“i’m a real simple girl, i don’t ask for much,” *in jhene aiko’s voice*. no, but seriously my skin care routine is the simplest thing ever, i don’t do much… at all.

before i can really get into my skin care routine, you must know that i have never had horrible skin. i’ve only had flare ups and small breakouts; other than that my skin has always been pretty spectacular. this is in no way me boasting or saying that i am better than another, or you, this is just my truth.

i handle a lot of things on the front end as well. i’ve always consumed water as my main drink, pretty much my entire life, not to say that i have never consumed any soda or juices but i’ve always had water; however, i no longer drink any sodas and i have juices occasionally (unless they are fresh pressed juices/smoothies with no added sugars).

now, i follow a vegan/plant-based lifestyle. before about one/two years ago i still ate animal products. foods that derive from animals can contribute to having skin, digestion, and health issues. i have noticed that while i was eating animal products i would gain weight quickly, have more skin issues, and get sick more often.

my entire freshman year of college i remember being sick very often and i did not understand why. before college i prided myself in the fact that i would only get sick once a year, but during this time i was living on campus i consumed loads of dairy products and occasionally meats.

it wasn’t until my sophomore year when i stayed at home that i noticed my skin began to clear up and i lost weight because i no longer had access to the same foods.

the hormones that are injected into animals, to make them meatier and produce more for our human consumption, are also the same hormones we are consuming which in-turn messes up our natural hormone balance. then most people go and get medication/pills to fix this issue and continue eating the same way. this does not help the problem, this just covers up the problem until it gets horrible enough you can no longer cover it up.

most people, if they decide to, when they go vegan experience so many side affects because their body is trying to purge all the toxins from their body. this makes their skin get worse — and some have said they have experienced diarrhea — before it gets better and people go back to eating the same way…

but it IS going to get worse before it gets better because after all those years of eating horribly it has to come out.

sidenote: sugar is absolutely horrible for your skin, natural sugars are okay, but added sugars and things of that nature really make your skin go crazy (plus sugar is addictive and is basically a legal drug).

ANYWAY, when my skin acts up i just give it a little love:

cleanser

for the most part i clean my face with only water, i just put water on my face like i am scrubbing with a cleanser everyday and pat my face dry with a towel. i hardly wear make up but when i do wear make up and i need something a little more intense to clean my face i use my body bar soap.

what? really khaliyah? you use your body soap to clean your face? blasphemy.

honestly, i really do. i still use the soap that i got (i got it in bulk) before i left the states, which is the whole foods 365 brand that has no animal additives. my personal favorite is the aloe kind.

face masks

i do face masks every once in a while and sometimes i do them just to relax, but when i do decide to do a face mask i do the aztec healing clay mask with apple cider vinegar.

this is my favorite one because i can feel it working, plus apple cider vinegar with the mother (mother: the stuff floating around inside the ACV that looks nasty, but is actually really good for you) is the best thing you can do for yourself.

ACV has the most pungent smell, but once you get past that you’ll be great.

moisturizer

alright, you guys are gonna go wild when you hear this one.

to moisturize my face i only use lotion. yup, that’s it. at night most times i’ll just use vitamin e oil. vitamin e oil is known for evening skin/lighting dark spots but that’s pretty much it.

however, for my body if i have access i like to use coconut oil, but here in costa rica coconut oil is extremely expensive so i will have to wait until i get back to the states.

other than that i don’t do much, if anything, to my skin.

try to heal your problems from the inside out to begin with then try just outside tactics. your problem areas are connected to certain organs, try this chart below to know what you need to work on to clear up a certain area.

healthy self = heal thy self; choose to heal yourself with food before anything else. be in tune with your body and try to cut things that make you feel a certain way.

the only problem area i have is a dry nose. i always tend to have dry skin on my nose, once i figure out how to solve that issue i will definitely let you know!

do you know any way to solve dry skin on the nose? do you have any key skin care tips that you use? share with me below!

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