16 replies to this topic

[shanzy529]

Hello All,
First of all, I would like to introduce my skin's current condition: it is Super Oily, moderate whiteheads around cheeks, chin, and hair line and blackheads around t zone.
This regime is consisted of ACV as toner and morning cleanser and Veggie Smoothie Everyday!

I have decided to start a completely new post because for the past month I have been on Dan's regime with 2.5% BP, and my skin has not been improving much. Also BP dries my skin out so much and makes my complexion look dull. Also it prolonged the existence of redmarks on my face...So I have decided to come up with a different regime that is going to cater to my skin and help my skin to improve more.

I have read a lot of information on ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) and how it helps with acne prone skin. So I have decided to get a bottle of Organic ACV (important to get organic only!) to drink daily and use it as a toner. Studies claim that ACV is rich in alpha-hydroxy acids, helping to dissolve fatty deposits on the skin. surface and reducing scaly conditions, promoting a softer, smoother appearance. Cider Vinegar also regulates the pH of the skin.
** use ONLY organic ACV. It contains the "mother".


Regime:

AM-
- Diluted Organic ACV (60 %ACV/ 40 distilled water), use a paper towel and wipe away dirt and oil w/o stripping away skin's natural oil.
-ACV toner
-a natural SPF 30 by Cosmedix with BE moisturizing lotion & tea tree oil

PM
-OCM (castor oil/jojoba/tea tree oil) 3x a week
-ACV toner
- jojoba and tea tree oils


Everyday I take vitamins consist of : E, Fish Oil, Calcium, C, and Multi-vit. And Cosmedix's clear natural supplement to reduce oil for better complexion, it has Vitamin A, E, B-6, pantothenic Acid, and L-lysine.

Each morning I would blend a veggie smoothie consisted of different variations of fruit and lefty green vegetables with lemon juice and/or two teaspoons of ACV with one cup of water or vegetable juices like carrot.

I drink a lot of water each day and I have a very healthy and balanced diet consisted of plenty of fruit, veggie, fish, and light amount of meat, some grains, but I get protein from shakes. ( staying away from sugars, inorganic meat, nuts, and oil, and a few fruits that are really sweet: bananas, certain berries)

Once a week, I use clear by Cosmedix as a mask - you can't buy this product online, only sold at certified cosmetologists' offices (I get mine at Ying's Beauty Salon in Duluth, GA, even if you don't live close by, you should look up her contact info at her website: http://www.yingsbeautygroup.com), it is the best mask that you could ever ask for. it contains all the right stuff like green tea oil and bentonite clay. My skin literally is cleared of whiteheads for a day and half after I use it. The result isn't long lasting but I think it is partly because my daily regime was not helping. So hopefully this new regime will completely aid the positive effects from this mask.

I am really excited to get off the BP regime, it was not doing anything for my whiteheads! I don't have severe acne, but I do tend to have a lot of whiteheads around my hair line and left cheek where my hair always touches. BP is great for a lot of reasons - it did helped with redness and minor acne, but in the end, it is just not going to be the "magical" treatment for me..plus, since I've been on Dan's regime, I would still get a few pimples every other day...a Lot more than I have ever had in a long time.

but I have faith in my skin, and I know this consistent whitehead problem will eventually go away, I just need the right product. I hope this would be it! *cross my fingers *

Keep up with my log and see if this could be something you could do for yourself if BP hasn't worked as well as you had expected.

Edited by shanzy529, 06 December 2009 - 12:38 PM.

[c'est la vigne]

Moved to the Personal Regimen Logs board.

[shanzy529]

Day 2 of ACV and Veggie Smoothie,

My skin feels great. NO more dull skin from BP! I woke up this morning, my skin was shinny and clear in a good way because of the mask by Cosmedix last night. I also put two teaspoons of organic ACV in my veggie smoothie this morning. Remember to brush your teeth right after you drink it to avoid acid wearing off enamels on your teeth.

I could not resist the goodness from ACV as a toner, so I decided to put some on after shower this morning. I smelled like dirty laundry for about one hour. It is a horrible smell that lingers around after applying. Also, jojoba oil helps with oiliness! I used a blotting sheet a few hours later and the sheet wasn't soaked with oil like usual. the oil on my skin has reduced about half since i have been using jojoba oil before moisturizing.

brown marks seem less noticeable.I have not seen any change from whiteheads yet. I could still feel the bumpiness around my left cheek and around my hair line. My forehead is almost clear though- just has a few brown spots on the side.

Edited by shanzy529, 04 December 2009 - 11:10 AM.

[shanzy529]

Day 3

Drank two cups of veggie smoothies: blended with spinach, carrot juice, grapes, and cucumber.
applied ACV toner in AM/ PM.

Also I did oil cleansing method tonight with : jojoba oil, tea tree oil, and castor oil.
Morning: BE wash.

I have read from a lot of people that when they switch from BP to ACV toner, they tend to get little worse before getting better. (same with proactiv treatments)

Well, My skin is getting a little worse, a few pimples came out in areas that I get a lot of whiteheads. ACV is supposed to exfoliate my skin, so I am going to wait.

Also, I have changed all my bathroom products to organic or natural: from hand soap, shampoo, shower gel, lotion, to conditioner, everything is organic without synthetic fragrance or color. no SLS, paraben, or alcohol very vegan friendly.

So I truly believe the only thing that is going to cure my acne is to adapt to a healthier lifestyle, use products that aren't going to aggravate my skin, and keep my skin as healthy as possible in every way.

I have faith! & Hope for the Best!

Edited by shanzy529, 30 November 2009 - 08:02 PM.

[shanzy529]

Day 4:

I feel like everyday is a new adventure. There is never a dull moment in my life.

So today: I applied tea tree oil as spot treatment in the morning, and after shower I popped a few small pimples: they weren't caused by ACV, they were already there but suppressed by BP. Most of them were originated from non-inflammatory whiteheads. I am glad and sad that those pimples came out: sad because it is so painful to pop any pimple, but happy because they aren't going to disappear unless I pop them.

Tea tree oil is great as a spot treatment, during the day, it calms my skin and breaks down oil ( I know this for sure because I tried the Oil Cleansing Method last night, when I added TTO to castor/jojoba oil, it made the two oil feel less greasy on my face- I have heard so many good things about the OCM, but I am still not fully convinced yet)

my face looks healthier than usual, brown spots are decreasing, just waiting for the whiteheads to disappear!

One cup full of blended raw spinach, strawberries, organic carrot juice, a scope of whey protein powder (only 2g of sugar), and two teaspoons of ACV.

organic/natural shower gel is really great: it is so great that I am using it to wash my face b/c my daily cleanser is out and I am waiting for one to arrive soon. It doesn't have paraben, synthetic fragrance, color, SLS: the ingredients are so short that I could understand what they put into that product. (I hate when a company tries to be so fancy and puts so much chemical into making products- chemical names that I would never remember or understand!)

The shower gel is so great that my minor back acnes are gone!!!! it was definitely caused by harmful chemicals in my previous gel!!

Edited by shanzy529, 01 December 2009 - 03:03 PM.

[shanzy529]

Day 5

Smoothie: raw spinach, green apple, cucumber, Organic carrot juice, Organic ACV.

my ACV toner is 60% ACV & 40 % distilled water.

Quick news: I have decided to upload pictures once a week from now to let people see my progress with organic ingredients.

woke up today, two of my pimples are gone b/c I have been putting TTO on them day and night for two days now.

I have been stupidly using shea butter cleanser for two days which caused me some minor redness and possible breakouts on my cheeks, but hopefully they will go away on its own! I refuse to pop pimples from now!!! Popping pimples for the past three years damaged the surface of my skin so much! I would rather look ugly for two weeks than to live with a uneven skin texture for years.

Also, I have been drinking green tea at night, to keep myself awake to study for finals and green tea detox..you could eat those leaves too!


5th day on ACV


you could definitely see the whitehead problem!! I hate when I wash my face


The gross side of the face! lol

Edited by shanzy529, 02 December 2009 - 09:09 PM.

[shanzy529]

let me know what you guys think of my routine so far!

This is def. the gross side of the face, picture doesn't show those two huge pimples that well, but it is pretty big and I am expecting two huge brown spots after. ugh.

PS-- those pictures make me sound a whinning bi***, What do you mean I am 95% clear???? NOOO I am NOT! or is it all in my head that my face is full of comedones? lol

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Edited by shanzy529, 02 December 2009 - 09:26 PM.

[iWantBeHappy]

Your diet is great, but do some exercises, cardio,
i think your blackheads and face problem will go away in 3~ month if you will doing it every day, vegatbles, fruits, healthy life style gives you much better health, and much better skin, so keep going, just believe and you will have perfect skin, also your acne is not noticable.

[shanzy529]

Your diet is great, but do some exercises, cardio,
i think your blackheads and face problem will go away in 3~ month if you will doing it every day, vegatbles, fruits, healthy life style gives you much better health, and much better skin, so keep going, just believe and you will have perfect skin, also your acne is not noticable.

YEAY first response! Just as I thought that no one is reading my blogs. Thank you for responding.

I generally exercise three times a week, I have been slacking b/c this is the end of the year for college students- swamped with exams and projects.

I have had blackheads since I was 10.. I have large pores around the T zone and large oil glands (extremely oily even when my skin was clear) from my mother. SO If this regime is going to take of this..that would be awesome and amazing!!

[shanzy529]

Day 7

I received a really nice compliment from my mom, she said, " wow your blackheads are almost GONE!"
let's recap, I have had blackheads since I was 10 !! ACV & OIL Cleansing Method have helped so much.

MY whiteheads around my forehead are ALMOST (98%) GONE!! Whiteheads around my chin and cheeks aren't as bad anymore, I still have a few though. oh, minor back acne that I had are all gone, just dealing with brown spots- should be gone in four weeks.

I am so happy!

"Don't pick at your pimples &&&& DON'T exfoliate harshly (NO apricot scrub), if you are washing your face properly, you shouldn't need to exfoliate." my Advise of the day.

In retrospect, I MADE my acne worse because I didn't know how to treat it properly, it wasn't because I was cursed with bad skin problem-- the only problem was that I was so wrong to exfoliate a lot and use harsh cleanser everyday , but man, my skin reacted to it exactly opposite from my intention. BE NICE to your skin! GO ORGANIC.

Edited by shanzy529, 04 December 2009 - 11:48 PM.

[shanzy529]

Day 8.

Smoothie of the day: carrot juice, watermelons, bok choy, and celery stick. it wasn't the best tasting veggie smoothie that I have had, so I had to chug it. So far, raw spinach is the best- when blended with fruit, it doesn't overcome other tastes, usually I get really good results with spinach.

Two pimples have dried out on its own, and when they dry out on its own, they don't leave noticeable brown marks and usually those marks would be gone in less than a week. Those marks are even LESS noticeable now than to a pimple that I popped two weeks ago. DON'T POPPPP YOUR PIMPLES.

I have been getting so many compliments from my family about the texture of my skin-- it is literally acne free....

The funny thing was-- one lady thought I was allergic to something on my face because I only had three small pimples on my face, she couldn't tell it was b/c I had acne. lol. I thought it was a good thing, but I might be wrong haha.

ONLY a week and my face has 95 % completely cleared up. wow!!! if you have mild to moderate acne, YOU have to give this a shot. YOU can't lose with this regime!!

Edited by shanzy529, 06 December 2009 - 11:23 PM.

[shanzy529]

Day 10

In retrospect, having acne wasn't the worst thing ever happened. What's worst is that I never learned self appreciation until I had acne, and then I realized what I had was pretty great- even though my skin will never look as youthful and smooth as it was before.

Yes I still have a little whiteheads and occasional redness around my hairline, but so what?? I have learned so much about self-confidence, product information, and some biology and chemistry. I feel like I have gained a few new skills that I could use to facilitate my life and possibly others' lives as well.

Be appreciative of who you are right now because you could have worse.
This wraps up my thoughts of the day!

[shanzy529]

Day 10

Left Cheek


Right Cheek



I had three pimples on my cheeks that are gone now, they did leave noticeable marks, but it will go away soon. I am not sure if you see it in those pictures, but the texture of my skin, aside from whiteheads and brown marks, has improved and it looks healthy.

ACV, TTO, JoJoBa Oil, and Caster Oil, are all must haves in anyone's regime.

Smoothie of the day: Organic carrot juice, celery sticks, watermelons, green and red apples, and green grapes.

Also, I drink a few cups of either green tea or hot water with lemons. Great sources of antioxidants and they detox your system...trust me. The way that I benefit from those drinks really make any colon cleansing products unnecessary. protect discoloration and deterioration of enamels of your teeth by brush right after drinking.

Edited by shanzy529, 07 December 2009 - 08:11 PM.

[DeeVoo]

I love your log! good job

[shanzy529]

Day 13

I have to admit that not popping pimples on your face is kind of hard to do, and I am guilty of doing that for the past week.

first of all, forehead is already smooth, not complete clear of brown spots, but not getting break outs or any more whiteheads!!! OMG SO HAPPY! whiteheads are so hard to treat and surprisingly I DID IT WITH ACV and OCM.

secondly, my cheeks look a lot worse, at least four new pimples came out--- NOT DUE TO THE REGIME. I was so stressed for the past two weeks- lack of sleep, poor diet, and constant stress...glad finals are over with. Now I have a three weeks to completely do a dramatic damage control: planning to nap everyday, and eat 3 great nutritious meals- along with snacks in between, I am trying to gain a few pounds. I might even try a colon cleanser with bentonite clay and psyllium husk.

phewww, it took a lot of energy to update lol. need to sleep now. night!

[shanzy529]

Day 16,

Unbelievable progresses so far!! I used aloe vera from a aloe plant- bought from a grocery store's produce's section, not gel from a bottle.

I have been reading on how aloe vera cures acne, inflammation, and brown spots. so I wanted to try-- it is a miracle!! I had a few bad looking red spots on my cheeks, and now it is almost gone! I have been staying in and relaxing as well, so I am sure the combination really worked well.

I use aloe vera for moisturizing day and night, it keeps my skin completely oil-free. Not shinny at all, and I haven't needed an oil absorbent sheet for three days!!

[DeeVoo]

It's been 8 day's since your last post... How's it going now?