Skin and Hair Care

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Very inspiring title suggestion, Chats.  Anyways, the old thread was swallowed by the void, so I figured I'd open a new one. 

 

Personally I'd like to invest more in a skin care regime. I am currently looking at facial masks and have exactly no clue what I'm looking at, lol. The price ranges very so f'ing much. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

1 hour ago, Chataya de Fleury said:

You might try going and getting a facial, and seeing what the aesthetician recommends for an at-home regimen.

It's been ages since I've gotten a facial. Thankfully the resort I'm staying at during Thanksgiving includes a free spa day, so I'll be getting one then along with a massage. 

I also have sensitive skin, but I don't deal with breakouts. The only time that was an issue was when I was playing football in HS, otherwise I've largely been lucky on that front. That said, I don't do much in the way of skin care, and probably haven't for the past decade (I did a bit in college, but that was mostly because my college sweetheart was a model and did a morning and evening routine so I just did it with her when I was around). Given that I can afford to now I figured it was worth investing in, because it does make a real difference. 

[Fury Resurrected]

Here’s what I do for my skin and I am *finally* where I want it to be-

prescriptions-

spironolactone orally twice daily (for clear skin)

trentinoin topical once daily (anti aging)

Morning products-

trentinoin cream

Murad Essential C moisturizer

 

Bedtime products-

The Ordinary Vitamin C suspension 23% + HA spheres

 

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA

 

Once a week I also exfoliate with the Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% peeling solution

 

the advanced skincare I do is Botox every 4 months to prevent crowsfeet and eleven lines, and I do chemical peels as needed for hyperpigmentation.

 

Ive tried TONS of different skincare routines and this has my skin finally looking perfect.

[Mlle. Zabzie]

Has anyone done Fraxel?  I am considering it this winter.  I have some sun damage (despite being fanatical about sunscreen from and after about 25 and before then being “pretty good”) that I kind of want to eliminate.  I’m worried about the “looking like raw meat for 3 weeks” piece of it.  

Also, anyone who has micro bladed their eyebrows, I want to hear from you!  My eyebrows are finally growing in some thanks to cortisone injections, but apparently I didn’t catch the scarring alopecia fast enough, so they are patchy and are likely to remain so.  I don’t mind penciling so very much, but would like to have a simpler routine there.

[Fury Resurrected]

17 minutes ago, Mlle. Zabzie said:

Has anyone done Fraxel?  I am considering it this winter.  I have some sun damage (despite being fanatical about sunscreen from and after about 25 and before then being “pretty good”) that I kind of want to eliminate.  I’m worried about the “looking like raw meat for 3 weeks” piece of it.  

Also, anyone who has micro bladed their eyebrows, I want to hear from you!  My eyebrows are finally growing in some thanks to cortisone injections, but apparently I didn’t catch the scarring alopecia fast enough, so they are patchy and are likely to remain so.  I don’t mind penciling so very much, but would like to have a simpler routine there.

I have mine microbladed and shaded and it’s awesome. As long as you find someone who is good (if you made a trip to MPLS for some reason I can recommend my cosmetic artist, but I don’t know anyone for that in NY), the application and healing are really really easy. I never fill my brows anymore and only tweeze hairs that come outside of the line. It was a big improvement.
 

I also got permanent eyeliner as a lash enhancement and I don’t really recommend it. It was a super gross feeling and I don’t feel like it made enough difference to be worth it, especially since I still wear eyeliner daily.

 

Edit to add- Zabz, I sent an FB message with my mother’s before and afters!

Edited August 16, 2021 by Fury Resurrected

[IheartIheartTesla]

My own skin and hair care regimen essentially boils down to body wash and shampoo every day.

I do have an amusing story though; I think I got sunburned for the first time in 46 years last week. Keep in mind that I grew up in India (but this week marks my 25th year in the US), so it isnt something I was expecting. Nevertheless, after spending much of a Saturday shirtless I found my shoulders hurting like someone had punched it. And sure enough (gross alert, avert your sensitive eyes) a week later I found some skin flaking off there. Make sure you apply sunscreen too, brown people.

[James45]

Its great.

[James45]

It is very important to take care of the skin and hair all the time. I love to use the coco caprylate for my dry skin and believe its very effective for everyone's skin. Anyone can use it anytime without any prescription from the Doctor.

[RhaenysBee]

My skin’s been horrible lately. High time to wrap up the summer lifestyle and cut back on caffein, sugar, alcohol and milk. That would probably help. 

[Mlle. Zabzie]

4 hours ago, RhaenysBee said:

My skin’s been horrible lately. High time to wrap up the summer lifestyle and cut back on caffein, sugar, alcohol and milk. That would probably help. 

Drink more water!  That will help even with some continuing vices

[HoodedCrow]

Have a  little zinc, vit a vit d, lutein, …all the stuff for age related eye disease and be good for skin. Don’t overcleanse.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

34 minutes ago, Mlle. Zabzie said:

Drink more water!  That will help even with some continuing vices

Rule of thumb, have a beer/whiskey then a bottle of water. Repeat until you're on your third water and then just stick to that*

 

*unless sportball is involved. 

[Mlle. Zabzie]

11 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Rule of thumb, have a beer/whiskey then a bottle of water. Repeat until you're on your third water and then just stick to that*

 

*unless sportball is involved. 

I’m still on the wagon.  I will say that my skin has been more or less amazing.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

43 minutes ago, Mlle. Zabzie said:

I’m still on the wagon.  I will say that my skin has been more or less amazing.

I've heard it's even better for your hair. 

[Elder Sister]

On 9/3/2021 at 7:48 PM, Tywin et al. said:

I've heard it's even better for your hair. 

I have never heard that...I have good hair and skin, and I don't drink, but I think I have genetics to thank more than abstinence.  

I use Erno Laszlo phelityl soap to cleanse after removing makeup with a cleanser.  I also swear by Dr. Hauschka regenerating serum.  

Everything else I sort of switch up and play with but those two items I am never without.

[Fez]

My whole life I've had various styles of very short haircuts, but I started growing it out mid-way through the pandemic. I got a professional cut for the first time since pre-COVID back in May to turn it from a natural mullet into more of an undercut-type thing; and went back in July to get the back and sides touched up but let the hair on top keep growing.

At this point, it's probably about 5 or 6 inches long; and when I first put gel in after a shower it looks great. But I'm having a couple hair problems for the first time in my life:

1. If I don't put any gel in, my hair gets extremely curly and frizzy.

2. The gel I am using (a "firm hold") only seems to last a few hours. I'm trying to keep my hair slicked back, but it doesn't take long to fall to the sides and give me an extremely '90s middle part.

Anyone with more than a couple months experience of actually caring for their hair have any tips?

[Fury Resurrected]

On the advice of my Botox nurse, I have purchased the outrageously expensive SkinMedica Advanced + serum. It’s made by Allergan, who make Botox and some other injectables, and from what she says and what I’ve read online, this is a pretty impressive product. My skin is already doing great (just got a melasma peel and my hyperpigmentation is gone), so I don’t know what I’m expecting to see here but it supposedly has visible results after 2 weeks. I think it contains HGH or something similar.

They did the Visia imaging on my face which is basically high resolution imaging and software to make you freak out about your skin by ranking you in percentile for your age. They also can use it to digitally age you in ten year increments to show what your skin may look like if you stopped taking care of it.

[Larry of the Lawn]

7 hours ago, Fez said:

My whole life I've had various styles of very short haircuts, but I started growing it out mid-way through the pandemic. I got a professional cut for the first time since pre-COVID back in May to turn it from a natural mullet into more of an undercut-type thing; and went back in July to get the back and sides touched up but let the hair on top keep growing.

At this point, it's probably about 5 or 6 inches long; and when I first put gel in after a shower it looks great. But I'm having a couple hair problems for the first time in my life:

1. If I don't put any gel in, my hair gets extremely curly and frizzy.

2. The gel I am using (a "firm hold") only seems to last a few hours. I'm trying to keep my hair slicked back, but it doesn't take long to fall to the sides and give me an extremely '90s middle part.

Anyone with more than a couple months experience of actually caring for their hair have any tips?

try slicking it back with no product straight out of the shower, put on a hat to hold it place as it dries for an hour or so, then apply the gel.  

worked for me when I needed to keep my curly long hair under control for a wedding or something when I used to have long hair.  ymmv.

[Xray the Enforcer]

8 hours ago, Fez said:

1. If I don't put any gel in, my hair gets extremely curly and frizzy.

2. The gel I am using (a "firm hold") only seems to last a few hours. I'm trying to keep my hair slicked back, but it doesn't take long to fall to the sides and give me an extremely '90s middle part.

Anyone with more than a couple months experience of actually caring for their hair have any tips?

I have very coarse, curly, aggressive hair, so I totally get your struggle. 

To solve issue #1, you'll need to do 2 things to keep it under control -- first, make sure you're using a conditioner separate from your shampoo. It doesn't need to be fancy or expensive, but opt for something for "dry" hair.

Second thing is to use a light leave-in treatment. I really like this one: https://www.sheamoisture.com/100-virgin-coconut-oil-leave-in-treatment/764302204213.html I spray a bit (maybe 6-7 pumps) into my palm, then distribute in my hair, mostly from mid-shaft to the ends. It keeps everything mellow without it looking like I have any product in it at all. 

To solve issue #2, you will want to talk to your stylist. Tell them that you want to keep your hair slicked back. They will make sure to cut your hair in a way that it'll be less likely to fall to the sides (they'll take out some of the weight while leaving the length). They can also give you pretty clear instructions on how to get the look you want and which products and techniques to use to achieve it. 

If you're really committed, you can always try egg whites or some super-intense hairspray, but I'm guessing you don't actually want an impervious helmet on your head? 

ETA: Larry has a good tip with the hat + gel. You may have a hair dryer/diffuser purchase in your future.

Edited October 4, 2021 by Xray the Enforcer

[Mlle. Zabzie]

I made an appointment for a micro-blading consult on Thursday.  I’m excited.  Will report back.