I've been doing this routine for over six months now and I don't think I'm going to be changing anything in the near future. I'm 27 and I still do get random spots especially during my period but I had a really nasty break out earlier this year and I just felt really awful about myself. I wish I could post a before shot but I hated taking pictures of my bare face back when it was really bad and trust me it was terrible. Tons of blackheads and whiteheads and closed comedones everywhere. After several months of trial and error, I think I finally found a routine that works for me.
I've been using Virgin Coconut Oil for a while as a lotion and my body is as smooth and soft as silk I kid you not. One night, I was getting tired of being so red and just a weird combination of oily and dry from using Retin-a and I guess my Ponds moisturizer just wasn't cutting it. I had the coconut oil in my hand and I was like screw this and started slathering some on my forehead and then moisturized the rest of my face with Ponds. Several weeks in and I noticed that my forehead was a heck of a lot smoother and a lot less irritated-looking than the rest of my face and that's when I decided to use the coconut oil all over. It was the best skin care decision of my life. So yeah, I therefore conclude that my holy grail products are Retin-a and VCO.
SKIN TYPE: dehydrated, oily, acne prone
AM:
Cleanse: Cetaphil
Tone: Celeteque Oil Free Toner
Moisturize: Virgin Coconut Oil (Please, please do a patch test, I understand that this is highly comedogenic for some people but I swear by it. It has done wonders for me and actually made my face a whole lot less oiler. I used to be an oil slick.)
Sunscreen: I don't do this and I know majority of you will be outraged but it's been working for me so far. In my defense I don't really stay outdoors for long. I use a bb cream though that has an SPF of 30 something. Tony Moly Oil Cut BB Cream.
PM:
Cleanse: Cetaphil
Tone: Celeteque Oil Free Toner
Tretinoin: Retin-a 0.5%
Moisturize: Virgin Coconut Oil and then I seal everything with Vaseline.