WHAT! Another Pimple???

There are so many reasons why persons have breakouts, puberty being the main culprit. Then as we get older, other factors can and will trigger short or long periods of flare-ups.

Stress, as we deal with the ups and downs of existence, can affect skin. Allergies are also triggers, which may include food and/or  pollen, to name a few. Actually, note to self, be careful and avoid touching publicly used things or places before touching your face; wash your hands first. It is always a great idea to have a packet or container of those hand sanitizers, just in case. You would be surprised how something as trivial as the money in your possession may be a trigger. That said, there is another culprit many persons overlook, and it is by far the closest to our face - hair products. 

Last week Saturday, one of our fairly new "OXX Head" clients came to do her weekly “fix-up” at the OXX Salon. Her intent is to fully overcome the "How can I live without extensions?" dilemma. We consider her "case" very important as she has given herself an ultimatum and subsequently put us in charge of her "hair journey". I am not there much between Tuesdays and Fridays (our other opening days), and as she typically prefers to go on a Friday, we have not seen each other for a few weeks. Based on the fact that she had thought about dismantling the whole process and going back to weaves within the first three weeks of her journey, I made sure to take over after the Shampoo/Booster, to see how much progress had been made. And may I say I was pleased.

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Her hair was remarkably improved and the initial cut I gave her was growing out nicely. The shorter strands were finally getting a chance to make a difference, adding well needed volume to the style. Remember, if you have broken strands, it means that longer areas will look thinner as you do not have the density needed.

This is a huge problem for persons with relaxed / processed / texturized and damaged hair as the strands break easily. But there was something more, and I just could not put my finger on it. Yes, her hair was stunning but something else was adding to the impact. I said "You look so different from the first time you came. I mean that in a positive way." Her response was "Yes, my skin. The breakouts are no longer and the scars are less visible". She proceeded to show me pictures of her journey on her phone since her first day at the OXX Salon, and then it all made sense. One of the interesting facts was that her right cheek had always suffered with break-outs more than the left. Considering she was not avid on wearing a cover on her head at nights and that was the side she usually slept on, it was not surprising. This means that products in her hair would be easily transferred on the pillow and subsequently her face. She also loves to style her hair to the right and in her face, thereby more exposure to hair products. So what were the changes creating this wonderful skin transformation?

To start, she no longer uses any other brand except the OXX products. Don't get me wrong, anyone can be allergic to any brand, OXX products included, but she obviously is not allergic to ours. Furthermore, she does her best to wear one of our satin scarves before going to bed. You are probably thinking...there you go, she is covering her head at nights so of course things would get better. Not the case. Her hairstyle has not changed one bit; parted to the side, hair covering her right cheek. This means her exposure to products is still the same, except she is using less products for even better results and our products are light-weight. Instead of that heavy, weighted look, she can enjoy movement and sheen instead of looking greasy and stiff.

That said, the moral of this story is, pay attention to what you are using in your hair if you are experiencing break-outs. Process of elimination is the key. You never know...you may just be the reason for the problem.

Until Next Week,

The OXX Family