Skin care can be confusing, expensive, and also rewarding if you invest yourself, educate yourself, and find what works for you. Don’t waste money on high end skin care products when you can get the same ingredients in less expensive ones. Knowledge is power…or in our case…beauty. 🙂

Skin Care Basics

Cleansing:

Double cleansing alone changed my skin. Drastically. You need to use an oil-based cleanser to remove makeup and sunscreen. It literally just melts the makeup off. My mascara usually just comes off as I’m rubbing my eyes with my hands, but if not, I’ll use a cotton ball. Rinse. (Just splash with water then pat with towel.) And then use a gentle, moisturizing water-based cleanser. (Never, ever use bar soap.)

Here are the links to the oil cleansers I use. These are extremely popular amongst the entire skin care community so these are the only ones I’ve ever tried. And they are great.

I love this cleansing balm as well however it is near impossible to find (if you find it load up!).

Here are the water-based cleansers I use. I alternate between the two. You just want to make sure it is moisturizing and doesn’t strip your skin. The Cerave is more moisturizing than the Vanicream, however I like the Vanicream on days where I use a ton of makeup. (Avoid the cerave foam cleanser if you have dry skin.)

Scrubbing your face with physical exfoliants such as face wash with beads or scrubbing with those fancy scrubbers can break down your natural moisture barrier of your skin and cause you to break out. You have to somewhat nurse this back to recovery which is why I recommend avoiding physical exfoliation.

Gently wash your face with the pads of your fingers with a moisturizing, gentle face wash, and then splash your face with water to rinse. No washcloth; no fancy devices. Pat dry. Be delicate with your skin and keep that moisture barrier intact.

Always lukewarm water. Water is actually irritating to the skin. And hot water can break down your barrier and damage your skin. I try to avoid how often water comes into contact with my face and as soon as I’m finished washing it, I immediately slap on some moisturizer to prevent secondary water loss through evaporation.

Moisturize:

Moisturize! Moisturize! I exclusively use Cerave moisturizer. And will only ever use Cerave (this still stands true years later as I edit this post). And I use this for my face and body, morning and night. Forever and ever. And I use it on my kids. I can’t recommend this enough. Your skin will thank me. Just make sure you use it on wet skin to maximize it’s benefits. And always use clean hands to scoop it out (I prefer the one with a pump however it is harder to find). 

Cerave makes a few different moisturizers each with different ingredients, so make sure you get the one in the tub (link below). Some of their other moisturizers have ingredients that break me out, but this one is amazing and exceeds any high end brand moisturizer.

Some people are scared to use a moisturizer because they have oily skin or are prone to break outs. Using a moisturizer will NOT make you break out (if you use what is called a non-comedogenic one….such as the blue cerave one). Even if you cake it on (and oh….i do).  Your skin might actually be breaking out because you are NOT using a moisturizer. And you may be oily because you are NOT using one. Your skin is super dry so it starts producing oil which then clogs your pores and makes you break out. So then you avoid it even more and the cycle just continues. (Basically me in college.) So use it. And don’t be timid with it.

Ingredients:

Ceramides and hyaluronic acid are excellent ingredients to look for. These are components of your body’s natural moisture barrier. Some moisturizers (such as Dr. Jart) charge an outrageous amount because they include these ingredients. But you can easily find the same ingredients in affordable brands as well (such as my beloved Cerave lotion). 

Products also emphasize the ingredient retinol/retinoids for anti-aging. Retinol is basically the inactive form of a retinoid. So it would then need to be converted to the active form once it’s applied to the skin….which just means it’s the weak stuff. Just go to your doctor and ask for some retin-A (or tretinoin). This is retinoic acid. Its already in its active form (so it’s stronger) and there is no argument that it is the absolute best product for anti-aging (also great for acne, hyperpigmentation, scars, etc). Don’t waste your money on retinol.

How to use hyaluronic acid:

If you’re using anything with the ingredient hyaluronic acid (which I highly recommend that you are), always use the product on a wet face. Hyaluronic acid can hold up to 1000x its weight in water. So maximize it’s goodness by putting it on a soaking wet face! Cosmetic fillers (like lip fillers that plump up your lips) are basically just hyaluronic acid. So you can get great results using this ingredient. I can sometimes see instant plumping of my fine lines when I use this. (I use a hyaluronic acid serum. And my cerave moisturizer also includes it.)

This is the hyaluronic serum I use. Basically straight from heaven. It instantly plumps. I apply it to a soaking wet face and pat it in. It’s gentle, fragrance free, and does well under my eyes. I immediately follow this with my cerave lotion (seal it all in).

There is another option I’ve read great reviews on, but haven’t tried. The hada labo just does the trick but here’s another option.

Eye Cream:

Don’t waste your money. If you’re using a good moisturizer that is gentle, it shouldn’t be a problem using near your eyes. (I use the hyaluronic acid serum and the cerave lotion under my eyes, and even put the cerave lotion on my eyelids.)

The one exception to eye products is the Deciem caffeine solution. The caffeine constricts the blood flow under the eyes and gets rid of your dark circles and puffiness. It works wonders when you’re using it, but it doesn’t correct the problem long term. Still comes in clutch when you need it so I always keep it on hand! (And it’s cheap!)

Ointment:

If I’m really dry or have dry patches on my face, I will occlude my moisturizer with an ointment (cerave ointment is my favorite because it contains ceramides which basically helps it heal). So I wash my face, apply my moisturizer to a wet face, and then apply my ointment on top. You can use aquaphor, vaseline, or cerave healing ointment which are all non-comedogenic (meaning they won’t clog your pores or make you break out).

I always put it on my lips. Day and night. I use it like a lipgloss over my lip stains or in place of chapstick (those ceramides work wonders). I use it on my kid’s faces when they get a rash around their mouth from licking/drooling. I use it on eczema patches (and recommend it to patient’s with eczema). I use it in our nares when we have a cold and it gets dry/cracked/bleeds. I love this stuff.

Side note: For my patients with eczema I always recommend covering the child with cerave moisturizing cream and then immediately topping with cerave ointment or aquaphor within like 30 seconds of getting out of the bath (while they are soaking wet).

My current fav for occluding my moisturizer is squalene oil. I’m obsessed with it and make sure I never run out. This is what I also use as chapstick/lip oil currently. (Squalene has been my go-to for about the past 2 years). It won’t break you out or clog your pores. Squalene oil is part of your natural moisturize barrier so you are only adding an oil your skin naturally produces.

Chemical exfoliant:

Salicylic acid should be a part of everyone’s routine at least a few times a week. This is a wonderful chemical exfoliator (NEVER use physical exfoliation such as scrubbing or soaps with beads in it….only chemical). It gets down into those blackheads and pores and works its magic. Salicylic acid in a wash form is just as effective as topical so I prefer to use it in a wash. Just leave it on for about a minute or two. I personally use it in the mornings (every morning) in the shower.

This is what I use. It’s very strong and can be drying so start slow. But this is a staple in my routine and I will never go without this wash. (Years later as I edit this post I still use this every morning in the shower.)

SUNCREEN!

Why on earth would you pay for botox, use hyaluronic acid to plump everything you can, use retinA to prevent aging, and waste all of this effort if you’re not even going to use sunscreen?!

Take care of your skin. Protect it. Pamper it. And moisturize it with cerave. 🙂

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