Whew, skincare. I talk about this a lot because, well, I don’t have “good” skin. I’m trying to work on my idea of what good/bad skin is because ultimately this is an organ that covers my whole body. The reality is,  having problematic skin really impacts how you feel.

I’m currently going through it because of hormones/diet and sometimes, I don’t want to leave my house. It gets really frustrating when you wake up and see yet *another* pimple.

Skincare information is easier to find now, thanks to the internet, but it still isn’t accessible to all. I came from a household where my grandmother just used Ponds (and had flawless skin) while my mom doesn’t wash off her make-up at night. Good information wasn’t available and I made a lot of mistakes!  Growing up, I didn’t have access to a dermatologist while expensive products weren’t a reality for me. I do know better now but I still make questionable decisions regarding my routine. So here’s some mistakes Teen/YA Alyx made throughout this skincare journey.

Putting toothpaste on a pimple

Ah, this age-old tip. I was 14 when I started putting on Colgate on any zits and somehow it never really worked for me. I was told that this home DIY acne treatment would help dry out pimples and eliminate the issue. There are dermatologists that will tell you about the efficacy of this “treatment”.  According to this Huffington Post article, “toothpaste irritates the skin, so some may believe that it dries out pimples, but what it really does is irritate and cause redness and peeling.”

Not paying attention to my skin type

A golden rule to getting your routine in order is actually knowing what your skin type is. Younger me, though? She didn’t care.  It was around four years ago, that I finally figured it out and established a proper routine. In the past, I used products that stripped my oily skin of moisture and didn’t care about how it impacted my skin barrier. Yes, it made it worse. I didn’t bother to change my habits either.

Not using sunscreen

My family has a history of hyper-pigmentation and even with that information, I barely used a moisturiser with sunscreen. However, the main reason was because I didn’t have much money for those #essentials. I don’t spend a lot of time outdoors (yes, really) and thought that was enough to combat potential pigmentation. I know better now and my daily moisturiser has a minimum of SPF25, even during the colder months.

Getting heavy with the exfoliating

We all need to exfoliate, otherwise your skin will suffer in the long run. In my case, I’m particularly prone to clogged pores and a good chemical exfoliant really helps. I have also been on the other side of the scale, using scrubs every other day and paying dearly for it. Overexfoliating will result in tight and itchy skin that feels horrible. I limit it to three times a week and keep track of what I’m using.

Mixing the wrong active ingredients

Skincare can get so complicated and very science. BHAs vs AHAs vs peptides or whatever else. Now you’ve started using chemical exfoliants and other products to bolster your routine. I’ve mixed vitamin C products after using an exfoliant, which isn’t the best thing to do. But, thankfully, this Beauty Within Youtube video helped me understand what I did wrong. Have a look below:

I hope this helps!

-A