Acne Treatment Morning and Night Skincare Routine

Through trial and error, and many, many years, I FINALLY figured out an acne treatment and skincare routine to help keep my skin clear!

I suffered from acne ever since I was a teenager and unfortunately, had to endure constant breakouts throughout my entire adulthood.

However, when I suddenly started to suffer from cystic acne, which is a more severe form of acne, I decided I was going to figure out how to get clear skin once and for all.

If you have acne or cystic acne and want to learn what I did to get clear skin and keep it clear, definitely check out my ebook “A Skincare Guide to Preventing Cystic Acne” to see if the lifestyle changes I made can possibly help you.

My skincare routine was one of the main changes I made and the following steps below have worked as part of my own acne treatment.

*I wish to be transparent with my readers/viewers. Some on the links in the description contain affiliate links. If you click on the link and then go on to make a purchase, I will earn a small commission.

 

Morning Acne Routine

Cleansing 

I wash my face only once a day.

That’s right!

Sounds strange and gross at the same time, but when I was desperately trying to figure out how to get rid of cystic acne, I stumbled across a video on YouTube that talked about “The Caveman Method.”

Basically, the overall concept of The Caveman Method is to not wash your face, not even with water, because constantly stripping your face of its natural oils is what causes your skin to produce MORE oil and therefore, the reason behind constant breakouts.

I thought to myself, “what the heck” and gave The Caveman Method a try, which is discussed more in my ebook.

I now practice a modified version of The Caveman Method for my acne treatment where I choose to wash my face, but only in the mornings.

I use either my DIY African Black Soap Face Wash or Tula’s The Cult Classic Purifying Face Cleanser about 3x per week.

I highly recommend Tula’s skincare line for acne because they use ingredients that are good for your skin like probiotics. Currently, I’m using products from their Discovery Kit, which includes the cleanser.

When I wash my face, I am NOT looking to strip my skin completely of oil.

A quick run through of the cleanser over my face and a few splashes of water to remove the soap is all I need to wash my face.

I also use only water to cleanse my face about 2x per week because I want to prevent over stripping my skin from using cleansers every day.

Lastly, when my face feels a little rough, I exfoliate about 2x per week to help get rid of dead skin and to make the texture smoother.

I have used a gentle exfoliate like Clean & Clear Blackhead Eraser Scrub with no issues, but Tula’s So Polished Exfoliating Scrub will be my next purchase.

So, to easily break it down for you, I wash my face only once per day as part of my acne treatment by doing the following weekly regime:

• Use a cleanser 3x per week
• Use only water 2x per week
• Use an exfoliate 2x per week

 

Moisturize

After cleansing, I let my face air dry until it’s a little dewy.

I don’t use towels because the residue from detergents can be irritating to acne prone skin. Plus, towels can become a breeding ground for bacteria, which can get on your face and cause more acne.

If you switch out your face towel daily, you should be fine.

Otherwise, as a tip, I recommend letting your face air dry. You can read more acne preventing tips in my other ebook “The Best 21 Tips to Prevent Acne.”

To add, you may have heard of the Oil Cleansing Method, which only uses oils to clean your face, but you can also use oil as a moisturizer too.

For instance, I use 100% Natural African Shea Butter as a facial moisturize in the mornings. I also have used non-comedogenic oils like olive oil, sesame oil, and grapeseed oil.

When I use Shea Butter to moisturize, I take a pea size to rub it in the palm of my hands (the body heat melts the butter) and then apply it over my face and neck.

During my battle with cystic acne, I used olive oil as a moisturizer and I added 1-2 drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil, which is great if you want to get rid of pimples fast!

Sometimes, I want to use a cream rather than an oil and I will use Tula’s 24-7 Moisture Hydrating Day & Night Cream from my Discovery Kit.

To break down how I moisturize:

• Air dry face after cleansing
• Apply Shea Butter over my face and neck, or I use a moisturizing cream

 

Sunscreen

I will admit, I am pretty bad about using sunscreen.

If you use topical retinoids for your acne treatment, sunscreen is MUST! No exceptions.

This includes face lotions or moisturizers that contain retinol; you must wear sunscreen. Not wearing sunscreen can seriously damage your skin when you go outside in the sun.

I no longer use acne medications, but still, I have gotten pretty lax about applying sunscreen on my face.

One of the main reasons why I don’t like wearing sunscreen on my face all the time is because I don’t want to chance clogging my pores and thus, potentially cause pimples.

I suppose that’s why I don’t wear any makeup either-lol.

Nevertheless, I know I need to regularly include wearing sunscreen as part of my acne treatment routine. Besides,  sunscreen is a key player to preventing premature wrinkles.

For my sunscreen, I use Neutrogena’s Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen with Broad Spectrum SPF 70 and it’s pretty light as far as sunscreens are concerned.

Plus, it doesn’t leave a white residue on your face or make it look chalky, which is a problem if you are a person of color.

To break how I use sunscreen:

• Apply a light sunscreen with a SPF of at least 30 or higher on my face and neck 15 minutes before going outside

 

 

Night Routine

Cleansing

My night routine is super simple to keep my skin clear as part of my acne treatment where I practice a bit more of the Caveman Method. Since I only wash my face just once per day, my nighttime skincare regimen looks like this.

• Use a cotton ball to wipe my face clean of surface dirt with my DIY Acne Toner 

 

Again, I am not looking to strip my face of its natural oils. Since I don’t wear makeup, cleaning my face at night is easy peasy where a toner is more than sufficient.

 

Moisturize

I don’t use Shea Butter as a moisturizer at night because the yellow coloring is staining to my bedding. Instead, I use the hydrating day & night cream from Tula.

I then apply Petroleum Jelly on my face and neck to seal in moisture. I especially like using it around my eyes to help prevent crow’s feet.

• Use a hydrating moisturizing cream
• Apply Petroleum Jelly over face, eyes, and neck to lock in moisture

 

Thus far, my new routine has been a great acne treatment at home without the need to use acne medications.

I try to keep my skincare routine simple, but I also try to change it up every once in a while so it doesn’t become stagnant.

I believe this was one of my problems before because I had the same skincare routine for years that eventually became ineffective.

If you previously tried other acne treatments with little to no results, try changing your skincare routine first.

How you care for your skin plays a huge role in clearing up your acne. However, you may also need to make other lifestyle changes to keep your face clear and prevent future breakouts.

If you are determined to get clear skin like I was, read how I did it in my ebook. Also, if you have some time, check out my YouTube playlist below on acne.

If you liked this blog post or the videos, please like, share, and subscribe!

YouTube
Twitter
Instagram

Thanks!

-Tanisa