I finally found my ideal skin care routine

I’ve switched up my skincare routine recently and I’m so amazed by the results that I HAVE to share this with you.
I have normal to dry skin, super sensitive and annoyingly acne-prone. In spite of gingerly skipping through a pimple-free adolescence, once I hit my mid-twenties my skin exploded and I spent the past five or so years struggling with recurring, painful acne.
Needless to say, I tried everything: from drugstore remedies to dermatologist-prescribed medications, from stress-reducing meditation to mind-emptying running. Nothing worked. I had a brief acne-free window around the time I got married (THANK GOODNESS), but since I moved to New Zealand the zits irremediably came back.

Living Zero Waste and as minimal as possible also made me reconsider my approach to skin care. I didn’t want my bathroom drawer to be cluttered with dozens of creams and masks and cleansers. I did made an attempt at making my own face cream, however I wasn’t very pleased with the end result, plus I still have a bunch of products I’m trying to finish up, so basically I never got round to use it consistently and ended up abandoning the idea.
Then, about a month ago I had enough. I decided I was done spending time lathering my face with sunflower oil every morning, double cleansing every evening, spending endless hours looking for the perfect combination of moisture, glow and zit-repellent agents.

So I adopted a new skin care routine, which involves ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

I wash my face with lukewarm water in the morning, just enough to remove eye boogers and wake me up. In the evening, I only wash it again if I’ve been sweating or if I feel like I’ve accumulated excessive dirt. I pamper myself with a face mask once in a while mainly because I still have two face masks that I like and I want to finish, but once they are gone I probably won’t purchase more.

The result of all this is that I haven’t had a single pimple since I stopped torturing my face. I still have some acne scars that are slowly fading away, but other than that my skin has never felt better. I went through a phase where it felt really dry and tight for maybe two weeks when I first stopped using products, but now it’s smooth and clear and I can’t fucking believe it.
I am currently going through my first PMS with clear skin since I can remember, which makes me wonder what hormones have to do with all this.
Another thing I’m doing – and I have no idea whether this is contributing to my skin improvement – is chugging a litre of lukewarm water with ginger and lemon juice every morning (and sometimes evening, as I quite enjoy it). Other than that, I have been trying to reduce my coffee intake (although I’m writing this in a Starbucks) and to incorporate plenty of hydrating foods, however I’m still eating shit most of the time which led me to the conclusion that probably food has little to do with what my skin looks like.

So there you have it. If you’re struggling with acne, I would highly recommend that you try leaving your skin alone for a while. It might do wonders – plus think about all the money you’ll save or how much lighter your toiletry bag will be next time you travel!