Alright, everyone! I know that the majority of you wash your face morning and night, putting on a simple moisturizer afterwards. Also, I’m sure you’ve heard all of the things you “should” do as part of your beauty regimen. You’ve read all the things that the celebrities do by direction of their personal dermatologists, and they tell you to spend hours just on your face, including crazy products at crazy prices that could very well be a part of the 12 Days of Christmas (you all know what I mean). Here’s the thing, though, you don’t have to make washing your face such a strenuous chore, because let’s face it, you’re determined and all in to the twenty minute project for about a week, then, you fall out of the routine until you pick it up a month later for another week. And the cycle only continues. In reality, the simpler, the better, because at the end of the day, your skin just needs to be clean and moisturized.

Now, if you have seen a dermatologist or your physician about your skin, then please, by all means, follow what they tell you to do, because they are the professionals, and they know your skin.

So, first things first, you need to clean your face, after taking off your makeup with the makeup remover of your choice. There are obvious reasons why you should clean your face, besides the fact that it makes you feel clean and refreshed. Cleansing your face removes any makeup, dirt, or oil that has collected on your skin, and taking this action of washing all the gunk off will help clean out your pores. When all the oil and dirt is off your face, you are already taking a step towards helping heal any acne problems you might be having.

Next on the list is toner. I don’t know about you, but I often times tend to brush off the importance of toner, but the truth is that we can all benefit from it. If you tend to have oily skin like I do, it’s all the more reason to use toner. After putting this watery substance on, it has a very refreshing effect, but it does much more than that. Toner works to remove excess makeup and dirt from the skin and pores that your cleanser perhaps missed. More than cleaning, though, toner also actually helps to shrink the pores, which helps to eliminate excessive oil.

If you’re using a special acne medicine or treatment, now would be the time to apply it unless otherwise instructed by your doctor.

Next is moisturizer. As it is with every section of my own beauty regimen, I tend to prefer a simpler product than a moisturizer that does five things for imperfections. This is only personal preference, though, and if you’re using a system that works for you and you like it, then by all means, use it. There is a common confusion about moisturizer among those with oily skin, especially those who have an issue with acne. Why put moisture on my face when that’s what I already have too much of? The answer is this—the oil that acne-prone and oily skins produce is not the oil you want. Dirt and makeup collect and clog the pores, causing those blemishes we all despise. A moisturizer, though, is clean, and gives skin its healthy appearance—not the greasy one.

I’m sure many of you have heard the term “exfoliate” time and time again. If you’re at all like me, you immediately think “whatever.” Exfoliation, though, can be very beneficial. To exfoliate, you are basically scrubbing all the dead skin cells off of your face, which will result in healthier looking skin. It is not a good idea to do this every day, and it would be best to only do this two or three times a week. I wouldn’t go more than three times, but if you use it the two or three times, and you’re experiencing any extreme dryness or burning, then change your schedule by doing it one less time a week. On the day(s) that you do exfoliate, you first take off any makeup you’re wearing, cleanse your face, then use your scrub by following the directions of the product you are using. Then, you can apply your toner and moisturizer to finish the routine.

I know that this is a bit long of an explanation, so let me make a few lists just to steer clear of confusion.

Basic:

• Remove makeup/cleanse
• Toner
• Moisturizer

Acne-Prone:

• Remove makeup/cleanse
• Toner
• Acne treatment
• Moisturizer

Exfoliation:

• Remove makeup/cleanse
• Exfoliation scrub
• Toner
• Moisturizer

There’s a lot of steps to having healthy skin, but it doesn’t have to be so mega-complicated. Simplify it, figure out the products you like (and which ones like you), and stick to what you’re using. It won’t be the end of the world if you decide to change something, but it’s best if you stick to the same product for a while, and aren’t always changing what you use.