skin: galllinée cleansing bar
Photo A, March 2020 (I also lost my hairline during this trying time, hence the recede. It has now returned to me, Thank God)
I spent a stint in the hospital dermatology unit earlier this year, due to an ongoing skin disorder, that drastically increased in severity over a few weeks. Still without a real diagnosis - but shout out to Malone Mukwende, giving hope for those with black skin suffering from these "unrecognisable" and "mind-boggling" clinical skin issues. I was sent home to continue the rest of my recovery, with two sacks full of prescription creams, steroids, and face washes. Due to the prolonged facial swelling that incurred a few weeks prior, I was left with visible dark pigmentation patches and general pigment inconsistencies (see photo A). Although frustrating at times, I'm confident that most of these will fade in time and just require patience. After completing my courses of creams and medications, the pigmentation improved, but I found that I still suffered from dry patches on my skin. I put this down to possible allergies and likely hormone-related issues (I'm no doctor, though). I'm obviously constantly worried that these patches could become infected and lead to another flare-up of my 'mysterious disorder.' I am not trying to get back on prescriptions or arrive at the hospital/doctor's office any time soon, especially amid Covid-19. So I decided to take matters into my own hands and tread the territory of mainstream skincare.
I have become heavy into probiotics and healthy bacteria - taking care of your gut and, therefore, inadvertently everything else. So when I came across the brand Gallinée, who specialises in pro, pre, and postbiotics for your skin (yes, SKIN), I was all about it. I was intrigued by their Cleansing bar, particularly seeing as this is the beginning of my skin journey, and I wanted to start with something simple. Now, for me, £10 is a little pricey for a bar of soap. However, if you're in the skin struggle - you'll do anything to get the right product. It often involves paying a little more for higher quality and buying fewer products overall. The cleansing bar contains pre-biotics, lactic acid, and is formulated at pH 5.8 (amazing). It states that it's for Atopy prone skin, and I don't know if I'm late to the 'skin jargon party,' but I had no idea what this was. It turns out that Atopy = immune-related, hypersensitivity responses. By definition, it refers to the genetic tendency to develop allergic diseases. So in relation to skin, examples could be Atopic dermatitis or eczema. If you tend to get itchy skin flare-ups during hay-fever season - yep, Atopy prone skin. This made me even more eager to try, as some of my issues are eczema and hay-fever related.
Photo B, July 2020 (No makeup, no filter. You can see the pigment issues etc but much less dry skin)
I've been using the cleansing bar for about two weeks now, and it has actually become my favourite skincare purchase (believe me, I've tried and tested A LOT of products for dry, sensitive skin over the years). When I first started using it, I already had sore, itchy patches around my eyes due to hay-fever. After using it for four days (once in the evening, before I went to bed), I noticed a massive difference. The bumps were much flatter and not itchy at all. Two weeks later, they have almost all cleared up; I have a lot less dry patches and, my skin is much more even on the whole (see photo B). I'm in love with this product at the moment, it even smells good - definitely excited to try more of their range. I recommend for those suffering from dry skin, eczema and/or skin allergies.