Before we closed for winter break, Her Campus sent us our semi-annual HC survival kits. It was like Christmas! In my bag I received coupons, products to sample, and an awesome tote! I also got to take home a brand new Proactiv set home.
I have heard mixed reviews about their products, so I wanted to test them out for myself. My mother has used this product in the past and told me how it did not work and she did not like it. A friend of mine has told me it is “the best” and he “cannot live without it”. After putting it to the test for about a month, I’ve came to the conclusion: it works great!
I do not have acne-prone skin, I break out around twice a month. I also have a normal skin type, I do not have oily or dry skin. My skin can get a little dry during the winter, but nothing unusually dry.
Proactiv is a three step program: a exfoliating cleanser, a toner, and a moisturizer. All of these products contain Benzoyl Peroxide. Benzoyl Peroxide is a medicine used to treat light to moderate acne. The medicine gets rid of acne-causing bacteria by drying out your skin and making it peel. I never experienced a noticeable “peeling” effect, but I did notice dryness while using this product, especially if I forgot to moisturize. I would not recommend the product for people with dry skin.
Using the exfoliating cleanser has helped my skin tremendously. The bottle recommends you wash your face with the cleanser twice a day, but I like to do it once a day. I found the exfoliating wash too much for twice a day use, but the exfoliating cleanser is very thorough and works miracles! After washing my face, my skin feels so smooth and clean.
The next step in the system is the toner. After I dried off my face, I applied a thin layer of this with a cotton pad all over my face, avoiding my eyes. The toner helped clean up all the other bacteria in my pores. I often saw some left over makeup taken off with this toner too, it cleans the skin nicely. After letting the toner dry completely, I then took the moisturizer in this set and applied it to my face. A very little goes a long way.
Overall, I love this product. While using this system I have received numerous compliments on my skin. I feel more confident and happy. Will I purchase the system myself? I’m unsure. The system I recieved costs $19.95 dollars for a 30-day supply. I received the 90-day set, which costs $59.89. This is very pricy for a college student like myself, even if it comes with a free gift. I do not have the $60 to drop on a face system when I can pick up some cleanser and exfoliating cleanser instead for much cheaper. At some point in my future, though, I may go back to this system.