When we talk homeschool mama skincare, I don’t even have time to wash my face, so what are we talking about?
With small children underfoot, toothbrushing and face washing seems like a luxury. Add the homeschool mama role and we just hope to make it to the shower once a week.
Lofty aspirations: facials at the spa. Who even has time for that?
Despite having older kids, here’s what aesthetics means hoping for homeschool mama skincare: I don’t have to change my outfit from bed to my job. No designer clothes waiting in my closet. I might not need to change my clothes from one day to the next.
I interviewed skincare connoisseur and young mom, Derian Young, about her expertise in skincare.
Confessional: I’m a damp facecloth, facial washing, once-a-day kinda woman.
I’ll smear an all-day moisturizer with SPF 15 in the morning. Occasionally I’ll scrub with a beaded cleanser. Why isn’t that enough?
(Derian) For some people, that may be enough! But for the unblessed majority of us–it simply isn’t. Think of it this way: your face is quite literally at the forefront of your day. It’s getting whipped with dirt from the wind, covered in sweat, touched a hundred times by our hands covered in who knows what. Our faces get beat up and require tender loving care.
I gobbled up Seventeen magazines when I was, well, seventeen. Skincare was really important then, especially as one blemish compelled me to skip school. I even thought the quintessential skin care program started with a C…Clinique. Clinique wasn’t in my regular shop: the drug store. What are your thoughts on the department store products?
(Derian) Department store products can either be amazing or the exact same thing you find at the drug store, only for double the price. There are some high-quality product lines that can be found in department stores. I always say to research your products before making a purchase and read the ingredient list. The internet is packed full of great information.
And now that I can afford to buy quality skincare products, I tend toward drug store varieties. As inexpensive as I can find them. What do you understand about drug store skincare products?
(Derian) Price point almost always reflects the quality. Drugstore varieties, while cheap, are that way for a reason. Fillers, heavy fragrances, surfactants…. just yuck. So, while our wallets may feel better, our skin won’t.
I’m in my early forties, I’m seeing smile lines.
(Derian) Ha, I’m seeing frown lines too. Besides becoming so Zen that I choose to be expressionless, or dabble in Botox, what can I do to decrease my fractured facial lines?
(Derian) Anything relating to our bodies: start from the inside out. Lots of water! Get your full 8 hours of sleep! Eat your leafy greens! As I get older, I realize all the things our mothers harped at us actually hold some truth. On the outside: Vitamin E is your friend. Find an oil-less serum packed full of vitamins.
On my eldest daughter’s thirteenth birthday, we took a trip to mark her entry into womanhood. Cheesy, I know.
But it’s a real thing around thirteen, isn’t it? I, as a parent of the same gender, took her on an introduction to womanhood (she would hate reading this…big roll of the eyes). Not that adulthood requires big department stores, but we walked into an upscale department store, the kind that requires a credit card, and I showed her how to get an attendant’s attention. “Walk like this,” I instructed, “and they will come ask if we need some help.” And they did. Attention we got. And then I walked out of there with a triple digit purchase of skincare product. Goes to show: acting haughty can be expensive. Still, they were great products, and they lasted a long time. Do you think these purchases are worth the expense?
(Derian) Absolutely! I find that typically the higher price point products DO last a long time. Not sure if it’s some kind of sorcery or what buy you are paying for the quality. While we usually walk away with serious buyer’s remorse, we quickly see how a company that takes the product seriously and ensures top-notch quality is worth it. Again, do your research, and ensure it is not glorified drugstore products and you are gold.
What products do you like and why do you think they’re better?
(Derian) For the longest time, I was a lazy skincare person. I only ever washed my face in the shower and used incredibly harsh drugstore brands. I ignored the fact that the searing, rash feeling I got upon leaving the shower was not the product “really getting in there” but rather, my skin silently screaming ‘stop’.
(Derian) Once I got older and started wearing more make-up, I realized I should really start taking better care of my face. And so, like I always do before making any sort of decision, I researched. I was already selling a skincare line through my company but that didn’t matter to me. I wanted to be sure and I ended up liking what I found!
(Derian) Little known fact: When reading the ingredient list on anything, the first ingredient is the strongest component and the last is the weakest. With both of Younique’s skin cleansers water is the very first ingredient. Add in the fact that they are pumped full of natural ingredients like coconut oil, gingko, and aloe vera…I was sold. I’ve found my skin is more hydrated now than it has ever been. So long flakey forehead.
(Derian) Our skin is our most exposed organ. Would you neglect your kidney? No! Give that beautiful skin some love and it will thank you down the road! I really tried to make that sound as least Buffalo Bill-esque as I could but well…here we are. Put the lotion on the skin, cleanse and moisturize daily, and use a mild exfoliant only once a week (if it has apricot pits or uses nuts of any sort–toss it.)
Turns out, I don’t have time not to have time to wash my face: to give myself some homeschool mama self-care skincare.
PS Since this post, I have developed a robust skincare routine. My favourite products are found here:
A Daily Homeschool Mama Journal for You!
Introducing the Daily Homeschool Mama Journal, your perfect companion to build time for yourself! With daily journal questions, weekly planner, and self-care activities, enhance your self-awareness and explore your identity while taking care of yourself. Start practicing self-awareness today!
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Teresa Wiedrick
I help overwhelmed homeschool mamas shed what’s not working in their homeschool & life, so they can show up authentically, purposefully, and confidently in their homeschool & life.
Here’s a tip for wrinkle free skin: sleep on your back. Sure wish I had thought of that 30 years ago LOL!