Face-washing Mishap TT-TT: Why I Hate Proactiv Face Wash

I hate Proactiv. I really, really do. I did think about trying it out at one point and when I was really tired of pimples, oiliness on my T-zone, blackheads and whiteheads, and dry skin. I decided not to buy from them directly and looked at eBay. I also looked up reviews while I was searching through eBay.

The reviews were pretty much the same: not for sensitive skin, extremely drying, one of them might have said not effective and another that it made their issues worse. That left me with this idea: Proactiv dries out skin → produces more oil → more pimples → more product used = more money lost to Proactiv. A vicious circle.

Well, I don't really have sensitive skin. I know from comments on other blogs, the girls (and guys) with sensitive skin have a lot of issues with makeup and cleansing products. I don't use harsh stuff on my face (looking at you, burning Oxy pads) and use things that are recommended for combination skin such as foaming cleanser, facial scrubs and a lot of moisturizer. I hate you, dry, flaky bits of skin...

SORRY! No picture! Blogger is acting up now.

I started to use Bioré Combination Skin Balancing Cleanser last year. I LOVED the stuff. Didn't dry out my skin horribly, would wick away the excess oil on my nose and leave it more balanced feeling. It's a sort of thick, slight cloudy liquid that foams up like mad. I use it every time I wash my face, followed by witch hazel toner and then two Proactiv moisturizers. One is to clear skin and help pimples, the other is just a moisturizer with SPF 15. They work better than my last one by Clean & Clear that did nothing, had no SPF and my liquid foundation doesn't have SPF either. I stole both  mousturizers from Ze Boyfriend's medicine cabinet since they were neglected. I like them both.

Now today... I don't use makeup remover, I just wash my face and call it a day. I use eye makeup remover when I screw up my eyes during application but it doesn't belong to me. I used to use e.l.f.'s makeup removing wipes and liked them but its kind of a pain to find them at Target, especially mine where the display is usually pretty vacant. Well, I took a shower and since I don't have my Bioré face wash, I decided to use the bottle of Proactiv Renewel Cleanser. Thick, white, grainy. It also contains Benzoyl Peroxide at 2.5%.

OW.
MY FACE...
IS BURNING!!!!

I was rubbing my face like I normally do with cleanser and then my right cheek started to burn. A lot. No spots are on my cheek though. No open pimples, nothing. My current problem spots are on my forehead. I immediately washed it off but it didn't really subside for a few minutes. I've never used a Benzoyl Peroxide product on my face, nor have I used it at 2.5%. That was incredibly harsh! Very painful. Part of the whole reason I won't recommend Proactiv cleansing & toning products to people. If they're already using it, whatever. If they ask, I'll recommend something else based in their skin type and what they can tell me about their skin.

I supposed I can't use that cleanser on my face if I happen to leave my Bioré at home. So frustrating.

SPOOKEHDOOM