My skin is a jerk. I’ve had problems with it since I had my first hormone as a young lass, and I kinda feel like I’ve tried just about everything to get it to behave:
- Dermatologist visits and prescription creams
- As Seen on TV skincare systems
- Benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, or a combination of the two
- Harsh scrubs
- Prayer
- Fancy and expensive department store creams, tinctures, and salves (jk no tinctures involved)
None of the above worked for me, and in fact, over the past year or two, my skin got much worse, with cystic breakouts that left discoloration all over my face as they healed. I had stopped feeling comfortable leaving the house without makeup on.
Among many desperate Google searches, I found Reddit Skincare Addiction, and started to learn about how to take care of skin that seemed angry and sensitive all the time. I stopped using the exfoliating scrub I’d been using for upwards of 9 years, as well as the glycolic acid gel I used every night. I replaced my irritating benzoyl peroxide face wash with a gentler one. And things slowly started to get better.
I’ve found a few things that are helping my skin chill out and heal, and I thought I’d share.
- Mild and gentle cleanser and moisturizer. It takes some experimentation to find what works for you – for example, I tried a very popular and highly-regarded moisturizer recently, only to find that it made my chin break out in huge, angry red pimples. #ontothenextone
- Vitamin E oil to remove eye makeup, to serve as an overnight eye “cream”, and to dab on dark marks to fade them. Right now I’m using Radiance Platinum Vitamin E Oil, which is pure enough to take orally if you so choose. But I prefer to drizzle it liberally all over my body like Cleopatra.
- Tea tree oil to zap zits. I found this Radiance Platinum tea tree oil at CVS, which is perfect since they have all the other stuff I need too. I’m lazy and hate having to stop at multiple stores for things. So sue me. It also conveniently comes in a 2 oz. bottle, so you can take it in your carry-on. I always seem to get stress zits when I travel, so this is a major win in my book. SO ANYWAY I just take a cotton swab and soak it in the oil, then dab on problem areas. I find that it dries them up quickly, and I personally think it smells fresh and delightful, if a little medicinal.
- Taking a hair, skin, and nails supplement that has nutrients like biotin to help hair and nails grow, folate, a B vitamin to help grow and repair tissue, and niacin to help improve circulation. I wore gel nail polish (the kind that is cured with UV light) for a few years without a break and recently removed them. My nails are a little bit brittle, so this supplement is helping me out a lot right now.
- Sunscreen. I actually use a face lotion that has sunscreen in it to kill two birds with one stone.
Have you tried tea tree oil for zits or vitamin E for your undereye area or dark spots? What are your best skincare secrets?
