.  A simple Google search or a trip to the hardly-spoken-of library will produce tons of different trick used for centuries for your skin, hair, nails, and of course the ancient cosmetics!  Egyptians had some amazing makeup and I don’t think department stores were a thing during Cleopatra’s reign, but maybe I’m wrong?

Healthy skin DOES repair itself.  However, we live in a time with more UV rays than ever, pollution, and frankly most us of have a poor diet and with age it breaks down naturally.  Hundreds of years ago, even just around a hundred years ago, diets consisted of mostly vegetables and grains that were grown without any additives, pesticides, treatments, etc and we only consumed meat on special occasions.  Now don’t get me wrong, I am a self-proclaimed Meatatarian, so I am not suggesting we do away with meat in our diet.  I also am not saying you must consume meat, I love my vegan friends!  But what is a stark contrast is the way our veggies and meats are raised, handled, and distributed.  Even with organic farming on the rise, they still use pesticides and deal with elements that just were not present a hundred years ago.  Also, with trendy diets popular, adding or restricting types of foods can affect your skin as well.  Let’s not even get into the amount of water we consume, or should I say don’t consume…

Pollution has become part of our world whether we like it or not.  Years ago there were no power plants, gasoline cars, smoke stacks, you know, icky stuff making our air quality bad.  These pollutants not only affect the air, but anything that comes in contact with it, like our skin…and of course our lungs when we breathe it in but you get my point.  These pollutants we deal with wreak havoc on our skin because it not only is our largest organ, but the largest exposed one!  Our skin is the first point of contact with pollution so of course this causes problems.  Pollution is more detrimental to our skin than our own genetics in some cases and we now have a line specifically for that.  Check it out here!

With all the pollution and global warming has come stronger UV rays.  Sunblock or SPF is skincare and I think most of us can easily agree that we must protect our skin daily from these harmful rays (except my sister who is a sun goddess and refuses sunblock of any kind, but she knows it is bad).  Even in winter, our skin is susceptible to the harmful rays and thanks to science, we now know it causes advanced premature aging and sometimes sadly, cancer.  And not to bring up old stuff, but a hundred years ago the paler your skin, the higher your social class so they knew avoiding the sun was important, they just didn’t have a remedy for UV rays at that time.  I recommend a good day cream like Anew for your daytime wear on your face which is exposed really year round.  You should also protect any exposed skin like arms or legs during the warmer months with a good SPF for the body.  I love this one for the kids and I.

Another difference is we now have the science to not only discover skincare issues ranging from loss of collagen to plaque psoriasis, we have the science to create products to target and treat such issues versus smashing an egg on your face or slathering in guacamole.  Now, understand this, just because it is from science doesn’t always mean it’s not natural.  Loads of products are available that are completely or almost completely natural.  There are also loads of products that a super-smart scientist cooked up but if it’s available to be purchased you better believe it has been tested, tested again, and retested.  And while some folks like to spread bad info, most beauty companies have stopped animal testing for a while now.  I am proud my company doesn’t (check out this info to back that up) and I am equally proud that so many other beauty companies have done away with this practice as well!

Oh and I almost forgot, she never washed her face and boasted using water only.  With all the things I have listed, plus the fact most of us use cosmetics of some kind and cook (yes when you cook oils, residue, and even smells from the food jump onto your skin and clothes) I hardly think water alone will remove that residue.  Now, soap is bad for your skin, particularly your face.  Wait, but I just said water alone is bad and now I am telling you soap is bad, too?  Yes, soap will strip healthy oils and bacteria from your skin causing more harm than good.  However, there are cleansers for your face and body that are soap and alcohol free but will clean dirt, grime, makeup, and yes, food residue without stripping it down!  My favorite for my face is this great foamy wash!

So there ya have it, my two cents.  I suppose it may not change anyone’s mind, just like that fun video claiming skincare was a sham didn’t change mine, but I wanted my voice heard just like hers was!  If you are with me on skincare, check out this fun quiz to see which products suit you best!  As always, any feedback is welcome and encouraged!