I’ve been in a love/hate relationship with my skin for a few years now. Some days, it will be gorgeous and glowing, and somedays it’s a topographical map of whiteheads. At the age of 28 I never expected to be dealing with breakouts at this kind of level. But hey — stress and hormones are a real thing. And there’s also the fact that as I get older, my skin has become a bit more reactive. The powerful AHAs I used to treat pimples in my youth now turn me into a a dry and irritated tomato. So lately, I’ve been trying to approach adult acne from a different way.
My skin before: Irritated and inflamed.
Enter: K-Beauty. Unlike traditional acne products, K-Beauty uses innovative formulas and gentler ingredients that are perfect for managing adult acne. Many of them use natural ingredients that can also soothe inflammation and dryness. They’re powerful, but they won’t stress out your skin. This discovery has been pretty life-altering for me, since I tend to fall into the put-all-of-the-powerful-chemicals-on-my-zits camp.
Once I discovered that there was a better way, I decided to put that concept to the test by switching out my entire skincare routine for only K-Beauty products. Luckily for me, Leegeehaam just released a line of tea-tree extract acne fighters to complement their amazing Tea Tree 70 BHA Toner.
My skin after: Fresh, glowing, and feeling good.
Along the way of this skincare experiment, I also picked up some great techniques for treating adult acne. Read on to learn how my month of K-Beauty skin-clearing delivered me from spotted-face purgatory and granted me the complexion I knew I deserved.
Consistency Is Key
I’m someone who tends to jump around between beauty products pretty often. I have a lot, so it’s rare that I use the same face wash every single day. And I never use multiple products from the same line. While I’m loyal to certain things in life, like my wine brand and my Taco Bell order, I am not loyal with my skincare.
For the sake of this experiment, I committed myself to one complete line of products: Leegeehaam’s Grow Tea Tree line. The entire range is formulated with, surprise, tea tree, a botanical ingredient known to treat and clear breakouts. The products I relied on the most were the brand’s Tea Tree 30 Cleansing Foam, the Tea Tree 95 Essence, the Tea Tree 70 BHA Toner, Tea Tree 80 Cream, and Tea Tree 70 Spot Treatment. I did throw in two additional products to supplement the routine, but the core of the regimen was Leegeehaam.
What makes this line so good for acneic skin is that it contains insane levels of the hero tea-tree extract. We’re talking an essence made of 95% tea tree and a cream with 80%. Because they don’t have all of those fillers, they are super effective yet still surprisingly gentle.
These were truly the backbone of my regimen, with a few other products sprinkled in. I’m convinced that building my skincare regimen around one line is what helped me to clear up my whiteheads.
Stick To The Program
I also made sure to make a schedule and stick to it — something I have a hard time doing when it comes to my skincare. I knew that every other day, I’d want some exfoliation in order to keep my pores clear of anything that could lead to breakouts. So on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights, I made sure to reach for my Make P:rem Radiance Peeling Sleeping Mask, which I used after cleansing. The chemical exfoliation helped excavate my pores overnight, making me look so fresh and so clean when I woke up the next morning.
Since I have a hard time remembering what I’d done the night before, I made sure to keep a Post-It next to my bathroom mirror in order to remember what day it was and what I should be doing. A little juvenile? Sure. But it helped me keep myself in check, which, in turn, kept my skin in check.
Take Your Time
I work at a bar a few nights a week, which means I get home late. On nights like this, I just want to scrub my makeup off and jump into bed. I was stressed out and tired and just wanted to go to sleep. But that type of routine was doing my skin absolutely zero favors. I decided to change my bad habits and used my new skincare products to help me unwind. It turns out that the Leegeehaam cleanser actually has a subtle lavender scent to it, which aided in my stress-busting mission.
I probably took at least a good minute or minute and a half to massage two cleansers (more on that later) into my skin, which seemed like an eternity. But it turned into an oddly meditative process, and helped me unwind. It also ensured I was, you know, getting all of the gunk off of my skin. A rushed job never does your skin any good at all.
Double Cleansing Is Key
Speaking of gunk on my face, I learned a long time ok that if you want a deep clean experience, you need to use two cleansers instead of one. I started with an oil cleanser — the Make P:rem Radiance Me Cleansing Water Oil — to remove all of my makeup first and create a clean slate for the actives in my second cleanser to work. I then foamed up with the Grow Tea Tree 30 Cleansing Foam, which both cleaned and worked to treat my acne as I washed. I saw a noticeable difference in my skin almost immediately, just by adding that second round of cleansing.
Simple Is Ok, Too
Although my skincare regimen was totally involved in the evening, I kept things really simple in the morning. The reasoning? I didn’t want to overwhelm my skin, which can actually lead to more breakouts. So in the morning, I stuck to three products — cleanser, face mist, and a moisturizer.
By the end of the month, I did see some improvement in my skin. The combination of the Grow Tea Tree line and my new approach to skincare made a big difference in the amount of whiteheads covering my face. I continue see benefits from using the products, so you can bet I’m going to keep this routine going.
What’s you best acne-fighting tip? Tell us in the comments below!
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14 Comments
To treat acne, we must first understand the pathogenesis of acne. Acne is formed when there is excessive sebum production, clotted pores, and the pores get infected by bacteria like Propionibacterium.acnes and Pityrosporon.ovale. Clotted pores(usually by dirt) and excessive sebum production(due to hormon imbalance esp during puberty) lead to accumulation of the sebum in the pores
Hi guys, I'm dealing with combination (dry but kinda oily) and sensitive skin. I've never had issues with breaking out before but as a 21 year old suddenly I've got issues. I've tried a lot of different products over the course of the last 10 months but nothing really seems to be helping. What would you guys recommend? I've wanted to try your products for the longest time but I'm not really sure where to start.
What would you recommend for cystic hormonal acne? I cleared up my blackheads and bumps with a antimicrobial cleanser (Z-bar on amazon). Now what remains is my cystic acne on my jawline and cheeks. ALSO, what about scars? I have a ton of red acne scars on my cheeks that won't go away. Even though I've cleared up my face significantly, it looks like I have a ton of acne on my cheeks even though 90% of them are just red scars. Please help! Thank you! <3
Hi Yasmine! Thanks for reaching out! The Leegeehaam tea tree line is amazing at clearing up acne. It uses soothing tea tree which is anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial to help calm redness and minimize blemishes while cica further soothes and strengthens your skin. The spot treatment would be a great addition to your routine as it has 70% of tea tree to effectively combat acne. For your scars, I would suggest trying out a vitamin C serum. Vitamin C works wonders at brightening your complexion and fading acne scars. Let me know if you have any other questions! <3
thank you so much for replying! it really shows how much your company cares about its customers. so you would recommend both the toner and the essence? i use this vitamin c serum and it's been great. what do you think of it? do you have a vitamin c recommendation on glow? (mine: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M1HIIUT/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) thank you! xx
would the vitamin c serum i have ^ be okay to work with the tea tree essence and toner? on one of ya'll's youtube videos the owners say not to mix essences and serums
I deal a lot with those under the skin bumps... not cystic acne. If I were to squeeze them, white stuff comes out. If I never squeeze them they could stay on my face forever. How do I treat?
Hi Vanessa! Thanks so much for the feedback. Would you say you're suffering from whiteheads? Are they skin colored?
They are skin colored, not white heads. Vanessa DePuy >
Hi Vanessa! Hmm, it really depends. Whiteheads can actually be skin colored as well but it could also be milia or keratosis pilaris. Only a dermatologist will be able to tell you definitively. Either way, using a chemical exfoliant in your routine can help to decrease any pore congestion. Do you have one in your routine right now? If not, the Leegeehaam Grow Tea Tree 70 BHA Toner might help. Let me know if you have any other questions?
Please help me with my enlarged pores!! What regimen should I start and is it possible to shrink enlarged pores? Thank you
Hi Gina! We'll be glad to help. One thing to note is that your pores don't actually shrink but the good news is that you can minimize their appearance. Typically, pores are larger due to a variety of factors like genetics, oil/sebum buildup, sun damage or even dehydration. Your best bet to combat them is to help decongest pores with a chemical exfoliator (a super gentle one is the Leegeehaam Grow Tea Tree 70 BHA Toner) and keep your skin properly hydrated. What is your skin type? Let us know and we'd love to give you some other recommendations! :)
Hi! Thank you so much for your response. My skin is very oily and nothing I do helps control the excessive oilness.
Hi Gina! You're very welcome! The Leegeehaam Grow Tea Tree 70 BHA Toner or the Whamisa by Glow Studio Charcoal Chai Tea Pore Refining Pads are some great options as they'll help decongest your pores without stripping your skin of your natural oils.