Deborah Tosline published the book “Skin Remodeling DIY: An Introduction to the Underground World of Do-It-Yourself Skincare” in 2015. Her approach to skin care is based on a scientific background, love of research and over 40 years of DIY skincare experience.

The “best laid plans go astray” is a quote from Robert Burns book “To a Mouse” written in 1786. This quote alludes to the fact that no matter how well you prepare, your plans may not succeed. Have you made skin care plans and purchases and not met your skin care goals? The book titled, “Motivational Interviewing” written by William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick suggests a step-by-step process that includes engaging, focusing, evoking, and planning to promote self-efficacy during coaching. It may be possible to develop a self-motivating approach based on motivational interviewing (MI) processes to help you achieve your goals. I am not affiliated with MI.

Try being your own coach and consider refining your skin care approach, or achieving any goal, by using step-by-step MI thought processes to self-identify what is important to you.

How do you develop your personal skin care routines? Do you take advice from friends, family or others? Are you influenced by advertising and social media? We are constantly bombarded by the skin care industry’s advertising pressure to purchase their beauty products to make them wealthy.

Don’t allow corporate advertisers to coach and convince you that you need a certain beauty product or tool. For example, recent advertising suggests that women need “body deodorant”.  In 1976, I wouldn’t use commercial underarm deodorant/anti-perspirant because of harmful ingredients. I still won’t and I will not slather deodorant laden with synthetic chemicals all over my body.

Instead of allowing corporations to sway your concept of personal care, make your own decisions about your personal skin care needs and desires and develop a plan for how you will achieve your goals.

One way to self-motivate when pursuing a skin care goal is to go through a thought process in a step like fashion. MI is done between a coach and coaching partner and uses engaging, focusing, evoking, and planning to elicit the coaching partners desires, process and timing. You may use this step-by-step thinking process to help you achieve your optimum skin care goals or any goal. The following text illustrates how the MI process may be used in a self-assessment:

• Engage – before beginning your thought process, make an agreement with yourself about how you would like this personal exploratory and planning process to proceed. Be kind to yourself and know that you want what is best for yourself and that you will honor your true self and not make any changes that you are not ready for.

• Focus – brainstorm options and experiences that you would consider for your skin-care. Narrow the options and select what you would like to focus on.

• Evoke – attempt to self-explore and identify clues to your desires. Self-elicit motivational thoughts. Ask yourself probing questions to evaluate your attitude towards your skin care goals, for example:

  • In five years, what may happen if you do not achieve your skin care goals?

  • In five years, what may happen if you do achieve your skin care goals?

  • Why is it important for you to achieve your skin care goals?

  • What may prevent you from achieving your skin care goals?

  • What choices would you need to make to achieve your skin care goals?

  • How would it feel to implement new skin care choices?

  • How would you select new skin care protocols?

  • What actions have you taken to achieve past successes that you may draw from?

  • Ask yourself open questions that will help you delve into your feelings about the personal goals that you may want to strive towards.

• Plan – after taking time to explore your thoughts about your skin care goals, think about what you would do next. Depending on your focus and goals, identify next steps and your preferred timing. Planning is an individual choice and will be different for everyone, but may include:

  • Identify where to get information about the skin care practices that you are interested in.

  • Identify the ingredients or tools needed to accomplish your skin care goals.

  • Assess the resources required to accomplish your skin care goals.

  • Is it possible to modify the goal based on available resources?

  • How would you integrate new skin care practices into your existing routine?

  • Identify the method and timing that you would use to implement a new skin care practice into your lifestyle and schedule.

  • Compile the ingredients and or tools that you need to achieve your skin care goals.

  • Ask yourself open questions that will help you to develop a plan that works within your resources and identify how the practice will best fit into your schedule.

I’ve been most successful at implementing new skin care and other healthy habits into my life when I use a thoughtful approach to develop a deeper understanding of my skin care desires and other goals. When I process information this way, I am better able to prioritize my goals and focus my actions and resources.

My skin and facial care is a hobby that began in my early twenties when I mindlessly applied yogurt, honey, or avocado during hour-long kitchen facials. This was spontaneous skin care.

My hobby evolved from innate compulsions to motivational inner-dialogue when I began my preventive skin care journey at about age 40. An ex-stepmother’s disparaging comments and an ex-husband who said that he had hired a “stunning” assistant, prompted me to think deeply about aging. I admit that these incidents did not promote an ideal goal setting situation but they did make me consider how I felt. I decided that I would like to age gracefully and educated myself on how I could achieve that goal. I researched Do-It-Yourself skin and facial care methods and in 1999 I committed to practice FlexEffect facial resistance exercise (not affiliated).

I added this new activity to an already busy life as a working mom. It was a big commitment. I spent about 30 minutes doing resistance training facial exercises each morning before my day began. In hindsight, 24 years later, I recognize that my goal to strengthen my facial muscles and my ability to follow through established a solid foundation for my personal skin care practices. I practiced 6 days per week for about a decade and modified my frequency in subsequent years. I continue to strive to practice facial resistance exercises 2 to 3 times per week, although my frequency is fluid and changes with my life schedule. I am grateful to myself for prioritizing the health of my facial muscles and bones. I still love the feeling that I have after I complete a set of facial resistance exercises. This goal continues to be important to me. I enjoy exercising all of my muscles.

Life evolves and it’s beneficial to periodically re-evaluate our goals. I often consider new goals while I rearrange my schedule and let go of one thing to implement another. When I use a step-by-step thought process, I have better certainty about what is important to me and the processes by which I may achieve my goals.

Consider taking a moment to reflect on what you would like to achieve with your skin care or lifestyle. Write out your questions and answers. Allow yourself time for thoughtful consideration. We have busy lives and busy minds. Take a moment to listen to yourself and in your own way at your own pace envision what it would feel like to achieve your dreams.

If you need more information about skin care, check out the local library, search the Internet, or check out my past Blog articles. It would be an honor for me if you purchased my facial care book. Thank you!

Take good care of yourselves!

XO Deborah

This article is intended to be used as general information only and is in no way intended to replace medical advice, be used as a medical treatment program, diagnosis, or cure of any disease or medical condition. There are no warranties, expressed or implied, regarding the effectiveness of the practices described in this article. Products or substances discussed herein are for educational purposes only and are not intended as recommendations of the author.