If you know me, like know me, you'd know I struggle with my skin. It's not so much acne than acne scarring. However, certain foods and times of the month I get a flare-up of cystic acne. Once I learned a little more about my skin I learn how to take better care of it. I learned exactly what type of acne I have and how to treat it. We neglect our skin knowingly and sometimes without knowing.
What is acne? Well, it's sometimes funky looking. But by definition acne is the occurrence of inflamed or infected sebaceous glands in the skin; in particular, a condition characterized by red pimples on the face. Basically when hair follicles are clogged with dead skin cells and oil from the skin. Its causes pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, oily skin & in my case also scarring. When doing research I found so many things that can cause ance from the food we each to how many times we changeout pillowcases. As a result, I watch my diet more and change my sheets more often. By just doing those two little things I've noticed a change in my skin.
Having a skin routine is important when trying to take proper care of your skin for a few different reasons. As with everything you get results when you are consistent, also good skin takes time, finally, prevention is easier. Every good skincare routine has a few staple things; Cleanser, Toner & Moisturizer. I added extras according to my own skin.
Cleanser - I researched a few different cleansers and found a few I wanted to try. I choose to start with sulphur soap. I got it from Amazon & its $6.99. Its a bar soap, fragrance-free and contains salicylic acid which combats acne. It for the treatment of acne as well as white & blackhead removal. I noticed its sorta drying for my skin but my face feels extremely skin and fresh. Since its drying, I never skip the moisturizer.
Toner - I choose to go with an oldie but goodie Witch Hazel. I use Dickenson Witch Hazel that I get from Walmart or the Dollar General for about $2.99. I use the regular one with no other ingredients, but there are bottles with added ingredients like rose water (I'm gonna try that one next) Toner is used after cleanser to grab and excess oil and anything left behind by the soap. Witch Hazel soothes my skin when I have flare-ups, it is anti-inflammatory and minimizes pores. Witch Hazel also helps skin maintain its Ph Balance
Moisturizer - I've combination skin and sometimes it drier in certain spots than others. Moisturizer is important in that it helps maintain, well the moisture in your skin. It boosts the hydration in the skin. I use aloe vera gel I also got off Amazon. I chose aloe vera because aloe also helps improve acne.
So those are the basics. Cleanser, Toner, Moisturizer. But that's just it basic. I dug a little deeper into my personal skin routine. I needed more than the basics. I knew my problematic areas and I knew what I needed to do to take care of it. In addition to the 3 steps above, in my routine, I included an exfoliant, spot treatment, sunscreen, and bio-oil.
I use a simple exfoliant you can find almost anywhere St Ives Apricot Scrub I usually grab it at the dollar tree since it is the least expensive. It smells so go. I exfoliate about 2 to 3 times a week more than that can strip your skin of its natural oils which in return makes your skin work overtime replacing them. Them BOOM a breakout. Exfoliating is done before cleansing & it's gently scrubbing the top layer of dead skin. For my Spot Treatment, I mix aloe vera gel with a few drops of tea tree oil. During that time of the month, I break out with cystic acne in my chin area. Soon as I see it peeking I dab on my little mixture. Aloe is helpful in that it reduces inflammation, reduces redness and aloe boost with its anti-bacterial properties. This mixture literally dries up acne overnight and is good as a quick skin mask. Finally Bio-Oil, bio-oil is a moisturizing oil that helps improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks, uneven skin tone, aging and dehydrated skin. One of my issues with skin is the scars left by acne. So far this has really helped.
I also wanted to share these pics to show the progress (if any). I plan to keep you all updated for the next 30 days. Which products do you use in your skin routine? Are any of these products apart of your skincare routine.