Beauty bloggers back in the day were not as huge as they are now and they certainly didn’t seem to care about their skin nearly as much as they rightly do now so I’m sure I’m not the only one who did some skin damage in my teenage years that has followed me into my twenties, but with some trial and error we finally got there, so here is the exact skincare routine that completely got rid of my acne.
I hate wearing my hair up and because of this I never wore it up, ever! But unfortunately this was a crucial first step. The minute you get home or any chance you get, tie your hair out of your face. Not only will it make your skincare routine so much easier but it will also stop irritating your skin and you will probably notice a few spots disappearing just from this one small step.
Until I was probably around 17 I wore my makeup for a good 15 hours a day, every day, and would only shower it off at the last possible chance – I know, gross! I would refuse to go anywhere without a full face but now, unless it’s a special occasion, I won’t wear makeup at all and I will take it off at the first chance I get. Five years ago I would be mortified at the thought, but not wearing makeup is really freeing and actually boosted my confidence but I know this isn’t for everyone and that’s completely fine too! I’ve found the best way to do this isn’t by using any products other than hot water and a microfiber cloth, it gets every last drop of makeup and dirt instantly.
This might seem obvious but give your face a good wash twice a day! You will really notice using the right face wash will help clear your acne. I don’t have one specific face wash that I have to use every day, I like Soap & Glory’s Vitamin C Facial Wash and Simple’s Moisturising Facial Wash but if you find others work better for you then that’s fine.
Get it here:
These next two steps are just a special treat for your skin and should NOT be done every day! I like to do a face mask once a week and find that for oily, acne prone skin charcoal based face masks work best such as Beauty Formula’s Clay Mask with Activated Charcoal or Boot’s own brand Ingredient’s Charcoal and Willow Bark Cleansing and Purifying sheet mask. Both of these masks are super affordable and a treat for your skin.
This is also only to be used once in a while and NOT every day! I only use these pads when my acne is playing up and although they say they can be used daily, I would use them twice a week at very most, when you start to notice a difference in your skin stop using these altogether. Nip and Fab do some great Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads, however, if you want to be a little sneaky and save some coin, Aldi’s own brand do the exact same pads with almost identical packaging called Lacura Daily Cleansing Pads and they are just as wonderful!
Get Nip and Fab’s pads here:
Back to the daily routine, after washing your face apply vitamin C serum, these can be bought at most drug stores and don’t cost very much. This will help you down the line as Vitamin C protects against sun damage (although you should always apply SPF) and because vitamin C is an antioxidant, will help reduce fine lines and wrinkles that already exist and help prevent future ones.
Next up is my holy grail product, salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is what can most commonly be referred to as a BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid) which pretty much just means that it’s a pretty great exfoliator and also has antibacterial properties, meaning it’s great for oily or acne prone skin. By penetrating deep into the skin and unclogging pores, spots don’t stand a chance against salicylic acid. I use The Ordinary’s Salicylic Acid 2% twice daily which only cost around £4.50 and it’s probably the best £4.50 I’ve ever spend!
Get The Ordinary’s Salicyclic Acid 2% here:
This is another crucial step in any skincare routine, if there’s any step I will not forget to do that is to wash my face and moisturise! There is a common misconception that people with oily skin don’t need to moisturise however this is not the case at all. Your skin may actually be oily because of a lack of moisture in the skin and the skin tries to make up for this by overproducing oils, which if built up, can lead to acne. So even something as simple as moisturising can have a huge effect on acne prone skin. Personally, I use Glow Lab Facial Moisturiser but I also like Simple’s Spotless Skin Anti-Blemish Moisturiser but finding the moisturiser perfect for you is a case of trial and error I’m afraid.
Now, this is one trick I learned fairly early on and I’ve been using since I was around 15. If you have a big pimple you’d like to try and get rid of soon or even if you can feel it coming on, then invest in a pack of spot stickers, they’re only a few pounds at most, and place one over the spot at night while you’re sleeping. This will prevent you from touching the spot and causing further irritation or bacteria. Surprisingly, this almost works every time if not completely getting rid of the spot then at least reducing it a lot! Thank me later.
Get Peach Slices’ Acne Spot Dots here:
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