Questions about black skin care? Forever and a day! As you work your way through the maze of caring for your beautiful black skin, there will always be questions as to whether or not you’re doing it right.

Initial Questions You Ask Yourself About Black Skin Care

Do I clean your face enough?

Twice a day is best.

Am I using the right products? 

Possibly not.

How do I deal with hormonal distress in my skin?

Quick answer?  You change what you eat and your product ingredients.

Will this product help me even out my skin tone?

Here’s the thing about melanin.  It naturally bring out the varying shades in your complexion.  Your natural highlights will be emphasized.  When you begin to see unusual dark patches or skin discoloration, it’s time to see a dermatologist AND change what you’re eating.

Every question brings more questions.

More Questions About Black Skin Care?  Here Are More of What You Ask

Can I use oil on my face?

The answer will be, it depends on your skin. One of the oils that Black Americans in particular, have been known to use is petroleum based. You know it as petroleum jelly. It  is also known as mineral oil.

Did you know that a lot of companies are using synthetic oils in their oil-free products?

When you use natural oils, nine out of ten times they will not clog your pores.

What are natural oils? You know them as carrier oils. Carrier oils  are what you know as jojoba, grape seed, olive oil, apricot oil, almond oil and coconut oil. When you combine the use of these oils with essential oils you can actually have oils that will nurture and nourish your skin.

Are all cleansers the same?

Not at all. When it comes to caring for your skin you’ll want to choose a cleanser that is cream-based. Why cream-based? Cream-based cleansers are gentle on your skin and can be just as effective as one that has other ingredients that are more on the abrasive side.

We have a tendency to think that, in order to clean your face, the product has to lather or we should apply more pressure. Neither is true. Oftentimes the more lather you see the more detergent based the product is.

Detergent based cleansers can often strip your skin of its natural oils. This is not the end result that you want.

What you want to see is clean skin that still has a radiant complexion. One that exudes moisture and youthfulness. Moisture does not mean oily.  Moisture means supple and glowing.

Wait, there’s more.

Is body acne caused by the same things that cause facial acne?

We know that one of the culprits is based on the food you eat. The same thing applies to body acne. Your diet can ultimately spark breakouts on your skin on the lower parts of your body.  So can fabric choices in the case of your lower skin.

One of the main places that you’ll find body acne is on your back. We refer to it as back acne. One of the ways to treat back acne is to schedule an appointment with your skin care therapist.   A good deep cleanse and mask applied to your back, will help with the challenged area.

At home you would use a good cleanser to help loosen up all of the oil deposits.  Then you would use an exfoliant to bring up all of the trapped oils from beneath the skin.

You can also do a nice bath and add a dash of sea salt and baking soda. This will also help to break up the oil deposits beneath your skin. your washcloth can act as an enhanced exfoliator and you would use it in a circular motion on your back loosening up the trapped oil beneath your skin.

If you find that you can’t reach certain parts like you want to, then this is where you ask your significant other to give you a nice back scrub and help you through that challenge.

One of the things that you want to make sure you do when you’re finished is to moisturize your body. An oil or body butter would complete the back facial that you gave yourself.

Last Two Questions About Black Skin Care … for now anyway

What happens if I use a product and it breaks my face out?

Simple. You stop using that product. The key to great black skin care is to find products that will work well with your skin type and stick with it.  This will take some time.  However, once you’ve achieved your goal of finding what works for you, you’ll see results.

Do I need to have a professional facial?

I would always recommend a professional facial. If you can find a way to put it on your schedule, I would at least suggest that you do it quarterly.

Schedule it with seasonal changes, so that your regimen changes based on the season.

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That’s it for this week.  As always …

Dedicated to Your Beauty,

Juliette Samuel,

Esthetician/Author/Publisher,

Nyraju Skin Care