Hello everyone, my name is Jemima and welcome to today’s skincare video. This is part two of ‘Skincare & Me’, a series of videos where I will be going into more dept about my skincare journey and the behind the scenes of creating my skincare videos. Today I thought I would share advice I wish I knew about my skin when I was a teenager. When I was growing up during secondary school my skin was a major insecurity of mine and I thought I had bad skin. It’s a real shame looking back, because some of the things I dealt with could have been easily solved with more knowledge. Two of the biggest issues I struggled with was having scars on my face and getting coldsores. And I have skincare advice I wish I could give my teenage self concerning them.

1. You are not ugly because you have scars on your face. You are not ugly period.

There were several reasons I thought my scar made me ugly; I used to think it took up a half of my face and I would compare myself with others who had clear skin. There was even an incident that solidified these insecurities. I remember someone in secondary school, when I started in year 7 pointing our my scar on my face during an argument. I think what they said was “look at those scales on your face…” and I started to cry. 

This was a major insecurity for me already and to have someone insult it so openly broke me. I was used to people asking what happened, even of one of my mums acquaintance had asked and recommended shea butter which did help it alot. It wasn’t the problem of the person noticing my scar that made me cry. It was just the first time that something on my face that others didn’t have was called ugly. And so I began thinking I am ugly because of my scar. 

I honestly used to believe that my scar was the only thing people saw when they looked at me. I laugh now because it doesn’t even take up that much of my face. I made a mountain out of a mole hill and it knocked my confidence down having such a negative belief. I wish I had started treating my scars earlier so they may have faded more however, I wish more that I knew having scars on your face did not mean you were ugly. You are not ugly period.

2. Getting Coldsores does not mean you’re disgusting and it’s more common than you think. 

Once again secondary school trauma and young people being insensitive messed with my mind and made me feel ashamed like something was wrong with me when I got cold sores. I’ve spoken about my experience with getting cold sores in a previous video. But basically I got them alot when I was younger and the first thing some people would say is “eww that’s disgusting”. I would got so embarrassed about it, to the point where I did not want to go to school if I had one. However, I was never allowed to skip school, so I would spend whole days covering my face with my hands and avoiding people to prevent getting shamed. I even remember when desperate attempt to cover it up with a plaster which actually drew more attention to it lol. 

I would like to tell my teenage self that cold sores are natural, and you are not the only one who gets them. You get coldsore because the weather changes or when you are stressed. I didn’t know about getting them due to stress, I had alot of emotions I kept bottled up when I was younger and so if I had known that finding a healthy way to deal with my problems would prevent me getting cold sores then I would have started focusing on my mental health sooner. Managing my stress has helped me so much in dealing with them. This year I’ve only got it once during April. Whereas when I was younger I would be getting them almost every 2-3 months.

When I posted my video about it last year, I wanted to take it down 2weeks later because someone I knew made fun of it. My insecurities started resurfacing and I thought everyone who finds this video will make fun of it too like that person. However, I did not take it down because I knew I needed that video when I was younger and so that’s why I made it. Fast forward to March this year the video started to pick up, lots of people are watching it. Currently that video is the best video on my channel interns of views, watch time and likes. The video I almost took down has helped my channel grow so much. But the thing I love most about that video is the comment section. People are asking for helping, people are saying thank you, people are sharing their tips and methods for other with how they deal with it. There are many people struggling with cold sores and I want my teenage self to know I’m not alone and that one day you will create a space where people can have a positive discussion about their struggle without feeling shame. Getting Coldsores does not mean you’re disgusting and it’s more common than you think.

And so those are the two biggest things I wish could go back in time and tell myself, I spent alot of time being self conscious and insecure about my scar and cold sores. Because of this I started believing I was ugly and had bad skin. But also because of these I started my skincare journey and it is why I make skincare videos. 

My skin has always been okay I just didn’t know how to take care of it. My insecurities made me see things only in a negative way. For example, my textured skin and hyperpigmentation seemed worse than they actually where in my eyes. I make skincare videos because when I was younger I didn’t know where to start and what to use. 

So now I am going to share some tips I wish I had known about maintaining skin; how I could have looked after my skin better to allow it to be its healthiest version when I was a teenager.

1. Get a good cleaner, moisturiser and sunscreen. A simple routine is the key, the best foundation to have.

2. Eat Healthier. Junk food causes breakouts. Don’t let your sweet tooth rule you. Oily foods, especially fried chicken your weakness so eat in moderation. 

3. Don’t apply too much oil to your face, I used to use bio-oil all over my face to help with my scar but what I didn’t realise is that it broke me out a little. I also had a phase when I was applying olive oil to my face because I read olive oil had great healing benefits. So limit the oils to only the scars not all over.

4. Sleep on your back, and change your pillow case every week. This is good make your face more symmetric and also prevents hair oils and other dirt from your pillow getting on your face. 

5. Probably the most important is to manage your stress. Mental health can impact your skin so much. Take time to learn about your emotions and do things to make life more enjoyable.

My early memories of my skin journey are more on the painful side, however it is what got in interested in skincare. I made lemonade with my lemons. I am now on a meaningful journey about self love, and embracing life. I also am able to share with others my experience, so people feel they are not alone when dealing with cold sores or scars. I am able to set the tone for positive conversions regarding these topics, because I struggled with the stigma and I don’t want others to receive the same bad treatment. 

Skincare to me to able learning to build confidence. Showing my skin I care for it, because I care for myself and my well-being. Skincare to me is not fixating on trying to achieve perfection but simply doing the best I can so it is healthy. There are things are want to improve but I also don’t have unrealistic expectations. For example I know there is a limitation to how much my scar can fade because of how late I started treating it. However, my skin is still glows with my scar there. I can radiate even with imperfections. The confidence comes from knowing I did my best; mentally, physically and soulfully.

And so we have come to the end of the video. The last thing I want to tell my younger self is do your best, try sincerely. When you have done what you can, in the best way you know how to learn to let go. I started 3 years ago taking care of my skin with a turmeric and milk mask; it was all I could afford at the time. But I made my mask atleast every 2 weeks for a few months. It was a slow process, you don’t see results immediately. Still I went through that phase and saw my skin improve a little. Now I can buy lots of skincare products, because I have money. However, the heart behind the process hasn’t changed. Everyday I give my skin atleast 5 minutes of my time. Skincare maintenance, giving it my sincere effort so that it remains healthy.

Thank you so much for watching this video, stayed tuned for more skincare and me videos. If you enjoyed this video remember to like, comment, subscribe and ring the notification bell so you know when I post. Byeeeee