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This Cheap Drug Store Ingredient Is the Best Thing I’ve Ever Put on My Face

by 58 Comments

Glycerin and Acne

Okay, so I’ve been chomping at the bit to talk about this. I gave it a few weeks as a test run, and now I have to let you know about glycerin for dry, dehydrated, acne prone skin.

Last week on the blog, I talked about humectants, which are ingredients in skin care that attract and hold water in your skin. This is all very important for healthy functioning, acne free, and young looking skin.

Now, for good part of a year, I’ve been using an awesome DIY moisturizer that contains a mixture of facial oils, aloe vera, and an assortment of other nourishing ingredients like essential oils and MSM.

I’ve been very happy with this mixture. My skin has been looking very nice since using it, and it feels dewy and hydrated for… well, at least two thirds of the day.

I have to admit that later on in the day, as well as after waking up in the morning, I did still feel like my skin was a little tight. Not terribly, but a little bit. I felt like there was some room for improvement.

But the thing is, I thought I had my bases covered when it came to humectants.

Half my moisturizer is aloe vera, which is a humectant. And I apply it to wet skin so my skin can absorb the water and get locked in with the oils.

I also had tried playing around with hyaluronic acid at one point, which is supposed to be one of the more powerful humectants!  Yet – for some reason, it immediately made my skin feel MORE dry.

So I thought, well, skin feels pretty good for the most part… maybe this is as good as it’s going to get.

And then Glycerin Walked into My Life

So a few weeks ago, I bought a bottle of 100% pure USP glycerin from the drug store because I was making this knock-off “Poo-pourri” poo spray for our bathroom.. LOL.. which is awesome, by the way. You should make it.

Once I had the bottle of glycerin in hand, I thought “hey, isn’t this supposed to be an awesome humectant?”

So out of curiosity, I wet my face and then slathered a bunch on.

And it was like the heavens opened up and shone down on my face.

It had never felt so good and so hydrated and omg… I looked, like, at least … like six years younger. At least!

So I added a little bit into my DIY moisturizer …

Side note: glycerin should be diluted to no more than 10% concentration for skin care use. Apparently it’s irritating in high doses, so you don’t want to apply straight glycerin… it also will dry out your skin over time if too much is used. More isn’t necessarily better!

And I use the moisturizer twice a day, applied to damp or wet skin and let it air dry for as long as possible (and just wipe off any excess if I have to leave the house quickly).

And I’m serious… my skin feels FRIGGIN’ AMAZING!

It’s perfectly dewy and hydrated ALL day, which means it looks amazing. It never feels dry.

And the consistency of the glycerin is like this perfect slippery yet sticky base, making any makeup you put on over it glide and stick on like a dream (the perfect “makeup primer”). I don’t really wear much makeup anymore, but my under-eyes look incredible!

AND it only costs like 5 bucks at your local drug store!

AND I literally have not had a single pimple since I’ve started using it.

Like seriously! How good can this get?!

I Hope it Works As Well For You As It Does For Me

The thing is… glycerin is my new holy grail for dry acne prone skin, but there’s no guarantee that it’s going to work as well for you as it is for me.

People have different skin and different circumstances. For example, most people love hyaluronic acid, but I hated it. So it’s possible that you might hate glycerin.

I also live in a somewhat humid environment by the ocean so my skin may have more water in the air to draw from (although it is winter, so I’m mostly in dry indoor air anyway).

Maybe if you live in a desert, it won’t work as well. Or maybe if you’re in a SUPER hot and humid place, you’ll find it won’t absorb and feels sticky.

I also have a dry skin type. Perhaps it’s possible that glycerin has a different feel when applied onto oily skin, and doesn’t feel as nice.

I just don’t know.

But I say it’s worth trying, because a bottle of it is only five bucks!

Tips for Trying Glycerin:

  • I find it very effective just adding the glycerin right into my oil mixture and applying the humectants and oils together to wet skin, but some people think it’s more effective to apply humectants first, and then oils in a second step.
  • If you want to apply in a separate step, then it’s good to know that glycerin dissolves in water. So you can make a mixture of 1 part glycerin to 10 parts rose water (or aloe vera) and apply that as a pre-oil serum.
  • Even for oily skinned people, the oil step is helpful to lock the moisture in, especially if applying a light oil high in linoleic such as hemp seed oil. However, if you have oily acne prone skin and have tried a lot of oils and don’t seem to have much luck, try humectants like glycerin mixed with aloe vera, without the oil, and see if it works better for you. However, if you have dry skin, definitely don’t skip the oil step! You need it to stop that water from evaporating and making your skin more dry.
  • Play around with the amount of glycerin-containing-moisturizer you use in order to get the best effect for you. I personally feel like I need to use less of my moisturizer with each application now that I’ve added the glycerin to it.

And that is all! Have fun and let me know how it goes in the comments below!

Related posts:

humectants and acneUsing Humectants in Your Skin Care for Hydrated, Acne Free Skin Anti-acne, anti-aging DIY moisturizerMy Special Anti-Acne, Anti-Aging DIY Moisturizer Recipe Make your own DIY moisturizerThe Basics of Making a DIY Acne Fighting Moisturizer Gentle Ways to Come Clean: 14 Natural Face Cleansing Alternatives

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Comments

  1. hey tracey! this is super interesting! i might try and find some in aus, i usually just use aloe strait from the plant though. I have a question in regards to hormone testing. I have finally gone to the naturopath that specialises in women’s hormones, so she knows what she’s doing right? but she has got me to do a saliva test on day 16 of my cycle (the day i ovulate, apparently). however my knowledge of hormone testings where that they had to be performed in a series of tests over the time frame of 1 cycle. do you think just one test would show accurate results. i’m 18 and have severe acne all around my mouth. I have changed my whole lifestyle around from diet, to water intake to skin products and supplements. this is my final step and i just want to make sure i am spending my money right, for the test and that it will actually be accurate. what do you think?

    Reply

    • Hi Chelsea, the basic hormone test I recommend is a saliva hormone test and it is taken on one day in the cycle… usually around day 21. A series over the course of your cycle would certainly be more accurate (and a lot more expensive) but these one day snapshots generally seem to give a pretty good idea

      Reply

  2. I have some glycerin on hand from a former DIY (a makeup setting spray) so I am definitely going to try this out! I usually feel best doing the humectant first, letting that do it’s thing for a bit, and then patting a little oil on top. It’s snowing here today and I’ll be stuck inside, so it’s a perfect time to try this out. Thanks for the tip! I was thinking of just squeezing a tiny bit of it in my hand and diluting with witch hazel, which my skin seems to like. Also wanted to say “thank you” for always telling us that certain things are working for you, but that we all need to experiment to see what works for us. That is true with skin care, food…everything!

    Reply

  3. Just had to report back…tried it after my shower and my skin feels amazing! I just mixed the glycerine with some witch hazel. I haven’t even needed any oil on top. Haven’t put on makeup yet but feel like this will be a great base. And my glycerin is actually organic vegetable glycerin that I found on amazon. Cost a little more than the drugstore (maybe $10) but feel like a bottle will last me forever. I’m already thinking this could be helpful on dry feet, hands, etc!

    Reply

  4. I have a really good moisturizer I like a lot. It’s not DIY, but It’s all natural. Can I add a little bit of glycerin to the moisturizer?

    Reply

  5. I definitely want to give this a try! I’m very new to making my own moisturizer, but the one that I make is pretty close to your DIY moisturizer. I just barely got my formula down so adding the glycerin into it is totally throwing me off now, lol! I’m HORRIBLE at math! Would I add a little less of everything else in order to add in the 10 to 15% of glycerin? Is there one ingredient I should subtract more of than another one, or is it basically up to me? Or do I just add in some glycerin on top of everything else? Thanks so much!

    Reply

    • I second this question! I’ve been making your DIY moisturizer and LOVING it and would like to know how precisely to incorporate the glycerin.

      Reply

    • haha okay good question… I’m the worst when it come to this, a lot of the times I just throw things together on feeling instead of measuring…. I think in this case you can do either. It would probably be easiest (ie. least amount of math) if you just make the DIY moisturizer as the recipe called for, and then just add glycerin on top…. so if the whole thing was 4 ounces…. I would take 10% of 4 ounces… which is 0.4 ounces, which equals 2.5 teaspoons of glycerin to add in. I suppose the only problem with that is if the mixture doesn’t fit in your 4 oz bottle anymore…

      Reply

        • I did a little mathy math for anyone making 1 oz at a time.

          10% of 1 oz is 0.6 tsp, but we can’t measure that, so let’s be safe and say 0.5 tsp glycerin. So, the recipe is as follows:

          1/2 tsp glycerin
          2 3/4 tsp oil
          2 3/4 tsp aloe vera

          I like to use a bit more oil than aloe, so if you’re like me, then you can do:

          1/2 tsp glycerin
          3 tsp oil
          2 1/2 tsp aloe vera

          Can’t wait to try the glycerin. Thanks Tracey!
          xoxo

          Reply

    • You can just add the glycerin to your blend and stir it in. It should be fine. I would say no more than 5 % otherwise it could get sticky with your application. Don’t be nervous, get excited and have fun playing.

      Reply

  6. Hi Tracy,
    I am french, and in France we always say that glycerin shouldn’t be more than 10% of the moisturizer, otherwise it would have the opposite effect : it would dry the skin. I don’t know why… But it is always mentioned.

    Reply

    • Hi Julie, I read different things about recommended percentage… but I agree it’s probably better to err on the side of caution. I’m going to edit the article to make it 10%

      Reply

  7. Hi Tracy!

    I am Anna, from the Philippines. I have been suffering from hormonal acne because of hormonal imbalance. I have low progesterone. I have taken 3 different types of bcp in a span of 5 months because of my back acne (now is cleared) & then I stopped. While I was on my last pill I already noticed pustules on my cheek & jawline. December of last year my acne got worst that it breaks me into tears whenever I look at myself in the mirror. I went to a naturopath 2 days ago & he recommended me to take primrose food supplement & soy & 4 other food supplements. I’ve been stressing really because of how my life has completely changed because of my acne. I have been off from work for a week now because I wanted to free my skin from putting make up on. Without make up my skin looks so bad:'( My confidence went from 10 to 0. Please help me!

    I heard that coconut oil & primrose oil when taken orally can help in hormonal balance. Is this true? Also I have been thinking of taking voted but I am little scared of the possible side effect as I heard some people breakout after taking it.

    I also have sleep problem since I’ve had this hormonal imbalance. Last night I was not able to sleep:(

    I really appreciate if you could give me a piece of advice about my problem. Thank you so much for helping so many acne sufferers like me!

    God bless you!

    Reply

    • Hi Anna – I’m so sorry to hear you’re struggling. A lot of women struggle with bad acne when they come off the pill. It will get better! But it could take several months. Stay positive that you will heal, as hard as that may be! Focus a lot on self love during this time and stress reduction. A healthy diet, exercise, and sleep will of course help your body get back on track. Vitamin b6 (a good quality, non-synthetic variety), magnesium, zinc, and vitex can all help, as well as DIM. But don’t start a bunch of supplements all at once it may get overwhelming to the body.. go slowly. Good luck xox

      Reply

    • This clay is 100%. Calcium bentonite is just fine. I use it frequently in custom blend mask formulations for clients. Don’t get hung up on exact details and follow the inspiration of what to purchase.

      Reply

  11. Hi Tracy
    Firstly, thank you for all the awesome tips you share with us!
    Can I ask – do you know whether there is a difference between glycerin USP and glycerol B.P? I got all excited after reading this blog, went to my local chemist, asked for glycerin… and ended up buying a bottle of ‘Glycerol B.P’. I’m now wondering if maybe its not quite the right thing?
    Thanks so much,
    Stephanie

    Reply

  12. Is is possible to combine glycerin with the niacinamide powder you recommended in another post? thanks!

    Reply

    • Yes – but you want to dilute the glycerin first to 10% in either aloe vera (easier to work with + added skin benefits) or water. And then you can add niacinamide to that. I don’t know if niacinamide would dilute in just glycerin, and you don’t want to apply straight glycerin anyway. It will dissolve in aloe or water though

      Reply

  13. Hey Tracy, I’ve been doing the caveman regimen for a few months now. I’ve been loving it, but I am still dealing with scabby dryness and extreme sensitivity to touch and even water.. I want to moisturize some areas but my skin does not like anyyything! What I’m really wondering is did you find your skin was able to tolerate being moisturized better after giving it a long rest? And have you started using water again or just moisturizing? I know you get this all the time, but I don’t know anyone else who has done the caveman and has any experience with it t relate my situation to. Thanks

    Reply

    • Hi Al – it can take many months for your skin to sort itself out, especially on the caveman. I’ve learned that a simple natural moisturizing routine (with oils and aloe etc) can speed up the skin’s recovery but it’s hard when you’re in a place like yours where you don’t feel like you can use anything without an adverse effect. To be honest though, when your skin is properly hydrated, that’s when it can start moving and regenerating itself, and when this starts after years of chemicals and fake products, the skin can start purging up all that past gunk. So it might seem like it’s breaking you out, but instead you’re going through a purging with better skin on the other side!

      Reply

      • Thanks tracy. Giving it time is huge, thanks for reminding me! Trying to not over-think is by far the biggest struggle. And getting past the fear. Its definitely part of finding that balance . Sometimes i wonder how much of my eczema/irritation/allergic-type reactions are caused by emotions. Great to learn what you have taken from doing the caveman. Thanks for the advice!!

        Reply

        • Hello
          Look up guided meditations on body relaxation and focus on inner calmness first. By feeding your skin inner calm it can begin again in renewal mode. Stress and fear keep it stuck. This is only temporary and you will clear when you begin to believe in yourself and your abilities (again).

          Reply

  14. Hi miss tracy is it ok to use the oil cleansing method even your doing the diy moisturiser? I think the diy moisturiser has and oil? Is it ok?

    Reply

    • If I understand correctly your question:
      Oil cleansing method refers to the cleansing step.

      Diy moisturizer would be an additional step to add hydration and yes the moisturizer is partially oil based. It is just fine.

      Reply

  15. Hi Tracey,
    Thank you for your blog – it has really helped me a lot. You inspired me to go caveman (no water) about a year ago and I’ve loved the freedom. I was doing oil cleansing with steam for a while before that but noticed that it was giving me wrinkles (or maybe I just started noticing them more with age). Although acne wasn’t a huge problem for me, my skin tone has become a lot more even due to caveman and I’d say that I get less pimples, and if I do get them they heal really quickly. My skin has just been more resilient overall. The only problem has been that dry flakiness (especially in the mornings) has remained. So this week after finding out that you are now moisturising, I thought that I probably should too. I’m 36 and starting to be a little concerned about dryness making wrinkles look worse. So for the past few days I decided to take the plunge and moisturise. I say take the plunge because it seems that for me it can only be all or nothing, i.e Caveman only works if I don’t put anything on my face, if I do then it starts the whole cycle of needing to cleanse and moisturise again. But for the past few days I have been pressing water on to my face and then using a homemade moisturiser of 50% Aloe, 50% Jojoba, 5% Glyerine. For the first two days my skin did feel less dry and nicer, but sure enough I’m now getting a few pimples and blackheads. Will this sort itself out? Did you have any problems transitioning from caveman to moisturising only? I think I’d rather put up with some flakiness and stay caveman rather than worry about pimples and clogged pores and have to study my skin every day again! I’d love to know your thoughts. Thanks again!

    Reply

    • Hi Claire! It’s up to you what you want to do — I didn’t have much trouble with transitioning as far as I recall, but I would personally say give it a short while to see if the breakouts clear up. Often the skin will get a bit upset no matter what when you change up your skin routine (or it’s just a coincidence), give it a chance to get used to it and then decide 🙂

      Reply

      • Thanks so much for your reply, Tracy!

        I think it’s getting better. I’m considering perhaps switching from jojoba to argan, but I’m also a bit cautious about applying too much moisture in case it sort of trains my skin to produce less oil, i.e. it gets too dependent on the moisturiser. Although, another part of me suspects that naturally drier skin is a consequence of ageing so maybe it’s natural for slightly older skin to need extra help. What do you think? I suppose the thing I learned from caveman is that my skin seems to be able to do naturally what I was wasting time trying to do with cleansing and moisturising. But given that I was still flakey at times, maybe that’s down to ageing as I do consume a lot of healthy fats, etc.

        Reply

  16. Hi Tracy,

    Just found your website. I have been giving a lot of thought lately to the ills of my skincare regimen. For the first eighteen years of my life, I washed my face only once a day and with only water. I made it through puberty without getting a single pimple or whitehead (no exaggeration); most of my friends in high school were not so lucky.

    It wasn’t until I started my first job and had my own money that I started “investing” in skincare products (the discontinued Johnson’s PH 5.5 cleanser, toner and moisturizer). I immediately got my first pimple, and then some. I basically got acne. At this point, I should have gone back to my water-only routine. My mom urged me to do so, citing her own effort-free, flawless complexion. Instead, I switched to products formulated for acne: cleansers/toners/moisturizers/ointments from Neutrogena and Clean & Clear all with salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide.

    I was able to keep my acne somewhat under control with all the drugstore brand acne products I was using on my face, that is, I had fewer pimples, but I still got them. And my skin was always rough and irritated. I was able to keep this up for about two years before the irritation became impossible to ignore. I developed two painful red spots on the apples of my cheeks. I finally quit acne products.

    I switched to glycerin soap (Neutrogena) and cold cream (Ponds). The reduction in irritation was immediate, but it was never completely calm, and I still got the occasional pimple and whitehead. A few months later, I tried sunscreen (Neutrogena) and had facial swelling. My doctor told me it was an allergic reaction, and he prescribed hydrocortisone cream (Advantan). The hydrocortisone cream worked for the allergic reaction, but I noticed that it also calmed my irritated skin. In fact, this was the best my skin had looked since I bought Johnson’s PH 5.5 all those years ago.

    I added hydrocortisone cream to my skincare regimen, even though I knew the risks associated with prolonged use. It wasn’t until I had a glaucoma scare five years later that I quit using it.

    Today, I still use glycerin soap followed by cold cream twice a day. The only products I have found that work better are from Clinique (rinse off foaming cleanser and dramatically different moisturizing lotion), but the difference in price point usually means that I go back to the drugstore brand. However, I still have problems with irritated-looking skin, whiteheads and the occasional pimple.

    Lately, I have been thinking back to those days when I couldn’t afford even drugstore brand skincare products and how much better my skin looked back then. That could not have been a coincidence. I think it might be a good time to throw my hands up and conclude that my seventeen-year experiment has come full circle.

    Thank you for sharing your experience. Are your still on the Caveman Regimen? Is it still “Caveman Regimen” if you’re moisturizing? I thought you were supposed to do nothing. Sorry if you’ve addressed this already. I haven’t deep-dived into your blog posts yet, but I plan to!

    Sincerely,

    Jessica

    Reply

    • It probably wasn’t a coincidence! Many people wouldn’t have acne if they were kinder to their skin. No I don’t do the straight caveman anymore — I splash my face with water morning and night and moisturize with glycerin and aloe and oils. It’s super simple, and I’ve come to realize that moisture is never a bad thing for the skin. It’s not completely caveman but it’s still a far cry from washing and scrubbing and using drug store washes and creams and moisturizers

      Reply

  17. Hello Tracy,
    I found your website when I was searching for the list of harmful ingredients that shouldn’t be in cosmetics. Very helpful. I’ve been looking at all your posts but not sure if you have talked about face moisturizing at night. I’m 20 years old, should I start to use night moisturizer or should I let my skin breath?
    Thank you!

    Reply

  18. Tracy, thank you so much for this post. I would have never tried glycerin if i didnt see this and it has made a huuuge difference. In basically making the same moisturizer as you, and the glycerin was the missing piece. I have never had such luck with any product

    Reply

  19. Since the Spring I’ve been doing the DIY moisturizer of the brand aloe and argan oil you’ve recommended, and glycerin. I’ve just been mixing it in my hand each day, not premixing in 1 bottle. I don’t know my measurements, but I do like an inch strip of aloe on my fingers, 1 or 2 drops glycerin and same for argan oil. I like the mixture, but after a few hours I look greasy. If I don’t put anything on my face after I wash it I am fairly dry- and if I open my mouth to eat something (with nothing on) it gets pretty flaky dry. So I’d say I have dry skin, but after 3hrs I look greasy, no matter what I have on, makeup or not. I tried switching out argan oil for jojoba oil thinking I could trick my skin with the oil production- big mistake. My face hated me and broke out big time for a month. Switched back to argan and all is calm and 97% clear after a few weeks.

    SO my question, am I using something wrong? How can I find a balance between moisturizing enough to get rid of the dry flakes, and not looking greasy in a few hours?

    Reply

      • When I began in March I was just using the aloe and argan oil. I felt greasy then too after a few hours. I added in the glycerin in May. I liked how initially I felt more moisturized with it added in, and things felt so smooth. So since I was greasy either way I kept it in the mix. I tried recently to do just aloe and the glycerin and i felt more sticky…

        Reply

    • Measuring makes a difference. Also, rosehip seed & carrotseed oils are lighter than argon. You could incorporate these and cut down the argon. Arrowroot powder allows your moisturizer to dry to a matte finish without making your skin dry. Use very little. In 1oz start with a pinch…or tip of a steak knife. If its too matte just add more botanical oil/aloe. You may also be using too much glycerine. In 1oz I use only 1/8 tsp…add a little more if you really like it.

      Reply

  20. When I began in March I was just using the aloe and argan oil. I felt greasy then too after a few hours. I added in the glycerin in May. I liked how initially I felt more moisturized with it added in, and things felt so smooth. So since I was greasy either way I kept it in the mix. I tried recently to do just aloe and the glycerin and i felt more sticky…

    Reply

  21. You must remember that the glycerin MUST br 100% pure vegetable glycerin otherwise you will all end up with acne again!!! beware there are two types of glycerine

    Reply

    • Hi Stella — I could be wrong, but from my understanding, glycerine itself is a very specific molecule, which means wherever it came from, it kind just boils down to the same thing.

      Reply

  22. Hello, Tracy. I know this is an old post, but I have a question about the DIY moisturizer. Is it okay to use (pure) aloe vera juice instead of gel, or will that be too luiquidy to apply? I want to try this myself, but they don’t seem to sell the pure gel formulas here in Norway (just the bad “more water than aloe” pharmacy gels). I have found a bottle of pure aloe vera but it seems to be juice and not gel, and wonder if it will work as good as aloe gel.

    Reply

  23. Lol omg *just* saw the part about how it’s irritating if not diluted to 10%. I tried it without diluting and like lathered it on all over my skin and it caused me to break out haha oy. Now I’m kinda scared to even try it at 10%

    Reply

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