Notifications
Clear all

Am I doing too much to my skin?

MemberMember
0
(@douglas-kurtz)

Posted : 06/12/2016 10:46 pm

I have the moderate acne and combination skin that one would expect from a stressed-out, overworked teenager :smileys_n_people_24: After attempts with Proactiv, the Regimen, and other products, I have modified my skin routine, but after recently adopting a vegan, plant-based diet I am questioning the harsh chemicals I use on my skin on a daily basis. The following is my routine-

Morning: Cleanse with Cerave Foaming Facial Wash, sometimes Tone with Proactive toner, Treat with Acne.org Benzoyl Peroxide, Moisturize with Cerave AM Facial Moisturizer with SPF OR sometimes Cerave PM Facial Moisturizer followed by BB cream and an SPF
 

Night: Cleanse with Cerave Foaming Facial Wash, exfoliate with Paula's Choice Resist Daily Pore-Refining Treatment 2% BHA, Moisturzize with Cerave PM Facial Moisturizer, Serum Paula's Choice Resist Anti-Aging Clear Skin Hydrator

Random Treatments that sometimes my face endures: Clinique Charcoal Mask, Acne.org AHA moisturizer, at home mask made with turmeric powder, raw honey, almond milk, sometimes green tea and lemon, random sheet masks I get at sephora 

Anyway, my acne is subdued, but definitely still an issue. I am worried that if I change my routine too drastically, my skin will react. But, I would like to start using more natural products and simplify my routine in the long run. Does anyone have any advice in doing so or possibly some natural/vegan products that are comparable to the ones I am currently using? Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated!

Quote
MemberMember
264
(@snarkygirl)

Posted : 06/13/2016 8:45 am

Hi, this is just my opinion but yes I think you're doing way too much.
I found what works best for me is cleanse twice per day with Cetaphil antibacterial bar( let it sit on the skin for 20 seconds or so before rinsing). I would leave out the toner too, it just strips the skin of the natural skin barrier. Use your acne treatment and moisturiser.
At night, again just cleanser and no toner. Don't use exfoliators more than once per week, every day exfoliation is way too harsh. Use the moisturiser and acne treatment.
Any mask you do should be no more than once every 5 days or so. The natural ones are best. Lemon juice can be irritating so be careful. I love turmeric and milk and honey with green tea.
Idk about AHA so I can't comment on that.
The only suggestion I have is since you're using all these products maybe try a natural moisturiser or serum. I love SIBU sea buckthorn moisturiser and serum. It helps reduce irritation and has linoleic acid to help rebuild the skin barrier. BP is do harsh on your skin. I like Dessert Essence blemish stick for spot treatment. BP is too harsh for me.
Make sure the BB cream isn't too comedogenic also.

This I'd just my suggestion but my regimen that works best is
Wash 2 times a day with Cetaphil antibacterial bar, use SIBU moisturiser, any spots or bumps apply BP or Dessert Essence blemish stick. That's it.

Quote
Stephen J, Douglas Kurtz, Stephen J and 3 people reacted
MemberMember
0
(@whitecrow)

Posted : 06/16/2016 10:27 am

Hm....I can't tell you exactly what to do because honestly, acne is a matter of trial and error....
So....the only thing I can do for now is to give you some examples from my routine and let you decide.
Morning: wash your hands first, and then slightly wash your face with lukewarm water, to remove some of the sebum, and then you can use your foaming cleanser. You can use a diy toner made of green tea and apple cider vinegar (keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks) or rice water with a little bit of apple cider vinegar, or anyhydrosol (such as rose water). As a moisturizer, you can use aloe vera gel. It really does help with dry skin, if you have, and it also acts as a good primer, controlling oily skin. And of course, don't forget to apply sunscreen.
Night: I advice you to do a double cleanse. You can use an oil, such as safflower oil, or any oil high in linoleic acid and with a 0 comedogenity (you can search other oils on the internet) and your normal foaming cleanser. Apply acne treatment, aloe vera gel on top, for moisturizing, and a spot treatment, if you have some pimples you want to get rid of.

Mask for drawing out impurities: green clay with green tea, or rice water, or a hydrosol, or chamomile/hibiscus tea with two drops of essential oil
Mask for moisturizing (even if you might have oily skin, moisturizing is very important. sometimes, the acne treatments dry out our skin, making it produce more oil): mix one egg yolk or some greek yogurt with banana, avocado or oatmeal
use a mask twice a week, alternating between moisturizing masks and purifying ones. Also, before applying it, use a scrub (you can try a diy one, made of honey, turmeric, nutmeg or cinnamon) or steam your face using a bowl with hot water or chamomile tea.

Other things: drink LOTS of lemon water, change your pillowcase often, be careful with your diet and check for vitamin deficiencies (for example, i take vitamin D3 with magnesium and zinc). Speak with your doctor, it might help.

Quote
MemberMember
21
(@stephen-j)

Posted : 06/16/2016 4:00 pm

Like snarkygirl said previously, I also use a cetaphil cleanser which has done great with my skin.

I would recommend removing some of the random treatments you have; from personal experiences, sometimes the use of too many products contributes to acne. I would keep your morning routine of cleansing, benzoyl peroxide, and moisturizing, but I would recommend removing the toner. I'm not certain about the Proactive toner, but a lot of toners have a high concentration of alcohol (>50%) which can definitely cause some major drying out in itself, not to mention using it alongside BP.

Your night regiment also looks good, but I wouldn't exfoliate every night, only once, maybe twice a week. When you use an exfoliator every day it can not only be rough on your skin, but your face may develop a dependency on it. I used to use clean and clear blackhead eraser exfoliator morning and night (I saw a post on here where someone recommended it and the whole topic blew up with people trying it and falling in love with the certain regimen)  It worked wonders for about three months, then it just completely stopped working. Plus whenever I skipped a morning or night (if i was sick or just too tired) my face would be broken out the very next day. The use of exfoliators are great, but you just have to be careful in the longrun of how they oftentimes play out in the end.

Keep us updated, and let me know if you have any questions! ;)

Quote