A year ago (almost exactly), my skin went haywire. I had moved from having clear complexion to one with cystic acne. I think at one point, I had 5 of them on my face and those suckers HURT. I could feel them throbbing on my face. The only thing that changed in my routine was that I was working out more. I wasn't about to change my workout schedule for my complexion, especially since working out is supposed to help push toxins out and give nicer skin!
My skin felt dry and oily. I know that must sound crazy. There would be a layer of oil on top of my skin, but my skin felt somewhat tight underneath. It feels this way moreso after a run outdoors.
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| That's me running. I'm so SLOW! |
But I think I've finally pinpointed the issue here. My skin is dehydrated. It wants water. My skin produces more oil because it is dry, to keep whatever moisture it can in the skin. It isn't the oil per se that hydrates the skin. The excess oil breeds acne. Thus, when I go running, I'm losing water to the elements and in sweating, thus my skin is thirsty despite my 8 glasses of h2o a day.
What I did
I stopped taking the product advice from the people at the spa, and at Sephora and ditched the products they recommended. They would look at my oily-on-the-surface acne-ridden face and declare that I had oily, problematic skin. Boy, were they completely wrong. Thank goodness for good return policies.
I switched to Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. For the past 2 weeks, I have been acne free, have reduced wrinkles (because skin is hydrated), and my skin is glowing (in the words of my coworker). I've also noticed that my pores aren't clogged, and my skin has stopped overproducing oil.
I've actually used Cetaphil before during this past year without success. However, I'm using it a bit differently now. Why does it work now and not before?
I slather that stuff on, and use a clean, dry face towel and gently wipe it off. Then I apply moisturizer.
Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser removed all my mineral makeup and mascara. I've even run a toner-soaked cotton pad to test the cleanliness of my face and Cetaphil got it all. It doesn't work as well though if I wet my face first as Cetaphil doesn't seem to have anything to cling to. Wetting my face just meant Cetaphil slipped off my face without taking the makeup with it and it also meant it didn't soak into my skin as easily.
Who did I get addicted to Cetaphil?
My entire department at work. Whether they had dry skin, eczema or normal skin, they all love Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser now. How did I get them addicted? I had them rub the Cetaphil cleanser all over their hands and wipe it off. That feeling of residue-free hydration was enough to get them hooked. One of them commented that their hands looked less wrinkly. Another commented that her hands were no longer so dry that when she closed them, she could feel the skin tighten.
What have they've got to lose? Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser comes in trial size at many stores (Walmart included), and a 1L bottle of the stuff costs about $20 (Canadian) at Costco.
Did you know that Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is multi-purpose?
- It can be an exfoliant: I mixed a bit of baking soda with some Cetaphil to exfoliate my face and it did not break me out. It was a bit drying though, so will try it with sugar next time.
- It's gentle enough for babies.
- You can use it on your body.
- Great for camping!
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