Julienne Mark (Uae) on 11/13/2014
I never had acne in my life but when after weeks of detoxifying my body, cystic acne came out all over my forehead. I read a lot of testimonials online about its good effect on our face and to acne, so I bought a bottle of organic apple cider vinegar. I am supposed to dilute with water but I applied ACV undiluted on my forehead every night. My acne cleared and left me with scars. It was difficult looking at my skin like this. All people would notice my forehead. I thought it will make my skin nicer than it was so I applied ACV toner this time I mixed 50/50 of ACV and water mixture every night.
But to my dismay, all the good things I read about ACV Toner from people who have tried it never happened to me. In my 22 days of using ACV toner and organic coconut oil as moisturizer, my cheeks became red looks like I have mild rashes, uneven skin tone on my chin looked black to me, my pores are still there and it's creating a dot dot red, acne scars didn't fade. My skin on my face looked very, very dry and it looked dehydrated, dull and old.
Now I stopped using the toner. I thought of putting more water to my mixture but I am afraid to use it again. I am trying to heal my face with organic honey as my facial wash and nothing else.
I feel like I am the only one who had these reactions. Maybe I should not use this since I don't have acne. I wanted to use this to balance my ph level on my face since I've used so many chemicals on my face before. Should I really stop using ACV toner?
Replied By Pina (Us) on 11/14/2014
Undiluted ACV is very strong. It could be the strength of the ACV that gave you the problem. The best way to use it is to start with a more diluted mix, perhaps one part ACV to two or three parts "distilled" water.
You want to make sure that your ACV is organic, raw and has the mother to ensure it is alive. And has all the nutrients. Bragg's ACV is the best.
Make sure to mix it with distilled water to ensure the water is pure. You can get distilled water at the grocery store. You don't want any hidden chemicals from tap or even sometimes filtered water effecting your skin.
Give your skin a rest from the ACV. Once your skin is recovered, try using the diluted toner. If your skin still reacts then ACV may not be for you.
I just started the 1 to 3 ratio once a day and it is clearing my skin. After 5 days, I went to twice a day but my skin is getting a little dry so I will either go back to once a day or dilute more and do twice a day.
Brown spots are left behind that take time to clear. Using the ACV is supposed help exfoliate the skin which will work to fade the dark marks. I assume that's what you mean by scarring. It takes time but they will eventually fade.
Go slow and easy with your skin. It damages easily and takes time to recover. I hope this helps. Good luck.
Replied By Julienne (United Arab Emirates) on 11/16/2014
Thank you for your reply. I am using Eden brand organic apple cider vinegar because this is the only brand available in our country (UAE). I couldn't find Bragg's here in supermarkets but only online and it is so much more expensive than Eden. I thought brand doesn't matter as long as it is organic. I use organic honey as my facial wash because I noticed all facial wash I used makes my skin so tight and so dry. I was hesitant to continue using this but I saw mild peeling on my face maybe it's the ACV removing the dead skin so I am now again using it. This time I now diluted my apple cider with more water, the water I use is mineral water (bottled water) and not from faucet. The bottled water I use is the same what I drink because of the low sodium content compare to other bottled mineral water in the store. I feel like I just destroyed my skin but I am giving ACV toner another chance. I am just impatient with the scars. It looks like it is either not working with ACV or it works very slow on my skin. I don't know why ACV is not working faster on my skin compare to you and others. Maybe I will give ACV another week and if there is no changes, ACV maybe not for my skin. Thanks.
Replied By Claire (Buffalo, New York) on 11/16/2014
I would try: increasing the amount of water you drink each day and adding omega 3 oil like flax, borage or fish oil to your diet every day. I find borage oil supplements do wonders for my skin, but I need to take more of it in the winter months for dry, flaking skin. I take 3 capsules a day. Let us know your progress!
Replied By Tulip (Symrna, Ga) on 06/30/2015
Do this once a day for 3-4 months. There is no instant solution to marks except makeup. Everything takes time.
i did this for 3 months and it helped with my marks and unevenness around chin.
Replied By Angie (Il) on 04/02/2016
Replied By Paola (South Africa ) on 01/14/2017