{"id":2963,"date":"2022-03-18T06:00:01","date_gmt":"2022-03-18T06:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehumanbeautymovement.com\/?p=2963"},"modified":"2022-06-03T23:03:35","modified_gmt":"2022-06-03T23:03:35","slug":"my-skin-cleared-up-when","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehumanbeautymovement.com\/my-skin-cleared-up-when\/","title":{"rendered":"My Skin Cleared Up When…"},"content":{"rendered":"

Embracing your beautiful complexion, skin tone, and all of your inimitable features is one of the best self-care methods you can practice. After all, acne doesn\u2019t define you, dry patches aren\u2019t the end of the world, and oily skin doesn\u2019t have to last forever. You are, and always will be, more than your breakouts and problem areas; you\u2019re perfectly <\/span>you.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Everyone deals with skin problems; even celebrities fall into the trap of trying new hacks, tricks, and products to get perfectly polished skin, but unfortunately, there isn\u2019t a shortcut when it comes to your skin. Building a skincare routine takes genuine care and fine-tuning, and The HBM is here to help you on your skincare journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

But first, let\u2019s offer a cheers to those who have established themselves a skincare regime that has changed their outlooks and perspective on their gorgeous skin.<\/span><\/p>\n

I Found The Skincare Routine For Me\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Nom Mtshali, a South African native, grew up with constant fear and loathing as she struggled to cope with her acne-prone skin. \u201cMy mom told me I was beautiful. She always made sure that I knew that,\u201d Nom explains. \u201cBut when my acne was bad, I avoided mirrors. I was scared to see the reflection staring back at me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At the young age of 16, Nom began to experiment with makeup to cover up her problem areas and make herself feel more confident. \u201cI was dealing with self-hate, and I struggled daily,\u201d she says. \u201cMakeup gave me an outlet, and it made me feel comfortable in my skin for once in my life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nom continues to use makeup, crafting beautiful looks on <\/span>TikTok<\/span><\/a> that her viewers constantly rave about. However, she\u2019s now incorporated a skincare regimen into her life that she worked on endlessly until she found the antidotes to her skin issues and confidence struggles.<\/span><\/p>\n

The HBM sat down with Nom to discuss her journey through the skincare world and her success in finding a routine that works for her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Nom<\/b><\/p>\n

The HBM: Tell us about growing up. When did you notice your skin changing?<\/b><\/p>\n

Nom: <\/b>I\u2019ve never had good skin. Ever since I can remember, I\u2019ve constantly dealt with some kind of acne, especially on my chin. The acne was more prevalent in my teen years, though. The spots popped up regularly during those years, which was very hard to cope with.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike most people, though, my skin got drastically worse as I got older. Instead of having acne mainly in my adolescence, mine would pop up well into adulthood with a vengeance. I would have a few months with no acne and then the next few months I\u2019d struggle with inflamed and itchy acne. It was a never-ending cycle.<\/span><\/p>\n

The HBM: Can you give us some insight into your skin type? (Normal, Oily, Dry, or Combination)<\/b><\/p>\n

Nom: <\/b>I have oily to combination skin, along with being acne-prone. I found out my skin type by testing products. When I used skincare products for dry skin only, I would breakout. I could see that my skin was really oily, so I felt like using products for dry skin would help me, but it just made my complexion worse.<\/span><\/p>\n

I know this is an odd way of figuring out your skin type, but it\u2019s what led me to become a lot more familiar with my skin. However, it was so frustrating, and I can remember feeling like I\u2019d never find out what my skin needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The HBM: How did you cope with your skin changing throughout your adolescence and young adulthood?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Nom: <\/b>I knew I had to deal with it one way or another, so I didn\u2019t let my emotions take over. Everyone struggles with something, and mine happened to be my skin and acne. However, I was mostly at the point of no return when it came to my skin. I didn\u2019t feel like trying to clear it up when I was younger because nothing ever worked.<\/span><\/p>\n

When I graduated high school and began working, though, I started to take interest in how I could clear my skin. I researched ways in which I could bring down my skin\u2019s inflammation fast<\/span>. <\/span><\/i>During this time, I did one or two Pinterest hacks for clear skin, but they ended up doing more damage than good.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Nom<\/b><\/p>\n

The HBM: What were the Pinterest hacks that you found? How did they do more damage?<\/b><\/p>\n

Nom: <\/b>Trying skincare hacks became a cycle; I was always trying to find the new skincare \u201cit\u201d trend and hack to fix my complexion, but honestly, they rarely worked.<\/span><\/p>\n

I remember trying tea tree oil for my acne, turmeric for hyperpigmentation, and clay to dry out my skin. While the others didn\u2019t help me, the turmeric did. I used a turmeric face mask, and it did reduce my dark spots. On the other hand, the tea tree oil that I tried compromised my skin barrier.<\/span><\/p>\n

The HBM: Did you see a dermatologist at any point to try and clear up your skin?<\/b><\/p>\n

Nom: <\/b>Around 25, my acne got even worse, and I was so over struggling with it. Plus, all of the fast skincare hacks that I was trying simply weren\u2019t working. I felt like I was at a dead end. For me, seeing a dermatologist wasn\u2019t an option due to money issues. I didn\u2019t have nearly enough funds put back to make an appointment, and I was scared to find out how much treatments for my skin would end up costing me. This left me to figure out my skin with the help of Google and YouTube.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The HBM: What do you think had the greatest impact on clearing your skin\u2013 skincare? Diet? Lifestyle?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Nom: <\/b>It was a bit of all three. I had hormonal acne, so when I would fast for weeks, my skin would improve a lot. I would eat more anti-inflammatory meals. Veggies and fruits became my best friends, while dairy became my enemy. I noticed that when I drank milk, my skin seemed to react horribly. Today, due to this, I\u2019m a vegan, and this lifestyle change has drastically impacted my skin for the better.<\/span><\/p>\n

The game-changer was using actives in my skincare routine. For those who may not be familiar with skincare, active ingredients have been proven in a lab by research to change the skin in some way; it’s an ingredient that has data behind it. Additionally, I found that simplifying my skincare routine was ideal for my skin. So I perfected my skincare routine by using only the ingredients that my skin craved.<\/span><\/p>\n

The HBM: Can you give us a glimpse into your current skincare routine?<\/b><\/p>\n

Nom: <\/b>My skincare routine has changed a lot in the past few years. As I previously mentioned, I now like to keep my routine simple, but I didn\u2019t always have this viewpoint. At the beginning of my skincare journey, I was using everything in the supermarket, but today I\u2019ve gotten to where I only have a cleanser, serum, and an SPF product.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are my go-to\u2019s for the regime that I\u2019ve used for the past year:<\/span><\/p>\n