1. Use Cleansing Brushes

Imma tell y’all what: one of the best things that I ever did for my face (and neck) is start using an electric cleaning brush. Hands down, it’s one of the quickest and most effective ways to exfoliate your skin and, if you use them consistently, over time, you will notice that your skin feels smoother and looks brighter too.

I will give you a heads up that if you’ve never used cleaning brushes before and you have acne-prone or oily skin, you might notice extra pimples or irritated skin after the first week or so of using them; however, that is a temporary issue. Your skin is simply not used to that level of deep cleaning and it all should pass within an additional 1-2 weeks or so.

By the way, for this reason, you might want to use a gentler cleanser than usual since the brushes are going to be doing so much of the work. As far as which brushes are best, InStyle has a list of recommendations here and Cosmo also does here.

2. Cleanse Your Face with Raw Milk

Speaking of a gentle cleanser, if you’re looking for one, how about raw milk? If you’re curious about what that is, it’s basically milk that has not yet been pasteurized. And while you should take a hard pass on drinking it (because harmful bacteria tend to be in it), when it comes to your skin, specifically, it can be good for you. That’s because its properties are great when it comes to toning your skin, deeply moisturizing it, speeding up the healing process of breakouts, protecting your skin from damaging sun rays and even reducing the appearance of dark circles around your eyes.

Farms are typically where you can find raw milk the easiest. If you don’t know a farmer personally, check out Real Milk’s site (here) for a list of places that make raw milk available to customers.

3. Exfoliate with Baking Soda

When I was growing up, my mother put me on to brushing my teeth with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. It wasn’t until I was an adult, though, that I learned anything about using baking soda as a skin exfoliant. Since it contains pretty potent antibacterial properties and has a gritty feel to it, if you’re looking for an all-natural exfoliant that will help to treat acne, eczema, psoriasis or help to remove ingrown hairs or even treat fungal infections — baking soda has a pretty solid reputation when it comes to all of these things. Just make sure that you apply it to damp skin because the texture of it will be too rough (especially on your face) otherwise.

4. Or Try Some Coffee Grounds

Since exfoliants are so great at cleaning out pores, improving the texture of your skin, and providing a radiant glow to it as well, let’s talk about one more all-natural option: coffee grounds. Earlier this year, I wrote an article for the platform entitled, “Why Caffeine Is Great For You On The Beauty Regimen Tip” because, even if you aren’t much of a java drinker, you still should keep some around for your skin’s sake. One way that coffee grounds are bomb is the high amount of antioxidants in them can actually help to improve the collagen and elastin levels in your skin; this means that coffee grounds are a wonderful anti-aging skin remedy.

One recipe that I like is mixing some brown sugar (another good exfoliant that also acts as a humectant), some sweet almond oil (which is full of vitamins A and E as well as fatty acids), and some coffee grounds. Your skin will be super smooth and more even-looking, even after the first use. I can just about guarantee it.

5. DIY Your Toner

If there is one skin step that I think far too many of us skip (and shouldn’t), it is toner. If you can personally attest to that fact, make a commitment to apply it regularly and consistently to your current skin regimen. Toner not only deeply cleanses your pores, but it also moisturizes and brightens your skin too. As a bonus, toner also deeply hydrates your skin and, if you happen to have naturally oily skin, it can help to keep your sebum in balance.

Although there are plenty of toners on the market (witch hazel is a really good economical option, by the way), don’t sleep on going the DIY route when it comes to this skin treatment. Why? Because when you can control the ingredients that are in your toner, you can feel confident about what you’re applying directly to your skin. Hello Glow is one site that offers almost 20 different recipes. You can check them all out here.

6. Treat Pimples with Manuka Honey

I’ve actually been knowing about the benefits of manuka honey for a hot minute now (check out “Manuka Honey Is The Ultimate Beauty Find”). If you’re curious about what makes it so different from regular honey, the main standout is it contains a significantly higher amount of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Health-wise, that means it can strengthen your immunity, soothe a stubborn cough, and even help to prevent tooth decay.

As far as your skin goes, it’s the kind of honey that reduces the appearance of pimples (by killing the bacteria in them and reducing the inflammation of infected pores) and it can give your skin a boost in moisture if you choose to wash with it.

7. Use a Vitamin C Serum

As far as beauty trends go, something that isn’t going away, any time soon, is vitamin C serum. Good thing too because there are tons of ways that it benefits the skin. Now that we’ll (hopefully) be seeing the sun more often as well as feeling its effects, vitamin C comes in handy because it can help to protect your skin from the potential damage of UV rays. Plus, it has the ability to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, boost the production of collagen, even your skin tone, brighten its complexion, and reduce hyperpigmentation.

Since there are a myriad of different serums to choose from, the cheat code is to look for the kind that has a concentration of around 15 percent and is in dark-colored packaging (it’ll last longer that way). If you’d like some additional help on selecting a vitamin C serum that’s best for our skin (Black skin), YouTuber April Basi is a Black female chemist who’s got some solid intel. You can check out one of her videos on the topic here.

8. Consume “Skin-Friendly” Foods

It would be pretty ludicrous to write an article about how to create flawless skin and not address things like diet. After all, it’s been long documented that white foods (like white bread, white rice, and white pasta), sugar, dairy, soda, and fried foods (for starters) can cause all kinds of chaos to your skin if they aren’t consumed with extreme moderation. So, what foods are actually good for your skin?

Citrus fruit (they’re high in vitamin C); oatmeal (it’s full of nutrients like zinc and magnesium); berries (they stimulate collagen production); broccoli (it’s filled with antioxidants); salmon (it’s got an abundance of fatty acids); sunflowers (they’re rich in vitamin E), and sweet potatoes (they’ve got lots of vitamin A and beta-carotene).

9. Learn More About Photosensitivity

Okay, so this just might be your “something new” for the day. Although photosensitivity might sound like it’s a complex topic, at the end of the day, when it comes to your skin, there are simply certain ingredients that could make it more vulnerable to the sun and the damage that it can do (like premature fine lines and wrinkles). Ingredients like what? Well, retinol, glycolic acid, and salicylic acid, for starters.

So, what if you rely on those to keep your skin clear? No worries. Simply make it a point to apply those things at night instead of in the day. That way, you can still take advantage of their benefits without making your skin super susceptible to the potential of sun-related drama.

10. Apply Avocado Oil at Night

One more. An oil that I’ve grown to like to cook withand apply to my skin is avocado oil. As far as my skin goes, it’s got a lot of fatty acids in it, along with vitamins A, D, and E, potassium, and oleic acid (which helps with collagen production). Avocado oil is also a great skin moisturizer (without being uber greasy), can help to relieve dandruff and dry nail cuticles, reduces the inflammation that’s associated with breakouts, and can slow down the signs of aging too.

Listen, you’re gonna be in bed for 6-8 hours every night, right? Before turning in, pamper your skin with a little oil, so that it will look that much more beautiful come morning — as you welcome yet another (almost) springtime day!

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