My Favorite Skincare Products

Recently I have been experiencing some skin problems, particularly breakouts on my face and dry skin patches on the rest of my body.  I’m sure a lot has to do with the weather (it’s colder and dryer during the winter) as well as what I’m eating and drinking (time to drink more water and reduce the amount of dairy in my diet).  Also making sure I use the “right” products for my skin type.  After lots of trial and error I think I have come up with the right mix of products.

For my body

Because I am a bust mom of 3, I have to keep my grooming routine simple.  You know, get in, wash up and get out.  I’m talking 20 minutes tops and that includes hair and make-up.  Okay who am I lying to; I’m slow so let’s say 30 minutes.     Shower time, I like to keep it simple and use the least amount of products possible and that is just what I have done.  My two favs right now are Dove soap; it’s gentle for my sensitive skin and it gets the job done.  It have a nice clean smell and doesn’t dry out my skin.  After my shower, I use good old Coconut Oil as my all over moisturizer.  Right now I am using the Spectrum Organic Coconut Oil that you can find at your local health food or grocery store.  You can also find this brand at Walmart.  Before getting into the shower, I will place the oil in a bowl of extremely hot water to liquefy the oil and then use it in its liquid form on damp skin to seal in the moisture.  Can you say soft, smooth skin?

Bye- bye dry patches and hello softness! (I also use Coconut Oil for my hair which I will go into in a later post.)

For my face

As I mentioned earlier, lately I have been experiencing quite a few breakouts.  You would think at 40+ I would be past that phase in my life, but noooooo.  So trying to find the “right” products for my skin has been a challenge. Oh and did I mention that I also have extremely oily skin?  Plus don’t forget I don’t have a lot of time for a 10 step skincare system (I have 3 kids that I have to get ready and out the door by 8:30 am). In total I use 6 products; 3 in the morning and 4 as a part of my night time routine.  Here is the breakdown.

Morning Skincare Routine

In the morning, after my shower, I wash my face with Olay’s Regenerist cream cleanser using cool water.  This is a creamy cleanser that helps exfoliates, detoxify and speeds up my cells natural regeneration process.  Next I use good old Dickinson’s Original Witch Hazel as my toner; it helps clean and condition my pores as well as helps control my oily skin.  I follow up with my moisturizer which is just Olay’s Complete moisturizer with a broad spectrum, SPF of 15.  And that is it.

If I have some extra time I will throw on some make-up and then I’m done for the day.

Nighttime Skincare Routine

In the evening, I use Neutrogena Clear Pore cleanser/mask to wash my face.  I like it because it is a dual product, you can use it as a daily cleanser or you can leave it on your face as a mask.  I also like it because it has benzoyl peroxide in it and this helps me control my breakouts.  I will also find myself using it as a spot treatment leaving it on overnight on those pesky little breakouts.  After I clean my face, I then use the Dickinson’s Original Witch Hazel again, followed up by the pure Aloe Vera juice.  The Aloe Vera juice is good for soothing skin irritations and helps keep my skin moisturized.  The kind that I’m using right now has lemon juice in it which is good for getting rid of the blemish scars and helps even out my skin tone.  I then follow up my routine with a good night cream.  Right now I’m using Olay’s Age Defying night cream and I like it.

So those are my favorite skin care products for the winter.  What are yours?  Feel free to share your favorite products for skin and face in the comments section below.

Erika