Whether you love it or hate it, your skin is your body’s home. While many of us struggle with body image and appearance, learning to know and love your skin can change your whole perspective on yourself.
Even if you closely follow the latest skincare and beauty trends, you might feel out of the loop or not good enough to implement them into your everyday routine. Yet, it is a harmful mindset.
We often find it easy to pay other people compliments or look at them and think they look fabulous. But thinking the same about ourselves isn’t always as easy. Let’s consider some of the main reasons why people struggle with their skin and some of the things you can start doing to love yourself more.
Why Do We Struggle to Know and Love Our Skin?
Before considering the ways that you can start to appreciate your skin more, it’s important to look at the reasons why many people are hindered from doing this.
Peer pressure
People who live with a lot of pressure over appearance will often struggle to have a healthy relationship with their body.
Upbringing
People who grew up in an environment hearing negative things about their appearance, or the appearance of other people, could find it challenging to appreciate themselves and their bodies.
Skin complaints
Common skin complaints such as acne, psoriasis, and scarring can cause people to feel extremely self-conscious.
Media and society
This is one of the most common reasons why people struggle to accept themselves. Seeing highly edited and doctored images and videos online isn’t healthy when people start to compare themselves to others.
How Can You Start to Know and Love Your Skin Better?
If any of the common reasons listed above resonate with you, it’s now time to start thinking about what more you could do to learn about your skin and start to love it.
There are a range of things you could experiment with to start knowing and loving your skin better.
Invest time in finding what works
What works for someone else might not work for you. Just because a friend, colleague, or influencer online recommended a skincare product doesn’t mean it will give you the answers.
As well as doing your own research, invest some time and money in experimenting with new products to find what brings you positive results. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t find the answers immediately.
While looking for new products for use in your skincare routine read carefully what are the ingredients and try to avoid products with chemical consistency. Always make sure that the products that you use for cleansing your face are hypoallergenic as for irritated skin that would be a disaster. You should consistently use products that will not harm your skin’s natural barrier and cleanse it very gently. For instance, you can use natural soaps that contain aloe vera which not only cleanse your skin but also stimulate the growth of new skin cells. By using natural goat milk soaps you can have clean, nourished, and hydrated skin during the day.
For those with permanent skin damage, such as scarring, the appearance of scars can often be improved by using products or treatments designed to reduce them.
Take care of your skin
When we dislike something about ourselves, it’s easy to pay little attention to it. Some people might even struggle to look at their faces in a mirror.
However, looking after your skin is a crucial first step to understanding and loving yourself more.
Spend just one or two minutes per day initially to wash and cleanse your face, before applying a gentle moisturizer.
Keep a diary
Getting to know any aspect of your life can be helped by keeping a regular diary. When you notice something different about your skin, make a note of it and think about anything you might have done differently.
For example, some people find that certain foods or ingredients can trigger an acne outbreak. Other people might notice alcohol, smoking, or other habits result in dry patches or random spots and outbreaks.
Take photos
While you might ordinarily take photos of yourself only when you’re wearing a full face of make-up, getting to know your skin better will sometimes require you to step out of your comfort zone.
Taking photos of your skin every week or every month can help you to monitor any progress. It can also help you to become accustomed to seeing your face without make-up, and in all its natural beauty.
Let us know if these tips help you.