I recently tried out a new serum from a company whose name will be redacted, so we will call it Company X. After using it for just a few days, my face was completely covered in redness. Fast forward another couple days, and I have a total breakout disaster. I’m talking pimples throughout my forehead, cheeks, jawline, every single imaginable area on my face. I had posted a video on my Instagram stories for what it looked like. Trust me, this picture does not do it justice. It was way worse in person. And unfortunately for me, it was picture day and I had to get a new badge for work. And yup, I have a HUGE pimple on my new ID card.
Bumpy, red skin with many breakouts on chin, cheek, forehead after using a new product. (This picture has not been edited.)
Instead of getting extremely frustrated with the company for giving me a bad product, I had to remind myself that skincare is such an individual experience. Everyone’s skin chemistry, skin microbiome, and skin sensitivity are so strikingly different, and there is no one perfect product for everyone. No one could have predicted my skin would react so terribly. So this is a guide for those days when you tried out a new product and things went very south.
1) Stop using the product. Sometimes it is so hard to justify throwing out a product, especially when it cost you an arm and a leg (and now your face). Yep, I did receive this specific product as part of a collaboration with the company, so I did receive the product free of charge. And if you know me, you know I love to get my money’s worth for practically anything I do, including free things. It took every ounce of strength in my body to stop using this $100 product. But just remind yourself that even though you are wasting this product, you are going to be saving your skin so much more money in the future by not having to invest in products to fix the ailments that this product gives you. And if you’re truly worried about the money aspect, I have the solution for you!
2) Drink a lot, and I mean A LOT, of water. At the peak of my facial explosion, I was drinking over 120 ounces of water. That’s over 15 cups of water. You hear time and time again that your body is completely made of water (60%, actually). But your skin is even higher than that 60% number. So if you want good skin, you certainly need to pump yourself with hydration. That’s why so many of these products talk about hydration for your skin – it is actually based in science! Plus, pounding back all of that water will help purify your body and get rid of all of those toxins!
3) Apply a congested skin serum. My favorite to use right now is Balance Me Congested Skin Serum. It’s $30 for a 15 mL bottle, but a little bit (like 20 uL) goes such a long way. Whenever I start seeing a pimple or feeling that little bit of soreness, I apply this ASAP. The earlier the better, but the treatment always saves me. So I certainly put this on all of the big ruptures on my face during this catastrophe to help soothe it down.
After militantly following the steps I outlined, this is my skin a little over a week after the whole fiasco. (An unedited selfie, of course!)
4) Use a clarifying mask. This product from Company X has leeched into your skin and created all of these agitating byproducts in your skin. You need to get it out right now. For this type of mask, I like to use a clay, which pulls a lot of the moisture (and also the oil and grime) from your skin as the clay dries. I use white clay masks like the Rare Earth Mask from Kiehl’s, but I have heard extremely good things about the Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay from Amazon, which is significantly cheaper than the Kiehl’s option.
5) Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Your skin is inflamed right now, and you need to put that fire out. What better way than dousing it with some moisture? This step works hand-in-hand with the high amounts of water that you are drinking. They’ll synergistically get your skin back to its normal state by restoring the balance your skin needs. My favorite to use is Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Moisturizer because it has a slightly cooling effect, which goes a long way when your skin is red and itchy. You can also try out some moisturizers that have aloe in them to further soothe you.
Skincare is a really individualistic process and sometimes you come across products that you know are going to be a hard no (shoutout to Company X!). Hopefully this guide helps you through the bad times when those accidents happen. It is a long journey to get your skin to that perfect level, but I hope this helps you through the bumps along the way. Don’t get frustrated, and stay the path! Thanks for reading!