Proactiv Solution : Refining Mask

I have comb (dry/oily skin). I use the 3 step system every other day and then only use those for trouble spots. Putting it on as a mask dries my skin. Also, seeing from a few comments below...the 3 step system only helps for MILD acne. Does not help for severe.

Creamy texture, just enough drying, great spot treatment. Ok to sleep in.

Proactiv hasn't really worked very well for me, even though I continue to use it because it at least manages my acne when it gets really bad. I have moderate acne, and incredibly dry skin. I use this after I've washed my face in the shower (I'm lazy) and then apply it. It also helps if you take a towel and run it under hot, but not burning water and wipe your face for a few minutes first to help wipe away anything that might still be on my face and open my pores. I use a fairly thick later over my entire face about 2-3 times a week (or more if I'm breaking out pretty bad or I'm feeling less lazy) and leave it on from 15-45 minutes. It says to leave on for 10-15 minutes but I feel that it works better if you leave it on for longer. I'm a zit-picker (which I know doesn't help, trying to break the habit lol), so if I've been picking at my face or have any red, inflamed areas, it takes it away. It really does calm your face down quite a bit. I feel like my skin is more even toned and I think it helps heal my zits quicker, because they seem to go away a few days after, rather than sticking around for a week. It does kinda dry your skin out after rinsing it off, but you're supposed to use the revitalizing toner right after which helps. Using a moisturizer also is useful after using this product. So basically, if I'm breaking out a lot or half a lot of inflammation, it helps. It doesn't completely clear my skin, but it makes it look better. I do recommend this product, even though it's pretty stinky lol.

Honestly, the 3-step proactive system is bull honkey'" never worked for me, or a lot of people! This mask,however, is heaven sent. It is not for people who have very dry or brittle skin though, because it dries the skin out, that's how it works! I personally have medium to oily skin and tend to get a few bad pimples every month. I also have pretty bad black heads. I usually scrub my nose where most of my blackheads reside and put the mask in a thin later covering my nose. I go to bed, wake up, wash it off, and it's like my nose doesn't even HAVE pores. It sucks everything right out and closes the pores. I also put it on deep pimples to draw them out, or on the large painful ones to shrink them. It never dries my skin out because I do have oily skin. It also helps with my redness. I love using this overnight mask to treat problem pimples fast. My favorite acne product.

This is an amazing spot treatment. The instructions say to leave it on for 10 minutes. If I apply it to my entire face (I very rarely do) then I use it for about 20-30 minutes. This will help clear acne but it is very drying and usually results in a flaky face the next day. If I use it as a spot treatment, as I usually do, I will leave it on overnight and typically wake to a reduced pimple size and less redness. So, no, your blemish will not evaporate overnight, but it will be less noticeable. This is my must-have--I hate all other Proactiv products, but this one is a keeper.

This is the best Proactiv treatment ever. it minimizes those hurtful pimples and reduces redness if you use this regularly you will see great results it is a must have USE OVERNIGHT 2-3 days per week (i dont think it works if applied for 2 minutes) also use only on the places where there is acne i apply a thick layer so that the white mask is visible BTW: i have somewhat oily skin

This product was useful for treating a tricky spot or area.. It's not a miracle for acne.. but works like your average sulfer mask.

I was about 14 years when i noticed that acne was affecting all over my face. I used many products before proactiv,but all in vain.I got the results what i was longing for from proactiv. The 3-step acne system showed me the way how to get rid of pimples. I am satisfied and recommended to my friends to use it too.

I really don't like this stuff because of the reasons above. It dries out my face and causes a lot of redness to my very sensitive skin, it's hard to remove, and when you do remove it requires so much friction that it irritates my skin even further. More than that, it takes a while to work, I normally see results in about a week.

I have adult onset hormonal acne (with PCOS) and it's very difficult to treat. For me, when acne is crazy out of control, hugely swollen and red, really painful and deep under the skin, this stuff helps me get through it. It helps severe breakouts resolve faster. It soothes the big painful blemishes, quickly reduces redness and swelling, dries pimples out, and makes blemishes come to the surface faster and heal faster. I don't think it does much to prevent acne and I wouldn't recommend it for daily use, but I use it whenever I am really fed up with my skin and it always noticeably improves my skin overnight. It isn't going to make your skin perfect all the time, but it helps when you are having a bad time. It's the best thing I've found to use for a spot treatment. When this stuff dries on your face, it's so absorbent it sucks a lot of crap right out of your face. It does pull a lot of the oils out of your skin so if your skin tends to get dry just be careful. You might not want to use it too often or leave it on too long, or you may just need to use plenty of moisturizer when you remove the mask. I see a lot of people on here complaining about the smell and I honestly have never thought that it smelled bad. I think it smells like clay or chalk. I think it's a clean soothing smell, not gross at all! It does contain sulfur so maybe some people are more sensitive to the smell of sulfur than I am? I've tried a lot of proactiv products and this mask is the only one that ever really gave me any results.