Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you make a purchase (at no cost to you). If you do decide to try one of the recommended products please consider using my links.
——
I had no idea how good I had it. Until I was well into my mid-twenties my skin was mostly clear without much effort, and despite never leaving the house without a full face of makeup. Like, full coverage everything (I think I was misguidedly hoping it would shield more than just my poor pores).
Then one day, bam, constant breakouts for no discernible reason. Of course there WAS a reason, but it would take time and way too many useless, and downright detrimental products before I understood.
Meanwhile, my skin was somehow simultaneously dry and oily. Whatever I used to combat the breakouts worked little (if at all). Anything I applied to moisturize seemed to only irritate my skin and made things even worse. Yes it was dehydrated. And no, I didn’t know that was a thing till after many, MANY products. Products from huge, well-known drugstore name brands. Products from higher-end (aka higher price) brands that others swore by. Natural products that Internet research told me would finally make the difference. None of that worked and I had no idea what to do.
But I did my thing and researched and researched and started learning about things like how the pH of what I was using to wash my face with mattered. You want your cleanser to be perfectly "pH-balanced" at around 5.5 (acceptable range is around 4.5 - 6.0) for the benefit of your skin's natural protective acid mantle, which typically (ideally) sits between 4.5 and 5.5. Using a pH-balanced cleanser prevents dryness, reduces irritation, and wards off acne-causing bacteria and fungi. It also helps to heal what I then learned was called dehydrated skin!
It wasn’t until I fell even further into the research rabbit-hole and became borderline obsessed that I finally came across a micro article (it was like 3-4 lines long) about some up & coming k-beauty products and how to get them where I lived. Lol, yeah -- this was not a recent occurrence. I couldn’t find this stuff at my local Target or on Amazon back then. There were only a few select places I could order from online and not nearly as many product lines and options available as we have now.
Fortunately I had access to more than enough with more available all time as the popularity exploded.
OMG though, the prices back then were SO good! They still are, but not like they were back then. Sure there were some product lines that were considered higher end and cost more. But for the most part everything was less expensive than what I’d been using prior, and the quality was incredible.
I started with a facial cleanser that came in a pink plastic twist-up tube . It was like a hard soap with actual rose bits in it. I don’t think it’s available anymore but i adored it. I felt SO fancy. It was probably the most expensive of those initial products I tried, and I think was still less than $25 USD for a pretty, pink, properly PH balanced cleanser that lasted a me around few months.
I thought a 12-step skin care regimen sounded excessive at first, but remember at this point I was willing to try just about anything that would work. I worked my way up to 12 (ish) slowly. I’d been burned before when eagerly starting more than one new product at a time (quite literally at least once).
So I had my fancy pink rose cleanser, added toners, essences, serums, and creams from Missha, Mizon, and more. I jumped on the snail train as soon as I learned of it. I guess I’ve always been an adventurous… uh skin care ingredient tryer-outer? But I mean, it heals, hydrates, and there’s (reportedly) no harm done to the snail? Amazing!
One of those steps actually came before my pretty pink cleanser in the evenings - cuz surprise, I needed to clean the stuff off my face before I WASHED my face. Remember all that makeup I mentioned? Well, while I eventually traded in my heavy-duty full coverage foundation for sunscreen & light BB Creams, I couldn’t believe how much makeup was still on my face after washing if I didn’t use something to remove it 1st. That wasn’t a proud moment for me, lol.
Anyway, if you have gotten this far - thank you! I really like you! I’ve never been great at being concise.
Here’s a list of products I’ve used and felt my skin actually benefitted. Many are or were part of my regular daily routine.
Finally, and MOST IMPORTANTLY:
- Remember, everyone is different, so YMMV.
- Be better than me and test products properly before going full out.
- ESPECIALLY if you have sensitive skin and/or allergies.
- Even if you don’t, it’s still well worth a small patch test and a 24 hour wait to avoid learning of an ingredient sensitivity the hard way (having spread all over your face).