Entry tags:
let's talk skincare!
Trying to get back into blogging by talking about things I'm interested in, so let's talk skincare!
Moving to a new climate/location really killed my skin a few years ago. I had had some problems before, especially with dry/flaky skin, but it wasn't too bad. But then I moved to a warm, tropical climate, and my face exploded. My t-zone got all oily, my scalp and eyebrows started to get some dry patches (and I mean patches, where the pieces of skin flaking off was the size of a grain of rice or more... ehm, tmi?), and I started breaking out more than I had in years! Trying to find a solution, I stumbled onto Skincare Addiction on reddit.
Yeah, I know, reddit. But like many parts of the internet, there are shiny pockets of awesome to be found among the filth. Reading up, I learned that my skin was dehydrated, and I really needed to reassess how I treated my face. Here's what I've found that works for me:
1) Cutting out physical exfoliation! I had been using the ubiquitous St. Ives scrub for your face. Bad! The crushed-up shells found in the scrub are too jagged and abrasive, and can cause microtears in the skin on your face! (It is good as a foot scrub, though, so that's where the rest of my bottle went.) I've switched to chemical exfoliation, which is a lot nicer on my skin.
2) Oil cleansing! Cutting out cleansers (or only using them to clean off oils) has done wonders for my face. There are numerous methods, but I just massage my face with oil for 30 seconds or so to remove dirt and makeup, then use my cleanser to clean the oil off. My face feels fresh and clean, and not stripped and squeaky.
3) Sunscreen! ...Yeah, I know. I live in Hawaii, but I wasn't very diligent about putting sunscreen on my face. But now I use it every day!
This is my routine as of now.
Morning:
*Cleansing: Splash face with water OR if my face feels gross and sweaty after sleeping, use an emulsifying oil cleanser. I'm using Julep's Bare Face Cleansing Oil at the moment, because it came in a box.
*Exfoliating: Paula's Choice BHA 2% lotion. I just started using this, so I'm not quite sure how I like it yet. The lotion is nice, but it's a bit difficult to rub into your face without getting white streaks, and I'm not sure how effective it is against spots yet.
*Sunscreen: Hada Labo UV Creamy Gel SPF50PA+++. I'm on the fence about this one. I bought it while I was in Japan, but I think this is causing me to break out a bit more than usual around the jawline. I'll finish this bottle, and then go back to the Biore Sarasara UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence Sunscreen SPF50+ PA+++ which I adore. If you've had trouble using sunscreen on your face (and especially under makeup), give this one a try. It's amazingggggg.
Evening:
*Cleansing: Oil cleanse with baby oil. Clean off with Simple Moisturizing Facial Wash. I've learned that my face does NOT like any kind of foaming cleanser, so this works well for me. Once my bottle of baby oil runs out, I might try the Sephora Supreme Cleansing Oil (which has now been discontinued), which I bought months ago and then forgot to return, so it's just been sitting in my house, haha. It works well to remove makeup, but when you add water to remove it it turns into a lotion-y consistency, and is really hard to remove. I hope using it to double cleanse (oil cleanse + facial cleanser) will make it usable.
*Exfoliating: Paula's Choice AHA 8% gel. I LOVE THIS. It makes my skin so soft and dewy.
*Moisturizing: Cerave Moisturizing Cream. /r/skincareaddiction swears by this cream, and I can see why. It's super moisturizing, but isn't greasy at all. It's really awesome. I've hooked my husband on it, too. :P
I tend to try new options when my old ones run out, so I may touch on this again when things change. What about you guys? What's your skincare routine?
Moving to a new climate/location really killed my skin a few years ago. I had had some problems before, especially with dry/flaky skin, but it wasn't too bad. But then I moved to a warm, tropical climate, and my face exploded. My t-zone got all oily, my scalp and eyebrows started to get some dry patches (and I mean patches, where the pieces of skin flaking off was the size of a grain of rice or more... ehm, tmi?), and I started breaking out more than I had in years! Trying to find a solution, I stumbled onto Skincare Addiction on reddit.
Yeah, I know, reddit. But like many parts of the internet, there are shiny pockets of awesome to be found among the filth. Reading up, I learned that my skin was dehydrated, and I really needed to reassess how I treated my face. Here's what I've found that works for me:
1) Cutting out physical exfoliation! I had been using the ubiquitous St. Ives scrub for your face. Bad! The crushed-up shells found in the scrub are too jagged and abrasive, and can cause microtears in the skin on your face! (It is good as a foot scrub, though, so that's where the rest of my bottle went.) I've switched to chemical exfoliation, which is a lot nicer on my skin.
2) Oil cleansing! Cutting out cleansers (or only using them to clean off oils) has done wonders for my face. There are numerous methods, but I just massage my face with oil for 30 seconds or so to remove dirt and makeup, then use my cleanser to clean the oil off. My face feels fresh and clean, and not stripped and squeaky.
3) Sunscreen! ...Yeah, I know. I live in Hawaii, but I wasn't very diligent about putting sunscreen on my face. But now I use it every day!
This is my routine as of now.
Morning:
*Cleansing: Splash face with water OR if my face feels gross and sweaty after sleeping, use an emulsifying oil cleanser. I'm using Julep's Bare Face Cleansing Oil at the moment, because it came in a box.
*Exfoliating: Paula's Choice BHA 2% lotion. I just started using this, so I'm not quite sure how I like it yet. The lotion is nice, but it's a bit difficult to rub into your face without getting white streaks, and I'm not sure how effective it is against spots yet.
*Sunscreen: Hada Labo UV Creamy Gel SPF50PA+++. I'm on the fence about this one. I bought it while I was in Japan, but I think this is causing me to break out a bit more than usual around the jawline. I'll finish this bottle, and then go back to the Biore Sarasara UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence Sunscreen SPF50+ PA+++ which I adore. If you've had trouble using sunscreen on your face (and especially under makeup), give this one a try. It's amazingggggg.
Evening:
*Cleansing: Oil cleanse with baby oil. Clean off with Simple Moisturizing Facial Wash. I've learned that my face does NOT like any kind of foaming cleanser, so this works well for me. Once my bottle of baby oil runs out, I might try the Sephora Supreme Cleansing Oil (which has now been discontinued), which I bought months ago and then forgot to return, so it's just been sitting in my house, haha. It works well to remove makeup, but when you add water to remove it it turns into a lotion-y consistency, and is really hard to remove. I hope using it to double cleanse (oil cleanse + facial cleanser) will make it usable.
*Exfoliating: Paula's Choice AHA 8% gel. I LOVE THIS. It makes my skin so soft and dewy.
*Moisturizing: Cerave Moisturizing Cream. /r/skincareaddiction swears by this cream, and I can see why. It's super moisturizing, but isn't greasy at all. It's really awesome. I've hooked my husband on it, too. :P
I tend to try new options when my old ones run out, so I may touch on this again when things change. What about you guys? What's your skincare routine?