Clearing Up My Acne
This will hopefully be a really helpful post for all of you guys! I recently had an allergic reaction that caused my skin to break out terribly. It was mainly on my forehead, but spread down my hairline to my chin. Having such bad acne was definitely bad for my confidence and I wanted it to go away as quickly as possible. I tried out a bunch of different products and wound up finding these the most helpful. My skin has almost fully cleared up and I owe it to these incredible products and tips!
Step #1: POP PIMPLES THE RIGHT WAY. I know your always told "Don't pop your pimples!" but everyone tends to do it anyway. However, there is a right and wrong way to pop a pimple. Using your fingers to pop a pimple pushes some of the pus and dirt out of the pimple, but pushes some further into the pore. Instead of using your fingers, start by sanitizing a sewing needle or safety pin with some rubbing alcohol or a match. Then, gently poke the head of the pimple with the needle until the pus/dirt (gross) can easily be pushed out with CLEAN fingers! Then, remove that gross pus and dirt with a cotton round or ball.
Step #2: CLEANSE. Use a cleanser that is right for you! Finding this may take a little while to do. I've always been a huge fan of the Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser and have found that no other cleanser works well with my sensitive skin. I wet my face and then gently massage the cleanser into your skin. Be careful not to be too rough in order to prevent wrinkles and premature aging. Then, I just gently rinse off the cleanser with warm water! It's also helpful to rinse your water with one final blast of cold water to seal your pores.
Step #3: MOISTURIZE. Finding the right moisturizer for your skin type can also be tricky! For oily skin, I suggest a gel moisturizer. For dry skin, I suggest a creamy lotion. For combination skin, I suggest a light moisturizer. For my sensitive combination skin, I've found that the Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion works the best. I just dot a pump of this onto my face and blend it out gently.
Step #4: TREAT ACNE. Using an acne spot treatment is the key to clearing up your acne! I owe a ton of thanks to Clean & Clear's Advantage Acne Spot Treatment. This completely cleared my skin! I just pump a dime sized amount of this onto my finger and dot it onto any blemishes. This treatment has both Salicylic Acid and Witch Hazel in it, which both are great at treating acne. Plus, Witch Hazel is said to help brighten the skin. I found that putting this on before I went to bed every night greatly minimized the size and redness of my pimples in the morning!
Step #1: POP PIMPLES THE RIGHT WAY. I know your always told "Don't pop your pimples!" but everyone tends to do it anyway. However, there is a right and wrong way to pop a pimple. Using your fingers to pop a pimple pushes some of the pus and dirt out of the pimple, but pushes some further into the pore. Instead of using your fingers, start by sanitizing a sewing needle or safety pin with some rubbing alcohol or a match. Then, gently poke the head of the pimple with the needle until the pus/dirt (gross) can easily be pushed out with CLEAN fingers! Then, remove that gross pus and dirt with a cotton round or ball.
Step #2: CLEANSE. Use a cleanser that is right for you! Finding this may take a little while to do. I've always been a huge fan of the Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser and have found that no other cleanser works well with my sensitive skin. I wet my face and then gently massage the cleanser into your skin. Be careful not to be too rough in order to prevent wrinkles and premature aging. Then, I just gently rinse off the cleanser with warm water! It's also helpful to rinse your water with one final blast of cold water to seal your pores.
Step #3: MOISTURIZE. Finding the right moisturizer for your skin type can also be tricky! For oily skin, I suggest a gel moisturizer. For dry skin, I suggest a creamy lotion. For combination skin, I suggest a light moisturizer. For my sensitive combination skin, I've found that the Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion works the best. I just dot a pump of this onto my face and blend it out gently.
Step #4: TREAT ACNE. Using an acne spot treatment is the key to clearing up your acne! I owe a ton of thanks to Clean & Clear's Advantage Acne Spot Treatment. This completely cleared my skin! I just pump a dime sized amount of this onto my finger and dot it onto any blemishes. This treatment has both Salicylic Acid and Witch Hazel in it, which both are great at treating acne. Plus, Witch Hazel is said to help brighten the skin. I found that putting this on before I went to bed every night greatly minimized the size and redness of my pimples in the morning!
My skincare routine 2013
Keeping a good skincare routine is really important, especially when you're a teenager like me. I have extremely sensitive skin, so I've found these are the products that work best for me. I perform this routine once a day because doing it morning and night causes my skin to dry out or redden. However, if your skin isn't as sensitive as mine, you should probably do it twice a day. Enjoy!
Remove: I start by removing my eye makeup with Rite Aid's Renewal Eye Makeup Remover ($5 at Rite Aid), which is comparable to Neutrogena's Eye Makeup Remover. I actually prefer this to the brand name because it works just as well, costs less, and comes with more product! I just put some of this on a cotton round and gently remove any mascara, eyeliner, and eyeshadow I'm wearing that day. I also love that this is completely oil-free and non-irritating! It removes all of my makeup, including my waterproof mascara, with ease.
Cleanse: To wash my face, I use Cetaphil's Gentle Skin Cleanser ($8 at Target) because it is non-comedogenic and doesn't irritate my face like most other cleansers do. I unfortunately have insanely sensitive skin and break out in hives and pimples when I use the wrong products. I was actually having some major breakouts before I started using this cleanser, but it seems as if they have completely vanished... and I have this to thank! I wet my face with warm water, gently rub this into my skin, and rinse it off!
Moisturize: To moisturize my face, I still use CeraVe ($15 at Target). It will seriously be my all-time favorite moisturizer and I've actually never had to repurchase it and I've been using it for a year... that's how much product it comes with! This is so moisturizing and also doesn't break me out so that's amazing! It's definitely worth the $15 :)
Treat: To treat my trouble spots, I use my favorite Acnomel Adult Acne Medication ($10 at Walgreens). I usually just apply some before bed to any trouble spots and wash it off in the morning with some warm water on a wash cloth. It works really well and minimizes blemishes super quickly!
Exfoliate: Exfoliating once a week to remove dead skin is must! But if you have sensitive skin like me, it can be difficult to find something that isn't too abrasive. I gave up on finding an exfoliator that wouldn't break me out and decided to purchase a gentle exfoliating brush from Sephora instead ($12). This brush is basically the cheaper, hand-held version of the Clarisonic! I put some of my Cetaphil Cleanser on this brush and just gently scrub my skin.
Remove: I start by removing my eye makeup with Rite Aid's Renewal Eye Makeup Remover ($5 at Rite Aid), which is comparable to Neutrogena's Eye Makeup Remover. I actually prefer this to the brand name because it works just as well, costs less, and comes with more product! I just put some of this on a cotton round and gently remove any mascara, eyeliner, and eyeshadow I'm wearing that day. I also love that this is completely oil-free and non-irritating! It removes all of my makeup, including my waterproof mascara, with ease.
Cleanse: To wash my face, I use Cetaphil's Gentle Skin Cleanser ($8 at Target) because it is non-comedogenic and doesn't irritate my face like most other cleansers do. I unfortunately have insanely sensitive skin and break out in hives and pimples when I use the wrong products. I was actually having some major breakouts before I started using this cleanser, but it seems as if they have completely vanished... and I have this to thank! I wet my face with warm water, gently rub this into my skin, and rinse it off!
Moisturize: To moisturize my face, I still use CeraVe ($15 at Target). It will seriously be my all-time favorite moisturizer and I've actually never had to repurchase it and I've been using it for a year... that's how much product it comes with! This is so moisturizing and also doesn't break me out so that's amazing! It's definitely worth the $15 :)
Treat: To treat my trouble spots, I use my favorite Acnomel Adult Acne Medication ($10 at Walgreens). I usually just apply some before bed to any trouble spots and wash it off in the morning with some warm water on a wash cloth. It works really well and minimizes blemishes super quickly!
Exfoliate: Exfoliating once a week to remove dead skin is must! But if you have sensitive skin like me, it can be difficult to find something that isn't too abrasive. I gave up on finding an exfoliator that wouldn't break me out and decided to purchase a gentle exfoliating brush from Sephora instead ($12). This brush is basically the cheaper, hand-held version of the Clarisonic! I put some of my Cetaphil Cleanser on this brush and just gently scrub my skin.