a simple, consistent skin care routine is one of the most crucial components to healing your skin
BY JENNY SMITH MATTFELDT Published August 3, 2024
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One of the most crucial components to healing your skin is maintaining a consistent skincare routine. Everyone's acne healing journey is unique, so the products that worked well for me might not have the same effect for you. However, by finding and sticking to a regimen that works for you, you'll be taking a significant step toward healing your skin. If you want to find more information about my entire journey to healing my hormonal cystic acne you can find the full story here.
It took me years to work out what products my skin responded well to. My biggest advice is to keep your routine simple and make your changes as slowly as possible. For me this looked like using the same face wash and moisturizer for years at a time. When you keep the basics simple and slowly add in other players you are able to get a really clear picture of how your skin responds.
Makeup Removers
I have tried makeup remover wipes, micellar waters, and oil cleansers but the product my skin responded best to has been The Ordinary Squalene Cleanser. It's very effective for all types of makeup but is still extremely gentle.
Face Wash
This is one component of my skin care routine that has stayed the same for years at a time. That statement will get mixed reviews but I've found with sensetive, acneic skin when I find something that works it's best to hang on to it. I have used Tula Keep-It-Clear Acne Foam Wash for years now and someone will probably have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands. It has 2% salicylic acid which has been a magic ingredient for my oily skin.
Serums & Treatments
My skin care routine has changed a bit from having active acne to now. When I first started seeing major results with my Naturopath she had me start using The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%. Niacinamide is another amazing ingredient for acneic skin it helps calm down inflammation and keep your skin hydrated. One of the biggest irritants for my skin during this time was that it had become extremely dehydrated. This might sound counterintuitive becasue I just described my skin as oily but in my experience a huge problem for those of us with oily, acne prone skin comes from harsh acne products that can strip your skin of its hydration. So while it might feel less oily for a while your skin acutally increases oil production to combat that squeaky clean feeling in the long run. Once my skin was in a less acute and inflamed place I moved on from the niacinamide serum to a moisturizer that included the ingredient.
One of the major benefits to seeing a Naturopath is their ability to have products made specially tailored to your skins needs. For about 2 years I used a treatment cream that consisted of Spironolactone and MSM Sulfur. My skin loved Spironolactone which transitioned to me eventually taking it orally at my Dermatologists instead of using a cream. MSM Sulfur also turned out to be an ingrediant that my skin responded really well to. This is why it's so important to see a specialist whether its natural medicine or a classic Dermatoloigst, they will be able to help you find the root causes of your acne versus buying products that are well marketed but might not be that effective for you.
Masks
I have always been drawn to "clean beauty" companies becasue of the notion they're supposed to be less disruptive for your hormones. But the problem with clean beauty is that a lot of the products don't actually work that well. One company that I've found to be so effective and so well executed is Eminence Organics. I've been using their products for years and their associated spas are one of the only places I felt comfortable getting facials throughout this journey because I know my skin is going to respond well every time. I have to shout out my friend Alex at Jade Day Spa in Butte Montana, if you are in that area she's incredible.
When my skin was really inflamed my favorite product in the world was the Eminence Eight Greens Phyto Masque - Hot. This mask has a really unique warming process which leaves your skin warm and pink afterwards. It decreases inflammation and helps improve active breakouts. It's a product that I still use to this day along with the Stone Crop Oxygenating Fizzfoliant, the Firm Skin Acai Mask now that I have those fun late 20's forehead wrinkles, and their Marine Flower Peptide Eye Cream.
Another mask I found to be really calming for my skin was the Tula Claycation Mask. It's in a stick form which makes application simple, it's just one of those masks that leaves your skin feeling cleaner, tighter, and less inflamed.
Moisturizers
Finding the right moisturizer was unexpectedly the hardest part of putting together my skin care routine. I'd be really curious to hear if anybody else with oily skin had this issue? It always felt to me like the creamy ones made me way too oily but the thin ones made my face feel sticky or didn't keep me hydrated enough. During the acute phase of my journey I used Tula Breakout Star Acne Moisturizer. This product also has 2% salicylic acid and niacinamide which at times made it a little harsh for me but I did grow up in the Proactive "if its burning its working" school of thought. Overall it was my favorite during that time. Today I use a very basic Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream, which also happens to contain niacinamide. Your products don't have to be expensive to be effective.
So there it is, the full routine. If there's one thing I hope you take from this it's that everybodys skin is unique and the best products for you are the ones your skin responds well to. I would also be remiss if I didn't add sleep and getting enough water are just as important as the products you are using. I hope if you are in the middle of your journey with hormonal acne you will be gentle with yourself because it really does get better.
If you have any questions or you'd like to chat please shoot me a message! I'd love to hear from you.
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