Week 1:
As Henry David Thoreau put it, “Simplify, simplify.”
I have done just that.
I have packed away my huge pile of skin care products (see previous post for my past skin care regimen), and replaced them with three products:
1. Gerda Spillman Cleansing Milk
2. Gerda Spillman Skin Tonic without alcohol
3. Gerda Spillman Skinfood Extra Riche
Simplicity is heaven.
It has not always been that way because my skin is…well…special. It is dry and sensitive on my forehead, top of my nose, and cheekbones, and then oily on my chin, sides of nose, the fleshy parts of my cheeks, by my ears, and along my hairline. I quickly learned that I could not pigeonhole my skin into a single category of oily, or dry. The only other option I had was to choose products that were supposed to be for combination-type skins. Unfortunately, my skin thinks differently.
Not only is it dry, and oily, but it is also very sensitive. **Curse my fair, Scandinavian genetics!** I can’t use any sort of acne medication (salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, retin A, to name a few) for an extended period of time without severe dryness and peeling. Almost all acne skin care products I came across for combination skin had one of those ingredients in them, and they just didn’t work.
Nothing seemed to work.
My dry, oily, sensitive skin has given me a run for my money.
Literally.
I wasted A LOT of money trying A LOT of products that would make my skin happy. Like I mentioned in the previous post I found something that worked fine enough, but in my daily routine I was using five to six products!
Ridiculous right?
I am a mother of two little girls, and I can’t spend all my spare time pampering my skin. But, if I didn’t take the time to take care of my skin for a day, I was regretting it for a week as I dealt with a breakout and dry patches of skin.
In one week Gerda Spillmann products have already changed my skin care life. My skin care regimen has become so simple: Cleanse, Tone, and moisturize.
I couldn’t ask for more(or is it less?) in these three products.
The cleansing milk has a delicate fresh scent and is soothing and gentle.
The tonic, unlike other toner’s I’ve used, doesn’t sting or tingle when it goes on, but it leaves your skin feeling refreshed and clean.
The skinfood is like mother’s milk for your face. It is rich, creamy, and oh so luxurious. With the help of the skinfood moisturizer I might be able to enter my face into the “Soft as a Baby’s Bottom” contest.
My overall satisfaction with the products is great. I have found that I need to use a rag with the cleanser in order to get all of my make-up off, and I can’t use the toner on the dry parts of my face twice a day every day, but I have to use it on the oily parts of my face twice a day. I’m also thinking I might have to use some sort of exfoliant once a week to help with my regular dry skin shedding.
I am going to be patient as my skin adjusts to the new product line and l will give things another week to balance out before I add anything else to my new simplified routine.
As for improvement to my skin, I actually have noticed a little improvement. Usually I will have a zit surface, form a head, and then I’ll pop it (don’t judge me…you do it too). After a zit is popped it is usually red and sensitive for a day or two and then it will start to go away. This week the zits that did appear on my skin seemed to have a shorter life cycle. One in particular started forming on my chin. I was worried that it might turn into one of those painfully huge zits. After a day it just disappeared. That made my day.
Unfortunately my blackheads are still ever present on my face, as you can see in the pictures. I just have to keep reminding myself that miracles take time. As I patiently wait for my fabulous skin transformation, I will sit back and enjoy the simplicity of it all.
Until next week.
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