21 replies to this topic

[JustBeingMe404]

Hi everyone! I've been lurking here for years, and this is the first time I got the courage (and had a reason) to post.

I'm in my mid-30s, Black American woman, and I've had moderate to severe acne since puberty, and extremely oily skin. In my teens, it was just pimples on my forehead. As I grew older, they spread down to my cheeks, chin and pretty much wherever else they felt like showing up. I'm not very articulate in the different types of pimples, but I've had them all - from the big, white ones that can be popped, to the big, red ones that can't be popped, to the small, white ones, occasional blackheads, and occasional weird ones that turn hard... they all leave scarring (hyperpigmentation) and rob me of my self-esteem. These suckers have NO respect. They don't care if you have a big event. They will show up on the tip of your nose, center of your chin, cheekbone, middle of your forehead... they just don't care!

I've seen a dermatologist and taken Retin-A and Differin. I've also tried Proactiv, a gazillion OTC products, and for years, I've used the Neutrogena line of products (oil free acne wash, alcohol free toner, oil free moisturizer, Rapid Treatment, On the Spot BP). I have lots of dark spots from old pimples and I get new ones daily. They almost always get embarrassingly large and/or red or pus-filled before they'll shrink and die.

As I entered my 30s, I began to place more of an emphasis on my health in general. I don't eat very well, and until recently, I never drank water or ate vegetables. I hate them both, and saw no reason to force myself to consume something I didn't like. I was about to try a new regimen when something hit me. The one thing I never tried was the natural way. So, I went downtown to some shops, bought some natural stuff, went online and ordered some stuff I couldn't find in stores, came home and took about 10 "Before" pics, and I'm about to start on this:

Wash - Dudu Osun African Black Soap
Toner - Witch Hazel
Moisturizer - 100% Raw Unrefined Shea Butter
Internal - 60 oz. water daily, at least one green vegetable daily, and Herpanacine supplements

I'm starting today, and I'm going to give it 3 months (hopefully, I'll see some sort of change a lot sooner than that). I spent a lot of time today researching these products and saw that a lot of Black women have had success with this regimen, so I'm going to give it a shot. I'm getting rid of all my Neutrogena products and everything that has chemicals in it, and I'm starting from scratch. Whew... this is gonna be rough!

Wish me luck! I'll be sure to upload some before/after pics.

Edited by JustBeingMe404, 30 March 2011 - 08:27 PM.

[JustBeingMe404]

Next Day Update:

So I used the Black Soap, Witch Hazel and Shea Butter last night and again this morning. I LOVVVVE the way the black soap makes my skin feel, and I love how easily it lathers. It feels great going on and it leaves my skin feeling great after I've rinsed it off. It rinses off easily, too.

I hate witch hazel. I had forgotten how badly that stuff smells, and it's not easily absorbed into the skin (or maybe I just need to use less than I would with my regular astringent). But I'm determined to try the natural thing, so I'm going to stick with it.

The shea butter... *sigh* the jury is still out on the shea butter. I was really reluctant to try it since I have extremely oily skin, but I did a lot of research on it, and it's non-comedogenic, so it doesn't clog pores or anything. It'll take some getting used to. I'm accustomed to wearing my Neutrogena Rapid Clear during the daytime and Oil-Free Moisturizer at night. This stuff is so much heavier than anything I've ever worn on my face. It feels kinda sticky like Vaseline. But I read in someone's review that they suggest wiping it off after a few minutes, once it's absorbed into the skin. I did that today. I can still feel it on my face, but it's not as heavy. One positive I've noticed is that for the first time ever, my face has a matte appearance and not my usual heavy shine. Ordinarily, by 11:00a, I'm extremely oily and shiny... right now, there's a glow (for lack of a better word), but definitely not a shine. That was a surprise bonus.

I did some more research trying to find all-natural facial masks. I saw quite a few promising homemade masks. I'm going to try a combination of an aspirin and milk of magnesia mask, which I will make at home. I probably won't try that until the weekend.

All in all, I feel pretty good, but of course, it's only day 2.

I'll give another update in about a week, or maybe after the mask.

Edited by JustBeingMe404, 31 March 2011 - 09:48 AM.

[y3rfd0g]

Hey, congrats on going the natural way. I just thought I would add that you can give updates in a blog, instead of on the message board. The boards are pretty much for questions, I think.

Anyways, it might be a good idea to not try so many things in your new regimen. Try out your new regimen for a few weeks (maybe a month) and if you are clearing up then great! Then, add in one new variable and see if it works. Adding too many things at once can make it difficult to tell what is causing a breakout. Hope this helps! good luck

Hey, congrats on going the natural way. I just thought I would add that you can give updates in a blog, instead of on the message board. The boards are pretty much for questions, I think.

Anyways, it might be a good idea to not try so many things in your new regimen. Try out your new regimen for a few weeks (maybe a month) and if you are clearing up then great! Then, add in one new variable and see if it works. Adding too many things at once can make it difficult to tell what is causing a breakout. Hope this helps! good luck

[willow569]

If you plan to update your progress on this new regimen, we can move this thread to the holistic regimen section of the boards so others can follow your progress. Just an idea!

Good luck with your new regimen.

[JustBeingMe404]

Thanks, you two! I'm so excited.

I'm on Day 3 and although it's too soon to expect to notice a difference, I really am LOVING the products and the way they make my skin feel. I was SO tempted to put some Neutrogena On-the-Spot on two pimples I have (one is a bit cystic), but I resisted and stuck with the regimen.

I didn't know there was a blog function, but I'm going to look into it, and Willow, I have no problem with this being moved to the appropriate board - I really wasn't sure where to put it, so that's fine with me.

Thanks again!!

[Questtobethebest]

I'm not sure why someone above said that you shouldn't post your updates in this.. It's perfectly fine too. In face, that's what your supposed to do!

And good luck with your regimen, I'll be following your log!

[87bro]

Hey guys and gals,

This is my first post on this website. I've been reading the posts for a long time now, but have never contributed. Anyways, I just wanted to throw in my two cents.

Last year I went to the doctor approximately 10-11 times to get cyst injections. I tried a variety of stuff all last year: Acanya, Salicylic Acid/Tea Tree oil mix, Clearasil, etc. The list goes on. I've had cystic acne for about 8 years now. Its not horrible, but last year it was about a large, painful cyst per month around the mouth area in the T-zone.

Anyways, its been about a couple of weeks now that I just stopped cold turkey, and I must say I've seen a vast improvement. I think what's happened is that I stopped drying the crap out of my face every not and inducing huge oil flows to "cover" for all the lost moisture, I guess. In conclusion, for those of you with occasional cystic acne (once a month type thing), I would recommend trying this out - Caveman Style, a.k.a stop washing your face completely! You might just be causing the oil to gush because we're all constantly overdrying our faces in an attempt to stem the pimples and redness. I realize this might not be for some of us, and I completely understand if this doesn't apply to you ... we all have different skin, and its a multifactoral problem. But for those of you with a less severe cyst problem (and my heart goes out to you all with a more severe version), you might want to give it a try. It might just be constantly overwashing your face.

Peace,
87bro

[willow569]

Thanks, you two! I'm so excited.

I'm on Day 3 and although it's too soon to expect to notice a difference, I really am LOVING the products and the way they make my skin feel. I was SO tempted to put some Neutrogena On-the-Spot on two pimples I have (one is a bit cystic), but I resisted and stuck with the regimen.

I didn't know there was a blog function, but I'm going to look into it, and Willow, I have no problem with this being moved to the appropriate board - I really wasn't sure where to put it, so that's fine with me.

Thanks again!!

Its not really a blog so much as it is a place for people to post progress logs. If you are regularly updating your progress on this regimen, that's probably the best place to post. I'll go ahead and move it on over.

[JustBeingMe404]

Not really an update, but an observation or two...

So today is Day 4 and this is what I've noticed thus far:

1. Those two pimples I got are actually healing on their own with absolutely no spot treatment or any other chemicals. What's especially noteworthy is that one of them which was pretty painful when it first appeared, didn't hurt at all by the next day. That's very unusual for me. It's smaller, too. Normally, my pimples get bigger and more painful before they dry up and shrink. Not this time.

2. I have had absolutely NO shine in the past 4 days. That's an unbelievable result!!! It's still too soon to see if this is a long-lasting change, but I'm optimistic. The only product that has ever actually controlled my shine was Proactiv's Daily Oil Control Lotion. But, it only worked for a few hours after application. But after about a month or so, it stopped working altogether. So again, I'm not sure if this regimen will continue to work, but for now, I'm loving it. My face actually has a really matte finish, which I've NEVER had in my entire adult life.

3. I CANNOT BELIEVE how great the Dudu Osun Black Soap is!!! First of all, I literally rub it in my hands for like 3 seconds and it makes the richest, creamiest lather ever. I've never seen anything like this. Secondly, my face is squeaky clean (again, I wouldn't recommend it to people with dry skin because it seems to be reeeeally drying!). After washing, it feels so smooth and clean.

4. The one thing that's going to require the biggest adjustment for me is the shea butter. For all my life, I've avoided any products with oil in them because I have the oiliest skin on earth. I have never used a lotion, makeup, soap or anything with oil in it. Now, I have to get used to using shea butter (which is non-comedogenic) every day. It's much heavier than what I'm used to, it's kinda sticky-ish, and it feels oily. But somehow, it doesn't clog my pores and it gives me a great matte finish. I don't know how it works, but it does.


Today, I bought a jar of Bentonite Clay, some tea tree oil, milk of magnesia, honey, and aspirin. I'm intending to use it to make a mask/spot treatment. I'm not going to try it until next week, though, because I want to give my skin a week to get used to the new regimen before I introduce something else.

That's all!

Oh, and for the sake of total disclosure, I should admit that I have not had as much water (or any green vegetables at all) as I planned to. This is going to require a lot more effort than the cleansing regimen.

[JustBeingMe404]

WEEK 1 UPDATE

So today marks the end of Week 1. Overall, I am quite pleased with this new regimen. More than anything, I love the fact that I'm not putting any chemicals on my face, and that everything I'm using is natural.

I did end up using the mask, because Sunday, I wore makeup to church and I wanted to be sure I thoroughly cleansed my pores. I'm loving my products so much that I honestly can't figure out which is my favorite part. I actually look forward to washing my face in the evening - and that's not something I ever experienced before.

As for the condition of my face, I do have 3 pretty large pimples on my face (the two I mentioned earlier this week, and one more). Plus, I got one under my chin, just at my neckline. I'm guessing they are probably purging pimples because it's unusual for me to have 3 large pimples in one area at one time. The products (don't know which one) work wonders though, because these are definitely pimples that would hurt badly, and what has happened with all 4 of them as they arose is that it hurt on day 1 (I guess just to let me know it's there), but then when I wash and do the routine, it doesn't hurt anymore and begins to shrink much faster than usual. I'm definitely seeing noticeable changes in my skin.

Another HUGE DIFFERENCE is that my skin is no longer oily. I mean, it's just that simple. My face is no longer oily. I still don't know how it works, but that shea butter works wonders. I'm still getting used the idea of putting something heavy and greasy on my face, but it's working.

I'm loving the mask. It might be my favorite part of the regimen. It just feels so good, leaves my skin feeling so smooth and clean. It smells great, feels great, and works great! (Recipe: 1 heaping tbsp bentonite clay, 1 tbsp Milk of Magnesia, 3 crushed aspirins, 1/2 tsp honey, 1 drop tea tree oil). I bought the clay and tea tree oil from Whole Foods and the rest from WalMart. You can't use a metal bowl or utensil because the metal reacts to the clay.

Another note (and I think I may have mentioned this already): if you're going to try this regimen, you MUST use the shea butter. Both the soap and the mask are quite drying, so the shea butter is the perfect moisturizer to keep your skin from drying out and overproducing natural oils - plus it's a natural sunscreen.

In summary: It's too soon to see any noticeable differences in my acne or hyperpigmentation, but my skin feels great, is clearing up nicely on one side, 3 new pimples on the right side, and is no longer oily. Oh and btw, ordinarily (and I mean DAILY) my eyes begin to burn by around 6 or 7 pm. This is from my skin's oils getting into my eyes. That hasn't happened once this week. That's what I mean by noticeable. One week down, 25 to go.

[JustBeingMe404]

WEEK 2 UPDATE

Today marks the end of Week 2. I'm going to keep my update short, since there's really not much to report.

1. The three huge pimples I reported last week are all gone. Two of them left scars, which doesn't surprise me.

2. The BIG news: This is the first week in my life where I can report having NO NEW PIMPLES!!! Not one. Wow. That's new to me. I've rarely had a day go by where I didn't get a new pimple - let alone a whole week!

3. No noticeable changes to my hyperpigmentation. Although I'm really happy that my acne is definitely clearing up, it doesn't mean much if I still have a bunch of dark spots. After about a month or two of this new regimen, I think I might try a chemical peel (at which point, I guess I'll have to change the name of this thread... lol).

Overall: I'm seeing slow, but steady improvement to the pimples, but not to the hyperpigmentation (which is normal, since hyperpigmentation can take some time to correct). I'm still loving all the products. Skin still feels GREAT! Still no shine/oily skin. This alone is HUGE... There have been days where my skin literally DRIPPED oil (as though I were sweating)... it gets into my eyes, on my clothes... it's awful. For the past two weeks, no oily skin.

[acnegone010]

WEEK 2 UPDATE

Today marks the end of Week 2. I'm going to keep my update short, since there's really not much to report.

1. The three huge pimples I reported last week are all gone. Two of them left scars, which doesn't surprise me.

2. The BIG news: This is the first week in my life where I can report having NO NEW PIMPLES!!! Not one. Wow. That's new to me. I've rarely had a day go by where I didn't get a new pimple - let alone a whole week!

3. No noticeable changes to my hyperpigmentation. Although I'm really happy that my acne is definitely clearing up, it doesn't mean much if I still have a bunch of dark spots. After about a month or two of this new regimen, I think I might try a chemical peel (at which point, I guess I'll have to change the name of this thread... lol).

Overall: I'm seeing slow, but steady improvement to the pimples, but not to the hyperpigmentation (which is normal, since hyperpigmentation can take some time to correct). I'm still loving all the products. Skin still feels GREAT! Still no shine/oily skin. This alone is HUGE... There have been days where my skin literally DRIPPED oil (as though I were sweating)... it gets into my eyes, on my clothes... it's awful. For the past two weeks, no oily skin.

Hi!
I just started taking the Herpanacine . I'm thinking of doing the hazel as well. I'm going to totally track your progress! I'm excited to see if the Herpanacine works.!

[JustBeingMe404]

WEEK 3 UPDATE

The day before yesterday marked the end of week 3. I'm a couple of days late, because I was considering not doing an update this week. I've had a pretty bad week in reference to my skin. Plus, it can be pretty depressing in general to take pictures of your face every week and see no real difference.

Anyway, here are my updates:

1. I broke out pretty badly shortly after I posted the end of Week 2 update. At first, I was horrified, then I realized that it was either because my menstrual cycle was due to start (sorry if that's TMI) soon, OR because I started on the Herpanacine. So, in perspective, it wasn't that bad because usually, my monthly break-outs are HORRIBLE, and I get huge, painful, red cystic pimples that don't go away for about 2 weeks... this time, it was just about 2 or 3, they were small, and didn't hurt at all. I also got about 4 or 5 tiny, tiny whiteheads. If it's just purging pimples, I know that comes with the territory, so I just have to live with it for a few days. Looking back, it really wasn't as bad as it felt at the time. I think I was more emotionally hurt than anything, because I was really getting excited about this new regimen and really positive about it improving my skin.

2. Anyway, I'm still stunned by the way this shea butter has completely eliminated the shine and oily skin. Literally - my oily skin is completely eliminated. 25 years of dripping oily skin, and it's now completely gone. I can't get over that!

3. Black soap, though I love it, is VERY drying. If you have dry or combination skin, you may want to use a brand other than Dudu Osun, which is supposedly the strongest brand on the market. Either way, if you DO use it, I strongly, strongly recommend using shea butter as your moisturizer. I can't think of any other moisturizer that would actually moisturize my skin after using Black Soap.

4. No noticeable changes to the hyperpigmentation. I think it will be kinda hard to measure that without seeing the pics side by side (and I haven't uploaded any of them as of yet).

[JustBeingMe404]

Hi!
I just started taking the Herpanacine . I'm thinking of doing the hazel as well. I'm going to totally track your progress! I'm excited to see if the Herpanacine works.!

Hi Acnegone! Good luck with the Herpanacine. As I just mentioned, I broke out pretty badly last week, and since I just started the Herpanacine last week, I'm not sure if that's what did it or if it's because my cycle is starting soon. I'm leaning toward the Herpanacine, since purging is a common side effect.

I took this once before during college, but it takes SO LONG to see results that I gave up. Most people say it takes 3-4 months to really see results. So this time, I'm going to give it 6 months. I think once it gets in your system, it mostly just prevents breakouts as opposed to actually clearing your skin. Most people find that when they stop taking it, they start breaking out a lot.

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, the witch hazel is my least favorite part of the regimen. I don't like the way it smells and I don't like the way it sits on my skin. It seems to evaporate as opposed to being absorbed by my skin. I don't know, it could just be me. Either way, I will continue to use it since it's the only all-natural toner I'm aware of, and I'm determined to try what nature gave me before I resort back to the chemicals.

Again, best of luck to you! Keep me posted.

[acnegone010]

Hi!
I just started taking the Herpanacine . I'm thinking of doing the hazel as well. I'm going to totally track your progress! I'm excited to see if the Herpanacine works.!

Hi Acnegone! Good luck with the Herpanacine. As I just mentioned, I broke out pretty badly last week, and since I just started the Herpanacine last week, I'm not sure if that's what did it or if it's because my cycle is starting soon. I'm leaning toward the Herpanacine, since purging is a common side effect.

I took this once before during college, but it takes SO LONG to see results that I gave up. Most people say it takes 3-4 months to really see results. So this time, I'm going to give it 6 months. I think once it gets in your system, it mostly just prevents breakouts as opposed to actually clearing your skin. Most people find that when they stop taking it, they start breaking out a lot.

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, the witch hazel is my least favorite part of the regimen. I don't like the way it smells and I don't like the way it sits on my skin. It seems to evaporate as opposed to being absorbed by my skin. I don't know, it could just be me. Either way, I will continue to use it since it's the only all-natural toner I'm aware of, and I'm determined to try what nature gave me before I resort back to the chemicals.

Again, best of luck to you! Keep me posted.

Which witch hazel are you using? I'm thinking of trying thayers alcohol-free rose petal toner. Right now I have neutrogena toner it has AHA and BHA. But I don't like it like you said it just sits on my skin and well burns or stings too.

I'm still taking the herpanacine and maybe I am purging but it's nothing terrible or noticeable. I mean I have acne anyway so it's nothing I'm not dealing with already. Maybe if like you said I went off the herpanacine after being clear I would see a difference.

Anyway I will be taking it for for as long as I can. Right now I'm taking the 6 pills, even though I don't have EXTREME acne, mild-moderate. But when I start to see clearer skin I'll start to reduce.

BTW Are you using make up?? I really don't want to wear it but I hate the hyperpigmentation I have... /

[JustBeingMe404]

Which witch hazel are you using? I'm thinking of trying thayers alcohol-free rose petal toner. Right now I have neutrogena toner it has AHA and BHA. But I don't like it like you said it just sits on my skin and well burns or stings too.

I'm still taking the herpanacine and maybe I am purging but it's nothing terrible or noticeable. I mean I have acne anyway so it's nothing I'm not dealing with already. Maybe if like you said I went off the herpanacine after being clear I would see a difference.

Anyway I will be taking it for for as long as I can. Right now I'm taking the 6 pills, even though I don't have EXTREME acne, mild-moderate. But when I start to see clearer skin I'll start to reduce.

BTW Are you using make up?? I really don't want to wear it but I hate the hyperpigmentation I have... /

I use T.N. Dickinson's All Natural Witch Hazel. It doesn't burn or sting my skin, I just hate the smell (and the fact that my skin doesn't seem to absorb it).

Prior to tossing my chemical products, I used Neutrogena's Alcohol Free Toner (in the blue bottle).

For pretty much the past 10-15 years, I've only worn make-up for church and other special occasions. If I'm going out with friends, out on a date, to church, an interview, something like that, I'll wear make-up. But I dd NOT wear it daily, and I never wear it to work. It's not that I don't HATE my hyperpigmentation - I really do. I've just grown accustomed to it (after having it for 20 years). I also can't see myself wearing make-up daily because taking it off is such a chore. I hate washing my face after make-up. And I've always heard that make-up makes acne worse (even though I use oil free products mostly, I can still see how it could clog my pores). Plus, I'm black, so my make-up is brown, and I touch my face a lot so it gets all over my hands. I hate that.

Make-up is more of a hassle than I need, so I pretty much avoid it.

[JustBeingMe404]

NOTE: Yesterday marked the end of Week 4, but I decided since 4/30 will mark the end of a one-month period, I'll just wait until then to post my update.

I want to post some one-month pictures, as well as the "before" pics that I snapped on 3/30, if I can figure out how to post pics on this site.

Update coming on Saturday.

[JustBeingMe404]

Hello everyone! It's been 3 months since I tossed my chemicals. I'm sorry I've taken so long, but life got a little hectic.

I'm just getting around to posting these pics but now that I know how, I'll probably do so more often.

As you might guess, the all-natural regimen yields much slower progress than chemicals, so after 3 months, I haven't seen as much progress as I would've liked. But on Monday, my sister told me my skin is looking good, and asked me what I had been doing. Last week, a co-worker told me the same thing (and he's a guy, so that's huge because guys never notice stuff like that! LOL).

Anyway, here are my "before" pics. The first three were taken on 3/30 and the last two were taken a week later on 4/5.

I'm still doing the same thing as shown in my signature, except I've slacked off on the Herpanacine because I ran out and it takes SO LONG for them to ship it (about 2 wks if you order from Amazon). Other than that, I'm still drinking a lot of water, washing with Black Soap, toning with Witch Hazel, and moisturizing with Shea Butter.

I'll take some 3 month pics this weekend and post them next week.

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[awakeodin]

Hello everyone! It's been 3 months since I tossed my chemicals. I'm sorry I've taken so long, but life got a little hectic.

I'm just getting around to posting these pics but now that I know how, I'll probably do so more often.

As you might guess, the all-natural regimen yields much slower progress than chemicals, so after 3 months, I haven't seen as much progress as I would've liked. But on Monday, my sister told me my skin is looking good, and asked me what I had been doing. Last week, a co-worker told me the same thing (and he's a guy, so that's huge because guys never notice stuff like that! LOL).

Anyway, here are my "before" pics. The first three were taken on 3/30 and the last two were taken a week later on 4/5.

I'm still doing the same thing as shown in my signature, except I've slacked off on the Herpanacine because I ran out and it takes SO LONG for them to ship it (about 2 wks if you order from Amazon). Other than that, I'm still drinking a lot of water, washing with Black Soap, toning with Witch Hazel, and moisturizing with Shea Butter.

I'll take some 3 month pics this weekend and post them next week.

Any updates?

I just started using black soap yesterday, and have some unrefined shea butter I put on some areas of my face tonight... it doesn't sink in, but maybe I'll just use it at nights.

I've got a bit a rosacea, oily skin, and acne, so it's hard to deal with, but I think my skin's reacting this way due to the harsh products over the past few years - slowly getting worse.

But who knows, I get exited and worked up over all natural products, and they usually end up causing tiny bumps all over my face.

THIS TIME I'm on something called "FINACEA' though, and I will apply this prior to the shea butter, twice a day - and it will exfoliate my skin, and help redness.

The Shea butter is iffy though, could be the best thing ever, could be the worst.

How's it all working out for you?

[JustBeingMe404]

Any updates?

I just started using black soap yesterday, and have some unrefined shea butter I put on some areas of my face tonight... it doesn't sink in, but maybe I'll just use it at nights.

I've got a bit a rosacea, oily skin, and acne, so it's hard to deal with, but I think my skin's reacting this way due to the harsh products over the past few years - slowly getting worse.

But who knows, I get exited and worked up over all natural products, and they usually end up causing tiny bumps all over my face.

THIS TIME I'm on something called "FINACEA' though, and I will apply this prior to the shea butter, twice a day - and it will exfoliate my skin, and help redness.

The Shea butter is iffy though, could be the best thing ever, could be the worst.

How's it all working out for you?

Well, my honest assessment is that I'm still not really that pleased with my skin, but for some strange reason, people have been taking notice. I've heard from a few people that my skin looks brighter or clearer or the typical "hmmm, I don't know what it is but your skin looks different." A co-worker asked if I was pregnant and said I had a "glow."

Personally, I don't see it.

The Good
- I like the fact that I'm not using chemicals
- I'm not breaking out in the huge cysts I used to get on my cheeks.
- I have not had a single oily day since I started using the shea butter. If nothing else, I no longer have to worry about trying to control my embarrassing shine.

The Bad
- Again, because this is all-natural, it's going to take a lot longer to see results.
- I stopped taking the Herpanacine for about a month because I ran out unexpectedly and it took a really long time for the new order to be delivered. I broke out HORRIBLY.
- The hyperpigmentation doesn't seem to be changing very much. I did notice a few scars I had are gone completely, but overall, I still have acne scars.
- There seems to be no cure for the breakouts I get during "that time of the month"
- Instead of cysts, I'm getting the occasional whitehead (usually after I do a mask)

I still hear real, live testimonials of the goodness of Black Soap, so I know it works for somebody. It's not working overnight for me, but...

Bottom Line - There IS a difference in my skin today and my skin 4 months ago. It's not as drastic an improvement as I'd hoped for, but it does not look like it did March 30th.