Sally's Top 10 Picks to Calm Acne Breakouts

Pimple patches have been such a game-changer for me! I love the CosRx ones since I have oily skin and they're thick enough to absorb excess oil as well as the pus from acne. 

You can use this whenever a pimple has opened up and continue to replace it until the skin from the acne heals. It's a great way to prevent any infection especially if you tend to touch your face a lot. 

It's also pretty undetectable. I carry these around with me and leave one in my bag to replace throughout the day.

The Purito Centella Green Level Calming Toner is great for any redness and irritation you may be experiencing. Centella is a great ingredient as it helps soothe any redness and it's really gentle. 

It's a viscous toner that I use after cleansing my face. Sometimes I use a couple of layers of this when my skin is a bit dehydrated or soak some cotton pads and use it as a mini mask. 

Compared to a lot of other products in the market, I found this to be the simplest yet most effective toner for acne!

The Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm has been one of my favorite cleansing balms to use. Oil cleansing is an important step to keeping your skin healthy and clear. 

The Living Cleansing Balm is great to break down the SPF, makeup and oils that build up throughout the day. It's so important to do an oil cleanse since I found that it was one of the main reasons why my skin cleared up. 

The Living Cleansing Balm emulsifies really well and doesn't leave any residue, which is something I look for when finding a good cleansing balm.

The Then I Met You Soothing Tea Cleansing Gel is great for everyday cleansing. The texture is like slime or puréed mountain yam (in a good way). 

I once made the mistake of squeezing out too much and it took a while to wash off, so I recommend using less than a pea size for the entire face! There's minimal foaming and your skin will feel clean but not stripped. 

This cleansing gel has tea tree to help clear the pores and prevent breakouts and it has a pH level of 6, which means it's also gentle. It also has licorice root extract which is great for evening out skin tone!

The Krave Beauty Beet Shield is a great everyday sunscreen. It's hydrating enough for those who may have dry skin to use but light enough that those with oily skin will be able to enjoy it as well. 

It's also a great texture for applying over makeup throughout the day. Sunscreen is an essential product for me and I use it every day. It prevents any dark spots from forming, especially on days where my acne is really sensitive.

 I love the Beet Shield because it has great antioxidants that will help fight free radicals like city pollution.

I really have to say that the product that helped my cystic acne the most is the Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion. I've gone to the dermatologist in the past and had cortisone shots (which are super painful, by the way) injected into my cystic acne in order for it to go down. It left a lot of scarring, even years after it healed. 

But with this, whenever you have a cyst, you just need to dab a couple of drops at night to the affected area and repeat for a couple of nights. Your results may vary, but for me, what usually takes a couple of weeks for a cyst to come to a head took only a couple days. 

It might be the zinc that is helping the cystic acne come to a head; I just know that this should be a staple and HG product in your collection. I always have one on hand.

The Zit Sticka Killa Sticka is like a normal pimple patch but the stronger, better version. It has tiny microdarts that dissolve into the pimple and help clear out the acne. 

I like it especially with any acne that's just below the surface of the skin because it encourages the pimple to surface and clear up faster. 

The patch has a two-step system with a wet cloth to sanitize and prime the pimple (it smells like tea tree oil) and the patch. You should use this for less serious acne; it usually coaxes the pimple out within a week.

Since I have oily skin, which is also the main suspect of all my acne, I like to use lightweight moisturizers. Krave Beauty's Oat So Simple Water Cream is a no-frills moisturizer.

It does exactly what you want it to: moisturize your skin without having it feel heavy. I find that it lets my skin breathe pretty well and it works as a great makeup primer as well. 

When you pop it into the fridge, it has a nice cooling effect and provides some relief for any irritated areas on your face.

The Good Molecules Niacinamide Serum has quickly become one of my favorites. Niacinamide has been an ingredient that I have looked for in many products since it has great calming properties. 

I use this most often when my skin is irritated since it helps reduce redness. The serum is lightweight, absorbs easily, and doesn't pill underneath makeup. You can use it day and night. 

I also love that it's affordable! Compared to other products within the same price range, I find this to be way better when it comes to texture, absorption, and effectiveness.

This has been a long time favorite product of mine for over 5 years now. The Nivea Sun Protect Super Water Gel is a chemical sunscreen that has a lightweight gel texture.

It's super hydrating and not heavy. It doesn't clog up pores and gives you a dewy glow. It does have alcohol in it, but I actually don't mind, especially during the summer when I get really oily. 

Plus, it can be used all over the body and it's inexpensive! The best part is that it doesn't leave a sticky film or give you a white cast.