# Facial care: order of use? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 30, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-care-order-of-use/210437 "2003-10-30T15:39:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-care-order-of-use/210437/1 "2003-10-30T15:39:54Z")
Well, I guess the title says it all, literally. The way beauty people always told me was this order: cleanse, exfoliate, pat dry,apply astringent/toner, moisturize, apply makeup. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-care-order-of-use/210437/2 "2003-10-30T16:24:42Z")
Oops… That’s what I get for hitting “submit”, then not paying any atttention to whether or not the thread actually went through. Basics: New skin care program for me, and it does seem to be helping with this stupid adult acne. The main new products are a tea tree oil facial wash, used twice a day and tea tree oil dabbed onto zits twice a day. I continue to use a medicated exfoliant containing salicylic acid twice a week, but this morning I realized that I didn’t know if using it before I wash my face is the best thing - because aren’t I then washing off the medication part of the exfoliant? But, at the same time, things are getting better with my skin - a very noticable decrease in the severity of the zits (it’s the horrid cystic kind too, so it’s very apparent with my pale skin). Should I switch the order of the exfoliant/wash or should I stick with the way it is, since it seems to be helping? ---
**Author:** ![monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monster)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-care-order-of-use/210437/3 "2003-10-30T16:41:12Z")
I wash with gentle cleanser, pat dry. Use toner to remove makeup traces. Then I exfoliate using 2% beta hydroxy acid. If my skin has a breakout, I’ll use benzoyl peroxide on the zit. Then moisterizer. If I were you, I’d use the medicated exfoliant after washing my face rather than before. Here’s a great skin care reference: [http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/article.asp?PAGETYPE=ART&REFER=SKIN&ID=6](http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/article.asp?PAGETYPE=ART&REFER=SKIN&ID=6) ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/77aa72/32.png) [@Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_On_My_Sleeve)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-care-order-of-use/210437/4 "2003-10-31T05:04:29Z")
Hey **monster** , we must have similar skin 🙂 I use gentle cleanser for oily skin…at night I cover my face with benzoyl peroxide to prevent the ever-present zit-threat, and then 2% beta hydroxy acid. In the morning, I just use the 2% beta after washing. Since I started using a gentle non-drying cleanser, I’ve found that I don’t even need moisturizer… **Lsura** , I think that a good approach is starting with the fewest products possible, then adding products that help. If a program is working, it may be on account of only one of the products, so the others may be just a waste of money. [cosmeticscop.com](http://cosmeticscop.com) (see monster’s link) has great advice for acne-prone skin. I found a (pretty simple) routine that worked for me immediately–I had pretty bad adult acne on a regular basis, I’m fair-skinned, and it’s been about 4 years…I hardly get a zit. I had to try some different stuff to find out what worked for me, but I think once something works, you’ll know it immediately.