skin control- vanity attacks

Let me bore you (assuming someone actually reads this blog) with my obsession over skin care products. Growing up, I was a pimply kid- the one who always had blackheads and whiteheads all year round and I always felt ugly for having them in my life. Fast forward to the here and now, I've pretty found a skin care regimen that works for me but I think I would have to look for a new one because my skin's getting very, very sensitive with daily use of my mom's astringent.

My ate suggested that I consult her book on skin care and find my skin type so I could use the right products on my skin. I don't want to have to grow old with wrinkled and melasma-ridden skin so I got the book and took the quiz.

I can't decide whether I'm an OSPW (Oily, Sensitive, Pigmented, Wrinkled) or an OSPT (Oily, Sensitive, Pigmented, Tight).

This book is enlightening. It tells you what products you should use, what ingredients in beauty products to avoid and what ingredients you should look for in products. Like for me, I'm an OSPW/T so I should avoid products that have butyl stearate, cinnamon oil, coconut oil, isopropyl isostearate, etc. and also sodium laureth sulfate, the ingredient that makes soaps sudsy. And that's my #1 mistake because I thought the more bubbles, the better. I didn't like Cetpahil because it doesn't have suds; I preferred foamy facial wash. Turns out, I should avoid products with thick, 'vigorous' foam. One facial wash I really love is St. Ive's Apricot Scrub and seems like I would have to bid adieu to it because it has sodium laureth sulfate. Will look for other scrubs. This means no more Pond's or anything sudsy. Also, I would have to avoid getting shampoo on my face (sodium laureth sulfate galore!). 

Before, I only avoided products that have mineral oil in them and looked for the terms non-comedogenic, oil-free, etc. Non-comedogenic doesn't guarantee it won't clog your pores. Turns out there are so much more I should watch out for in my skin care products. 

So for now, my current skin care regimen consists of PanOxyl soap-free cleanser, Eucerin Gentle Hydrating Cleanser, Acne Aid Cleansing Bar, PanOxyl Acnegel 5% (just switched from 2%, apparently I have mild to moderate acne), Eskinol Pimple-Fighting with 300mg Dalacin C and I put Celeteque Anti-Wrinkle Moisturizer in dry and wrinkled areas. There are other products in the list I want to try but are not available here such as Clearasil Face Wash, Clean & Clear Continuous Control Acne Wash, Neutrogena Visibly Refined Facial Toner or Bioré Triple Action Toner and Neutrogena Visibly Young Day Cream SPF 20. Sana maging available sila in the local market soon. 

So there, my quest for healthy, blemish-free skin. Keeping my fingers crossed and hope new regimen works.