Posted 13 January 2012 - 02:42 PM
Okay, so it has been a little over a month since my last post, and I have good news. My skin has drastically improved, and faster than I've ever seen before. I've done mainly two new things with my skin regimen. I've used grapeseed oil as a pre-cleanse and I've taken Vitamin D on a daily basis.
I have grapeseed oil for when I tried the oil-cleansing method last year (which was BAD BAD NEWS for my skin), and remembered reading on makeupalley.com reviews for grapeseed oil that a few people use it as a "pre-cleanse". Take a few drops, rub it around I suppose like you would with an OCM (I do this especially around the eye area to lift up stubborn makeup). I'll then use a small bit of cetaphil, and sort of dissolve the oil away. I'll sprinkle in some baking soda with the cetaphil if I'm feeling especially gross, like when I work a 16 hour shift. One weekend, which I spent away from the apartment, I forgot my cleanser, and had only the grapeseed oil and witch hazel toner. I don't like using other people's cleansers, so I used the oil and just swiped away all the grime with witch hazel and a cotton ball. It's sort of a gross sight, and it took a lot of swiping, but my skin felt baby smooth afterwards, I didn't even need to moisturize. I felt like my pores were clogged and on a verge of a breakout (which happens a lot on the weekend because I get more negligent, having less of a routine), but all the slight under the skin bumps I felt shrank away.
I've only consistently started using grapeseed oil recently, though, so I don't know if I can give complete credit to it for the skin improvement. Right after my post on December 8th, however, I started taking Vitamin D by Nature Made, 2000 IUs, the soft gels (which by the way are really pretty! lol). I take about 3-4 a day (6,000-8,000 IUs). I don't want to say it works immediately, because that usually isn't the case with supplements, but my skin seemed to improve right away when I thought it would take a month or two of regular consumption. Sometimes I'll forget, and I think I feel a breakout coming on, and I'll take 4-5, and I could almost swear it gets better the next day, as crazy as that sounds. Even if I have a break out, they don't seem to hit a peak and get all inflamed and gross, they see to pop up a bit and then dwindle away.
Right before I was doing this routine, my skin was nonstop breaking out. Once one pimple went away, another quickly took its place. The texture of my skin felt uneven (ever get that feeling that you're oily and dry at the same time somehow? and not just the T-zone verses the cheeks, but in the same place), old pimples were taking long to heal, it was a mess. Except for when the weather turns to summer, I have never seen my skin change so quick, which is why I'm more inclined to believe it's the Vitamin D that's been helping. I've patiently been taking fish oil and zinc along with my multivitamin, expecting to see a change, and aside from crazy strong nails, I wasn't seeing any change. I really really wish I took this as a teenager, might have saved me a lot of embarrassment! Oh well, it's a part of adolescence.
Another thing I learned from the experience though, is not to be afraid to moisturize your skin. I always associated moisturizing with pore-clogging, and I just don't think that's the case. I don't know how to explain my acne, because if you read enough of the boards or any source on acne, really, you'll see everyone has a different explanation for how it occurs and have different "philosophies" towards skin care. But I think layers of dry skin were clogging my pores, if that makes any sense. I think they need to be opened and cleaned, but replaced with moisture. I think. At least, that's what's working for me, personally. Everyone's skin is different. If you're ethnic (I'm a Filipina), have a history of cystic acne and hyperpigmentation, and your skin does well in the summer but not the winter, I'd say there's a good chance my regimen might work in your favor.
So my regimen is:
Night :
(I'll start with at night, because that's when my face is the dirtiest)
Slather and rub about 3-4 drops of grape seed oil all over my face.(I'll brush my teeth after this to let it sink in a bit)
Cleanse with a squirt of Cetaphil, with a sprinkle of baking soda. Really thoroughly but gently rub all around, dissolving the daily grime.
Tone with my ACV+Green tea toner.
Moisturize with a dot of aloe vera gel + jojoba oil or emu oil, depending. (I find emu oil more emollient, so I might use it when my skin feels more chapped. Sometimes I use avocado oil because it will give me amazingly smooth and evened out skin in the morning, but before with regular use, I started breaking out.)
Morning:
Slather and rub face with grapeseed oil. Much less than the night before, just enough to spread a thin film over my face.
Tone with witch hazel.
Moisturize with aloe vera + jojoba oil (jojoba oil feels more appropriate for the day, for me).
Throughout the day, I take
2 triple-strength fish oil supplements (from GNC), 900 mg each, 1800 mg the entire day
3-4 Vitamin D3 softgels (Nature Made)
With later meals, I take 50 mg zinc and my multivitamin, because they tend to make me nauseous in the morning even when taken with food. I need to take it on a much fuller stomach.
I hope this helps someone!
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