Thursday, April 7, 2011

My Skin Care Regimen

I've been wanting to do a skin care post for a long time now, but I wanted to be sure I was giving others advice that works.This includes more than just how to wash your face, but what works for me, and what may work for you, too.





In The Shower
  1. Wash my body. For my body wash, I use Neutrogena's Body Cleansing Wash in Pink Grapefruit. I am prone to breakouts all over, so I don't really like to use smelly-good stuff on my back, chest, belly, or shoulders.
  2. Wash my hair. I am currently using Rockaholic Livin' The Dream Sulfate-Free Shampoo & Conditioner. I use to break out on my scalp and around my hairline really bad, and my dermatologist said that it's from my shampoo. Most shampoos that smell really good like Garnier Fructis, Herbal Essences, Aussie, and a lot of designer brands have an ingredient called Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, which is a big ingredient to add to the smell of the shampoo, and is a reason why you get breakouts on your scalp and around your hairline. For a long time, I used Pantene Beautiful Lengths, but they changed the formula and it now has sulfate ingredients in it. I am not using a totally sulfate free shampoo, but for those who have never used it - be warned. It is much different than a normal shampoo. It's a little more difficult to lather and for me, I don't feel as clean after rinsing (but it works, I promise!)
  3. After washing, I will condition my hair with either my Rockaholic conditioner or once a week I'll use Aussie's 3-Minute Miracle. While my hair is soaking up the conditioner, I'll wash my face and shave. When it's time to rinse, I rinse first with warm water, then rinse with cool or cold water. It helps lock in that moisture, and it's just invigorating!
  4. Out of the shower means it's time for lotion. I haven't found a lotion that irritates me yet, so I use whatever is in my drawer. I really like Olay Quench, although since spring is here, I've been using some Jergens.
  5. Since I washed my face, I like to put my refirming gel on top of a clean face. I use my dermatologist's brand (yes, he has his own brand of skin care products): Grekin Skin Institute's Refirming Gel. It's supposed to be a moisturizer, but to me it's kind of an anti-wrinkler. It tightens up your face. I put it all over my face, but I focus on the areas prone to wrinkles such as the outside corners of my eyes where crow's feet can form, and around my nose and mouth when smile lines can form. I of course do my forehead as well.
  6. Sometimes I will put a moisturizer on my face as well. I use Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturizer. It's the only moisturizer I have ever used ever since I started using it in middle school. I love it because it helps fight acne, it's oil free, and it smells good. Even my boyfriend, who is a welder, loves it.
Nighttime
  1. First, I remove all of my makeup. Removing makeup before washing your face will clean your face better. I got some off-brand makeup removing wipes for like $5, where you can get the name brands for like $6 or $7.
  2. Next, I wash my face. For the past week, I've been using Clean & Clear Advantage 3-in-1 Exfoliating Cleanser and it is doing wonders. It's drying up my acne without totally drying out my face, my acne scars seem to be lightening, and my face overall just looks healthier. It isn't the best exfoliant if you  are looking for a cleanser to do that because it doesn't have very many beads or grits, but it works great as a cleanser with a light exfoliant to get rid of gunk. Anyways, I wet my face, then use the cleanser as a light mask. I massage my face with it, and leave it on for a minute or two. While waiting, I brush my teeth.
  3. After washing my face, I tone my face. I use my dermatologist's toner: Grekin Skin Institute's Anti-Inflammatory Toner. It's kind of amazing to see what your cleanser won't get. I just do a couple of dabs on a cotton pad, then go over my T-zone and areas with a lot of acne. Then I go into the corners of my nose, around my lips, and my chin.
  4. I then do my Refirming Gel again. 
  5. Finally, before bed, I lather on a ton of lip balm. I use my eos lip balm because it's organic and so good for your lips. I guarantee if you put on lip balm before bed, your lips will feel super soft in the morning, rather than chapped and dead.
For those of you living in the Downriver area of Michigan, Grekin Skin Institute has an office in Wyandotte that I would totally recommend. Everyone there is super nice, and usually, Dr. Grekin himself will come see you rather than just some nurse or other dermatologist. And if you are having acne problems, I'd recommend getting a peel. It smells like fruit and it really helps with acne.

Hope all of you enjoyed, and I hope that I've helped some of you with any problems you may have. :) Good luck!

2 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for all of your advice! I have redesigned and looked over my blog and saw all the simple mistakes that I made. Could you please take a look and tell me what you think?

    PS- Great post I have been trying to get a good night time routine.

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  2. http://fashiondream-eleutheria1988.blogspot.com/hello!great blog!i follow you.can you follow me?thanks

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