[Personal] Learning that HOW you use products can matter as much as the products!

Beauty Tips For Body Care
I have a new appreciation for "YMMV." I've been on SCA for a couple of years and have made a TON of progress in that time. I learned to patch test everything, to try new products one at a time, listen to my skin... All of the things SCA is about. But a couple of months ago I was feeling discouraged. I KNOW that none of the products I use on my skin break me out, but I was consistently getting deep acne. In spite of regular exfoliation, my skin was often flaky, even though it didn't feel dry. So I started to play around with HOW I use my products, and it has made a huge difference.First, exfoliation. I was using AHA and BHA on alternating nights (so BHA one night, AHA the next), which meant I was exfoliating every night. In the past I had used BOTH every night, so it didn't seem like this should really be causing over-exfoliation. But I did a little research and found a lot of recommendations now to exfoliate more than twice a week. So I dialed it back to doing both BHA and AHA on the same night, but only twice a week. Well, that did reduce the flaking, but it made me break out more. So I bumped it up to every other night, and baby that is the sweet spot. I'm not flaking anymore, and my acne is under control.Next, moisture. At night I always add a few extra drops of glycerin to my moisturizer. I ran out recently and couldn't find it in a store for about a week. During that week my skin really dried up, so I knew that the extra glycerin made a difference. I started to think about glycerin, and how it works by attracting and bonding with water, and decided to try leaving water on my skin when I moisturize at night. So after I wash my face, I very lightly blot off a little of the water left on my skin, then mix SebaMed Clear Face Care Gel with two or three drops of glycerin and massage into my damp skin. I let that absorb for about a minute, then finish with petroleum jelly. My skin feels so soft in the morning, and I'm noticing less oil developing throughout the day.TL;DR - YMMV doesn't just mean this product might work for me but not for you, it can also mean how often or in what combinations you use them. If you think your products could be doing more for you, play around with them a little. You might find that tweaking your methods improves your skin without introducing new products!
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by bellehopsacab