My Hair & My Face Aren't Getting Along!

Have you ever wondered "why can't I have it all"? Fame, fortune and good looks? Well I have, but not in that order... I just want great hair and great skin. Since I went natural 2+ years ago, I have been breaking out with acne. It didn't take a rocket scientist, nor a trip to the dermatologist to figure out the problem...hair products don't belong on my face!

I know you're probably thinking that I shouldn't be moisturizing my skin with hair products :) That's not what I mean.

My hair regimen consists of misting my hair with glycerin and water and applying Shea Moisture's hair milk product nightly. This is followed by two strand twisting and covering my hair with a satin sleep cap. I guess throughout the night some of the product transfers from my head to my pillowcase and then to my face.

(Sidebar) I had this bright idea this morning to illustrate this story in pictures, but since I can't draw, here's a narration of how the argument between my hair and my face goes down...

Hair: "Calling all thirsty Curls, Kinks and Coils! Party at my place tonite! Enjoy all you can drink hair milk while taking a skinny dip in my pool of H2O with glycerin! Tell all your kinky friends it's going down! We're getting "twisted" tonite!!"

Face: " I certainly hope those neighbors upstairs don't have a party tonite! I really need a break and I'm sick of cleaning up after their mess. Water and glycerin always end up at my front door! I'm really getting fed up! If they keep this up, I'm going to "breakout" and cause some real trouble!"

Here are some tips that are helping me avoid breakouts due to hair products:

• Wash your face at least twice a day. Once in the morning and nightly before bed.

• Wash your hands thoroughly after styling. Oils transfered from your hands to your face may clog pores and cause acne.

• Avoid going to bed with wet hair or hair drenched in product.

• Change your pillow case often. This will keep you face from laying in product night after night.

• Opt for "off the face" hairstyles. This will also help to avoid products from your hair transferring to your face and clogging your pores.

Until next time...Be bold. Be beautiful. Be natural!

Peace Out,

Naturally Knight