As always, different products for different skin types.
If you have oily skin, buy a mask that has clay to absorb excess oils.
If you have dry skin, buy a mask that has hydrating ingredients e.g. glycerin, honey, hyaluronic acid.

Should I wear a charcoal mask?
Charcoal masks are very popular. You see them on Instagram clips. People are happy to share their videos. Once they peel off their mask, they see the dirty stuff that'll go away. So viewers buy charcoal masks too, since it's very believable.

Top aesthiticians, Angela Caglia and Heather Wilson, warn against using charcoal masks.
1) In the long run, they're not effective.
2) That forceful pull off your body would really harm your skin.

Men and woman can use masks, face masks or body masks. You can make one yourself at home, buy one from a store or go to a spa and treat yourself.

MASKS
FACE MASK
No, not the one for COVID-19. This one�
Masks (body and face) hydrate your skin, remove excess oils that cause pimples, and make your skin glow.
The amazing thing about a mask is that you feel it's working while it's still on your skin. You know you've not wasted your money.
I used a face mask twice last year. It felt tight on my skin. And it worked wonders.

Here's the main thing:
Masks remove clogged pores. Clogged pores are terrible. Bacteria develop under them. This leads to many breakouts or one GIANT pimple that'll ruin our picture life for a week.

What's the difference between a mask and a scrub?
They perform similar works. But, scrubs major on removing dead skin cells. Masks penetrate deeper to remove other impurities, especially excess oils that cause pimples, blackheads and annoying facial hair. Scrubs also help a little in doing this too. There is no winner between mask and scrub.

You can use both together in this order: Scrub before mask.
You can use one instead of the other too.
Either way, remove your pimples and spots.

As always, different products for different skin types. We'll discuss what type of mask you should use tomorrow.
Do well to drop comments and ask questions.

So today we'll all know what we should use.

Different scrubs for different skin types:
A) Sensitive: If your skin gets irritated after using new products, BHAs are less irritating.
B) Oily: If your skin is shiny or greasy, use scrubs and chemical exfoliators.

C) Dry: DON'T SCRUB. It'll dry your skin out, irritate it and may damage it. These hydrate well. Your skin is dry already, so more dryness would harm it. Use chemical exfoliators, especially AHAs.
D) Normal: Opor....we can use anything.

E) Combination: Use the scrubs separately on different days. Your T-ZONE (forehead, nose, cheeks and chin) is oily, so use scrubs or chemical exfoliators. For the other parts (dry or normal) use what suits it. Check up there.
F) Acne-prone skin: Use chemical exfoliators since they're more powerful.

Some of you use body scrub for face scrub or face scrub as body scrub.
Stop it. Body scrubs are too powerful for your facial skin. It'll damage your face. Face scrubs are too weak for your body's skin. You may not get the results you want. Their compositions are very different.

Remember: If you have open cuts, sunburned skin or dry skin, DON'T SCRUB. Exfoliate once, twice or more in a week. When using new products, start with once. Then, you can increase it to twice. People with oily skin can scrub more than twice.

If you don't know what skin type is yours, check the previous posts on different skin types.

Let's talk about scrubbing today. In a broader sense, exfoliation.

Exfoliation is the process of removing old dead skin cells and cleaning pores on your skin.

Why should I scrub?
1) Naturally, your skin sheds dead cells to make room for new cells every month. Unfortunately, dead cells don't always shed completely. That's why your face has dry, flaky patches or clogged pores. Exfoliation prevents this.
2) It revives your skin, softens it and stimulates at the growth of new cells.
3) Before applying cosmetics, exfoliate first. You can use a cleanser before exfoliating to remove dirt, sweat and makeup. Some people only wash their face with water. We move.

TYPES OF EXFOLIATION
1) Mechanical or physical exfoliators: These include scrubs, body brushes, loofahs, pumice stones and exfoliating mitts.

Scrubs are very common. Scrubs use abrasive particles like micro grains of salt or sugar. The grains polish your skin's surface.
It so bad that we use sponge(usually loofah) everyday in Nigeria. That means forceful exfoliation daily. Don't use sponge everyday.



2) Chemical exfoliators: They include chemicals with enzymes to renew your skin.
A) AHA (alpha hydroxy acids): They peel away the outer layer of your skin. They also help form an evenly pigmented skin.
B) BHA (beta hydroxy acids): They're ideal for oily skin and acne-prone skin. This is because they're more powerful.
C) Retinoids: They soothe sun-damaged skin, minimize signs of aging and treat acne.

It's better to use a scrub with artificial grains instead of scrubs with natural seeds or shells e.g. apricot kernels. The natural ingredients may cause irritation, especially if you have a SENSITIVE or ACNE-PRONE skin.

Tomorrow, we'll talk about what scrub you should use, according to your skin type. Kindly drop comments and ask questions.

That's all about skin types. If you have any questions or comments, please drop them.

SENSITIVE SKIN
We've discussed the four major skin types: oily, dry, normal and combination skin. Sensitive skin is a different form. You can have oily/dry/normal/combination skin and still have sensitive skin.
Sensitive skin refers to skin that is more prone to inflammation or adverse reactions. People who have sensitive skin react to chemicals, dyes and fragrances present in products. They may also be irritated by some clothing or friction.
People with underlying conditions (rosacea, dermatitis, eczema etc) and dry skin tend to have sensitive skin.

TREATMENT
A) Medically
1) Steroid creams: They relieve inflammation and itchiness. DO NOT use them on your face, though.
2) Analgesic creams: They reduce itchiness too.
3) Antihistamines: You take these orally. They may help with allergies.
4) Protective sunscreen: Sunscreens with SPF(Sun Protection Factor) of 30 or higher may help protect from UV rays. Don't wear sunscreen when it's hot only. Wear it all-year round.

B) Home remedies
1) Moisturizer: Hypoallergenic moisturizers and lotions help. People with dry skin react better to moisturizers that contain urea or lactic acid. Other skin types do well with simple shea butter or coconut oil.
2) Oatmeal: No, not for eating��. You apply colloidal oatmeal to your skin. A study in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology showed that applying oatmeal helped with rashes, dry skin and eczema.
Other tips:
D) Take short baths and showers less than 10 minutes long.
E) Avoid hot water for bathing and handwashing.
F) Use fragrance-free, hypoallergenic cosmetics. However, be careful with the word "Hypoallergenic". There's no regulation for the use of this word. Companies write it on their products as they wish. "Hypoallergenic" means using very few or minimal allergens. Allergens cause allergic reactions in people.
G) After bathing, don't rub yourself dry. Pat your body with a towel. Immediately after, use your cream.
H) Avoid antibacterial (e.g. Dettol) or deodorant ingredients and alcohol.
I) Use face powder.
J) Use a silicone-based foundation.
K) Use pencil eyeliner and eyebrow fillers. Liquids may contain latex. Latex can cause allergic reactions.
L) Throw out old cosmetics. Don't use cosmetics for too long.
M) Wear fabrics made of cotton and silk. Rayon and linen are quite okay too. Wear clothing that covers.
N) Eat healthy food.
The most important:
TEST NEW PRODUCTS ON A SMALL AREA BEFORE USING ON OTHER BODY PARTS.
You can:
1) Apply the new product behind your ear and leave it on overnight.
2) If nothing happens, do the same around your eye and leave it on overnight.
3) If everything is still okay, you can use it on your body and face.

If you have problems already, list out the products you're using. Once you stop using one or you start using another, be alert to changes. Know if it causes reactions or not.
When shopping, read ingredients carefully. Products with few ingredients are safer.
The best way to know if you have a sensitive skin is visiting a dermatologist.

COMBINATION SKIN
A person with combination skin has normal or dry skin in some areas and oily skin in his T-Zone. Your T-Zone is your forehead, nose, cheekbones and chin. People with combination skin usually have large pores, blackheads and shiny skin.
You can use lightweight gels and oil-absorbing products for your T-Zone. For the other parts, use nourishing creams.
However, this process can be very stressful. Some companies sell products specifically for combination skin. The products have been manufactured to be used all over your face and body. You can buy these and use. We've discussed normal, dry, oily and combination skin. Tomorrow, we'll take a different form-SENSITIVE SKIN.

Normal skin
This skin type is not too oily or too dry. People with normal skin have:
1) Few or no imperfections.
2) No severe sensitivity.
3) Barely visible pores.
These people are quite open to use a wide range of cosmetics.
Now, we've talked about three main skin types. Yet, you don't fall into any of these categories. Definitely, you have combination skin. We'll talk more on that tomorrow.

The next skin type is OILY SKIN.
This is shiny skin that's usually accompanied with pimples, blackheads, spots or enlarged pores. Just like Hassie Malcomson said, moisturizing is very effective. It may seem wrong or counterintuitive, but it helps. Don't overwash in an attempt to make your face less oily. You can:
1) Use a gentle cleanser.
2) Use weekly mask or scrub to draw out all dirt.
3) Beware of high alcohol-content products.
4) Avoid too much stress, heat and humidity.
5) Look for the word "noncomedogenic" on products and cosmetics. It means the product won't clog your pores. It won't cause acne for you.
Note: Hormonal changes and weather increase how oily your skin gets too.

Have you ever bought a beauty product before but it didn't work? It may be that the product doesn't go well with your skin type. Know your skin type. A good seller should ask for your skin type before selling. But if they don't, tell them so they recommend what's good for you. There are four major skin types: Oily skin, dry skin, normal skin and combination skin. There's also sensitive skin. But, we can't classify it together with those ones because a person can have one of the four and still have a sensitive skin. Let's talk about dry skin tonight.
If you have a dry skin, some visible signs are: scales on your palms and feet, dull complexions, and your skin is less elastic.
Some factors that could worsen the dryness are:
Hormonal changes, weather, certain ingredients in soaps cosmetics and cleansers.
Tips to help your skin:
1) DONT SCRUB.
2) Use ointments and creams (Vaseline, Passion). These work better than most lotions for dry skin.
3) Use moisturizers too.
4) Use cleansers. These would help remove clogged pores without damaging your skin.
5)Hardly take hot showers, they'll dry you out.
Let me know if this helped you.

Hello, Becky. Just a tip I learnt and I'll like to share it with you. The major reason Nigerian women buy human hair wigs is not because it's human hair or it's blend. They buy it to show that they belong to a "high-class". So try and appeal to that quality. Say something like, "Flaunt it in the face of your enemies!"� Or, "Join the big girls". They'll buy it more. Let me know if you found this helpful. Oh, and don't call your products "affordable". It makes you look like you're begging for their money. People would give you their money more when they feel you don't need it. Once you look desperate, they won't give you. Okay?

It'll be better if you used this oh-so-awesome phone to make money online. The features aren't there for fun.