Silk Naturals

Hey all....I'm getting some samples of skincare in my first order too (I'm on the search for hg stuff) and have a few questions.

First of all, my skintype....I'm very oily in summer but starting to lean towards combination in winter. Since it's summer now I'll be getting only what I need for the oilies and add something else in winter if I need to. I also have extremely sensitive skin and I'm acne prone, mostly with large pores and blackheads. I'm also a celiac patient, which makes me thrilled that SN is a 99% gluten free company! YAY!!!

So here's what I was doing that was working before. I only recently have had to go gluten free and this is what worked prior to that. All these have gluten in them, which is why I'm on the search now.

Cleanser: MAC Green gel AM and PM
Exfoliate: Clarisonic brush or MAC Microfine refinisher (A FAVE of mine, I'm really bummed) in PM
Moisturize: MAC Oil control lotion

Keeping things on the simpler side is a plus for me, my skin seems to like it that way.

Recently I've tried Shiseido's Pureness line, which is gluten free, but very fragranced, and my skin is rebelling and it's not controlling the oil even though it's supposed to do that. So I've backed off the line, and here's what I am doing now that's ok, but not great.

Cleanser: PM only with Clarisonic gentle hydro for sensitive skin (which is moisturizing, but for sensitive skin, and has regulated my oil somewhat. Only 1 ingredient in it is questionable but the co. couldn't give me info on it so I'm going to stop once I find something else that works better)
Exfoliate: Either Clarisonic brush or Bentonite clay as a mask in PM
Moisturize: Shiseido oil control lotion (until I find something better this is all I have onhand, other than argan oil which is too rich)

So I've got in my basket these samples:
KISS cleanser
Pore refining toner
Microderm Cream
Green tea and aloe serum
oil control serum
hemp moisturizer

My blackheads aren't going anywhere, and the MAC microfine refinisher used to be the best for that, so I'm hoping the microderm. cream will be good. Can't use the gel due to an ingredient I'm allergic to.

Am I on the right track? Anything I can do differently or add or take out of my cart? TIA, so sorry for the length, this is just really frustrating for me right now.

All of those things look great. You might want to try BHA Toner to help with the large pores and blackheads. For oil control, you are on the right track. Also, you might be surprised how much less issues you have with oil and large pores once you get your skin rehydrated with the serums and Pore Refining Toner.

Thanks again Jen! I thought about adding the bha to my cart too, but I'm a bit nervous about trying it. BHA's and AHA's tend to bother my sensitive skin. But a sample won't hurt!

I think you will find the BHA toner very gentle on your skin. I didn't feel anything while using it. You might want to find Super Serum and/or VitaminC-Peptide serum too to your cart. My skin is at its worst state in my 23-years of living and currently under supervision of a derm. But I use Greentea-Aloe and Super Serum/VitC-Peptide to help me with the flaking and dryness and my skin has been improving a lot. Acnes disappearing faster and flakiness remains only on the patches of skin with acne (on my cheeks, that is). The clean skin becoming more clear. They are good. I'm sure you will immediately place another order for the fullsizes.

Does the BHA toner cause have any type of purging effect? I have oily/dehydrated acne (on occasion cystic) prone skin and was thinking about adding it to my routine, but would hate to go through that massive purge...ugh

Thanks Frckls.....that's good to know!

not sure if this counts as skin care, per se, but I HIGHLY recommend the Sheer Zinc Powder. My skin is normal/combo....used to be oilier...but age(49) is catching up with me, so now just my chin and forehead get a little oily.
I use it as a primer before I put on my foundation, and I swear it's a like a magic eraser....it just sorta blurs out and and evens things out for me. The lovely thing is there is definately a good amount of SPF in there(legally there cannot be a number, or Karen would have to run all kinds of tests to prove the actual amount). In the time I have been wearing it....I have not gotten sunburned on my face, nor have I freckled(which I kind of miss, but I know it's still sun damage). I detest sunblocks, and won't put them on my face.
Check the reviews, there are tons of us that swear by it.
Laurie

Thx Ladycatt....I'll have to check it out!

AdoptYourNextPet wrote:Does the BHA toner cause have any type of purging effect? I have oily/dehydrated acne (on occasion cystic) prone skin and was thinking about adding it to my routine, but would hate to go through that massive purge...ugh

Hi AdoptYourNextPet, my skin is also described as being oily/dehydrated acne prone, and the BHA toner causes minor purging the first time I used it, or when I start using it again after a while. Your mileage may vary, but I think it's because it's relatively gentle and works best by cleaning out the pores on a very regular basis, so whenever I stop using it (for like a week or so), the 'gunk' builds up and gets purged the next time.

The vitamin C peptide serum has totally transformed my oily skin! I was on dermatologist stuff-- retin a, antibiotics, etc. Those things coupled with the inevitable florida sun made my skin crazy oily-- (dehydrated I believe). I stopped it all. Now I used vitamin c serum 2xs/day and will never go nack to that other stuff! I will try the BHA toner next time I purchase---