I used to wash my face twice a day, and sometimes 3 times if I felt oily midday - which was often. You would think frequently washing your face is a GOOD thing because you're constantly cleaning off the dirt, unclogging the pores, etc, etc. Well, it's not.
I used to think my blemishes and patches of acne were from dirt, and I just wasn't doing a good enough job scrubbing. I have come to learn, through years (and years) of pretty consistent blemishes that washing your face everyday isn't so great. Over-washing your face will actually make you develop more sebum (a fatty substance that releases into the hair follicle) and your skin goes into overload (thinking its deprived of moisture) to produce tons of excess oil, thus leaving you shiny with acne. Yay.
Aside from over-washing and environmental damage, free radicals play a very large part in your skincare regimen. Free radicals are chemical particles, in your chemically-made face scrub/body wash/moisturizer/what have you, that creates severe inflammation if the skin does not respond well. Cue: acne, pigmentation, redness, all the stuff you wanted to avoid or cure. After I switched all of my skincare products from chemical-based to all natural, paraben-free, I saw a major difference in not only my skin's texture, but overall complexion and color too!
Angela and I both tested these products from Franklin + Whitman, who were generous enough to let us both switch out our body scrubs, face scrubs, face masks, and a hair serum to see what it was like to use all-natural skincare products. A full line of products truly allowed us to review this brand honestly. We weren't confused if maybe it was this product from this company or that product from that company. Everything is from the same brand, with the same natural ingredients, and the same social mission (they love animals!) which was awesome because it was very clear what worked.
So what's going to happen to your skin:
You will more than likely break out the first day or two after switching from chemically-based products to plant-based. This is your skin adjusting to the change.
You'll surprisingly find that the plant-based products ACTUALLY work better than the chemical-based! I noticed after using the Spruce Hill Face Mask (with matcha green tea, pomegranate and activated charcoal) the very first day - the hormonal acne on my chin subsided in size and redness.
As I continued the rest of the week with the face and body scrubs, I used a sample of each everyday. My skin became brighter, smoother, and more clear than anything I have ever used previously. No joke, not kidding, pinky promise. It surprised me, too.
I didn't wash my face every day. I didn't have to - after my skin felt and looked better, some mornings and night I would just splash my face with cold water to reset and wake up. Did not break out from this while using Franklin + Whitman, but I have in the past with my chemical-based skincare products!
Every night for the two weeks I completely tested the products, I washed my face every day or every other day with an assortment of face scrubs F + W has on their website. I used their Spruce Hill Face Mask(matcha green tea, pomegranate, activated charcoal) on the first day of the first week which seemed to be more of a healing mask - and the Queen Village Face Mask (colloidal oatmeal, activated charcoal, aloe vera) the first day of the second week which seemed to be more of a calming mask. Following the mask or scrub at night, I used the Walnut Hill Face Serum (argan oil, rosehip seed, pomegranate) which acts as a beauty oil.
In addition to the skincare products, their hair serums (in combination with taking Biotin tablets daily) made my hair grow over 2 inches since I started using it!!
Moral of the story, I now have mermaid hair (that I need to trim) and a clear, calm complexion heading into the summer months!