For many of us with oily, acne prone skin, shopping around for products that actually work to reduce breakouts can be a time consuming nightmare.

Finding the right skincare routine can feel like finding the right pair of shoes but with much higher stakes. Choosing the wrong product for your skin type can lead to irritation like dryness, flaking, peeling or burning which can be inconvenient if you’ve got somewhere important to be.

However, luckily for us, reliable information about your skin and how to care for it is more widely available than ever. At a click of a button you can find product recommendations targeted for your specific skin problems without making a visit to the dermatologist.

Estheticians like Nyamka Roberts-Smith, also known as @LaBeautyologist on Twitter, offer their professional advice to other users as well as create dedicated YouTube channels to educating others on how to properly care for their skin and debunking old myths.

I’ve personally followed her advice and here are some things she recommends that have completely changed my complexion.

The first step is picking the right cleanser and washing your face for at least 30 seconds to allow the cleanser enough time to come into contact with your skin.Doing this for 30 seconds helps your skin reap the benefits of whatever ingredients it contains.

For someone like me with breakout prone skin, it was important to work my cleanser into my pores to make sure they were free of any dead skin cells or excess oil. Gel and oil cleansers are better suited for oily skin. The cleanser that I have found to work best for my skin is the Alba Botanic Micellar cleanser.

After cleansing, use a toner free from any drying ingredients like alcohol or sulfate. A toner that works for me is the Pixi Beauty Vitamin C tonic. It’s a quick absorbing liquid that helps remove anything that might be left behind after cleansing.

Nowadays, they’re packed with concentrated ingredients to address skin concern and are not limited to treating acne and oily skin.

Apply a facial serum and what you choose is up to you and what you’re looking to improve about your skin. Vitamin c serums are beneficially for everyone as they work to visibly brighten, reduce dark spots and discoloration. My vitamin c serum of choice is the Clean Beauty Vitamin C Papaya Glow serum.  Vitamin c serums give the skin a healthy, youthful glow. I double up on my serums and layer them to receive multiple benefits.

To lock in all of your hard work, you’ll need a moisturizer. Because of my skin type, I lean toward gels because they don’t add any more oil to the skin. The Clinique Hydrating jelly has been perfect for me. If you’re experienceing dryness, something thicker and more emollient like a cream would be beneficial.