Karenmarie (Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada) on 04/16/2011:
Thoes harsh chemicals are horrible for skin and hair, not only that but our health as well. I've been using African black soap to cleanse my face and body, it's free of all harsh SLS's, parabens, is high in natural glycerin and has been used traditionaly by African women to wash lol babies! The smell is very earthy and it lathers like a body wash. I wet my face and hands with Luke warm water rub the bar untill it lathers slightly and lightly massage my face in little circles for about 1 min, rinse well with a cloth. I also like to use a toner I made out of boiled( and cooled) water, organic apple cider vinegar with mother, peppermint tea and lavender oil. To make:
Boil 3 cups of water
Throw in 1 peppermint tea bag
3 drops of lavender EO
Let stand untill cool
Add 1/4 cup ACV
The smell of the ACV dissipates once it's dried, if you have very sensitive skin you can use less ACV. I also moisturize with extra virgin organic coconut oil, use VERY VERY sparingly, focusing on your dry areas and under the eyes!! That's my daily skin care and I finally don't have to wear any of that foundation anymore without being embarassed of red patches and zit everywhere!
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Aubrey (Portland, Oregon) on 02/03/2011:
I haven't ever had severe acne, but I tend to get a lot of blackheads and breakouts every once in a while. I have started this simple regimine and it has worked terrifically when I follow through with it.I wash my face with non-foaming wash in the shower, and once with only water before bed. Once a week I apply AVC to my entire face besides the eye area. It dried out pimples but not the rest of your face.
For bacne I use naturally made soap and a pumice stone. It works great.
Also applying an organic lotion in the morning helps with acne and bacne. I use Nubian Organic Honey and Blackseed healing lotion. It smells good too. :)
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Sarah (Carrollton, Tx) on 01/21/2011:
I agree with stopping the use anything containing sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). I got canker sores in my mouth repeatedly for a month until I switched to a sensitve toothpaste (pronamel or sensodyne are good and inexpensive) and my canker sores vanished w/in 1 day - the only different ingredient was the absence of SLS. Read up on it and SLS is a strong detergent used in toliet cleaner/bath&kitchen cleaner to make the "foaming" soapy action... Everything has this - shampoo, bottled soaps, toothpaste, and all household cleaners. I started developing cysts and dandruff problems on my head after a while and was shedding a lot of hair, I found some good shampoos - David Babaii's Wildaid (from ULTA) and Renpure Organics (from Walgreens) - they don't have SLS and have safer, less harmful ingredients for the environment - my scalp problems vanished w/in 1 week and I haven't had problems for the last 2 years since I've cut SLS out of my life.
I was on Retin-A for years w/o much help, still broke out and it turned my face red. Using face wash w/o SLS has reduced my acne outbreaks to only 3-4 days out of the month when I'm cycling, all other times my face is pretty clear and I don't have to apply harsh chemicals anymore.
Bradley (Corpus Christi, Texas) on 04/12/2008:
STOP USING DEODORANT IF YOU HAVE ACNE!
Why? I have no idea but I have tried every remedy in the book for acne and it would not cure it. From benzaclyn, proactiv, retina micro, hydrogen peroxide, acv, etc. You name it, I prolly tried it. So one day I decided to get away from regular deodorant and go to a natural deodorant because of the Aluminum in deodorant. Little did I know days later my face was clear and has been clear for 2 months now. It has been the clearest it has ever been since I was a kid. I went to my local supermarket and found this deodorant called Toms Natural Deodorant and it is Aluminum free. Maybe the ingredients in my deodorant I had always used was the cause for my acne. I wish I knew this in high school! Try it, It's amazing!
Kris (Omaha, Nebraska) on 09/19/2007:
My decade-long bout with facial acne ended when I (1) Quit using liquid make-up, and (2) Started using a facial wash with alpha hydroxy acid. My absolute favorite is the brand Alpha Hydrox Foaming Facial Wash. Awesome AND inexpensive. I think that quitting using concealers and liquid make-up to cover up the skin is crucial to stopping the acne cycle. Even if a liquid make-up claims to be non-codemogenic it may aggravate the acne. For a while I used powder make-up, which didn't cause break-outs, but now I rarely even use that.
Chet (Los Angeles, CA) on 01/21/2006:
STOP USING SLS (SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE, SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE) AND ANY SULFATES IN YOUR BATH PRODUCTS!!! This ingredient is found EVERY body and face soap...and EVERY shampoo. IT IS ALSO WHY YOUNG MEN ARE GOING BALD!!! For acne, I'm trying the lemon juice exfoliation and the cucumber juice face mask. Seems to be working.
