I used to use all sorts of "oily skin" products that would strip my skin of its natural oils all together to get it to feel more dry and normalized. Bad idea. Turns out, stripping the skin of natural oils just makes it work harder to put the oil back and then some. Plus, sometimes my skin would get so dry it would be peeling! Talk about extremes...
Lately, I've realized, clearly from growing older and wiser (right?), that it's always better to work with the features, skin type, and hair type you have rather than try to change it to be what you think would be more ideal.
This post is for my skin care routine. Try it! Even if you don't have oily skin, it could work for you.
At night, I start with... eye makeup removal! I like to use either jojoba oil on a damp cotton ball or Pond's Cold Cream. If i'm using the jojoba oil, I dampen the cotton ball, then put a few drops of the oil on the cotton, let the cotton sit on my eye makeup for a few seconds, then wipe off. If I'm using the Cold Cream, I pick up a bit of the cream on my finger, then massage it right on my eyes (obviously, keep them tightly closed during this). After about a minute, I wipe it off with either a tissue or a damp cotton. It's also kind of fun if I have a lot of eye makeup on to just wipe it around my face when I use the cream before wiping it off, hehe.
Next, cleansing time!
I tend to always have at least 5 different cleansers on the shelf at all times because I have a problem and like to buy whatever looks good and I haven't tried. This problem carries over to shampoos and makeup too. (The plus side to this is that I can legitimately say that I have tried a ton of products and can tell you what works for me, what is just fine, what left a negative impression, etc.) Salicylic acid, which is probably the most common acne fighting ingredient, does nothing but mess up my skin more than it was already, so I avoid it. I have not been very impressed with anything by Cetaphil, a super common gentle skin care line. I have a giant bottle of the cleanser, so I use it to wash makeup brushes.
Some cleansers I am fond of are: Burts Bees Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream (it really feels like it deep cleans without drying my skin), Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream Cleanser (for night time only! for some reason, this is one of the only cleansers I have bought more than twice in my life ever), Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover (cleans gently, but does a really good job of it and smells nice too! I'll probably buy this one again someday), Mario Badescu Botanical Facial Gel (great stuff. This is another cleanser that I've purchased more than once.), Pharmagel Hydra Cleanse (really like this cleanser and it will probably be one that I keep on hand always, but yes, it is pretty expensive), Alba Botanica Natural Hawaiian Facial Cleanser, and mark. That's Deep Purifying Gel Cleanser (get it at kvazpop.mymarkstore.com)
The cleansers I have found to be best are either gentle cleansing or for sensitive skin. Remember, you don't want to strip your skin's natural oils. A cleanser is for cleansing. That's it. Cleanse off that makeup and layer of grime.
In the mornings, if you feel up to it, you don't even need a cleanser, just water. I can't bring myself to do that, so I use an even more gentle cleanser than I do at night in the mornings just to freshen up the feel of my skin.
At night, after cleansing, I use a toner. At first, I used harsh toners, then i stopped using them all together because I kept reading there's no point to them, now I use toner again. The whole point is to bring your skin's pH level back to normal after cleansing and to pick up whatever got left behind after cleansing. As it turns out, toner is a worthwhile step, my cotton always comes back with some sort of yuck. On most days, I simply use a basic Witch Hazel from Target. On days that my skin just feels extra oily or needs some extra help, I use Mario Badescu Special Cleansing Lotion C.
I don't use a toner in the mornings.
At night, depending on how my skin and I feel, I may or may not moisturize. This doesn't really seem to have much of an effect other than how soft my skin is when I wake up. If I do moisturize, I just massage a couple drops of jojoba oil all over my face.
In the morning, I always moisturize. It seems to give a better base for my makeup and I get my daily spf in the meantime. I use a squirt of Olay Complete All Day UV Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin plus 2 drops of jojoba oil cocktailed together in my fingertips and massaged into my face.
If I have any super dry and/or peeling spots, I dab on some Pond's Dry Skin Cream only on the extra dry areas.
I used to use a full out moisturizer every morning and night. As an experiment, I stopped using any moisturizer at all for a while and noticed my skin improved. After a few weeks though, my skin started to be a bit tight and almost dry, so I decided to start using something to moisturize post cleansing again. After a lot of research, I ended up with the Olay moisturizer for day since it is for sensitive skin and has zinc oxide as the spf provider. I use the jojoba oil because it's very similar to skin's natural oils, absorbs quickly, and is not greasy.
If I have any super dry and/or peeling spots, I dab on some Pond's Dry Skin Cream only on the extra dry areas.
I used to use a full out moisturizer every morning and night. As an experiment, I stopped using any moisturizer at all for a while and noticed my skin improved. After a few weeks though, my skin started to be a bit tight and almost dry, so I decided to start using something to moisturize post cleansing again. After a lot of research, I ended up with the Olay moisturizer for day since it is for sensitive skin and has zinc oxide as the spf provider. I use the jojoba oil because it's very similar to skin's natural oils, absorbs quickly, and is not greasy.
When I have acne, my go-to product since 2007 has been Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion. This stuff isn’t really a “lotion” it’s more of a liquid, but it never lets me down and no zit has a chance against it. It’s designed for cystic acne, but I use it on any acne. Maybe 98% of the time, the acne has either shrunk considerably or disappeared all together over night.I don't purchase specific products as scrubs. I simply buy a container of fine grain sea salt, shake some in to the palm of my hand with some cleanser and BAM I've got a facial scrub. I also do this for a body scrub. Just mix some sea salt in with a body cleanser and there you go. I also have a little scrubby brush from The Body Shop that I often use. Just don't use scrubs too often. I only use the sea salt scrub once a week... sometimes less often, sometimes more. If my skin is doing fine, then I don't bother. If it's a little rough textured, then at maximum, once every other day. If it's peeling, then just lightly exfoliate. You don't want to irritate anything.
And there we go. My current skin care regime, explained in depth. Nothing too fussy... I'm not a huge fan of fussy or fancy routines and products. This is what works well for me. You don't have to follow the whole darn thing if you don't want to, go ahead and pick and choose and experiment to find out what works best for you!
