Hey Merbabes! Skin update #307 here, JK but honestly I think I am finally on to something that works. I probably shouldn't be posting about it this soon because my skin is finally calming down and staying calm. I don't want to jinx it, but I like sharing with you too much to keep this a secret. As I always say all skin is different and this may not be the routine for you but if you are experiencing the acne troubles I am, you are probably willing to try literally anything. For almost a month now I have been doing this routine religiously, yes every single day, and guess what? I have not had a breakout since. That is crazy to me, but honestly I have probably had four new pimples over the entire month, which was what I used to wake up to daily.
Shop the Story:
In March I got a facial, read all about it, I hadn't even gotten through my whole skincare regimen when the esthetician stopped me and told me I was seriously drying out my skin, which was causing my breakouts. I totally knew I was drying out my skin and thought that was the way to rid myself of breakouts. False. Although I was an avid moisturizer, I was using so many drying products that no moisturizer could keep up, and my skin was overproducing oils. Bad oils = Breakouts. I decided to switch things up and completely simplify my skincare routine. I am going to share my night and morning regimen + product list, as well as sharing the items I ditched! All of these products are under $30, good quality skincare doesn't have to be expensive or out of reach! You just have to open your eyes and find it.
Night Time:
Before I get in the shower, I start by using an oil cleanser, I use this one by Scratch Goods, to remove my makeup. Switching your cleanser to an oil cleanser is life changing. An oil cleanser is fab because it will not only remove your favorite waterproof mascara in one swipe but it leaves your skin feeling hydrated and bouncy afterwards. Previously, after I cleansed my face I often felt the immediate tightening and cracking of my skin, with an oil cleanser that is not the case. Next, I hop in the shower and grab the only "soap" I will ever use on my face, my eggwhite soap by Kalastyle. The cleansing oil picks up all the makeup and nastiness off your face, so I like to make sure all of that icky stuff comes completely off. This eggwhite soap is super gentle on the skin and doesn't strip away your natural oils like most soaps do. Protein packed egg whites combined with calming chamomile flowers make this soap one of my favorite skincare products ever, and its under $10 for two bars.
Once I get out of the shower I apply two prescription topical treatments given to me by my dermatologist. Honestly I think these are the least important items in my regimen but I use them for good luck. If you have an acne fighting cream or prescription this would be the time to use it, if you don't struggle with breakouts you can totally skip this portion.
Next up is my favorite part of my routine, I spritz (chic word) my face with Beauty Water. LOL, but actually this is very important. I use a Beauty Water by Colleen Rothschild, I love the ingredients in this beauty water, I have already written about it so you can read more here. Beauty water is important for the next and final step of the skincare regimen, oil. Oil is best absorbed into your skin when damp. When you skin is completely dry much of the oil just sits on top of your skin, therefore when you dampen your skin with a spritz of beauty water your skin is ready to soak up all the oily goodness.
Now I am sure you are freaking out about putting oil onto your already oily skin, I feel you, trust me. As I said earlier, over drying out your skin causes your body to produce bad oils that lead to breakouts. One of the reasons you may be "oily" is because you face is so dry your body begins to overcompensate. When you are applying "good" oils to your skin, your body doesn't need to work over time. It can just stay hydrated and balanced.
I use a face oil by Scratch Goods, I alternate between the morning and night oil. I previously have used a simple grape seed oil which I also found worked great with my skin.
Bonus: For added skincare goodness I drink a cup of Skin Detox tea every night, I don't really know if this does anything but the two periods of time I have had clear skin in my life I was drinking this tea daily.
Daytime:
If you are truly rocking your skincare regimen at night you don't have to do much in the morning. When I wake up in the morning I rinse my face with water, v complex I know. You really should only be cleansing your face once a day in order to keep your skin hydrated, I cleanse at night in order to remove my makeup and the days ickiness. After I rinse my face I spritz with beauty water and apply my oil. After that I sit down with my cup of tea and grab my jade roller to ditch any puffiness and get rid of my sleepy eyes. Thats it. So simple.
What I Ditched:
Obsessively Charcoal Masking - Charcoal masks are amazing for detoxifying your skin but I was doing it far too often. If you are acne prone (like I am), using a clay based mask may be pulling out essential nutrients and oils that can help prevent breakouts.
Vitamin C Serum - I was using this amazing Vitamin C serum to help remove acne spots but I learned that I shouldn't be using that with current breakouts. While to serum worked wonders on my dark spots it was causing my current pimples to become even more red and irritated.
Over Exfoliating - I have already said a thousand times that I was drying out my skin, but I still couldn't figure out why my face was always peeling. UGH because you were drying out your skin girl! I exfoliated daily in order to get rid of flakes of dead skin on my face, which I knew was bad for me but I also couldn't stand having skin peeling off my face. Since I have changed my routine I no longer even need to exfoliate, because my skin is not dying and peeling off constantly. Overall its a win.
Products:Cleansing OilEggwhite SoapBeauty WaterFace Oil
Skin Detox TeaJade Roller
