Skincare

I've had acne since middle school. It baffled me and evaded everything I threw at it. I know now that I was never that educated about skincare. I really just threw products at my skin, hoping something would eventually work. Even my dermatologist, who spent less than 5 minutes with me each visit, just threw prescriptions at me without really explaining anything or attempting to educate.

Today, thanks to simplification of my routine (a basic cleanser, thick moisturizer, and the Clarisonic), my skin looks better than it ever has. Which, ironically, has spurred me to to try and finally get that perfect, spot-free skin I've always desired.

To start off with, I stumbled across the subreddit SkincareAddiction. They have a great breakdown for beginner routines, different ingredients, what those ingredients do, and a multitude of various and sundry information.

I'm scarred and skeptical, but I think I'm going to try some new things and mix up my basic routine based on what my research has turned up!

Here's my current routine:

• AM
• I used to have a morning skincare routine, but boy did that dry me out. It also felt totally unnecessary. So, nothing here except brushing my teeth and applying my makeup!
• PM
• Remove makeup using Neutrogena's makeup removing wipes in the purple packaging
• Cleanse with Philosophy's Purity cleanser
• If it's an exfoliating night, I'll use my Clarisonic to cleanse with Purity
• Moisturize with Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream (thick stuff in the tub)

Here's my proposed routine, to be eased into:

• AM
• Splash with water
• Moisturize
• Sunscreen
• PM
• Remove makeup 
• Here's where I'll ease into using oil. Once every other night, instead of using my usual wipes, I'll use Mineral Oil to remove the schmutz of the day, then remove with damp cotton pads. Eventually, this will replace the makeup removing wipes entirely.
• The reason behind using oil instead of wipes, is that it's not only gentler (less scrubbing), but it's also an occlusive, which means it helps retain moisture in the skin. It doesn't help much as a makeup remover since we'll be cleansing in the next step, but you can always reapply a thin layer overtop of your moisturizer.
• Cleanse
• I'm not planning on switching up my cleanser as I really really love Purity. I've had fantastic results with it, so why change, right?
• Exfoliate
• I've already started easing my way into this. I've decreased my usage of the Clarisonic to 2 times per week (in the shower). Instead, I've started using Stridex in the blue box (Not the most recommended one. SCA prefers the red box as it's the highest concentration of salicylic acid, but I wanted to ease into it really slowly since I have a history of sensitive skin). I use the Stridex every other night.
• Let me talk a little about BHA's (salicylic acid) and AHA's. Since these things both exfoliate, but do slightly different things, I think I'm going to alternate using a BHA one night and an AHA the next.
• Eventually I'll work up the Red Box of Stridex, which will  be my BHA (pore degunker, exfoliant, mild antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory).
• I'll also slowly introduce an AHA (exfoliant and humectant) in the form of St Ives Scrub Free Exfoliating Pads
• Moisturize
• I'm pretty happy with my current moisturizer so I'll continue to use that.
• I'll top it off with a bit of Mineral Oil, just to increase the efficacy of the moisturizer!

I know it looks like a lot, but I'm only adding three products: Mineral Oil, Stridex, and St Ives Scrub Free Exfoliating Pads.

Hopefully my skin won't freak out too badly at the change!