Adult Acne- Take a Hike!

As an adolescent I suffered from fairly severe acne for a couple of years. It's hard to explain what a psychological toll it takes without sounding too dramatic, but suffice to say it weighed heavily on my mind at all times. I was always conscious of what it looked like to other people (something teens can't help doing at the best of times.) I tried to cover it up with makeup even though my doctor cautioned me that makeup would make the breakouts worse. I remember feeling very bitter when he told me that, thinking "what else am I supposed to do?" Mother nature resolved the issue as I got a bit older and my hormones were more regulated, but at its peak I looked at my face in the mirror and thought; "if I ever get to the point where I have so few pimples that I can easily count them, I will never complain about my skin again." But time passes and memory fades.

For a long time I was relatively untroubled by acne. I believe that being on birth control played a large role in preventing it. Unfortunately when the time came that I no longer wanted to take the pill, my hormones rebelled and I ended up with terrible acne on my back, chest, jawline and forehead. "Proactive" was newly available via mail order at the time, and despite being a poor university graduate I shelled out the $75/ month. It DID work for me quite nicely for the most part, but my forehead always had stubborn "bumps" that didn't respond to anything. I only needed to take Proactive for a few months before my hormones once again regulated and the acne subsided. After that I learned to live with the forehead pimples that never went away. I wore bangs, and I was conscious to always use foundation and reapply powder so the shine wouldn't draw attention to it. Fast forward to present day....

I am thrilled to say that after all the years and various over-the-counter products, just when I am starting to contend with the fine lines of aging, I have gotten rid of the forehead acne! I have found my magic combination that does the job when nothing else would. There are two things I use, and both are inexpensive.

1. Every morning in the shower I use good old St Ives Apricot Scrub, available absolutely everywhere (I have the one with salicylic acid for good measure.) I exfoliate my face and neck for about a minute, paying particular attention to my forehead.

2. At night I use the oil cleansing method that I mentioned in a previous post. To recap; I mixed 2 parts castor oil and one part extra virgin olive oil. I added some essential rose oil for its anti-aging benefits (see my post: Rose Oil is Wonderful), but that's completely optional. I massage a quarter sized amount into my face and neck and drape a very hot washcloth over it for about a minute. I wipe the excess oil off, rinse the cloth, and wipe a second time. It cleans, re-balances natural moisture levels, and removes my makeup in one step. My face is left feeling glowy and restored. Contrary to my deeply rooted paranoia that oil would cause a resurgence of my adolescent acne, it has worked to help make my skin healthier than it's ever been.

So there you have it...my inexpensive, do-it-yourself cure for the most stubborn adult acne. I wish I had tried this combination earlier in my life, but I'm certainly enjoying the result now.

Rose Oil is Wonderful

When I first started using a castor/olive oil blend for facial cleansing, it occurred to me that I would like to add some essential oil, mostly for the scent rather than any other benefit. The first scent that came to mind was rose. Little did I know that it is, of course, the priciest and one of the hardest to find in its pure form. Why do I have such a knack for picking out the most expensive of everything before I even know anything about it? It's a burden! But I digress; once I got that scent in my head I HAD to have it. I found a company in India that ships essential oils in small and bulk quantities to north America regularly. The company is "Meena Perfumery" and they popped up right away when I did a rose oil google search. I ordered two vials so I could maximize my value for the shipping cost (which was extremely reasonable I must say.) Color me impressed when the oil arrived in just one week! Zoooooom.

In the interim I had done some research on the uses and benefits of rose oil aside from its decadent scent. Turns out it's great for anxiety and depression as aromatherapy, and perfect as an emollient, astringent and skin tightening additive for cleansers and lotions! Well that couldn't be any more perfect for me. The first thing I did when I got it home was to add a couple drops to my oil cleanser. That tiny amount scented it wonderfully. I look forward to enjoying its benefits with regular use. The next thing I did was to add a bit to my ceramic oil burner and let the scent insinuate itself into the master bedroom and bathroom. What a wonderful substance! I can feel the calming properties of it as I breathe it in. One caution however: it is very concentrated so a little goes a long way. It's best to burn it in a well-ventilated area. Overall, I recommend essential rose oil to anyone looking to enhance their well-being.