A Skincare Routine to Get Rid of Blemishes

This hits home for me at the moment, so why not talk about it? During my pregnancy, my acne was at an all-time high, and now that I'm a month out from breastfeeding, I'm hitting another gnarly breakout. My breakouts are few and far between, but when they come, they're out for blood. Because I have sensitive, dry skin, I don't buy a lot of acne targeted products. I find most of those products to be harsh on the skin, and simultaneously targets excess oil - which I have none of. On day three of my breakout, I was DONE. I had texture all over my cheeks and forehead, along with zits on my cheeks, chin, upper lip, and in between my eyebrows! I decided when Vela went to bed for the evening, I'm doing major damage control. During her naps, I did my research to see what products would help that I already own, along with some home remedies. Feeling confident and ready to kick this breakout's butt, I got started!

Wash and Exfoliate

I wanted something that would get deep into my pores, so I used the charcoal cleanser by Bosica as my face cleanser. This was my first time using this cleanser; I'm a huge fan of their charcoal peel-off mask, so I picked up a gift set around the holidays. I applied one pump onto a cleansing brush and worked that all over my face. I love the warming sensation it gave me, and how sudsy it got as it worked into my skin. It felt like it was getting all the gunk out of my pores, which is exactly what I wanted.

Now that my face is all squeaky clean, it's time to exfoliate. Exfoliating is an important part of anyone's skincare routine because it removes those pesky dead cells that are holding on for dear life. I typically exfoliate before applying any face mask, so my pores are able to soak in all the goodness from whatever mask I'm using. I used an exfoliant by Kate Somerville - my favorite! I rubbed that all over my face, avoiding the eye area, and kept it on for one minute before rinsing.

Clay or Mud Mask

The type of mask you use depends on your skin type. Clay masks are great for getting rid of blemishes by lifting oil out of the pores, while mud uses its natural healing agent to treat acne and keep the skin hydrated. As you may have guessed, I used a mud mask, specifically the SUPERMUD by GLAMGLOW. I know this mask is pricey, but it's worth it! I do have less expensive mud masks that I like, but I needed my big muscle for this one. I sometimes use this as a spot treatment and it will work wonders, but let's be real, I needed to bathe in it this time - so all over the face it went. PSA: I do notice a burning sensation that tends to linger a bit in some areas (around my nose and any dry patches) and my face will remain a bit red for the rest of the evening. By the next day, the redness is gone and my face looks and feels great. I'm sort of on the border sensitivity-wise, but the pros outweigh the cons for me on this one. If you have super sensitive skin, you may want to pass.

My favorite part about these types of masks is how you can see all the gunk coming out of your pores as it drys. It's like those pimple-popping videos - so gross yet so satisfying! I left this on my face for the full 20 minutes, letting it completely dry. I took a warm wet washcloth starting at my jawline and used gentle upward strokes to loosen up the hardened mud while wiping it away. I have no real reason as to why I remove my masks in upward strokes, but that's the way my mom taught me how to remove face masks, and sometimes you just do what your mom tells you!
Hydrating Mask

Yes, I'm being THAT person right now, and doing another mask! This is completely optional, but if your skin is anything like mine, you may want to do a quick hydrating mask so you no longer look like a dried up tomato. I used up a trial size of the Rose Face Mask by Fresh, left that on for five minutes, and rinsed away. Aww, soo much better, okay, we can move on now.

Toning

Toning gets a bad rep, because it used to be made with alcohol, and wasn't very good for your skin. The toners used today is not the same from our mothers' generation. You can find all different types of toners that target different needs, but the main purpose is to prep your skin for your serums, and to balance your skins pH levels. I look at it like the primer of skincare. I use a toner called, "Alcohol-Free Toner" by Neutrogena - straight to the point. I've tried other toners in the past, but have noticed no difference to justify the price. I use a generous amount - soaking two cotton balls and rub that all over my face.

Witch Hazel and Serums

I've heard that witch hazel is great for your skin, but I've never tried it on my face before. After doing some research, I learned witch hazel is a natural astringent, so it works wonders to get rid of acne. I happened to have a bottle left over from postpartum recovery, so I might as well give it a shot. This is my first time using witch hazel, so I used a q-tip to concentrate on just the blemishes.

Now it's time to go in with my serums. I don't have any serums that target acne specifically, but I think I have my bases covered as far as that's concerned! I used the same undereye serum from my post about dark circles, and I went in with a recent favorite of mine, a retinol serum by Dr. Brandt. for the rest of my face. I've used it a few times before this breakout, and it really reduced the texture on my skin - I'm hoping it will do the same for me now! I took two pumps and applied that to my face and neck.

Moisturize

This is my absolute favorite part! (have I mentioned I'm dry yet?) I love the dewy hydrated look and feel at the end of a great facial. For the nights that I exfoliate, I use my brightening moisturizer by Olehenriksen. It's full of omega-3 and vitamin C that my newly cleansed pores drink in. I take a huge glob and mix argan oil by Josie Maran into the moisturizer. I rub that all over my face and neck - heck, I'll throw some on the back of my hands while I'm at it! I would recommend 100% pure argan oil to everyone. The natural healing properties can benefit every skin type, and if you're oily, it can actually help tell your body, "Hey there, yeah we have enough oil, thank you!" and over time you will notice a difference in your oil production. It's all about using that perfect amount that's not too oily, yet you want to make sure it's there. That amount for me is four drops.

The next morning, like magic, the texture on my face was gone. You could still see my blemishes, but they were flat and small - the redness and irritation were visibly gone. I washed my face with my normal gentle cleanser, applied witch hazel as a spot treatment, and moisturized. That evening, I added in my serums, but still kept things simple. By the morning of day two, my acne was completely gone, besides two zits that half-asleep Roxy picked (and are still currently there - don't pick!).

Before

Two days later, I swear this is the same side of my face, I must have used my front facing camera for one of the pics! My face was on track to get worse instead of better, and I believe this skincare routine helped flip that around! I'd love to hear what products you love to stop a breakout in its tracks, let me know in the comments below.