My skin has always been an insecurity of mine. When I started my junior year, my acne was worse than it ever was before. I had constant and painful pimples that wouldn’t go away because my skin was so sensitive, and I couldn’t use any of the acne washes without completely tearing up my skin. After I started my current birth control prescription, my skin cleared up really fast, and I grew dedicated to taking care of my skin.
Don’t get me wrong, I still definitely have habits that can be harmful to my skin like not drinking enough water or changing my pillow cases often enough, but my skin care regimen started to become something I looked forward to doing. There was a simplicity to the steps that I laid out for myself, and when I could take the little bit of me time to take care of my skin during a crazy week, I always felt immensely better about myself and more confident in my skin. This week, I received an innisfree ‘it’s real’ squeeze mask, and I added it into my normal skincare routine for a little bit of a pampering moment at the end of the following steps!
1. Exfoliate
My go to exfoliant is the St. Ives Acne Control Apricot Scrub. There has been a little controversy surrounding this exfoliant saying it’s much too rough for facial skin, but I have never noticed a problem, and I’ve also never found an exfoliant that makes my skin smoother than it feels after I exfoliate with this scrub. This is a step that I normally do twice to three times a week since the exfoliant can cause skin irritation, and I normally use it before I do a full face of makeup. After exfoliating with this scrub, my face is so baby smooth that it makes makeup application a hundred times easier and can easily be followed up with a moisturizer to form a base layer for makeup application.
2. Wash your face with a neutral face wash
My personal favorite face wash is the Neutrogena ultra gentle daily cleanser. It’s easy on the skin and never causes me to break out or get dry, but you can feel how effectively the wash cleans out your skin. This step ensures that the grime from your day is washed away and you can start with a blank canvas.
3. Tone your face
I was never a believer in toner until I used some at a friend’s house and was shocked at the amount of dirt that still came out of my face, even after I washed with my daily cleanser. Toner can sometimes be an extra step that seems like it won’t be worth it, but my Thayer’s Witch Hazel Unscented toner hydrates my skin while pulling all of the stuff out of it that doesn’t belong there.
4. Moisturize your face or use a face mask
This is the part where my skincare regimen becomes a choose your own adventure story. Depending on the night, I’ll either jump into a face mask right after toning, or I’ll finish my last major step with moisturizing. Last night, I tried out the innisfree mask and I absolutely loved it! I’m more of a mud mask kind of girl, so I was a little wary of the sheet mask, but it was so moisturizing and the smell was so soothing that it definitely gave me spa day vibes! Overall, the mask definitely improved the quality of my skin in terms of moisture and glowyness, giving me a dewy and polished look.
Most nights, I’ll opt for the moisturizer since I usually don’t have the time to do a full face mask, and my go to moisturizer is the dual action moisturizer by Clean & Clear with salicylic acid. This is great for an all over treatment if you’re worried about smaller bumps on your skin and will leave your skin dewy without the sticky feeling that you get from some moisturizers.
5. Use a spot treatment if needed
After moisturizing, I usually go in with the advantage acne spot treatment by Clean & Clear and cover any problem areas that I have in it. An important thing to keep in mind with this spot treatment is how high the concentration of salicylic acid is in this product. It will dry you out in seconds flat if you aren’t careful with the way that you use it. By coupling the spot treatment with a moisturizer, you’re counteracting the drying of the salicylic acid with a source of hydration and evening out your skin so you don’t wind up with rough patches from going to heavy handed with the spot treatment.
This skincare routine is something I have stuck with for about two years, and each and every time I deviate from it, I wind up missing one of the products that I depend on. Of course, this routine may not be for everyone, and for people with more serious cases of acne it’s definitely best to go to the dermatologist before treating yourself with salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide, but if your skin is sensitive and prone to small bumps, I would definitely suggest my favorite Clean & Clear dual action moisturizer!