dxelt
Iron
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2023
- Posts
- 82
- Reputation
- 102
For the longest time I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with my skin. I thought it was diet, hormones, or even stress. I even switched to a vegan diet thinking it would fix everything but nothing really changed. I also quit smoking/drinking (should’ve done that anyway) but yea I didn’t know wtf was wrong.
Here’s what I was doing DAILY:
Benzoyl Peroxide — super strong and drying, but I started using it because it actually saved me from constant ingrown hairs. As a Black man, shaving was wrecking my skin and BP helped stop the breakouts. The problem was I started using it like a daily face wash and never gave my skin a break it ended up over-stripping me and damaging my barrier.
Kojic acid — I used it to fade the hyperpigmentation that comes from ingrown hairs and shaving irritation (again, something a lot of Black mfs deal with). But using it too often on already stressed skin just made everything worse — it got more uneven, sensitive, and raw.
Exfoliating every other day - both chemical and physical.
Witch hazel in the morning - thinking it was “cleaning” my skin, but it just stripped it more.
All this combined literally raped my skin barrier: my skin got tight, irritated, dull, sometimes even burning when I applied moisturizer. I thought I had sensitive skin or allergies never realized I caused the sensitivity. Whenever I would apply moisturizer it feels as if it didn’t work.
My pores looked bigger, my tone got more uneven, and breakouts didn’t stop they got worse.
Only after I stopped everything and focused on healing did I realize how bad I wrecked my barrier.
What helped:
No exfoliants
No actives
Gentle cleanser, thick moisturizer, Aquaphor at night
Mineral sunscreen daily
Lots of water and patience
If you’re out here STACKING actives thinking MORE = BETTER, please chill. Give your skin time to heal and you’ll get way further in the long run.
I’ve realized you just gotta keep shit simple and not be a faggot about skincare
Here’s what I was doing DAILY:
Benzoyl Peroxide — super strong and drying, but I started using it because it actually saved me from constant ingrown hairs. As a Black man, shaving was wrecking my skin and BP helped stop the breakouts. The problem was I started using it like a daily face wash and never gave my skin a break it ended up over-stripping me and damaging my barrier.
Kojic acid — I used it to fade the hyperpigmentation that comes from ingrown hairs and shaving irritation (again, something a lot of Black mfs deal with). But using it too often on already stressed skin just made everything worse — it got more uneven, sensitive, and raw.
Exfoliating every other day - both chemical and physical.
Witch hazel in the morning - thinking it was “cleaning” my skin, but it just stripped it more.
All this combined literally raped my skin barrier: my skin got tight, irritated, dull, sometimes even burning when I applied moisturizer. I thought I had sensitive skin or allergies never realized I caused the sensitivity. Whenever I would apply moisturizer it feels as if it didn’t work.
My pores looked bigger, my tone got more uneven, and breakouts didn’t stop they got worse.
Only after I stopped everything and focused on healing did I realize how bad I wrecked my barrier.
What helped:
No exfoliants
No actives
Gentle cleanser, thick moisturizer, Aquaphor at night
Mineral sunscreen daily
Lots of water and patience
If you’re out here STACKING actives thinking MORE = BETTER, please chill. Give your skin time to heal and you’ll get way further in the long run.
I’ve realized you just gotta keep shit simple and not be a faggot about skincare
