Photo by Jocelyn Morales on Unsplash
Skincare and self care have grown so much in popularity over the past two years, and a huge part of that can be credited to social media. During quarantine, people decided to focus more on self care and investing in themselves, which included their skin. It was during this time that we saw the rise of SkinTok, millions of videos telling people what ingredients, products, brands and techniques to use in order to achieve their desired skin. But with all of these different people recommending different products, it can be hard to decide what you need and what you don’t. I’m here to tell you, you don’t always need expensive products to achieve healthy skin. For me, Aveeno skincare is the inexpensive, highly effective holy grail.
2. Falling in love with Aveeno
From a young age, my mom always made sure I recognized how important it is to take care of my skin. However, you don’t need to spend a ton of money on high-end products in order to take care of yourself and maintain healthy skin. In our bathroom growing up, we always had brands like Cetaphil, Neutrogena, and Dove. I have extremely sensitive skin, so all of the products my Mom got me were gentle cleansers and hydrating lotions. Although I didn’t have much of a skincare routine back then, I definitely knew to lather myself in lotion after every shower.
I started using Aveeno body lotion because I saw a commercial with Jennifer Aniston. As a kid I loved Jennifer and grew up watching her in Friends, Marley & Me, and so much more. She also is known for her beauty, and she has glowing skin that radiates from miles away, something the Aveeno brand loved to accentuate.
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I immediately bought an Aveeno body lotion and began using it. I fell in love with the formula. Although I was taught to never skip on lotion after a shower, I hated the way lotion felt on my body. I have naturally combination-oily skin, so I don’t like the feeling of adding more oil or moisture on top, especially before getting into bed. But the Aveeno lotion felt so much better. It wasn’t heavy, thick, or greasy, and didn’t leave your skin feeling sticky or tacky. In fact, it sank into the skin almost immediately, leaving me soft and supple.
After going through an entire bottle of the body lotion, I decided to explore the other products they have to offer. Sticking with body care, I first purchased body wash. I bought the Skin Relief Body Wash formulated with oatmeal. At the time, I didn’t notice that it contained oatmeal, I simply read the claims that it was good for dry, itchy, and sensitive skin. However, I noticed that my skin reacted extremely well to it. I didn’t have any sort of irritation or redness after my shower like I typically do. I loved the body wash so much that I sprung for the matching body lotion formula, too.
The combination soon became my holy grail, and I still purchase both the body wash and body lotion to this day. I now know the difference in these products - and the reason my skin loved them so much - was the oatmeal. I began to research oatmeal in skin care because it sounded really out of the blue. Several videos and articles later, I learned that oatmeal or colloidal oatmeal is one of the best ingredients for sensitive or inflamed skin because of its soothing and calming properties.
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Once I fell in love with the body care, I decided to give their facial products a try as well. I bought their Positively Radiant line first, the facial moisturizer and the foaming cleanser, and began using both of them. Although they aren't in my current routine, I liked the formulations of both. They were extremely gentle, which I’ve found is Aveeno’s strong point.
All of their products are effective without being too harsh or stripping the skin of its natural oils. Even if you struggle with acne or oily skin, everyone can use gentle products for sensitive skin, even if you don’t think your skin is sensitive. This is why I still suggest Aveeno to everyone because their products work well for such a wide range of skin types.
About a year ago, I watched a YouTube video posted by my favorite Dermatologist, and she suggested a serum that happened to be by Aveeno. My interest peaked as soon as she said the Calm and Restore serum was formulated with a triple oat complex.
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After I saw how the oat complex worked for my skin, I knew it would be gentle enough to use on my face. The serum is glycerin-based and is extremely hydrating but has a soothing property similar to aloe. It is lightweight and sinks into the skin right away while leaving your face smoother and softer.
This serum is gentle yet hydrating, so it can be used both morning and night. If you struggle with severely dry skin or skin that seems like it just drinks up moisturizer, using this serum underneath your go-to moisturizer gives that added layer of hydration without clogging your pores. If you are someone with normal or combination-oily skin like myself, this serum can actually replace a typical moisturizer for you. Because my skin doesn’t need or react well to thick moisturizing creams, I prefer using this serum in place of a moisturizer during the summer months when there’s a lot of humidity in the air.
Aveeno is such a diverse and broad brand, yet their company’s goal remains the same throughout. They create products that have effective ingredients but are extremely gentle and nourishing for the skin. If you struggle with skin sensitivity or are just looking for new affordable products to incorporate into your skincare routine, Aveeno is definitely worth a try.
Written by Kiana St. Onge
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