Stridex in the Red Box

Stridex in the red box has single handedly improved the quality of my skin and it kind of irritates me that I've spent so much time and money searching for products that will take care of my pimples.

Other than the occasional hormonal breakout, I didn't have many skin problems in my teens. After I turned 20, my skin decided it wanted to always have a few pimples all the time. It was also around that time that I worked at Nordstrom and spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on fancy skin products. The more expensive, the better.... right? Wrong.

Enter Stridex pads.

After I wash my face, the first thing I do is swipe all over with a Stridex pad and let it dry for a few minutes before moisturizing. The Stridex pads are pretty big considering the size of the area you need to use it on, so some people cut them in half. I swipe my ingrown hair prone areas AKA underarms and bikini line to help exfoliate those areas and prevent ingrown hairs. Double duty for Stridex! Yay!

Well, after about a week or so of using the Stridex once a week my skin was noticeable smoother and the pimples were gone. Also gone were blocked pores and blackheads that I used to pick at which inevitably turned into pimples after picking.

Seriously, that's it? Yep.

After swiping, make sure to moisturize your skin really well as the Stridex may be drying to your skin.

Some additional words about Stridex/BHA exfoliation:

They contain 2% salicylic acid.

You should exfoliate in the evening since it can make your skin more sensitive to UV rays and more prone to sunburn.

On that note, always wear sunscreen!

Use Stridex between cleansing and moisturizing.

Give it a few minutes to work before applying your moisturizer.

You don't need to rinse your face after using Stridex.

Some people cut the pads in half because that is plenty big to cover your whole face.

From ze box:

Indications

For the treatment and management of acne

Reduces the number of acne pimples and blackheads and allows the skin to heal

Helps prevent new acne pimples from forming

Ingredients

Active Ingredient: Salicylic acid 2.0% (w/w) (acne medication). Inactive Ingredients: Ammonium lauryl sulfate, ammonium xylenesulfonate, citric acid, DMDM hydantoin, fragrance, menthol, PPG-5-ceteth-20, purified water, simethicone, sodium borate, tetrasodium EDTA.

Directions

Cleanse skin thoroughly before applying medication.Use the pad to wipe the entire affected area one to three times daily.Because excessive drying of the skin may occur, start with one application daily, then gradually increase to two or three times daily if needed or as directed by a doctor.If bothersome dryness or peeling occurs, reduce application to once a day or every other day.Do not leave pad on skin for an extended period of time.Keep away from eyes, lips and other mucous membranes.

As always, YMMV and this may not work for you as it does for me, but with the low cost you might as well give it a shot!!