My Grandma Annie Ruth has the smoothest skin I've ever touched. At 90 years young with a diet filled with fried chicken, collard greens and sweet potato pie, you'd probably imagine someone with saggy, blemished skin. But she has a face that puts a baby's bottom to shame. Seriously. And her secret is simple: Noxzema.
Ever since I was a child, I can remember my grandmother sitting in her bubblegum pink bathroom with a large towel across her lap as she rubbed on the deep cleansing cream. However, she'd walk back into the living room with it still on--never washing it off as instructed. Bright and early the next morning, she'd splash her face with lukewarm water and pat it dry with a cloth. Yep, she slept with it slathered on.
So I figured, if it has worked all these years for her, then what could I lose by giving it a try? Oh, you know, just having my super sensitive skin wage war, that's all. But I forged ahead. Read on to find out how I fared with my grandma's Noxzema beauty regimen for seven days straight:
Day 1: I kicked off my cold cream routine while visiting my family back home in South Carolina. Appropriate since I had been eating lots of fried fish and blackberry cobbler, which led to a tiny breakout on my right cheek. That next day, I woke up to a greasy silk pillowcase and a dried up pimple. After washing what was left of the Noxzema off, I had this crazy smooth complexion which made my sunscreen go on seamlessly.
Day 2: Back in my Philly apartment, I mustered enough energy to rub on some Noxzema before bed. Not until this moment did the menthol scent really hit me, reminding me of the anti-flu ointments that my grandmother also swears by. Another pillowcase ruined, I noticed that my face appeared a bit brighter in the morning.
Day 3: After the surprising skin-brightening results from the day before, I decided to get a jump start on my regimen and smooth it on a few hours earlier than usual. And by the time I actually hit the sack, it looked as if I had nothing on my face. In the morning, the usual oil-free facial cleanser and sunscreen with SPF combination yielded--you guessed it!-- baby soft skin. I give Noxzema kudos for consistency.
Day 4: Not surprisingly, I couldn't care less about the Noxzema after tossing back a few strawberry mojitos at my neighborhood rum bar. What the heck was I thinking? I wanted so badly to reach for a facial cleansing cloth, but I refused to give up in the name of Annie Ruth.
Day 5: I've made it past the halfway point of my Noxzema journey and am realizing that it isn't too hard to stick to the same product. Plus, the six dollars I spent on this large tub of cream was well worth it, considering it'll last for months. But a part of me is waiting for those all-too-familiar forehead bumps to appear again.
Day 6: Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I caught myself reading the Noxzema label very closely. I was looking for promises of a clearer complexion. But only saw "removes dirt, oil and makeup." I started to think was I going insane. The tiny dark spots along my cheekbones were fading. Perhaps I'm an exception.
Day 7: On what was possibly my last night using Noxzema, that pesky little pimple returned. But Noxzema cleared it up right away.
Me, after washing off Noxzema cream and without moisturizer. Photo:Raydene Salinas
I have more than enough Noxzema to continue my grandmother's beauty regimen, however, I don't have enough time or quarters to wash my linens as frequently as she does. So, I'll probably apply it on the evenings I stay in, then wait at least 30 to 45 minutes before rinsing off.
What is your mother, grandmother or aunt's best beauty secret? Tell us in the comments section below.
Meanwhile, head over to our sister site HuffPost Style to see our Mother's Day gift to our stylish moms.