Fair warning – I’ve resolved to blog more often. More posts means less self-editing. Apologies in advance.
In our 2.5 years as Milagro we have borne witness to countless abusive relationships. I will no longer remain silent.
Fellow lady folk – why do we hate our own skin so much? The things that come out of our mouths when asked about our skin…I tell you, it is shocking. I find it offensive. Together we can make it stop.
“It’s saggy, it’s wrinkly, my pores are huge, it’s red, it’s rough, it’s uneven, it’s crepe-y, it’s horribly dry, it’s so oily, I have dark circles, look at the bags! Did you notice my turkey neck? I HAVE JOWELS!”
I’m not sure if the appropriate response is, “yes, you’re right, you should probably go live under a bridge, you troll” or “no fear! I can sell you 16 bottles of miracle elixirs and $450 later you will be unrecognizable to friends and family”. But I can assure you, neither of these is what we’re actually thinking. What we’re actually thinking is, “whose skin is she talking about?”
And GOOD LORD I am preaching to the choir (me) here. Smitty could write a comic book about all of the things I’ve said about my own darn self (out loud, to the mirror). You really can’t blame us, since from the time we can read and/or digest a TV commercial we are blasted with all of our appearance related shortcomings and shown (*cough*, photoshop) how we’re supposed to look if we would only spend the time and money to be fixed. Female faces should be free from any pores, lines, freckles, effects of gravity, and most importantly: hair. This is the only acceptable way to present ourselves in society.
Enter Milagro. We are here to save your skin from you and your abusive tendencies. Give it a break. It knows what it’s doing and is equipped with everything it needs to last you 100+ years. Be nice to it and it will be nice to you.
And here’s a game changer: most of the “skin problems” we see? (breakouts, sensitivities, dryness) More often than not, products are to blame. Not the “wrong” products, not the “toxic” products, not the “natural green beauty” products. PRODUCTS. PERIOD. Want to make your skin happy? Go on a product cleanse. A sabbatical. Use nothing for one month (if you “have” to wear makeup, remove it gently but use NOTHING else). I bet you’ll be surprised by the results. A few reasons why:
-Your skin, just like your gut, has a biome that keeps it functioning properly. In fact, you are more bacteria than you are human (bacteria cells outnumber human cells in your body by up to 10-to-1). Want to mess with your biome? Wash your face. And then slather on a lotion with preservatives which inhibit bacteria growth.
-Your skin is dry due to water loss (or transepidermal water loss, if you want to get nerdy and specific). Your skin produces a barrier of oil to hold in water. So we shower once or twice a day and damage that barrier and then try to put it back. We don’t do that well. It’s MUCH easier to prevent dry skin than it is to fix it after the fact.
Do you and your skin need a counselor? You can get along. It can be better. We want to help.
In the meantime, choose kindness. Your skin deserves it.