I'm trying to get rid of some acne/pimples, and a friend suggested isoretinoic acid or topical vitamin A, but I'm having the hardest time trying to find those things without a prescription in Canada. Any fellow Canadians have a good alternative? I don't have a
ton of acne, just a bit on my forehead and the sides of my face where I shave - mostly from razor burn, I suppose.
Toner is like a primer for skincare - it prepares your skin for what you're about to put in it after and makes it absorb better and stay on longer. It's like zinc for vitamins.
I personally would say it's a pretty important step - you want to maximise the use of the other products you have.
Really? I didn't know this. Right now I have a really basic set-up with all
Clinique For Men products. I use the charcoal face wash, then exfoliating tonic, then shave, then the post-shave soother, and then finally moisturize. This probably isn't ideal, but a lot of suggestions I've found in this thread aren't available in Canada, so I just went with a collection of easy accessible products.
Anyway, should I be adding a toner into my morning/night schedule? I'm checking out the
Thayers Alcohol-Free Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner on Amazon right now, and it seems to have good reviews. Where would it fit into my routine, though? Would it be the first step, before I shave, or right after shaving before moisturizing? I don't really know what the effects are, but I'm interesting in learning more.