Having beautiful, clear, and acne free skin is a wish any girl would have. Well, I've been wishing for that ever since I hit my teens. Now that I'm in my early 30's (huhu yes birthday coming up in several days from now... :P) I had kind of hoped that I will eventually get over the acne dilemma. Ever since last year, I learned so much from Proactiv and realized that the acne doesn't all go away. BUT you can control it with the help of Proactiv. So I was pretty much excited that I was able to personally try out and test their amazing product -- the Proactiv Renewing Cleanser!
So if you haven't heard about Proactiv yet, well THIS is supposed to be the answer to your acne woes! The Proactiv Renewing Cleanser is an oil free, soap free medicated formula contains advanced micro crystal benzoyl peroxide in combination with mild cleanser that lightly washes the skin. Tiny beads gently exfoliate dead cells and impurities so they can’t clog pores. The benzoyl peroxide penetrates the pores fast while being gentle to the skin. It attacks, kill acne-causing bacteria and reduce the number of acne pimples.
Key Ingredients
Benzoyl Peroxide This is the key anti bacterial agent to fight acne. The 2.5% concentration is just effective as 10% solutions in controlling the majority of acne cases and much gentler to your skin. This low concentration gives it the acne-fighting benefit of even higher concentrations, but not the side-effects!
Other Ingredients Include
- Sodium Hyaluronate. This mucopolysaccharides act as humectant to draw moisture to skin. Mucopolysaccharides are gel like substances surrounding the collagen and elastin in the dermis layer of the skin.
- Polyethylene. These small round beads have no sharp edges that can tear and scratch the skin while they gently remove old, dead cells.
- Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract. A botanical extract known for its soothing properties.
I couldn't wait to try out the Proactiv Renewing Cleanser. Of course before anything else, you must know how to use it. Here are the directions.
1. Use morning and night. Yes like any cleanser, you can use it twice a day. So clean face before you sleep and clean face before you face a brand new day. :)
2. Now as part of my routine, I normally remove my makeup first before using a cleanser. :) Now if you don't use makeup or if you are going to wash your face in the morning, you can skip this step.
I just came from a long day of work and commute. So I've got my makeup on on the LEFT photo there. Yes, it kinda smeared.. coz of the oiliness of my face and well commuting in the heat of the afternoon didn't help either, So the RIGHT photo is after I had used my makeup remover. On the surface it does look a bit clean (less shine on my face) but you and I know that that's not the complete story. It still needs a thorough cleaning so that acne will not populate my face. hehe.
3. Then apply a small (dime-sized) amount to damp skin and gently massage for 1 to 2 minutes.
So basically that's how much I use on my face. Yes it doesn't look a lot but I tell you, it packs a punch! I mean, it's definite enough for it to make it's magic on my face. While applying the product to your face, DO NOT EXPECT FOAM OR BUBBLES. Yes, don't look for it coz it's not gonna happen. The Proactiv Renewal Cleanser doesn't work like that. And later on this post, I will explain why that's a good thing.
Here's a tip someone taught me on how to wash my face -- don't use your point fingers. When you wash your face, be GENTLE. And you can achieve that gentle washing by using your last three fingers. Di masyadong madiin ang dating pag ganun. Then what I do is just use upward circular strokes while massaging the Proactiv Renewal Cleanser on my face. This kind of motion helps maintain the firmness of your face. Downward direction will only help in the sagging of your cheeks.. now we don't want that to happen diba? :)
After a minute of massaging, you can definitely feel your face reacting the product. Don't be alarmed. In my case, I could feel a slight tightening on my face. I figured that means.. it's working. YAY!
4. Then of course, rinse thoroughly with warm water.
5. And finally, pat dry
**Please take note that if bothersome dryness or peeling occurs, reduce application to once a day or every other day. And of course, if going outside use a sunscreen
For me, one of the immediate results that I can sense from the Proactiv Renewal Cleanser is my amazingly super smooth face. YES! I swear my face becomes softer and smoother as compared before any other face cleansing product that I've used. I've never felt this level of smoothness to my face IMMEDIATELY after the cleansing. Kaya pala medyo rough or magaspang yung face ko before is because of dead skin cells. When I look at the mirror, I feel it lightened. (hehe or feeling magaan ang face kasi no more oil.. no more dead skin cells). Now it's all clear!
Well it looks like that indeed, Proactiv Renewing Cleanser is superior than regular cleanser or soap. While it may seem counter intuitive, harsh scrubbing does not unclog your pores any better than
gentle cleansing, and may actually worsen your acne. That's why ang advise ko, gentle upward circular strokes! Cleansing and scrubbing only reduce surface oils and dean skin cells. Many people use harsh products, laden with alcohol and foamy surfactants (detergents) somehow wash the acne off their skin. However, these actions produce irritation and worsen acne. Now with Proactiv Rewnewing Cleanser, it is possible to gently unplug pores with fine polyethylene beads that gently relieve impacted pores without irritation
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| Look Ma, no pimples! hehe. Yep, the dark spots are just dark or red spots of where I used to have pimples. As of three days of using, no pimples have surfaced. Hopefully, this will be the good report I will be sharing as I continue using the product. |
One thing that I really appreciate about the Proactiv Renewing Cleanser is that it does not contain any surfactants that can harsh the skin. Proactiv Renewing Cleanser is formulated without the harsh detergents known as surfactants found in many other cleansers. Surfactants, which are responsible for a sudsy foam and lather, strip skin of its essential oils. As a result, the skin barrier becomes damaged and vulnerable to irritation and impaction. That's why when you use the cleanser, you won't see any suds or foam. While massaging it gently on your face, you will feel tiny tiny beads (the Polyethylene) rolling on the surface of your skin. It's not harsh but gentle. If you have heavy acne, then that means less irritation to your skin. :)
So to sum it up, what is the role of Renewing Cleanser in Proactiv Combination Therapy? The Renewing Cleanser help removes dead skin cells and impurities which can clog the pore. The advanced microcrystal benzoyl peroxide in the Proactiv® 3-Step System kill acne-causing bacteria while the glycolic acid and other exfoliants reduce excess oils and dead skin cells. If this just Step 1 to an acne free skin, imagine how much more effective the whole Proactiv Combination Therapy will be to you. I've been using the cleanser for several days already and can feel the results. So far no pimples have surfaced. YAY! I've tried it.. and loved it! I really really recommend this to you if you have acne. Hope you will also feel and enjoy an acne free summer (yes yung weather na natin ay parang summer na! hehe).
The Proactiv Renewing Cleanser is included in the Proactiv Solution 30-day and 60-day kits.
Proactiv Solution kits are available at:
a. Proactiv Online Shopping: http://my.proactiv.com.ph
b. Proactiv Delivery Door–to-Door Hotlines:
c. Proactiv Mall Kiosks
d. Watson and SM Department Stores (Beauty Section) nationwide
Metro Manila Landline: (02) 729-2222
Globe Provincial: 1-800-8-729-8888
PLDT Provincial: 1-800-10-889-4444
Mobile Number: 0917-801-888
Glorietta, Ground Floor
Trinoma, 2nd Floor
