Since I lack other productive pursuits, I devoted the summer months to really trying to combat the latest surge of blemish terrorism all across my face. At the end of it all, I emerge with a few more pounds of misbegotten beauty products, cleaner faced, and more the wiser. Here’s a summary of what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what that means for you.
-Mix and match your product lines
If you ask most of the ladies that work at the Macy’s cosmetics counter, they’ll swear to you that products are most effective when used with other products of the same line. However those ladies work on commission from the sales of said products (while I, sadly, do this for free.) If you have intense adult acne, the “product line” rule doesn’t necessarily apply. For example, I found that using the entire Clinique Acne Solutions line would cause me to end up with a face that felt angry, inflamed, and stiff. But using just the Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam in the mornings (in conjunction with non-medicated toner and moisturizer) was perfect. While you don’t get the OCD satisfaction of seeing all your cosmetic bottles match, you might just reap the benefits of a cleaner face.
-Alternate products according to your skin’s current needs
A sales associate told me this once, and it was some of the most valuable advice I’ve gotten. Your skin’s needs change by the week. Some weeks you may need gentler, more moisturizing products for dryer skin, and some weeks you may need stronger cleansers and spot-treatments. This approach requires that you pay attention and learn from experience what works for you. Eventually you’ll be able to recognize that if you skin is suddenly oily in the middle of the day you need to switch to your stronger cleanser in the morning, or whatever. The worst part about this is that it’s not as easy as just slapping on some prefabricated product combination every day, but if you’re reading this, that probably means that the “easy” route isn’t doing much for you right now anyway. Don’t stress out and overhaul your whole routine in one step. Just start to take note of how your skin feels after each product that you use, and go from there.
-Don’t confine yourself to “acne” products
Zitty skin can benefit from gentle moisture, deep cleansing, mild exfoliation, and a whole bunch of other stuff that doesn’t come included in your standard acne-product package. Personally, I found that products marketed for aging/sensitive skin to be good additions to my system as they were often free from heavy oils, yet soothing. As you’re learning to alternate products according to your needs, be sure to swap in some other stuff you may not have thought of before.
Like that old philosopher dude said, know thyself. Like I say, know what works for you.
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