There are so many products on the market to help improve the overall quality of our skin and your acne.  We’ve got anti acne moisturizers, cleansers, eye creams, serums, oils, exfoliators, masks, various treatments—you get the gist. All these products are supposed to help you, and they help you in different ways. The question is, how do we use them? And in what order should they be used?

Growing up, nobody ever sat me down and taught me how to use these products while I was dealing with acne. In fact, I didn’t know what any of these products were even supposed to do up until a few years ago! I just knew that these products were supposed to make my skin better… somehow, right? Wrong! If used incorrectly, these acne face products will have little to no effect on your skin!

 Here is a list of how to use products in chronological order of use: 

• Makeup Remover: For the days you use makeup, this should be the first skincare step you even think of. None of your other skincare products will be absorbed into your skin unless that layer of makeup is removed. Whether it be facial wipes, micellar water, and cotton pads, or an oil, you need to use a makeup remover before applying anything else. 
• Cleanser: Even though you’ve wiped off that top layer of makeup and gunk off your face, that does not necessarily mean your face is clean. Now you need to really get in there and clean your actual skin. This is done by using a facial cleanser of your preference. If it cleans your face well without harming your skin, then it’s doing the job. (Try to not use cleansers with beads or rough particles in them—that is for exfoliation. You don’t want to exfoliate every day).
• Masks/Exfoliators (Only once or twice a week.): Now that your face is a squeaky clean surface, it’s time to treat the face. Masks (depending on the type you use—sheet, clay, etc.) typically work to deep clean, tighten, brighten, or even hydrate the skin. Exfoliators work to get rid of all the dead skin laying on the surface, to make room for the healthy skin to shine through; smoothing the skin out. They can be used through facial tools, like Clarisonic, or cleansers with little beads in them.
• Toner: After you’ve cleansed, your face is now ready to absorb all the treatment you wish to give it! Using a toner helps firm your skin, along with improving elasticity. Most importantly, toners work to rebalance the pH in your skin that is sometimes altered from your cleansers. This step also helps pick up leftover dirt off your face you might’ve missed in cleaning.
• Serum/Essence: Using serum is basically like eating your vitamins—but for your face! There are so many benefits to serums. It all depends on what your skin type is, and what you want doing. It can lessen wrinkles, encourage cellular turnover, hydrate, nourish with vitamins, and so much more. Essence is pretty much just a lightweight water version of a serum.
• Moisturizer: No matter what your skin type, moisturizing is an important step. Take the time to put some moisture back into your skin. If you’ve got oily skin, go for a lightweight moisturizer that sinks into your skin easily. If you’ve got drier skin, maybe a heavier cream moisturizer will help hydrate your skin more. Either way, this step helps keep your skin nice, healthy, and plump. (It’s also important to remember that the moisturizers you’re using may differ on the season of the year. Winters are dryer—heavier creams are best. Summers are more humid—lightweight is best. Etc.)
• Eye Cream: It’s never too early to start using eye cream. This reduces fine lines around the eyes that come with aging. Using eye creams also help reduce dark circles under the eyes. Your eyes are almost always the first thing people notice about you, so take the time to take care of them.
• Oils: The use of facial oils are becoming more and more popular. Many people are skeptical of using oils on the face, but if used correctly, it does do wonders. Different oils do different things for your face like hydrating, reducing wrinkles, reducing redness, treating acne, treating oily skin, etc. Because oils are so heavy and take a little time to absorb, they should be last in your routine. If an oil is used first, it will be harder for other products to sink in.

Maybe there are more acne face products you use than what is listed above, and maybe there are less. To put it into simpler terms: order your products from lightest to heaviest. The more clear and thin products go on first, and the heavier, creamier, and thicker products go on last. This ordering helps each product sink into the skin as equally as possible. When done correctly, your skin gets the most out of the products you use.