If you want fresh, smooth, glowy, healthy, acne-free, even-toned skin then these are the types of products that you should have:
1. Cleanser
The most basic part of your skincare regime is cleanser. There are some days where you may be in a rush and just want to wash your face with one product and go; that product would be your cleanser. There are so many options for facial cleansers and everyone's skin is different so I highly suggest that you find out what your skin type is (normal, dry, oily, combination, or sensitive) and then research what cleanser is best for you via google, YouTube, beauty blogs, etc. I have combination skin and I've found my perfect cleanser: Neutrogena Rapid Clear Oil-Control Foaming Cleanser. I use less than a dime-sized amount each time I wash my face.
2. Toner
I've always had cleansers growing up, but just in this past month was the first time I ever tried a toner. I never understood the purpose of it or what exactly a toner even was so it was always under my radar. I recently discovered that toner supposedly balances your skin's pH level after being cleansed, shrinks pores, removes remaining traces of face wash left on the skin after cleansing, and prepares skin for moisturizer. I wasn't so sure about it, but I decided to buy some anyway and now I absolutely love my toner and I see a huge difference in my skin. The toner I have evens and brightens my skin tone and also definitely helps my moisturizer to sink in better than it did before. It used to take me forever to rub moisturizer in and even then it kind of just sat on top of my skin, but this toner changed that. Plus it has also kind of worked as an exfoliator in a way because my nose has never been so smooth. The sides aren't rough or flaky at all and blackheads have vanished! My toner is called Neutrogena Rapid Clear 2-in-1 Fight & Fade Toner and as you can see by it's name, it's meant to prevent acne and also fade acne scars. I use about a nickel-sized amount on a cotton ball and use it to tone my whole face.
3. Moisturizer
This is really so important, especially if you use toner. You can't tone your face without moisturizing or your skin will be either really dry or sticky. Moisturizer helps skin to look youthful, healthy, glowy, and even. It replenishes dry spots while also helping oily spots produce less oil! No matter what skin type you have, I promise that you need to moisturize. Like with cleansers, you'll need to find the one that really works with your skin. That can be hard to do, but in the end it's totally worth it. The one I use in the morning is Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion for all skin types and I'm pretty happy with it. It's a little tacky feeling but I kind of like that because it makes a good base for powder to stick to but I could also use it without powder on top because it doesn't look greasy on my skin. At night, I use Bio Oil as a moisturizer and I love this product. It's an oil that's meant to deeply hydrate skin and also fade any scars or marks. It evens my skin tone beautifully and also makes my face super soft after leaving it on overnight. I would advise using this product only before bed though because it does make your face look oily and doesn't provide a good base for make up. I use a minimum of both moisturizers, about a dime-sized amount usually does the job. For more of my thoughts on moisturizer, you can check out this blog.
4. Spot treatment
Everybody breaks out. After cleansing, toning, and moisturizing, then I go back with my spot treatment and dab some on acne whether it's emerging, fading, or in full effect. A spot treatment is basically something that will just dry up any blemishes you have. The one I use is very drying and sometimes causes my skin to actually flake if I use too much because it's pretty strong which is why I love it. It immediately fights any break outs I put it on, no matter what type. Keep in mind that spot treatments are not something to be spreading across large surfaces of your face because it will irritate and dry your skin! You only need small concentrated amounts on break outs, trust me. And you may not even need this everyday! It really depends on the severity and frequency of your acne. Of course, my spot treatment is also from the Neutrogena Rapid Clear line. I randomly got the cleanser a long time ago, stopped using it, got the spot treatment way later and never stopped using it, rediscovered the cleanser and fell in love again, decided to get the toner because I loved the cleanser and spot treatment so much, and of course I also ended up loving the toner. So I just really recommend this line so far and I'll probably end up trying the Rapid Clear moisturizer and scrub at some point. Anyway, the spot treatment is a called Neutrogena Rapid Clear Acne Eliminating Spot Gel.
5. Scrub
Now, a scrub isn't a daily thing like cleanser, toner, moisturizer, and spot treatment. Scrubs are meant to exfoliate the skin to remove dirt, blackheads, and mostly the outer layer of dead skin cells that may cause your face to feel dry or look dull. Scrubs are important for skin health because they basically get all of the gunk out of the way so that you can get the most out of your other skin products. After a scrub, your face should be very smooth but not scratched or irritated. Scrubs aren't meant to scrub away acne, either. I mentioned removing blackheads but don't think that a hard scrub is going to clear up your face. But it definitely helps, in combination with everything else I've talked about, and it's very necessary. You should use a scrub about twice a week. Basically anytime your face feels patchy, dry, bumpy, rough, etc. Remember to be gentle when you scrub your face because that skin is much more sensitive than your body. The scrub I use is St. Ives Naturally Clear Blemish & Blackhead Control Apricot Scrub and it's pretty intense. It has crushed walnuts in it and you'll definitely feel it working for you. If you have sensitive skin, this may not be the one for you though. I just wanted one that was really getting all of the dead skin off at once without having to use my exfoliating glove and this scrub does it for me. I usually use a nickel-sized amount of my scrub in the shower and once I get out, I skip cleanser and go straight to toner and moisturizer because my skin is already clean.
Okay, don't use too much of these products! I've learned that less is more, that's why I included measurements for each. Rub the cleanser, moisturizer, and scrub between your hands before applying it to your face and that should make it stretch. Minimal amounts honestly work better on your skin than a huge suffocating intense layer of product so use as little as possible but enough to feel as though it's done it's job. Another tip is to pat your face with a dry towel after you cleanse or scrub because if you just let the water soak into your face, it will dry your skin out. Also, don't panic if you break out after trying one or more of these or any new products. Your skin takes time to adjust to new things, so be gentle and patient before writing something off that could be amazing for you. Don't get frustrated with your skin. Hard scrubbing, overcleaning, and using drying products with harsh chemicals or alcohol are really bad for your skin as are stress, lack of sleep, poor diet, and picking at break outs so just love your skin and work with it instead of against it. I've realized that I never got good results from products that irritated my skin to the point of stinging and turning red. Scrubbing until my face felt raw and slathering it with burning products never ended up being a good idea. Now, my skin is calm, even, acne-free, and thankful that I'm now loving it instead of hating it.
Well, that's my current skin regimen and so I just wanted to share in case anyone was looking for things like these. Take care!
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