I had my first significant pimple in April of 2013; now a little over 2 years ago. Before that I may have had the occasional heat rash or mosquito bite but no pimples. Then come 2013 and a few life lessons later, it seems that one morning I got up and my face had broken out into all manner of hideous and concerning pimples. Of course I ignored them because I thought that they would just go away as quickly as they appeared but they didn't.
I've never had much of a skin care routine - I was always one of those girls who would use whichever soap was in the soap-dish but then I started reading up and learnt that it was near sacrilege to use the wrong soap. It feels like I have tried it all but this isn't very true since I neither fancy nor have the time and money to keep up with pricey facial routines (I don't know if they work). I did the recommended monthly facials but each subsequent facial seemed to make things worse! At my most desperate I even saw a dermatologist for a while but as soon as I completed the course of medication the pimples were back in full swing. I finally tried the famous 'African black Soap' from Nigeria but it left my face feeling overly dry, sensitive and looking raw. I don't wear much make up which led me to the conclusion that this is more a symptom of stress rather than anything else..right?
Anyhow, a friend of a friend recommended that I try some natural products that she was using made by another innovative nairobian. A lady (from the Coast of course) makes natural soaps for problematic skin - be it oily, acne-prone, dry etc - and she suggested that I try the 'haba soda' soap for my formerly blemish-less skin but now acne-prone skin. Having nothing to lose, I decided to try it and though I don't know what exactly it is made of, I do know that it is gentle on my skin, it removes all my mascara without being harsh on the skin around my eyes (which I've noticed is usually quite sensitive), leaves my skin feeling clean and fresh and does not dry my skin out. I'm on my 3rd bar (I buy a bar at Kshs. 400 and break them in half for each to last longer) and I would recommend it to anyone who's willing to try something new.
When I'm done washing my face with this soap (which I usually do twice a day; immediately I wake up and just before I sleep - I don't use an face cloth; just my clean hands and lukewarm or cold water,
I then apply virgin coconut oil which has a natural SPF 4 (*the benefits of virgin coconut oil are just to many and too awesome - I use it for my hair, my face, my entire body, for cooking and I recently discovered that I can use it as spread for toast as well!),
Then I add sunscreen on top of the coconut oil each and every day regardless of the weather and I'm good to go.
Incidentally, I don't know if I have dry skin, combination skin or normal skin (I've heard varied and contradictory feedback from one facial expert too many) but I am sure that
(a) it's not oily and that
(b) so far this stress-free regimen seems to be working quite fine but now I need a natural, simple, affordable and sustainable solution for the scaring and blemishes..
When I have a particularly nasty pimply I dry it out by putting a little Apple Cider Vinegar (bought in nakumatt or uchumi) on a ball of cotton will and dabbing the pimple.
It's usually gone by morning.
If anyone needs the number of the lady who makes the soap then let me know - nduta.njenga@gmail.com.
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