In About Face, xoNecole gets the 411 on IGers who give us #skincaregoals on the daily. Here they break down their beauty routines on the inside and out, as well as the highly coveted products that grace their shelves and their skin.
"Smooth like honey" is an understatement to describe the naturally glowing skin of 32-year-old Los Angeles-based beauty Karrueche Tran. When the TNT series Claws actress isn't shooting an episode or kicking it with bae Victor Cruz, Karrueche is blessing the 'gram with her light-spirited nature and skincare routines.
In an exclusive interview with xoNecole, the starlet touched on her newfound relationship with all things skincare. "Over the past two years I've really started to focus and pay attention to skincare," she revealed. "I've definitely expanded and have been more open-minded about trying new products. Being on set for long hours in makeup made me realize I need to take extra care of my skin. Sometimes I would notice little breakouts and clogged pores. I've invested in purifying and detoxifying masks to help with that." When you hear the name Karrueche Tran, you think of a gorgeous model and talented actress with flawless skin. Lucky for us, Tran has decided to share her beauty secrets with us to cop her all-natural look.
Here's what she had to say:
My morning routine looks like...
"Wake up! I take a shower immediately, also brushing my teeth in the shower - I realized most people don't do this. After I've washed my face in the shower, I use a serum and a moisturizer. Right now, I'm loving the Dior Capture Totale serum and creme. Another great go-to for serum is the Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Serum. Then, I use a jade roller which I keep in my mini fridge in my bathroom that I'm obsessed with. I put all my jade facial tools and face/under-eye masks in the fridge. It feels so refreshing in the AM and is a nice little wake-up.
"I get puffiness under my eyes so it's a great start to my day. I also love the Hyaluronic Acid Booster from Cosmedix. Highly recommended! I also recommend the Avène products, they're great and affordable!"
My evening routine looks like...
"I love a nice hot, steamy bath filled with eucalyptus and lavender while wearing a face mask and a glass of red. A nice glass of cab, preferably ARTEMIS by Stag's Leap.
"Always, always, always wash your face at night! Most definitely if you have makeup on but also even if you just wore moisturizer all day. Get that dirt and oil off your face. Also, make sure to continuously change your pillowcases. The excess oil from the hair and face can cause breakouts. After I've washed my face, I usually use a night oil or serum."
How my skincare routine switches up with the seasons...
"Weather definitely plays a major part in skincare. In the winter, my skin tends to get drier and tighter. In the summertime, it's a little more dewy. When I work in New Orleans, my face gets very oily because the weather is very humid. Even in New York sometimes, my face will feel drier regardless of the time of year because the water PH level is a little harsher.
"Whenever my skin is feeling dry, usually in the winter, I lean more towards ultra-moisturizing and hydrating products. Avène has great products for dry skin. I use their extremely rich compensating cream and their soothing moisture mask. It leaves your skin feeling so soft! The key is to use it in between other products that aren't as moisturizing so you don't clog your pores and cause breakouts."
My go-to makeup looks like...
"I like a natural makeup look - foundation, concealer, mascara, eyebrow pencil and lip gloss."
My approach to beauty from the inside-out...
"Doing things that make me happy - cooking, yoga, eating, working out, taking hot baths, meditating, and sound baths. When you take care of what's internal - your mind, body and soul - you will exude all that happiness and positive energy. But most importantly, do what makes you happy and fulfills you."
My travel must-haves...
"Depends on where I'm traveling to and what the climate is. I know to pack for drier/warmer weather or more dewy and humid. I usually just pack a variation of everything travel-size [because] 3-4 products is not enough! I need my Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Serum, at least two different moisturizers, two masks (one clarifying and one moisturizing), lip balm, body cream, face wash (Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser or Tatcha Deep Cleanse), and body wash (preferably Sol de Janeiro shower gel [since] I never use hotel soap or lotion! It's too dry for my skin).
"If I'm going somewhere tropical, I definitely will pack jojoba oil and/or almond oil to tan, as well as sunscreen, and a travel-size hair mask/packet to protect from the water and sun. The jojoba oil can actually be used for the skin and the hair, so that's a great two-in-one. I also usually pack a few under-eye masks that I put in the hotel fridge to keep cool. I like to pack everything I think I might need for any circumstance just in case they don't have what I need available wherever I'm traveling to. I'm definitely an overpacker - better safe than sorry!"
What self-care looks like to me...
"Jade facial roller, steamer, yoga mat, Crest Whitestrips, face masks, eye patches and hair masks. Mint Skin face masks, Avene soothing moisture mask, Patchology under-eye masks, Cosmedix Bamboo Brightening Mask, Peter Thomas Roth 24K Gold Mask, ONA face and eye masks - I love them all equally!"
For more of Karrueche, follow her on Instagram.
Shop Karrueche's Beauty Favorites:
Featured image courtesy of Karrueche Tran
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These days, it's for a completely different purpose, though. Now that I am in the hopefully latter stages of perimenopause (I’m not sure because my mother had a full hysterectomy at 29, her mother died at 53 and I don’t deal with my paternal grandmother because…chile… ) — although I have always had relatively easy cycles and I could definitely set my watch to them, about two years ago, my periods started to show up whenever they felt like it and it was damn near a crime scene once they did.
It was driving me crazy, and so, my nurse practitioner recommended that I take progestin-only pills to shorten, if not completely stop, my cycle: “After a year or so, we can wean off and see if you are entering into menopause on your own.” (Whew, perimenopause, chile.)
Although the first five months of being on this particular pill made me wonder if it was worth it to take this approach, I actually re-upped for another 12-month cycle because the extra progestin (a synthetic form of progesterone) has benefitted me in other areas as well because I am sleeping more soundly and my weight is more stabilized (by the way, when these things are “off,” they are signs of low progesterone levels). However, I did ask my nurse practitioner if, once I do decide to wean off of the pill, would there be any issues.
Her response is what inspired me to write this article because, until she said “post-birth control syndrome” to me, I had no idea there was such a thing. Anyway, if you give me a sec, I’ll explain to you what it is and why you should care if hormone-related birth control is currently a part of your life.
Yes, Post-Birth Control Syndrome Is a Very Real Thing
GiphyOkay, so it’s important to always remember that the way that birth control works is it “manipulates” your hormones so that you can significantly reduce your chances of conceiving. This means that taking them could result in some side effects including nausea; weight gain; headaches; irregular periods and/or spotting; increased stress; depression; blurry vision; breast tenderness, and/or a lowered libido.
That said, even though birth control pills are basically 99 percent effective (when taken correctly and consistently), if the side effects that you are experiencing are making you close to miserable, you should absolutely share that with your healthcare provider because…what’s the sense in preventing pregnancy when you don’t even feel up to having sex because you don’t feel good or your sex drive is shot? More times than not, your provider can find you another pill brand or option that will help you to feel more like yourself.
With that out of the way, think about it — if going on the pill can produce side effects, why would going off of it…not? And this is where post-birth control syndrome comes in.
For the most part, it’s what can happen to your body once you decide to come off of birth control. Typically, the symptoms will last anywhere between 4-6 months and, although the symptoms seem to present themselves most intensely as it relates to going off of the pill, any hormone-related birth control (like IUDs, injections, patches, the ring or implants) could produce similar outcomes.
Outcomes like what?
- Irregular cycles
- Breakouts
- Excessive gas and/or bloating
- Weight gain
- Anxiety and/or depression
- Fertility issues
- Migraines and/or headaches
- Shifts in your libido
- Sleeplessness/restlessness
- Hair loss
Whoa, right? And if a part of you is wondering, “Okay, if this is indeed the case, why have I not heard of this syndrome before?” It’s because it’s not a term that conventional method uses nearly as much as alternative medicine does. Still, it makes all of the sense in the world that if your body has to adjust to an uptick in hormonal intake, it would also need to adjust to removing those extra doses of hormones from your system as well. COMMON. DAMN. SENSE.
Anyway, if you were thinking about taking a break from birth control and taking all of this in has you feeling a bit…let’s go with the word “trepidatious” about doing so, I totally get it. There are some things that you can do to make experiencing post-birth control syndrome either a non-issue or a far more bearable one, though.
7 Home Remedies That Can Make Coping with Post-Birth Control Syndrome Easier
Giphy1. Take a multivitamin.Something that’s fascinating about what going off of birth control can do is it sometimes has the ability to lower your nutrition levels as it relates to certain vitamins and minerals; this is especially the case when it comes to vitamins B, C, E and minerals like magnesium, selenium and zinc. So, if you don’t currently take a multivitamin, now would be the time to start (along with consuming foods that are particularly high in those nutrients as well).
2. Up your vitamin D intake. Speaking of nutrient levels, a vitamin level that commonly drops after going off of birth control isvitamin D. This is hella critical to keep in mind as a Black woman since many of us tend to be naturally deficient in the vitamin as-is and vitamin D is important when it comes to fighting off diseases, regulating weight and keeping your moods stabilized (for starters). So, make sure that your multivitamin has vitamin D in it. Also make sure to consume vitamin D-enriched foods like fatty fish, eggs, mushrooms, yogurt and fortified orange juice.
3. Drink herbal teas. Since going off of birth control will cause your hormones to be all over the place for a season, consider drinking some herbal teas that will help to stabilize them. Black cohosh contains phytoestrogen properties, Chasteberry can help to level out your prolactin levels and green tea can help your hormones out by helping to balance out your insulin (which can sometimes directly affect them).
4. Keep some ibuprofen nearby. The headaches and migraines? Until those subside, you and ibuprofen are probably going to become really good friends; although I will add that ginger tea and inhaling essential oils like chamomile and lavender can help to ease migraine-related symptoms too.
5. Do some meditating. Waiting for your hormones to get back on track can be stressful as all get out. That said, something that can get your cortisol (stress hormone) levels to chill out is to meditate. If meditation is new for you, check out “7 Meditation Hacks (For People Who Can't Seem To Do It).”
6. Get massages. As if you needed an excuse to get a massage, right (check out “12 Different Massage Types. How To Know Which Is Right For You.”)? However, there is some evidence to back the fact that regular massages (somewhere around once a month) can help to lower your stress, boost your dopamine, increase blood flow and drain your lymphatic system so that you will have more energy.
7. Sleep/rest more. There is plenty of scientific research out here which says that sleep deprivation can throw your hormones out of whack — and since your hormones are already trying to stabilize themselves, you definitely need to get 6-8 hours of sleep and not feel the least bit guilty about taking naps sometimes too.
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Post-birth control syndrome may not be the most pleasant thing about getting off of birth control yet it is manageable. So, now that you know all about it, you can feel more confident about taking a birth control break (or getting off altogether) — without the surprises that can come with doing it. Give thanks.
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