Milk of Magnesia on Skin: My Experience

I'm a curious person and someone who has an extremely oily complexion!!!!

I dislike my oily skin no matter how my friends console me that at least I won't have wrinkles that early as I age.... Yes, this consolation only made me a tiny teeny bit better. I still dislike my oily skin very much!

Whenever I have clients who tell me that their complexion is really oily, and after I see them, I will be like:
"What?! This is not Oily!!! What are you talking about!!! Compared to mine, your skin is a godsend!" type of response....
Only a handful have accurately judged their skin to be 'really' oily, in my opinion, after I have assessed them.

Well, aging seems to have helped me control my oil problems more than when I was still in my teenage and post puberty years..... But I'm still not satisfied. (yes, I'm one of those greedy humans)

So one day, I was happily surfing the net and I had no idea how, but I stumbled upon a page on a remedy to control oily skin.

It seems the info under the results page are all focusing on this one solution: (Myth or otherwise)

Philips Milk of Magnesia

Apparently, this is a laxative for constipation and many people who have tried  it (on their skin) are extremely pleased with this unorthodox household remedy to curb oily skin!!!
I have no idea why or how people start to use this on their face.....

*Note: there are some who claims it does not work on them. 

I guess you've got to try it to know it!! 

*Double note: I shall NOT be responsible if your face rots.....

BUT THE MAJORITY SWORE IT WORKED

HEll YEA!!!! 

I was excited. This may be my saviour and so I decided to bravely be the myth buster and find out if I belong to the majority!! (I was crossing my fingers)

One problem: I don't think I ever saw this in any pharmacy in Singapore. So, being the ever resourceful 'brainy whizz' and the determined curious cat, I researched on the ingredient of Phillips milk of magnesia (MOM) so that I can get the equivalent of it in our Singapore's pharmacies.... Maybe??????

The only main ingredient: Magnesium Hydroxide.

I scoured the major Guardian and Watsons and read every single medication for tummy meds.
They do not sell this particular brand and I even checked with the pharmacist.

Unfortunately, the other medications remotely similar to MOM is not exactly the same after all.
They all contain some other form of magnesium plus another ingredient, which after VERY careful consideration, I concluded I SHALL not take this stupid risk to try something DUBIOUS on MY face. ARGH!

So being a very determined person, I conveniently found out that my boyfriend's client is going to the US and I got him to help me get a bottle of the Philips MOM from there in original flavour (as recommended). I don't think I want my face to smell like weird strawberry.

So, just to play it even safer, I decided to do one more in-depth google on how the magnesium hydroxide will work on our skin. I wanted to get more concrete objective science facts than what people typed in forums subjectively.

I mean, I don't want my face to rot, do I??!!!

And I googled: Effects of magnesium hydroxide on skin.

"On your skin, you can use magnesium hydroxide to treat canker sores and to prevent excess oil buildup that causes pimples to form. Further, magnesium hydroxide can decrease the size of your facial pores and prevent dirt from clogging in your pores."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/447570-what-are-the-health-benefits-of-magnesium-hydroxide/#ixzz2SV2av4BK

Seems like a trusted health science site! And just like what I needed!!!

I AM READY TO BUST THIS MYTH!

I applied according to instructions from the forums.
-After moisturizer and sunblock, before foundation.

-You'll need to shake bottle well before using it.

-Apply a thin layer over oily areas; for me its mainly the T-zone and my cheeks. After awhile you'll find white streaks that will appear on the skin, which you'll just have to blend in some more with your fingers.

-Then apply your foundation or powder! I suggest patting in your liquid/powder foundation for a more even application without the powdery residue coming up.

-Avoid MOM on your eye area

Apply the rest of your makeup as normal and you are good to go!

CHECK me out:

Left: with photo app effect / Right: Raw no photo app effect

Ok don't judge. In my opinion, the difference is minimal (with and without app) in this pic with MOM use. Normally, my face will be like an oil slick after a few hrs and it still will not look this Matt even after cleaning and 8 hrs later!!

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!
Im so lucky!!!! (sobs with joy)
IT worked for me!!! Not only did my face not rot, the oil free effect lasted around 8 hrs or so, as seen in this picture with MOM application. Plus!!!! You don't have to splurge on this cause it's CHEAP!!

I am now a huge fan and can only keep hoping MOM does not cause strange allergies for me with prolonged use of it.

I can confidently step out with much lesser eye makeup now just as long my face is Matt the whole day, which at least makes me look fresh.
I mean for me, Matt skin with minimal eye makeup is acceptable, whereas oily skin with no eye makeup is NOT!

You can check out the reviews of other MOM users online by googling:
MOM on oily skin.

Later I found out, you can actually get this Philips MOM on www.amazon.com
It is really easy. Just read those instructions!!!

Good luck to those who are going to try this..... :)

Love,
G

Skincare: How to get a Pore-fect Face

What is beauty you ask?
And then you ask again: Why is it so much work to be a female????????? SIiiiiGgggHHHHHHHHHHH

Apart from the painful, bothersome menstration and child birth, there's the size of our body to take note of, and the face, and the hair, and the teeth, and the skin, AND (MORE??!!!) the nails, and the fashion, and the accessories, which is like a never ending avalanche of things to be mindful of!!!!!

And of course, of course, Not forgetting the one most important thing, our inner BEAUTY.......

Ok so one thing at a time, let's focus on the small, minute aspect on our face.

THE dreaded Pores

Small and deadly. 

I have pore problems. Clogged ones and they look ginormous to me. And I have duper super oily skin.

And So,

What do we do about them?

Something to know:

Our pores are shaped like a vase. seriously? = (NOT GOOD)

The opening of the pore is small and as it goes deeper, becomes a 'bulb like' sac. If we become careless in our facial cleansing regimen, dirt and dust gets trapped inside. Because of the small opening, it is very difficult to clean them. So, when it gets trapped full of dirt (or shit if you prefer), the pores get expanded and becomes visible........

And if you have pores that look oval or elongated, it means your skin has SAGGED!!
Perfect young pores are supposed to 'look' (what a paradox!!!) invisible and round.

What causes visible pores? 

1. Blackheads
The skin renews itself and the upper 'older' skin slough off periodically. So if the 'old' skin is not removed properly, it falls into our pores mixed with dirt and dust from the environment, gets stuck in there and becomes BLACKHEADS.

What to do:
Exfoliate gently on a regular basis. I recommend 2-3 times per week depending on skin type.
Always make sure that you clean your skin thoroughly especially after use of makeup. Remember to be gentle as the skin on our face is thin!

2. Dehydrated skin
When the skin lacks moisture, its elasticity is greatly reduced. The reflex action from our body secretes more oil to compensate for this lack.

3. Aging Skin

What to do:
Replenish moisture. Use products especially that contains hyaluronic acid or just says super hydrating with hyaluronic acid?? You get the works.
Pat it in with clean fingers or use a cotton pad and pat the lotion in, upwards (all in single upward strokes) for extra lift!
This upward patting motion is likened to polishing where the skin will become nicely buffed, improves circulation and becomes bouncier!

4. Oily skin 

Apart from using products externally, we can also improve our skin and body condition internally, which I think is as important. As the saying always goes: "We are what we eat" 
Foods that are rich in collagen, seaweed, , white fungus* are great for the skin. Anything 'gelly like' helps bind moisture better in our skin.

Vitamin B Complex (all the Bs in a supplement bottle which you can find in major pharmacies) is good for our nervous system (I feel more like the whole bodily functions) and balances symptoms of PMS which ensures that our hormones are less erratic, especially when we menstruate every month!
Skin condition becomes more stable as a result.

*white fungus: most effective to eat immediately after cooking. Do not keep it overnight as it will not be effective anymore. It is a great substitute for the more expensive bird's nest

Well Good luck ladies! I hope this helps those with pore problems!

Love,
G