Breakouts from exfoliating too much?

[Sajuhi]

I have made quite a few changes in my skincare routine lately and have been exfoliating more frequently. I’m trying to pin exactly what’s causing my forehead to break out as I haven’t had a breakout in probably a couple years. I am currently using drunk elephant products and exfoliating probably once or twice a week. Thoughts?

[natafisc]

I have sensitive skin and don't breakout a whole ton, but Drunk Elephant products actually gave me massive acne and what I thought looked like an allergic reaction. I stopped using it immediately and my acne went away and the swelling stopped, but a year later and I'm still trying to clear up the dark spots/scarring as much as I can. maybe you should try another brand. 

[quspork]

What products specifically are you using, @Sajuhi? Once or twice a week shouldn't be too much for most products. It's *possible* it's a purge, but given that you haven't been breaking out prior, it sounds more like a negative reaction. Did you start your new products all one time? 

[Sajuhi]

I bought the littles about a month and a half ago and my forehead started breaking out maybe 2-3 weeks ago. I was using the jelly cleanser for the first month but have just recently switched to alternating between the juju and pekee bars (only a week ago). I have also recently started using less product at once as recommended by an employee at Sephora.

[jemly]

hey @Sajuhi can you let us know which drunk elephant products you're using, and what you're using to exfoliate ?

[Sajuhi]

I bought the littles about a month and a half ago and my forehead started breaking out maybe 2-3 weeks ago. I was using the jelly cleanser for the first month but have just recently switched to alternating between the juju and pekee bars (only a week ago). I have also recently started using less product at once as recommended by an employee at Sephora. I was using the slaii + bamboo to exfoliate once a week but have recently switched to using the juju bar.

[jemly]

@Sajuhi  is their nightly glycolic acid a part of the littles ? do you use it nightly ?

if that's the case and you're also using a scrub, then yes you're likely over exfoliating and that would cause a breakout, as glycolic is an acid exfoliant. furthermore, not all skins get along with glycolic acid, and regular daily use of it can (depending on the strength of what's being used) lead to the pH of your skin becoming imbalanced and your skin barrier compromised (it's all about balance, if your skin likes glycolic, it's a brilliant ingredient to prevent acne as long as you don't overuse it). 

this timeline suggests, too, that maybe your skin doesn't like the bars as a cleanse. and maybe it's a combo of all these things.

i'd lay off the exfoliation for a week to 10 days. really focus on hydration. see what happens, adjust as needed. if you want to bring back the glycolic after that to see if it was the culprit, just do so a couple times a week and build up from there if it's not giving you trouble.