Friday night skin care with Auntie Lesley, because I’m stuck with me so now you are too!

(Also, I see people doing a little bit o crazy in quarantine...)

All genders apply!

**Caveat: I’m not a dermatologist, and you should know one. Their exemptions always apply. (1/x)

1) You should be cleansing your face morning and night, but not stripping it of all oil with hand or body soap.

Drying actually makes acne and redness worse.

Current trend is a double cleanse with an oil cleanser then a gentle foaming cleanser. Oil especially for makeup.

2) You *probably* don’t really need a toner/refiner because they’re also a bit drying and rough. Dermatologist exceptions apply.

I have a really moisturizing one but I honestly don’t find it an essential step in my routine.

YMMV, be cautious.

3) If you buy two skin care things, get a gentle, fragrance and paraben-free facial moisturizer and foaming cleanser and moisturize after every time you cleanse. Simple, natural, and drug store is fine! Sometimes less ingredients are more. Moisturizing right will help oily skin.

4) If you want to get a teeny bit fancy, a serum packs a little more nutrition into your skin and can target specific problems.

Again, be very cautious about long ingredient lists, parabens, any fragrances.

Doesn’t have to be pricey.

5) Exfoliating and peeling!

Some of this is aughts trends that kinda need to die.

Excessively stripping and drying out your skin makes dry AND oily skin worse. If you exfoliate, it’s more a once a week or two weeks thing. Scrubs and spinny brushes are very hard on your skin.

Stuff with natural and irregular particles like coffee scrubs can be especially unpredictable. We live in the 20s now, and we have many affordable and gentle chemical exfoliants with natural enzymes that you might want to check out instead. YMMV. Dermatologist exemptions apply!

Anyway, over-exfoliating is really not the best. Just like popping pimples.

6) Same goes for face masks. Peel-off masks can’t really reach down deeply to problem areas in your skin, but peeling them off (while satisfying) is kind of rough and potentially inflammatory. Lots of good, simple face masks out there in jar and sheet form.

Tldr: every human of means should be cleansing and moisturizing, like brushing their teeth. Adding on to the routine? Consider a simple, paraben and fragrance free serum and maybe a gentle enzyme exfoliant once a week. Take it easy with scrubs and peels.

There is no one magic secret that works for everyone’s skin, and that means fad shortcuts can be a little iffy too.

What works for an influencer may not work for you, so consider consulting a dermatologist.

There’s no shame in having good skin!