For the most part of my life, my skin has been an issue for me, it's always been oily, full of acne, and prone to scarring. I used every acne fighting beauty product out there to try to cure my skin but nothing worked. I took advice from everyone, who suggested high end brands to at-home treatments, and jumped from one skincare routine to the next. ProActive. Baking Soda. Neutrogena. Lemon juice. I had the whole drugstore in my medicine cabinet at one point, and my kitchen was my own chemistry lab. Still nothing worked. I had most of my acne concentrated on my forehead when I was a teenager, but it later became worse on my cheeks and jawline, a sign of hormonal acne. I hoped that it would just go away on its own in my 20s, since I was technically an adult, but it seemed to get worse and I was worried that maybe I just had to deal with acne for the rest of my life.
(March 2014 & July 2014)
I finally started my research on skincare earlier this year. One of my favorite and most informative resources was /r/SkincareAddiction on reddit.com. I learned so much from that community that after only 3-4 months of a consistent routine, I'm glad to say that I no longer have any active break outs. As you can see, my skin is still scarred, which will take a bit longer fade. One issue at a time! I'm still working on an effective way to heal my skin and I'll continue to document what I use, but for now here are some life lessons that I've learned on my skincare journey.
Lessons that completely changed my skin:
Do your research
I cannot stress enough that researching for yourself and really understanding what is going on with your skin will change with way you take care of it. Learning about your skin type will be just as important as knowing which active ingredient is used for which issue. Here are some sites that I rely on for good, objective information:
- /r/SkincareAddiction/ - the FAQ and wiki are amazing resources for beginners and cover so many topics from acne to eczema to hyper-pigmentation. And if your question isn't addressed you can start your own thread; the community there is very welcoming and knowledgable
- Skin&Tonics - Kerry is a beauty blogger with absolutely flawless skin and knowledge of skincare that cannot be reckoned with. You always learn something new in her posts and can rely on her objective product reviews.
- Veronica Gorgeois - VG is a YouTube Beauty Guru and licensed esthetician with awesome and effective DIY videos and is very informative on skincare and cosmetics.
Start with the basics
A basic beginner's routine will be an excellent foundation for your skin to start to heal itself. A gentle cleanser and a good moisturizer will help you just as much, if not more, than loading up on acne fighting ingredients alone. You can ditch the cleansers filled with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide for a gentle and pH balanced cleanser and your skin will thank you for it.
But introduce new products slowly
Remember that you must start with the products you're using now then slowly introduce new products one at a time. If you have a bad reaction to a product and started a completely new routine, you won't know which products gave you the bad reaction. Assess your current routine and check which products are not working before adding new products. Maybe your moisturizer isn't hydrating enough, stick with the same cleanser and treatments you used before and just change your moisturizer.
Remember that you must start with the products you're using now then slowly introduce new products one at a time. If you have a bad reaction to a product and started a completely new routine, you won't know which products gave you the bad reaction. Assess your current routine and check which products are not working before adding new products. Maybe your moisturizer isn't hydrating enough, stick with the same cleanser and treatments you used before and just change your moisturizer.
Patch test
As you are introducing new products to your routine, check to see if you are sensitive to certain ingredients by patch testing. I didn't patch test a Cerave moisturizer and it clogged my already inflamed and congested pores. I learned that I'm sensitive to the cetearyl alcohol in it and now avoid most products containing that damn stuff! If you don't want to make matters worse, learn how to patch test.
As you are introducing new products to your routine, check to see if you are sensitive to certain ingredients by patch testing. I didn't patch test a Cerave moisturizer and it clogged my already inflamed and congested pores. I learned that I'm sensitive to the cetearyl alcohol in it and now avoid most products containing that damn stuff! If you don't want to make matters worse, learn how to patch test.
Kick your bad habits
Do you pick your blemishes? Do you scrub your face raw? Do you eat junk everyday? STOP! Your skin relies on so much more than the products you use on it to heal. Picking and harsh scrubbing really irritates skin, especially if it has inflamed and active breakouts. You know how a scab gets worse if you pick at it? Your pimples will do the same. Diet is also a huge factor in healthy skin; once you cut the sugar from your eating habits, you will see a major improvement on your skin. When I started eating a Paleo diet, I saw a crazy difference in my skin, my breakouts started to shrink and my skin glowed. (more on my diet in future posts)
Do you pick your blemishes? Do you scrub your face raw? Do you eat junk everyday? STOP! Your skin relies on so much more than the products you use on it to heal. Picking and harsh scrubbing really irritates skin, especially if it has inflamed and active breakouts. You know how a scab gets worse if you pick at it? Your pimples will do the same. Diet is also a huge factor in healthy skin; once you cut the sugar from your eating habits, you will see a major improvement on your skin. When I started eating a Paleo diet, I saw a crazy difference in my skin, my breakouts started to shrink and my skin glowed. (more on my diet in future posts)
Document your progress
Taking pictures of your progress really helps you see the results. Writing down your routine along with the pictures can give you an overview of what products are working or what you should replace. I use Evernote to track my progress because I can type up my routine and update my pictures using my laptop or phone all in one place.
Taking pictures of your progress really helps you see the results. Writing down your routine along with the pictures can give you an overview of what products are working or what you should replace. I use Evernote to track my progress because I can type up my routine and update my pictures using my laptop or phone all in one place.
(March, April, May, July 2014)
