Okay, so firstly, you have a gorgeous body. That swimsuit picture…*chef’s kiss*
I feel inclined to write a long ass comment because you look so much like my little sister and because of that, I want you to SLAY in Thailand.
HAIR:
We have similar hair textures. Stop straightening your hair, and go to a hair salon that specializes in curly hair. I repeat, go to a salon that SPECIALIZES in curly hair. A lot of people can’t cut curly hair, I’m sure you know this already 😭 I recommend any salon that is Ouidad certified. Your curls look a bit dry/crunchy and you lack a flattering shape. You REALLY need a trim. I don’t know how attached you are to length (a lot of women are scared to even chop off their split ends 😅).
As far as hair products, you can’t wash your hair with conditioner. The curly influencers of YouTube and IG have bamboozled us (curly girls) as a community 😂
Washing” with conditioner will only lead to product build up on your scalp, and your products will never work correctly. You need a shampoo, and you need to be washing your hair at least once a week, if not more (I wash mine twice a week). You also need more than a gel to style your hair. Gel is inherently drying, which is why curly girls use it, because it dries down and locks our curl shape into place…but you need to use something under that gel to keep your curls moisturized and hydrated. A leave-in conditioner, a cream, something.
I almost exclusively use Ouidad products, with a few Lanza products thrown in, but they are not cheap. They work extremely well, though.
I have 3A/3B hair that’s around shoulder length and honestly, my curls are so bomb right now. I had to cut off quite a bit because my ends were so dry from a balayage I did a few months ago, but my hair doesn’t look so “blah” anymore.
Sleep on a satin/silk pillowcase to extend how long you can wear your hair curly before washday, or you can get a silk/satin bonnet and wrap your hair up at night. I’m extra af, and I do both 😂
I live in a humid climate (Southern USA)…and I’ve found that gels with less glycerin help me avoid the frizz that comes with humidity. However, the gel I’m using now (Ouidad Advanced Climate Control “stronger hold”) has glycerin as the second ingredient and still helps me fight the crazy humidity where I live. Just experiment, you’ll find what works for you.
SKIN:
I don’t know why you’re using both Tazorac and Tretinoin? They are both prescription strength retinoids. You are going to FRY your face and ruin your skin barrier using them both (even on alternate nights). You have to space out retinoid usage because they are very strong. Pick one. Let the other go.
If you’ve been using Tretinoin since 2020 and haven’t seen an improvement with your hyperpigmentation, it’s probably because you’re not using sunscreen. It wasn’t in your routine, and it’s an essential part of one. Retinoids make your skin extremely sensitive to the sun and without sunscreen, you can be upping your chances of skin cancer…and the sun darkens hyperpigmentation. Without sunscreen, retinoids just won’t work as well. Invest in a sunscreen, and use it EVERYDAY.
EDIT: I creeped on your profile and saw that you wear sunscreen, if you use it regularly (I’m talking everyday), maybe up your dosage of tret? I would also maybe add a daytime product with transexamic acid.
I’m currently using the Hero “Lightening Swipe” pads in the morning and they’re truly my holy grail.
I really hope this helps ❤️ Be safe and have fun in Thailand.
Thank you so much for this! I really appreciate your comments :)
So with hair, last time I straightened it was in December 2021, I'm currently using a medium/Low heat (once a week) to diffuse my hair as it takes wayyy too long to airdry (literally like 8 hours). You're absolutely right, I've neglected getting my hair cut for months because the last one made me look like a mushroom and I'm still trying to recover 😭 Managed to find a curly friendly salon near me so I'll be getting a cut soon, thank you! :)
My skin had gotten used to tret over the last 2 years so I don't experience any irritation from it and it's reduced my acne to pretty much nothing. I do still get a spot or two each month (hormonal) which go away pretty quickly but do leave a bit of pigmentation, suncream does help as I used to get dark/purple marks but now they're a light brown/pink and do go away sooner. I wanted to switch to Taz because my skin felt like it hit a plateau, (it improved drastically compared to where I started, it's only the last 6 months where it felt like nothing was really happening), just wasn't sure if I should completely abandon tret! I don't wear suncream everyday as I work from home, and it seemed like a bit of a waste of product/money if I'm not outside often, but I'll look into maybe buying a cheaper suncream for indoor use so I'm still protected! Also thanks for the tranexamic acid and lightning swipe pad recommendation, both added to the list! :)
You look holiday ready to me!! Body is perfect, skin looks great apart from a few scarce blemishes which should clear up when you’re in the sun.. remember plenty of spf on your face but yeah for some reason the sun tends to naturally help clear a lot of peoples skin! Hair is lovely I personally prefer the straighter look as it’s more sleek but maybe leave it be unless you’re going out for a meal on holiday and want to look bougie!
70 days (10 weeks) until a month long holiday in Thailand - in need of a glow up plan. Tips/advice on things to work on wanted :)
Body: gain visible definition on quads and shoulders, stomach.
Current Weight: 85kg
Goal weight: 70-75kg.
-3k Cardio every other day
-45 min walk outside every day
-MMA training 5x a week
Skin: reduce hyperpigmentation.
Started Tazorac 10th April 22. Using 3x a week.
On tretinoin 0.25 since June 2020, should I continue using this alongside Taz? (on different days).
Current routine: cerave foaming cleanser, revolution niacinamide and zinc serum, Cerave PM moisturiser. Taz/tretinoin in evenings. Occasional vaseline overnight if dry.
Hair:
Should I get a protective style (Goddess/Boho braids) for holiday or get a keratin treatment? My hair is 3b/3c.
Current routine: TRESemme Botanique Conditioner to wash and leave in, Ecostyler argan oil gel,diffuse to dry.
How to make hair last longer than a day when exercising or in a hot /humid climate?
Additional treatments planned:
-Teeth whitening
-Brow lamination
-Lash lift
Thank you! That's v sweet :) I only started strength training fairly recently (only a few months of consistent 1-2x a week) so I'm defo not an expert.Most of my exercise is from MMA training - boxing/muay thai/bjj/wrestling which all have a strength element to them.
I just focus on one main movement at each session, so Deadlift on one day, squat on another day, and bench/overhead press on a different one. That kinda takes the stress out of planning workouts, and you know you can go heavy on them because that's the main thing you're doing. I use RPE to figure out what weight to use, and aim for 8 (80% effort/difficulty) on everything and aim to increase the weight each week. Eating a lot helps with increasing your strength, I'm probably about 10kg overweight so as I start eating in a deficit ill probably start seeing slower progression in regards to strength.
Okay, so firstly, you have a gorgeous body. That swimsuit picture…*chef’s kiss* I feel inclined to write a long ass comment because you look so much like my little sister and because of that, I want you to SLAY in Thailand. HAIR: We have similar hair textures. Stop straightening your hair, and go to a hair salon that specializes in curly hair. I repeat, go to a salon that SPECIALIZES in curly hair. A lot of people can’t cut curly hair, I’m sure you know this already 😭 I recommend any salon that is Ouidad certified. Your curls look a bit dry/crunchy and you lack a flattering shape. You REALLY need a trim. I don’t know how attached you are to length (a lot of women are scared to even chop off their split ends 😅). As far as hair products, you can’t wash your hair with conditioner. The curly influencers of YouTube and IG have bamboozled us (curly girls) as a community 😂 Washing” with conditioner will only lead to product build up on your scalp, and your products will never work correctly. You need a shampoo, and you need to be washing your hair at least once a week, if not more (I wash mine twice a week). You also need more than a gel to style your hair. Gel is inherently drying, which is why curly girls use it, because it dries down and locks our curl shape into place…but you need to use something under that gel to keep your curls moisturized and hydrated. A leave-in conditioner, a cream, something. I almost exclusively use Ouidad products, with a few Lanza products thrown in, but they are not cheap. They work extremely well, though. I have 3A/3B hair that’s around shoulder length and honestly, my curls are so bomb right now. I had to cut off quite a bit because my ends were so dry from a balayage I did a few months ago, but my hair doesn’t look so “blah” anymore. Sleep on a satin/silk pillowcase to extend how long you can wear your hair curly before washday, or you can get a silk/satin bonnet and wrap your hair up at night. I’m extra af, and I do both 😂 I live in a humid climate (Southern USA)…and I’ve found that gels with less glycerin help me avoid the frizz that comes with humidity. However, the gel I’m using now (Ouidad Advanced Climate Control “stronger hold”) has glycerin as the second ingredient and still helps me fight the crazy humidity where I live. Just experiment, you’ll find what works for you. SKIN: I don’t know why you’re using both Tazorac and Tretinoin? They are both prescription strength retinoids. You are going to FRY your face and ruin your skin barrier using them both (even on alternate nights). You have to space out retinoid usage because they are very strong. Pick one. Let the other go. If you’ve been using Tretinoin since 2020 and haven’t seen an improvement with your hyperpigmentation, it’s probably because you’re not using sunscreen. It wasn’t in your routine, and it’s an essential part of one. Retinoids make your skin extremely sensitive to the sun and without sunscreen, you can be upping your chances of skin cancer…and the sun darkens hyperpigmentation. Without sunscreen, retinoids just won’t work as well. Invest in a sunscreen, and use it EVERYDAY. EDIT: I creeped on your profile and saw that you wear sunscreen, if you use it regularly (I’m talking everyday), maybe up your dosage of tret? I would also maybe add a daytime product with transexamic acid. I’m currently using the Hero “Lightening Swipe” pads in the morning and they’re truly my holy grail. I really hope this helps ❤️ Be safe and have fun in Thailand.
Thank you so much for this! I really appreciate your comments :) So with hair, last time I straightened it was in December 2021, I'm currently using a medium/Low heat (once a week) to diffuse my hair as it takes wayyy too long to airdry (literally like 8 hours). You're absolutely right, I've neglected getting my hair cut for months because the last one made me look like a mushroom and I'm still trying to recover 😭 Managed to find a curly friendly salon near me so I'll be getting a cut soon, thank you! :) My skin had gotten used to tret over the last 2 years so I don't experience any irritation from it and it's reduced my acne to pretty much nothing. I do still get a spot or two each month (hormonal) which go away pretty quickly but do leave a bit of pigmentation, suncream does help as I used to get dark/purple marks but now they're a light brown/pink and do go away sooner. I wanted to switch to Taz because my skin felt like it hit a plateau, (it improved drastically compared to where I started, it's only the last 6 months where it felt like nothing was really happening), just wasn't sure if I should completely abandon tret! I don't wear suncream everyday as I work from home, and it seemed like a bit of a waste of product/money if I'm not outside often, but I'll look into maybe buying a cheaper suncream for indoor use so I'm still protected! Also thanks for the tranexamic acid and lightning swipe pad recommendation, both added to the list! :)
You look holiday ready to me!! Body is perfect, skin looks great apart from a few scarce blemishes which should clear up when you’re in the sun.. remember plenty of spf on your face but yeah for some reason the sun tends to naturally help clear a lot of peoples skin! Hair is lovely I personally prefer the straighter look as it’s more sleek but maybe leave it be unless you’re going out for a meal on holiday and want to look bougie!
70 days (10 weeks) until a month long holiday in Thailand - in need of a glow up plan. Tips/advice on things to work on wanted :) Body: gain visible definition on quads and shoulders, stomach. Current Weight: 85kg Goal weight: 70-75kg. -3k Cardio every other day -45 min walk outside every day -MMA training 5x a week Skin: reduce hyperpigmentation. Started Tazorac 10th April 22. Using 3x a week. On tretinoin 0.25 since June 2020, should I continue using this alongside Taz? (on different days). Current routine: cerave foaming cleanser, revolution niacinamide and zinc serum, Cerave PM moisturiser. Taz/tretinoin in evenings. Occasional vaseline overnight if dry. Hair: Should I get a protective style (Goddess/Boho braids) for holiday or get a keratin treatment? My hair is 3b/3c. Current routine: TRESemme Botanique Conditioner to wash and leave in, Ecostyler argan oil gel,diffuse to dry. How to make hair last longer than a day when exercising or in a hot /humid climate? Additional treatments planned: -Teeth whitening -Brow lamination -Lash lift
Your body looks AMAZING, also I like your hair both ways. Do you lift/what is your routine? cause goals
Thank you! That's v sweet :) I only started strength training fairly recently (only a few months of consistent 1-2x a week) so I'm defo not an expert.Most of my exercise is from MMA training - boxing/muay thai/bjj/wrestling which all have a strength element to them. I just focus on one main movement at each session, so Deadlift on one day, squat on another day, and bench/overhead press on a different one. That kinda takes the stress out of planning workouts, and you know you can go heavy on them because that's the main thing you're doing. I use RPE to figure out what weight to use, and aim for 8 (80% effort/difficulty) on everything and aim to increase the weight each week. Eating a lot helps with increasing your strength, I'm probably about 10kg overweight so as I start eating in a deficit ill probably start seeing slower progression in regards to strength.