relationship between OCD and a facial brush

Partially convinced, I think I am obsessive-compulsive -- not to the point of it being a disorder though.

I do think everyone has a little bit of obsessive-compulsiveness in them but just like our fingerprint, it manifests differently in each of us.

I've always had a belief that if my material things are not arranged the way it should be, my personal life would follow. So if my things are all over the place, most likely, my relationships/events/mind-setting would be a mess too.

No one has ever pushed me to dump this mentality, so I think I'm doing fine. :) No need to call for professional help. :P

What has this got to do with this post?

I wanted to rant about The Body Shop facial brush.

...and this facial brush has got something to do with my being OC.

How? I'm not satisfied with just washing my face with just a gentle cleanser then exfoliating after a day of being exposed to the pollution of Manila (Philippines) or even after a day of wearing makeup... and being exposed to the pollution of Manila. I felt like my cleansing routine lacked something.


I needed to feel "cleaner".

On weekends, The Body Shop in Greenbelt... I don't know if I got this info right... but the lady says that they're products are 10% off...?

When the saleslady failed to convince me to buy a kabuki brush, I wandered towards the wall where facial cleansers were and I saw this tiny brush, that didn't even fill half of my palm.

When I got home, I gave it a try.

How I did it?

I poured some facial cleanser on the brush, washed my face with water and knowing I have sensitive skin, I started brushing my face with it like it was a cotton ball -- but I soon felt it wasn't.

Of course not~ the bristles are nylon-like. Since I already hurt one side of my face, I gave it another try, but this time on the other side. I was waaay more gentle this time -- that's when I appreciated the brush's purpose! :D

The next day, yes, the next day, I used it again

[I know it's bad to exfoliate everyday...:/].

(1) I washed my face first with something uber gentle
(I used Olay Sensitive).

(2) I let my face dry a bit then used a thicker facial cleanser
(I used Pond's) and spread it on my dry face.

(3) Then I wet the brush until I was sure all the bristles were damp.

(4) Placed a bit of cleanser on the bristles and...

(5) ...started brushing my face -- veeery gently.

...gradually added pressure when my skin gets used to it.
I count my strokes on each region of my face -- right cheek, left cheek, forehead, chin and around the nose.
15 gentle strokes each and 10 more (with a bit more pressure).

(6) After that, I wash all the froth (:P) off my face.

(7) Then I rinse the brush too.

(Note: Let the brush completely dry before storing it in its cover.)

I applied moisturizer liberally to counteract the drying effect though. After that week, I've used it once (sometimes, twice) a week. :D

I like using this brush with a thick/viscous cleanser (like Pond's) than a watery/less viscous kind (like Olay).

For dry to normal skin-types, I actually recommend using it two days in a row the first time so you could feel the effect but make sure you use moisturizer right after. ;)
For oilier skin types, never use it days in a row, it'll aggravate your oil glands into thinking your skin's too dry and it'll produce more oil.

On the safer side of life, it is still recommended to exfoliate once a week...


I think we should all stick to that, :P