Argh, winter. Your skin is either terribly flaky and dry or still oily and pimply but uncomfortable to put any product on. I know how both situations feel because I have combination skin. Read this post to learn out my skincare routine.
As I went from terrible acne to pretty much acne-free over the past year, I learned a few things about my skin. The first thing I learned was to wash my pillow cases often.
Who knew something so simple could be the cause of so many evils? Oh, and I learned which ingredients in products were terrible for your skin and which ones weren’t. Everyone’s skin is different, but I found that my skin really agrees with tea tree.
I’m not a dermatologist or even a skincare fanatic. I’m just a regular-degular human being who has struggled with awful acne and finally got to enjoy clear skin again.
Note that I did see a dermatologist in February of last year and that helped me get some medication to help my skin as well. I will not include the prescription in this blog post, but if your acne is really bad, please see a doctor.
1. My Favourite Cleansers: Two-Step Cleansing
Do you wear makeup and have acne? You do. Okay, well you’ll like this one. I found that one of my issues was that I wasn’t getting all my makeup off with one cleanser. I needed two.
Before I use the Chia Seed cleanser, I use an oil-based cleanser to take the first layer of makeup off. I can’t find this one anymore in-stores, but I absolutely love the All Clear Oil Cleanser.
Next, I use the Chia Seed cleanser for combination skin and it gently removes a lot of the dirt and impurities from your skin. It leaves your skin a bit dry, but you can rest assured that all your makeup is gone.
Towards the end of my acne-free journey, I started using African Black Soap. African Black Soap is an organic way to cleanse your face and I noticed that my acne scars started to fade after using it.
2. My Favourite Face Mask
My favourite face mask is this Tea Tree face sheet from The Face Shop and the Don’t Look at Me mask from LUSH.
The Tea Tree face sheet is great if you’re acne-prone and want to minimize your pores.
The Don’t Look at Me mask is just a nice treat for your skin.
3. My Favourite Toner: Tea Tree
I used to always ignore toners before. I didn’t get why they were important, but trust ya girl, after you cleanse your face, you want to balance the pH levels of your face.
I really like tea tree, so I went with the Tea Tree Toner from The Body Shop. Some toners sting me because I have sensitive skin. However, this toner does not. It’s surprisingly gentle.
Another toner that I really like is this one from Belif. It is even more gentle but is a little bit more expensive.
4. My Favourite Serums
The two serums I use are the Chia Seed Toner+Serum combo – it’s very hydrating – and the Vitamin C serum. My friend Anna told me to use a Vitamin C serum at night for it to really work.
I’ve noticed that my face has been visibly brighter and it has helped fade my acne scars.
The Chia Seed Toner+Serum is perfect when you’re ballin’ on a budget and can’t afford both individually.
It’s great for combination skin and does two things at once.
It’s not a spectacular product, but I think it does the job. It’s very hydrating!
5. My Favourite Face Oil
Warning: this face oil is quite expensive but it’s worth every cent, I promise. I tried the squalene face oil on a whim from Sephora. It makes you face so hydrated, plump and younger. You cannot have dry skin when you use this product. You only need a tiny pump and it is a fast, and light-weight miracle worker for dry skin.
This is definitely a holy grail product. My bottle lasted me six months which is a lot longer than I expected.
I was hesitant to try a face oil because I didn’t want my oily, acne-prone skin feeling even more oily, but it’s not greasy at all. Also, it’s quite soothing to acne-prone skin.
6. My Favourite Acne Spot Treatment to Fade Acne Scars
The Tea Tree Spot Corrector was another product I tried on a whim when I walked into LUSH one day. I was looking for more tea tree products, and when I found this one, I gave it a try. Internet friends, this actually works. If you have a new pimple friend, just apply this before you go to bed and in the morning it will be minimized or gone.
Also, I noticed that my acne scars have faded faster when I used this treatment. I highly recommend.
7. My Favourite Moisturizer
This Belif moisturizer is a must-have for me during the winter. If I don’t have a treatment, serum, or face oil, I need this moisturizer. It’s a hydrating, light-weight and soothing moisturizer that lasts for 25 hours.
8. My Favourite Sun Screen
Did you know that you’re supposed to wear sunscreen all year long? Yeah, I didn’t start doing that until this past summer. I hated the thick and goopy sunscreen sold at your local drugstore.
I’ve been searching for a super light-weight sunscreen, and I tried this INNIS Free Sunscreen. Let’s just say I like it a lot.
I kind of want to try the SUPER Goop sunscreen or any sunscreen that doesn’t leave a bluish-white cast, but for now, I am satisfied with the INNIS free sunscreen.
Also, it acts as a really great primer for your makeup.
Conclusion
As you can see, my skincare routine relies on a variety of products that I DO NOT use every day. It’s important to be very consistent at the beginning of your skincare journey so that you can see results from the products you’re using. Note that if a product irritates you immediately, do not use it. You could be allergic or very sensitive to it.
Using these products really helped me maintain supple, young and clearer skin. It’s essential that you find products that work for you, but definitely try double-cleansing, face masks, a toner, using a serum and face oil, a spot corrector, a moisturizer and sunscreen for dry, acne-prone winter skin.