Dr. Dray

 As much of a product junkie as I have always been - hair products, beauty products, gadgets - you notice I'm not big on following social media "influencers". It's nothing personal against any specific influencers but I don't trust anyone on social media who makes their primary income from hyping products. 

But I have become a "fan" of a dermatologist on YouTube. She is Dr. Dray, a board-certified dermatologist. (This is her YouTube channel.)

Listen, I pick up so much information from watching Dr. Dray. Just a few days ago, I was considering getting a certain type of product because everyone and their cousin always talks about how great it is. It's not a bad product but, after considering what Dr. Dray had to say, I realized that it's not something I would like so much. 

My favorite Dr. Dray videos are the ones where she goes into stores to look at various products - sunscreens, moisturizers, makeup, etc. She discusses the ingredients and what they are commonly used for. And she doesn't just cover the high-end, bougie stuff; she will go into a Target or Dollar Tree or - and this was my recent favorite - a store in France where she discussed some common "French pharmacy" products. (Remember how I've recently been all about Euro-made skincare?)

I like that this lady has a good sense of humor and that she can explain stuff so well to the layman. For instance, I've been buying and using sunscreen for years (that's good!) without understanding anything about "long UVA rays" What? You better bet I'm going to be watching for that in the future. I've only ever looked at the SPF levels and whether or not the stuff would make me look like I'm wearing the wrong shade of foundation.

Happily, according to a lot of the Dr. Dray videos I've watched, I'm doing a lot of the right things - even if I could be doing them better. I have always put on antiperspirants and deodorants at bedtime; I'm wearing sunscreen and I'm using appropriate products in my cleansing routine (mostly) and I'm keeping it pretty simple.

Some of what I plan to do better after watching Dr. Dray are:

• Looking more carefully at sunscreen labels.
• Being more consistent in my skincare routine I don't always pay as much attention to my torso as I do my face & I can be a bit slapdash at all of it.
• Rinsing after using the micellar water I recently started using. 
• Watching out for fragrances in products.

As I said, the sunscreen and "long ray" issue is something I was totally ignorant about. After all those years of living in Anchorage, I thought I was the black sunscreen queen! 

I went back and looked at my shopping history online and started to notice something. Many of the face moisturizers that didn't work out for me usually had to do with them using fragrance or an ingredient that irritates my skin (lanolin and some others just don't work for me).

Another thing that I appreciate about Dr. Dray is that she is up-front and honest in her videos (and text information underneath them) about any sponsorships. I mean, I don't begrudge anyone monetizing their social media but I hate when they try to hide it or be sneaky about it.

Can you tell how much I like watching Dr. Dray's videos? I became aware of her channel at just the right time - when I became determined to stop being such a product junkie. I'm trying to assemble a range of products that work and stick with them.

She has a lot of videos. Here are some of my favorites of hers or ones that I have on a Watchlist:

• Ingredients that work
• Dermatologist's tips
• TJ Maxx skincare deals
• The Olaplex suit
• Sunscreens she used up
• Are silicones bad? (as an afro-natural hair chick, I hear SO much about the 'cones...)

So, yeah, I have a person on social media that I feel is putting out honest and useful information about personal care products. And not that I have a big online presence but, for anyone reading this, I do recommend checking out Dr. Dray. I bet you will learn something.

Peace

--Free