In Asian households, we’re often familiar with the phrase “see, who ask you never listen to me” from our mothers whenever we do something wrong. And if you’ve been keeping up with Disney movies, Mother Gothel probably represents all mums out there when she said, “mother knows best.”
According to our all-knowing mums, bad things could be easily avoided if we just heeded their advice in the first place. They could be giving us solid advice to achieve flawless-looking Glass Skin, and some of us would still ignore them. With this in mind, we asked six girls to share with us their mothers’ most naggy skincare tips, and whether they should have listened as a kid.
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“I have sensitive skin and pretty severe eczema. My mum has always told me to not pop my pimples even if they look ripe and tempting, as it will lead to scarring. And also to not pick at my face absentmindedly, as it’s a terrible habit to cultivate.
She still nags at me till now because I tend to lapse into the habit of picking at my face during periods of high stress. Especially since I have eczema with flaking skin and raw wounds, this is definitely very detrimental.
To be honest, I always dreaded getting nagged at by her. Only after moving out of my parents’ house to stay with my grandparents did I realise that there’s a lot of wisdom in what my mum said. Although it’s tough to have that self-control, not popping my pimples and just letting them heal and fade away on their own definitely did wonders in both preventing scarring, and keeping new pimples at bay.
I do think that mothers will always have your best interests at heart. I would like to tell her “thank you”, for letting me feel loved and cared for even though I reacted with irritation in the past.”
— Renae, 27
Image courtesy of Qian Yi
“My mum isn’t really the kind to pick on my skin flaws. But when it comes to food, she nags about my eating habits. For as long as I can remember, my mum has always said “finish your rice, or else your future husband will have a lot of pimples!” I think most women in my family, such as my grandmothers, echoed the same thing too.
This is definitely a myth. How on earth is my eating habit going to affect my future spouse’s skin? And it made me wonder if the reverse is true — is my skin in jeopardy because my future spouse has terrible eating habits?
Since it’s better to be safe than sorry, I make it a point to finish my rice, even if it’s probably a gimmick to get me to finish my food. As for whether it worked, I’m not sure yet… I’ll update when I get hitched.
While this tip doesn’t necessarily have a direct effect on my skin now, the bigger takeaway I have today is to eat right and eat well. Dear Future Husband, I hope your mother tells you to finish your rice too.”
— Qian Yi, 27
“Since I was young, I’ve always had this bad habit of wiping my face very forcefully. My mum first picked this up when I used to go swimming and would come out of the pool to rub my face into the towel. Till now, when I teach spin and it gets hot, I will use my hands to harshly wipe the sweat out of my face.
My mum told me that if I kept this up, my skin would sag when I’m older. My mum’s skin has also been really good and she doesn’t use much makeup or corrective skincare, so I think there’s truth to this.
Now whenever I start to break out more, I know it’s because I’ve been rubbing my face, then I’ll consciously tell myself to stop it. Especially since beauty YouTubers always tell you to use your ring finger to blend your makeup because it’s the most gentle finger, I really shouldn’t be using all the force in the world to treat my face.”
— Chloe, 25
“I have dry skin, so I try my best to apply enough moisturiser and use face masks as often as I can. My mum always emphasised on the importance of sleeping earlier and drinking more water. She shared this with me when I started sleeping very late due to school.
According to her, the cells in our body start repairing at night, between 8pm to 10pm. So when we stay up at night, our body becomes very heaty, which then affects our skin. She shared this tip with me because she wanted me to maintain my skin’s complexion while I’m still young.
I did not follow her advice back then. I stayed at home most of the time and I’m a night owl, so it felt impossible to sleep early. And with her advice to drink more water, I ignored it because it’s common to hear Asian parents using water as the solution to everything.
I do regret not following her advice earlier because it is harder to get into the habit now. As I grow older, I can see the difference between having sufficient and insufficient sleep now, and the same goes for staying hydrated. Since my mom and I have similar skin types, she doesn’t want me to make mistakes that can be avoided.”
— Gracelyn, 19
“I have a fixed skincare routine, and one thing I do religiously is to apply sunscreen every single day. Be it at home or if I’m going out, I will always apply sunscreen to anywhere that my skin would come into contact with sunlight.
My mum is a huge skincare junkie with a dermatologist of her own, so she follows their recommendations and buys products which she thinks will work for me. Due to the folly of my youth in thinking sunscreen was negligible, I am now paying the price by having a colony of freckles on my face.
While most of my mum’s weird skincare remedies, which even included rubbing lemons on my bare skin, didn’t work, the one tip that stayed was to use sunscreen every single day to prevent UV damage to the skin. In her words, “it will help keep you looking young!”
I followed her advice and I’m definitely sure it worked. Even if I don’t see the effects of it now, I do feel that my skin feels less dehydrated and dull. Plus, I’m now advocating the use of sunscreen to my friends.
My mum must be so satisfied with herself seeing how I am actively using her sunscreen advice. But thank you mum for caring so much for my skincare, and helping me gain confidence through better skin.”
— Casandra, 23
“I get breakouts once in a while, but I don’t really do anything specific to counter them. Rather, I just wait for them to eventually heal and fade on their own — though sometimes, this habit of doing nothing isn’t always good.
Since I was in primary school up until university, I played netball under the hot sun. Back then, I hated wearing sunscreen and without protecting my skin, I exercised under the sun for hours. This resulted in me suffering from sunburns and inflamed skin — I was literally chao da.
My mum was worried about my skin because it became obvious that it wasn’t healthy. She would constantly nag at me to use aloe vera and various creams to treat my sunburnt skin. When I refused to use them, she helped me put it on. It then became a routine for her to treat my sunburnt skin every week, and never once did she complain about it.
Back then, I also refused to admit that the aloe vera and creams helped to speed up the healing process and rehydrate my skin again. Now that I am older, I use sunblock every day as part of my skincare routine, and of course, treat my skin properly whenever I suffer from sunburns.”
— Nicole, 25
Mothers aren’t always right, and like everyone else there, it is only human to err. From myths to recommendations, these girls have taught us that even if their tips did or didn’t work, at the end of the day, mums only want the best for us.
These girls have shared their struggles of getting dark spots from picking at their face or experiencing breakouts from not treating their skin gently. If you relate to some of their skincare issues and regret not listening to your mum’s advice earlier, it’s not too late to solve them.
While it’s true that prevention is always better than cure, Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution is always here to save your skin, no matter the aftermath.
Don’t underestimate the power of this small but mighty serum bottle — it’s the perfect addition to your skincare routine if you want to hop onto the Glass Skin trend, aka that flawless and glowy Korean idol look you might have seen on TikTok.
The Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution aims to fade dark spots and hyperpigmentation, even out skin tones and helps to delay the formation of even more dark spots. If you don’t want to deal with any more nagging from your mum, use this serum to impress her with instantly brighter and softer skin.
No matter if you’re a skincare junkie or not, it’s important to have a good morning and night routine. Kiehl’s has that perfect combination to achieve glass-like skin with their Morning C + Night A routine.
Simply start off your morning with the Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Serum to boost skin clarity, and complete your night with the Retinol Mico-Dose Serum to reduce fine lines, firm up the skin and smoothen skin texture. With these, now you don’t have to go through the hassle of searching for a perfect skincare routine, as these are suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin.
For those who can’t wait to hop into your new skincare journey ASAP, Kiehl’s is offering free skincare consultations, complimentary Kiehl’s 5-piece sample kits and even more gifts via a mobile truck, Kiehl’s On Wheels. Don’t say bojio — the truck will be making its way down to the last two stops soon: TANGS on 7 to 8 April and NAFA on 12 April 2023.
Kiehl’s is also giving away complimentary Glass Skin sampling kits with no purchase required. All you’ve got to do is sign up on their website and collect the samples at any Kiehl’s store islandwide.
This post was brought to you by Kiehl’s.
Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Cover images courtesy of interviewees.
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