I’ve been going through a ton of trial and error in an effort to figure out what’s going to work for my rosacea and I finally feel like I’m making some progress and wanted to share with you all!
I realize there are far worse things I could be dealing with, but having a chronic skin condition can start to take a toll on you both physically and mentally. My esthetician gave me some tough love after my last appointment and basically said, there’s no cure for rosacea and the best thing I can do for myself is to find ways to reduce inflammation, keep my face protected from the sun, and cover it if (more like when) I feel self-conscious about the redness in my skin. Side note: I see Natalia at Channing’s in the Gold Coast! You can always mention my name for 10% off your first service at the salon.
I’ve nailed down my triggers and found that sun, heat, and stress are huge for me. Emotions, too. And god knows I’ve got a lot of those haha. Think of when you get flushed because you’re nervous or the excitement that bubbles up inside of you when you run into someone you’re instantly attracted to. All of those things can cause a chemical reaction inside your body that presents itself through your skin!
While I can’t control everything (trust me when I say, I would if I could 🙃), these are the best products for rosacea, according to my skin. I always say skincare is SO personal and what works for me might not work for you. Case in point: I’ve received a ton of recs from those of you who also have rosacea and even some of those have caused my skin to flare up! So keep that in mind. And if you do decide to buy without trying, I always like to remind people to save their receipts. That way, if you invest in a product and find out it’s not going to work with your skin, you can return it.
IT Cosmetics CC cream – If you buy one thing from this list, make it this. I polled you all on Instagram stories when I realized the foundation I’d been using for the last 7 years wasn’t going to cut it anymore and it became very apparent I’ve been living under a rock (or inside my bubble, resisting change to even the most simple things, like makeup lol). I picked up a few samples (I think Medium Tan is going to be my shade for summer) and I was instantly blown away. It’s smoothing, hydrating, comes with the highest SPF possible for extra protection, and it makes my skin look and feel amazing.
EltaMD Facial Sunscreen – I’ve been letting my skin breath as much as possible and have been wearing this face sunscreen alone during the day and really only wearing makeup if I have an event or a date. It’s light, not the slightest bit greasy, and wears easily under the CC cream I’ve been using.
Dr. Dennis Gross Ultra Gentle Daily Peel Pads – I used to love the extra strength daily peel pads, but I was worried about investing in more of them not knowing how my skin would react so I went with the ultra gentle version and so far, so good. The difference between this and other peel pads (or something like the Sunday Riley Good Genes, which I can’t use anymore 😭) is that the second pad acts as a neutralizer, so the product isn’t sitting on your skin and thus causing irritation for those of us with sensitivities.
Ice roller – This made it on my list of favorite things from last year and it’s still the best. Ice rolling helps calm the skin, reduces inflammation, increases circulation, and cools it down. Sure, you can rub an ice cube all over your face and neck for the same effect, but that can get pretty messy. I like to grab my ice roller out of the freezer and crawl back into bed while I scroll through my Instagram and Twitter in the morning and at night. I try and do it around 5 minutes, but like all good for you things, something is better than nothing!
Olay Regenerist Whip (the one with SPF) – I talked more about this back in May and it’s still been my go-to daily moisturizer!
Aveeno Ultra-Calming Hydrating Gel Cleanser – I’m not a fan of foaming cleansers and wasn’t sure how I’d like a gel as I always feel like my skin is super tight after using them from it sucking the moisture out, but the gel seems to be a good in between. It’s super affordable, too!
I’m still testing products like crazy and will report back on anything else that ends up working for me. If you have any other products that work for rosacea-prone skin, share in down in the comments!