What I Use on My Combination Skin
I’ll never forget the anticipation I felt knowing puberty was around the corner as I neared my 10th birthday. I was excited because I was confident it would bring curves to a body that was constantly being reminded of its skinny frame. Well, instead of curves, puberty gave me body hair, a period, and a flurry of acne. And that’s putting it lightly.
For a little over a decade, acne made its home on my face and left behind hyperpigmentation scars. Visible hyperpigmentation scars that made me want to melt into the floor whenever I heard something about ‘good’ skin. Whatever that was, I didn’t have it and that added to the discomfort I was already feeling.
First thing’s first - I’ve never been to a dermatologist and cannot wait to go once my budget allows for it. I’m currently doing things I wish I could have done when I was younger, like having braces (aligners), so a dermatologist is next on my to-do list. The only thing that curbed my acne is being more mindful of dietary and hormonal triggers.
As someone who used to consume dairy all of the time, I didn’t realize it was causing internal inflammation that would show up in my skin. I used to eat cereal at different times of the day, tons of pizza throughout the week, and cheese for snacks. Acne was my skin’s way of saying, "your gut health and I are suffering.”
After becoming tired of painful, cystic acne, I decided to not only change my diet but develop a skincare regimen. If I’m being honest, there are certain things that I wasn’t taught because I wasn’t in an environment where anyone was well versed on skincare. I don’t blame anyone for this because it’s hard to teach someone something you’re not aware of.
Nevertheless, after much trial and error, I developed a regimen that works for my skin. After I gave birth last year, my skin did change so I had to make minor modifications. However, they’re not major changes and work well with the regimen I started 5 years ago. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the products I use.
As you can see, these products have some wear and tear save for the Good Molecules addition.
Morning Routine
Sometimes I wash my face in the morning and sometimes I don’t - it’s a bad habit. On the days I don’t, the below products are what I use.
In order:
Nolaskinsentials Porefect Toner or Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner
Topicals Faded Cream (once per day)
Black Girl Suncscreen SPF 30 (applied in the morning and again in the afternoon - not pictured)
Kiehl’s Ultra Face Cream (Hydration)
Evening Routine
In order:
Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Mask (once per week)
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 2%
Kiehl’s Ultra Face Cream
