Let me begin with the kind of skin I have. EXTREMELY sensitive, oily, as well as combination. I know it’s quite the handful. I don’t only get oily on my T-zone, I get oily everywhere. All my friends tell me how they’ve purchased a new highlight and I just think, “If I was to put highlight on along with this oil, I think I would blind people with the shine.” Not cute. I also not only struggle with pimples but blackheads and clogged pores all over my face. Most people deal with this on their nose and chin but I deal with it on my entire face. However, over the last 14 years I’ve come up with a few ideas of how to fix my problem areas.
I’ve heard many times people saying that if you strip all that oil on your face you’ll make it worse. And in the beginning I truly didn’t understand what that meant. The oil is the problem of my clogged pores why wouldn’t I want to get it off. So I would use harsh chemicals and cleaners to really try to minimize the oil and just like everyone said, it made it so much worse. I’ve realized that when I strip the oil off my face it causes my skin to dry on the surface, sending a signal to my brain saying, “HEY! Your skin’s dry! Let me help you out here!” And it starts to send even more oil to my face. Well, once that oil tries to come through there’s a barrier of dry skin that it can’t penetrate which then causes really bad painful acne under the surface. Believe me and take my word for it, you do not want this to happen. It takes such a long time to go away and heal itself! This is my first advice to you:
Make Sure You Have the Right Cleanser for Your Skin
I know a lot of you will think that means you have to spend crazy amounts of money on high end products but that is not the case. I’m currently using an argan oil based cleanser that’s costs me $7. Yes, you read that right, $7! I’ve provided a link down below if you want to check it out for yourself. It’s incredibly gentle and non-foaming yet completely takes all my makeup off as well as the oil from the day. This is a Polish brand and I purchase mine from my local Polish supermarket, but I can really tell you I love this cleanser. I’ve now gotten two of my friends hooked on it as well. It does have a strong scent but that’s the smell from the argan oil so don’t be too worried when you try it out. I really love this product and have already repurchased it.
Bielenda Argan Cleansing Face Oil
Now, I know many people say that if you don’t tone then this will reek havoc on your skin. And for some people I truly believe that this is true. I know toners can really calm oil production as well as help long term with clogged pores. however, everyone’s skin is different and if you’re anything like me, your face does not like toners, mists, or serums. I have tried them all from the most expensive to the least expensive and it never works. Within a few hours I see little pimples pop up all over my face and if I continue using any of the three for more than a few days it gets really bad. Let me tell you I don’t want to leave the house it can get that intense. So, my second piece of advice:
If It Doesn’t Work for You, That’s Okay Too
Every dermatologist has urged me to make sure I do all three steps when it comes to the cleansing process: wash, tone, and moisturize. However, I know that what’s best for me is to wash and moisturize and that’s it. If I do too much on my skin, that’s when the problems really start to come.
Now that we’ve gone through the first two steps I want to talk about moisturizers. This is one of the most important steps in my opinion. It’s the part that really stays on your skin for hours and I truly believe makes the most difference. I’m currently using Soraya, that’s another Polish product, because I was so exhausted from everything I was using and it not working. I am Polish so when my mother suggested to me to try Polish products I won’t lie, I really hesitated at first. I figured that American products would be the best for me. I’m born and raised in NY and I was always accustomed to purchasing most of my skincare products from well known brands. However, I was so fed up with everything I decided to just give it a try and it’s been almost two years and I still haven’t used anything else.
There is a night cream as well, however I just put the link in for the day cream because I prefer it better. Even at night I still prefer to apply this because I feel it has a more moisturizing effect in the morning. It costs around $18 plus shipping and handling but I truly love this cream and I’m currently on my third bottle.
I will continue this post with a followup of my favorite face masks as well as intense hydrating creams that I use at times overnight for an extra boost. I truly hope that some of this was helpful and I will continue with this skincare edition to my blog so stay tuned!
