Simplified Skincare for Adult Acne

I mean, I wasn’t particularly popular or athletic or talented…but I didn’t suffer from acne.

So, yeah, I had that going for me.

My issues with acne came much later. Like, just in the last few years later.

And, man, adult acne sucks.

But it has turned me into a bit of a product junkie. Back when I had a Birchbox subscription, I coveted the skincare product samples (especially because I wouldn’t otherwise try products that cost more than a car payment).  I used to spend hours browsing skincare product reviews online and probably spent a small fortune at Ulta.

I even wrote a post recommending some of my favorite finds.

And then after our most recent move, my skin went insane.

I still have no idea what about this move affected my skin so bad. We’ve moved across the state (and state lines) four times in the past six years, but no other move wreaked havoc on my skin like this one.

The stress of moving and starting a new job? A change in climate? I don’t know.

But it was bad. I felt like my skin was angry about something.

After weeks of adjusting my skincare routine and trying new products, I finally did the only other thing I could think of…scrap it all and start from scratch.

Clean & Simple

To clean up my skin, I figured I needed to clean up my skincare routine. And that meant fewer chemicals and more natural ingredients.

So, I started by taking some advice from my friend Hali. She recommended SheaMoisture African Black Bar Soap in a blog post about treating acne-prone skin as an adult. The ingredients in this soap are intended to treat oily skin while calming skin blemishes.

Basically, it was exactly what I needed to make my skin chill out with the breakouts.

And it seriously helped.

Since switching to a cleaner soap, I’ve also tried Yes To Tomatoes Activated Charcoal Bar Soap. The combination of charcoal and tomatoes in this one helps detoxify and balance skin.

I would recommend either for treating acne-prone skin.

Create Balance

The next product that has become a necessity in my new, simplified skincare routine is Thayer’s Witch Hazel.

Most beauty experts recommend using some type of toner after cleansing to restore the skin’s PH balance. When your skin’s PH is out of balance, it becomes more prone to irritation and blemishes.

Witch Hazel is not only fantastic for restoring PH but also soothes skin irritation.

On days when my skin needs a little extra love (mostly around that time of the month), I give my witch hazel a little boost by adding a drop of tea tree oil. Tea tree oil has antimicrobial properties that help prevent zits.

A word of caution, however. Tea tree oil can be pretty drying. Overusing it or using too much of it can lead to dry, scaly skin (which, honestly, isn’t that much better than having a breakout).

Keep It Hydrated

Switching up my cleanser and adding witch hazel has gone a long way towards preventing breakouts.

But my skincare routine still needed a little something more. It needed hydration.

While I was watching Instagram Stories one day, one of my favorite IG influencers, Jen Reed of The Sister Studio, promoted using vitamin E oil as part of her skincare routine.

It was like a light bulb moment for me, I couldn’t believe I didn’t think of adding that to my routine before.

I used to use vitamin e oil every day but I stopped when I started experimenting with new products.

Vitamin E oil has antioxidant properties which help fight free radicals. Research on the benefits of using Vitamin E for skin care is mixed and it is recommended to check with your doctor before using it (which I didn’t do but, thankfully, it worked out for me).

Proponents of vitamin E oil (like me) believe it not only moisturizes the skin but also treats and prevents fine lines and wrinkles. Vitamin E oil may also help prevent or reduce the appearance of acne scars and soothe dry, itchy skin.

While it may not work for everyone, I swear by Vitamin E oil for my skin.

Calm & Clean

Now let’s talk about my biggest secret weapon for treating my angry, breakout-prone, irritated skin.

When my skin was at its worst, it was honestly painful. I tried several moisturizers meant to reduce irritation and redness…and none of them helped.

Then I had a bit of an epiphany.

My skin was so irritated and inflamed that it kind of reminded me of having chickenpox. Which I did have as a kid and my mom treated it by giving me an oatmeal bath.

The antioxidants in oatmeal help reduce itching and irritation as well as add moisture.

A quick Google search led me to this Aveeno Baby Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream, the main ingredient of which is Triple Oat Complex. As a bonus, it’s also free of parabens.

Y’all, finding this moisturizer was like finding the holy grail.

It made such a huge difference in my skin. Only days after I started applying it to my skin at night, the redness and irritation were almost gone. I finally started to feel like myself again.

Now, I keep a bottle of Aveeno Baby Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream in my bathroom for anytime my skin feels like it needs to take a chill pill.

Take It Slow

I’ve slowly added a few more products into my skin routine.

Because the Aveeno lotion is so heavy, I don’t want to use on a dial basis. For the last month, I’ve been using Acure’s Brightening Day Cream in the morning. I love that it’s gentle, light, and doesn’t contain any nasty ingredients.

I also needed to find a good exfoliate that wouldn’t be overly irritating or drying. I order this one off of Amazon (another Jen Reed suggestion). I’ve only been using it a couple of weeks so I won’t swear by it just yet. However, I will say my skin feels super clean and smooth after I use it and I have yet to see any dry, flaky patches.

I also incorporated a sonic facial brush to use with my cleansing bar. I picked mine up at Marshall’s for under $15. While I’m sure the Clarisonic brush that beauty experts recommend is awesome, the price tag was just too much for me. My knock-off version seems to work just fine.

In fact, my entire skincare routine is not only efficient but affordable.

Because great skincare doesn’t have to come with a great big price tag.