Help Proactiv Help You

I was using Proactiv Solutions for quite some time before I decided that the results were not worth the money. A few years later I gave Proactiv another try. I cannot say that I am 100% acne free, but there is NO cure for acne; however, my skin looks better than it EVER has! I very rarely get any major blemishes and when I do they go away so quickly with this skin care routine. I have compiled a few tips that make a HUGE difference when using Proactiv.

• *Ladies* Remove all of your makeup prior to washing your face with the Renewing Cleanser. If you don't, you're basically rubbing all the makeup over your face and your just not going to get as clean as if you were to remove your makeup first.
• Wash as it says on the bottle: "Massage onto damp face for 1-2 minutes." First thing here: Your face does not need to be soaking wet. If it is it's going to rinse all the little exfoliating beads away. Second: Massage into face for the entire 2 Minutes! If you think about it, do you really stand there and rub your face for 2 minutes? Probably not, but it will work way better if you do! Also, you don't need to rub the skin off your face... If you do it for the full 2 minutes, it will get clean by gently rubbing.
• When drying your face... PAT, DON'T RUB. Proactiv can really dry out your skin. Patting your face dry will help your skin retain moisture. It takes a few moments longer to completely dry your skin, but it's worth it. Always use a CLEAN towel! (Duh.)
• If you use the Refining Mask, apply right after washing (before the Toner.) Don't dry your face all the way if plan on using the mask. It says to apply to dampened face. Leave on for 10-15 minutes & rinse thoroughly.  Some people want to sleep in the mask. I feel like this would be absolutely horrible for your face; not to mention smelling the sulfur all night long would kill my throat. However, I have used this over night as a spot treatment for cystic-type blemishes. (The ones that are huge underneath the skin and hurt!)
• Revitalizing Toner: You don't want to soak your face with this stuff... Just enough to lightly dampen. I like to squeeze the cotton ball/pad to get any excess liquid out, then apply to face.
• Make sure your toner is COMPLETELY DRY & ABSORBED before applying the repairing lotion. It's very important. (I usually flap my hands in front of my face to help along the process.) I usually give it about 2-3 minutes.
• When applying the Repairing Lotion: LESS IS MORE! I can't stress this enough. It even says on the back of the bottle to "Apply a thin layer." This stuff dries/absorbs quickly so work fast to get your entire face covered! You literally only need a pea-size amount. Maybe a big pea, but Still... Very Little! I will usually put some on my finger tips & apply to everything under eyes. Then take a TINY bit more and apply to forehead.. (Only because it absorbs so quickly.) Do whatever works for you; as long as you only apply a very thin layer.


• Advanced Blemish Treatment: If you are using this or have tried this, and you find it not working that well: I HIGHLY suggest switching to Acnefree Terminator 10. It's sold at Walmart, Target, etc. This works MUCH better than the Proactiv one; (in my opinion.) The reasoning: The Proactiv Advance Blemish Treatment contains 6% Benzoyl Peroxide. The Acnefree Brand contains 10%. Plus, it's much cheaper!



Korres

• MOISTURIZE!!!!!!!!!!!! I know what some of you are thinking: "There is NO way I'm putting a moisturizer all over my already oily pimply skin." I thought that too! BUT you HAVE to, and I'll tell you why. Proactiv WILL dry your skin out.. Your skin is saying, "Holy Crap.. I'm so dry! I better start producing more Sebum(oils)!!" Your skin will start working overtime to try and replace the oils you have stripped from it; which in return, will cause more breakouts! (Which is why the Refining mask is only intended for 2-3x weekly.) You need to find a good balancing moisturizer. Wait about 5 minutes for your Repairing Lotion to absorb before putting on moisturizer. I use Korres Pomegranate Balancing Moisturizer at Ulta.  It targets moisture where you need it and doesn't clog pores. Again, you don't need a lot of this. It  will feel slightly heavy at first if you're not used to moisturizers, but absorbs really well within 10-15 minutes. It's intended for oily-combination skin. It also acts like a mattifying agent so i can work really well under makeup.
• SUNSCREEN?? I actually only want to use the Korres one at night because I like to use a moisturizer with slightly higher SPF during the day. Finding a good sunscreen that won't make you break out is difficult.  After ample research, I've chosen to buy La Roche-Posay Anthelios SX Daily Moisturizer SPF 15. (<-also available at Ulta.com) It is NONACNEGENIC: Won't cause breakouts. YAY! I have yet to try it, but once I receive it, I will do a quick review. (I'm also putting together a post on some baffling info about sunscreens, which (hopefully) will be posted soon!)

The most important part of using Proactiv is commitment. You must use it EVERY morning and EVERY night. If you want to see results, you can't be slacking! There's no "I'm just too tired tonight." Make your skin care routine a habit and try not to rush through it. Also, If you just started using Proactiv or have tried it and gave up on it: Give it 6-8 weeks before giving up! Acne starts forming weeks under the skin before they come to the surface. Give it time for those blemishes to come out.

Additional tips for preventing acne:

• Don't touch your face so much. Lots of people touch their face without even realizing it. Try to get out of the habit. If you find yourself still touching your face a lot: wash your hands or use sanitizer often. Hands are dirty!
• Change your pillow case often! You sweat and shed skin cells while you sleep. I usually change mine every other night and flip the pillow over for the following night.
• Use an anti-bacterial soap (Original Dial is perfect) on your hands directly before applying makeup! Even if you just washed your face 15 minutes ago. Stop and think about all the stuff you touched since you washed your face.. (door knob? cell phone? etc.)
• Disinfect your phone! We play and hold our phones constantly and continue to hold it against our face.
• I'm going to be a hypocrite here and tell you not to pick. I know it's hard. For me, it's impossible. Know when to stop. If the pus is out and is just leaking clear fluid.. leave it alone! The clear fluid is excess sebum from being irritated. If you can't resist the urge to pick, wash your hands with Dial Soap before and wash your face  immediately after.

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What extra measures do you take to prevent breakouts?!Thanks for your comments!