AM & PM skincare routine; Oily, acne prone skin

So I’ve gotten quite a few people request me to give them a routine for their oily, acne prone skin and since I have the same skin type, I thought to myself, ‘why not?!’

I have decided to write down my own AM and PM routine, you know the routine that has worked for me with some additions here and there.

AM SKINCARE ROUTINE

Cleanse; A good salicylic acid cleanser will be very ideal in the morning to open up your pores and remove all the grease and gunk in there. I usually interchange between using my salicylic acid cleanser and black soap. Black soap is a cheaper alternative to the Clinique cleanser I currently use and It helps keep my face acne free.

Tone: A toner that is water based with herbs and has neither alcohol nor glycerin is best for use to balance your skin. That is alcohol will most likely dry out your skin and increase your sebum production while glycerin will only increase the oiliness of your skin. The last time I visited the Oriki spa in Victoria Island, (I have a blog post on my experience here) the spa attendant mentioned that I get the Oriki Herbal skin cleansing toner w/ natural green tea which had neither glycerin nor alcohol so wouldn’t make me oily in general.

Eye cream: A good and affordable eye cream will keep puffy eyes at bay and will help to lift dark circles. I use the Radha Beauty Intensive Youth Eye Gel.

Moisturizer: A lightweight moisturizer that will hydrate your skin and also keep you matte will be very ideal for the day especially if you live in the very sunny part of the world like Lagos, Nigeria.

Sunscreen: This should be the last step of your AM routine and typically should be applied 15 minutes before you step out into the sun. If you have hyper-pigmentation on your skin, this step is very important. A matte sunscreen that will neither get you oily through the day, leave a white cast on your skin nor break you out should be what you should look out for. Ideally, anything with SPF 30 and above is recommended. I use the Neutrogena Ultra sheer Dry-touch Broad spectrum SPF 45.

PM SKINCARE ROUTINE

The Night routine is a more intense version of the Am routine and this is where most of the Job of working on your skin is done. Note that I don’t double cleanse because I usually

Take your makeup off: A micellar cleansing water without alcohol and a cotton pad or cleansing wipes is great for this stage. You can also use a cleansing lotion or balm but make sure it’s lightweight and will not break you out eventually! Clinique has really good ones!

Cleanse: The aim here is to really cleanse your skin at the end of the day and prepare it for the next step of your night routine. Using the same cleanser used in your AM routine is perfect for cleansing and keeping your skin acne free.

Steam: Please steam your face at most twice a week as well. Preferably on the weekends if you work a full time job. This process opens up your pores and prepares your skin for the next stage. Put your face over a bowl of hot water with a towel over your head. This traps the heat coming from the bowl letting the steam open up your pores. Alternatively, shower with fairly hot water letting the stream from the water really open up your pores.

Exfoliate: It’s also important to exfoliate your skin two times a week with a very gentle scrub for a start so as to know if your skin can handle exfoliation and you then you can gradually move to three times a week  Exfoliation really helps to smooth out your skin and get rid of whiteheads that have possibly been brewing under the skin. I use the Simple Kind to skin smoothing facial scrub. If you have breakouts, please skip this step as you will irritate your skin further.

Mask: I would usually use a clay or charcoal mask to help draw impurities from the skin, reduce excess oil and close up my pores. A good charcoal mask to use is the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask to Clear Pores. A more affordable masque to use would be the Queen Helene Masque Mint Julep Mask. The mask should be used two to three times a week.

Tone: A toner is super important at this stage because of all the previous steps that were carried out. By the time your done with cleansing, steaming and exfoliating your face, it should be super stripped of your natural oil and it’s important to balance out your skin now with the toner. A toner with glycerin and Hyaluronic acid preferably should be used at this stage.

Eye cream: it’s important to use an eye cream also now as well so that it can work overnight to reduce puffiness, wrinkles and get rid of dark circles. Your eye cream works best at night.

Serum & Night cream / Acne treatment: If you have acne, I would suggest you treat it over some period of days with your acne treatment as opposed to using any oils that can cause you to break out further. I usually use a treatment with Benzoyl peroxide or spot treat my breakouts with 100% tea tree oil. If your skin is as clear as a coast, you can use your favorite serum and night cream and complete the process. If you have hyperpigmentation, a dark spot corrector night cream can be used.

Have a fabulous week ahead guys!

💋

This Article Has 8 Comments
  1. Ala says:

    Please can share where we can order this lovely products from. Don’t get to see this products in pharmacy in Port Harcourt

    • Ifeoluwa says:

      Hi Ala, I’ll remember to include links to online stores where you can find these products and also I’ll be featuring physical stores where you can find them as well. Stay tuned. thanks for stopping by. xxx

  2. Jeanny says:

    Great post! Vitamin C is a MUST for my skincare routine 🙂
    Jeanny from http://www.glitzbeautyblog.com

  3. Meshonda says:

    Thanks for the tips. I have tried everything and still have uneven skin tone and I have never worn make up.

    • Ifeoluwa says:

      There are so many things you can do to even out your skin. From using physical or chemical exfoliants to using vitamin C to even using Apple Cider Vinegar to lift those marks to even getting a chemical peel. Would most definitely do a post on this. Thanks for stopping by 💋

  4. Asaake says:

    I have been wanting to try something from Radha but haven’t gotten myself to do so. I have oily skin and this routing is right on point. 🙂

    • Ifeoluwa says:

      Radha beauty has many great products including facial oils. You should try them out. Thanks for reading dear. xxx

I'd love to hear from you!

%d bloggers like this: