Skincare Routine for Dry, Acne-Prone Skin

Having a skincare routine has to be top priority on my list. Everyone spends their money in different areas. Personal care is my area. From skincare, bodycare, massages and spas, I will research and try anything related to personal care. 

Since turning 30, my majority seamless skin started wrecking havoc. I started experiencing some severe hormonal cystic acne out of nowhere and started feeling discouraged because I did not know what to do. 

Most times, those who suffer from acne, have oily skin, but not me. I have dry combination skin in addition to some acne flare ups. With that, I have to take extra steps to treat my acne without overdrying my face. After scheduling an appointment with my dermatologist, she got me on the right track and helped me tailor my skincare routine to treat my acne. 

If you suffer from dry skin and acne, this routine may help you treat some of your symptoms. 

Cleanse (AM & PM)

With my dry combination skin, I make sure that my cleaners are as hydrating as possible. My tried and true drugstore cleanser is CeraVe Hydrating Cream-To-Foam Cleanser. This is a new release product and I prefer it over the original Hydrating Cleanser. It removes dirt, makeup, and sunscreen easily with foaming, but it doesn’t strip the skin. This is a staple in my routine since it is very basic but also hydrating. I prefer this over Cetaphil. For my natural gals is Donata’s Skinfood Pine Tar and Spinach Soap. If you’re looking for something a bit more “high-end” Paula’s Choice is a go-to. 

Tone (AM & PM)

Toners give my face a great refresh. A daily staple is the Heritage Store Rosewater & Glycerin Facial Spray. A natural alternative is Delish Condish’s Bamboo and Ginseng Toner. I just recently started using this toner, but it has drastically reduced the size of my pimples when they appear. Most people use the toning step as a way to treat their conditions, but it hasn’t proven to be more effective for me than treatment.

Actives (PM Only)

This is where the magic happens and it’s my favorite part of my skincare routine. I stopped using physical (mechanical) scrubs on my face when one of the small scrubbing pieces got stuck in one of my pores and it became inflamed and painful. At that point, I decided to switch to chemical exfoliators such as lactic acid and glycolic acid. Most of the pimples I get are subdermal, so using these acids have allowed me to bring the pimple to the surface to treat them. Additionally, my dermatologist also prescribed me a retinoid. It’s like a vitamin derivative that increases cell turnover to bring fresh new skin. In my current routine, my actives consist of lactic acid, pumpkin enzyme, sulfur, a retinoid, and azaleic acid. Alternating the retinoid along with the chemical exfoliants has definitely helped me keep my acne at bay. Of course, I don’t use them every day, but rather alternate an ACTIVE day with a NON-ACTIVE day to ensure I don’t aggravate the skin.

Moisturizer (AM & PM)

The moisturizer is the icing on the cake. This is by far my favorite step in my face routine because it’s a signal that you’re almost at the end of the routine. I typically like to keep my routine as simple as possible to avoid any reactions to certain ingredients. So of course my go-to moisturizer that I use is the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Moisturizer. Neutrogena hit it out of the park with this moisturizer. This water-based moisturizer keeps the skin hydrated and the hyaluronic acid keeps the hydration in the skin. The fragrance-free version is perfect to minimize acne or eczema triggers. This is my holy grail product.

Sunscreen (AM Only)

Sunscreen is the most slept on product in routine skincare. Imagine putting in all this hard work to get your glass skin and not put on sunscreen. All your hard work is going down the drain without using it. I have a family history of melanoma and that make me extra adamant about using sunscreen especially since the chemical exfoliants and retinoids make my skin extra sensitive to the sunlight. Now unfortunately there aren’t many sunscreen on the market that don’t leave a white cast on brown skinned girls so the journey of finding the perfect sunscreen can be daunting, but there are a few tried and true favorites of mine that I absolutely love. Black Girl Sunscreen and SuperGoop Unseen Sunscreen have been in my routine for quite some time. Both sunscreen have an SPF higher than 30 and are fragrance-free. With all of those with both of those options your guarantee to get the sun protection that you need and not have to worry about having a white cast.

Rather than letting my skin run my life, I’ve taken control of it with this routine. This has helped keep the flare-ups at bay while I figure out the root cause and underlying issue of why I’m getting the flare-ups.