I am not willing to apologize for the color of my skin or even what I look like. You see I am made in the image of my "Heavenly Father" and everything that "He" made is good. So who am I to question that? If I alter any part of me without any good reason, such as to save my life, I would not be accepting the work "He" has done. In my opinion, I would be guilty of not fully accepting the creation of me.
I feel that we must come to the understanding that "Our Heavenly Father" is perfection. We as "His" children do not even come close to the level "He" remains on. I know this may seem like I am getting ready to go deep into religious theories, let me assure you that is the farthest thing from my mind.
In my opinion, I feel that my fellow melanated people have the most beautiful skin tones that I have ever seen, I am talking about the very light skin tones to the very deep skin tones. I believe that this is rooted in the ways we choose to care for our skin.
If you have ever read any of my other posts under the Natural Beauty label or tab, then you know that I am all about natural skincare. Many of us cannot and will not just put anything on our skin. Now more than ever, we are looking at the ingredients of the products we buy to avoid skin irritations or breakouts.
I feel that we as consumers do ourselves such a disservice when we rely on the words of others, instead of just checking out products for ourselves. The reason I feel this way is because we need to know what preservatives, and other additives have been added to our favorite products.
More specifically, we need to know if there are any harmful ingredients in any product that we intend to use. Nowadays the Internet has a vast amount of information at our disposal. We can look up or search for just about anything. So we do not need to get lazy when it comes to anything that can affect our health.
Being that our skin is the largest organ we have, we must do the best we can to make sure it is in the best of health. That would include:
1. Adapt Healthier Eating Habits: Pay Attention To What You Eat. We must choose the right foods that actually give our bodies the nutrients it needs. Think about what your bible says. There are detailed instructions, that specifically tell us what we should and should not eat. "Our Heavenly Father" knows what "He" is doing and knows what is best for us. Who am I to second-guess "His" plan. Check out in the Old Testament: Leviticus: 11. AMS (American Standard Bible).
1a. Add More Fruits And Vegetables To Our Daily Diets: I am not saying that we have to completely cut off everything, but it would benefit us more if our daily diets included more fruits and vegetables. Not only are they high in nutritional value, they can help in protecting us from certain diseases.
I am one of those who prefers my food to taste good or to at least have the flavors that my taste buds love. I know that some foods require you to develop an acquired taste to certain foods but, that doesn't work for me. I like more fruits than vegetables. I prefer most of my vegetables in a salad.
2. The Benefits of Water: When water is consumed in the right amounts, in my opinion, it can do wonders for the skin. Not only does it hydrate the body effectively, but it also helps the skin maintain its flexibility.
I know that it's supposed to be important that we drink plenty of water. In, my opinion, I think that should depend on the quality of water we choose to drink and the amount that we each need to consume.
2a. Now, we cannot ignore the fact that fruits and vegetables (most of them) already contain high amounts of water. We need to remember that especially when we are consuming additional fluids. You don't want to consume so much water that you end up bringing it back up. That would defeat the whole purpose of reaping its benefits.
3. Cleansing The Skin: One of the most important things that we can do is to properly cleanse our skin. While we are in the process of showering or bathing, in my opinion, applying too much pressure when the skin is wet can cause you to easily damage it. Some of us scrub our skin so hard that we are left with red spots and scratches, which can lead to more irritation.
Don't get me wrong, I feel that some pressure is necessary, but it should be applied in a firm and undamaging manner. This will ensure that your skin becomes clean without causing any harm to it.
Important: We should also be mindful of what we use to clean our skin. We must understand that whatever we put on our skin, is directly tied to how it will react. So, regardless of what anyone may tell us, we need to use the best products that are the most beneficial for us.
4. Using Moisturizers: Moisturizing the skin is vital especially after it has been cleaned. They help the skin maintain its smoothness, seal in moisture and they help in preventing breakouts the from drying out.
4a. When it comes to moisturizing the skin, in my opinion, we should be extremely picky about what we apply to our skin. I am not saying that you have to stop using what you like, I just think we need to become more aware of what is actually in the skincare products we choose to use. We want to be certain that the products that we are using contribute to keeping our skin in its healthiest state.
5. Test Your Products: Spot testing usually helps in determining if you use a product or not. I would also suggest doing the same thing with any product that claims to be made with all natural ingredients. Just because a product says it includes natural ingredients, does not mean your skin will not have a reaction from it. Test it out first and see how your skin reacts. That will give you the answers you need.
Your skin is a protective barrier which shields you from impurities. We must do all we can to protect it, and care for it so that our skin, will continue to be healthy and strong.
Until Next Time, Enjoy Loving and Living Life.