My Simple Skincare Reset That Finally Cleared My Skin

For most of my 20s, my skincare routine was… chaotic, to say the least. I was constantly trying new products, chasing glowier skin, clearer skin, more even skin—you name it. My bathroom counter looked like the skincare aisle of a drugstore, and every TikTok recommendation had me adding another serum or mask to my overflowing lineup.

And the irony? My skin was constantly irritated.

Red patches, sudden breakouts, flakiness around my nose, and this overall feeling of tightness—I just figured that was normal. That skincare was supposed to “tingle” and that my skin freaking out was just a sign it was “working.” I didn’t realize I was overwhelming my skin barrier.

It all came to a head one morning when I looked in the mirror and barely recognized myself. I had a breakout across my cheeks (which was unusual for me), my skin was shiny and flaky (how?!) and it just looked… unhappy. That was my wake-up call.

So, I did something that felt extreme at the time: I stopped using everything. Every last bottle and tube went into a drawer, and I started from scratch.

For 30 days, my skincare routine was the simplest it had ever been:

• A gentle, non-foaming cleanser
• A lightweight, fragrance-free moisturizer
• Broad-spectrum SPF 30

That’s it.

No actives. No exfoliants. No double-cleansing. Just three steps—morning and night. It felt like a detox for my face.

And something magical happened. Within a week, the redness started fading. My skin didn’t feel tight after washing. I wasn’t waking up to new breakouts. After two weeks, my skin tone looked more even. After a month, my skin finally felt like itself again—calm, balanced, and hydrated.

Here’s what I learned:

• More isn’t better. My skin doesn’t need to be constantly “doing something.” Sometimes it just needs to heal.
• Consistency is queen. A simple routine done every day > a complicated one you abandon when life gets busy.
• Don’t underestimate your skin barrier. Once I focused on supporting it, everything changed.
• Sunscreen matters. Daily SPF made a noticeable difference in my redness and dark spots.

Eventually, I did add a few things back—a gentle chemical exfoliant twice a week, a hydrating serum in the winter—but I’ve never gone back to that overly complex routine. And honestly, I don’t miss it.

Now, when someone asks what cleared my skin, I don’t rattle off a product list. I say: I stopped doing too much. I listened to my skin. And I gave it what it actually needed—not what the internet told me it should want.

If your skin is stressed and nothing seems to work, maybe the answer isn’t adding more—it’s subtracting. Trust me, less really can be more.