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Hey Chikin,
I'm so disappointed to hear that you broke out without bp
I always felt that bp was like an addiction, it kills all the bacteria and zits, so you feel pretty good going without it for a while...and then bam! The zits are back again, cause p. acnes has returned with a vengeance and it's back to bp again. I went cold turkey though, like I just gave up bp as well as retin-a...and decided to go the holistic route. It was tough, and I did break out, but my skin did finally get under control with natural antibacterials like tea tree and epsom salts - the only downside is that it takes time, and I know how hard it is when there's all these social events to go to...people to meet...to date...to want to be zit free like immediately!
So I wish you luck, and hopefully you can integrate the epsom salts into your bp regimen, as they'll help you heal the new eruptions...and who knows?? maybe one day you'll be able to ditch bp for good.
bp's not really like an addiction....with an addiction you physically and mentally crave whatever you're addicted to (believe me, i've been addicted to plenty of stuff). i have never craved bp...it just works really well. sometimes i wish it didn't work so well because it's kind of a pain in the ass to do the regimen.
Hey ukochana, I recenlty got 2 bumps that surfaced and haven't formed a head yet. I have been applying the pads to them for 3 days now. I was wondering if you have ever gotten these before and if I should keep applying the pads to them. Is there anything else I can do to make them go down? I think they may be small cysts, but not sure. Oh, and they surfaced right after I first used the tea tree wash. Maybe a bad reaction?
Hello...just wanted to update my progress...well, my skin looks the clearest that it has ever looked in years...I mean, I can actually see my natural skin tone!! All of my spots/red marks have really begun fading away. That said, I did get a large and sore pimple yesterday morning and it wouldn't come to a head with the epsom salts...but I kept on applying tea tree oil on it...and after a few hours, it was ready...ok, it was a big 'explosion' (eehhww, I know). But I applied epsom salts on it overnight, and it's turned into a tiny little scab (love those healing powers). But for the good news - I actually had my friends complimenting how great my skin looked (they're used to seeing me covered in red spots), and even my mom asked me what I was using, and to keep on using it!!
So, after a lot of experimenting, here is my regimen:
Morning:
No cleanser, scrub with epsom salts
Rinse w/ water mixed w/ vinegar, 3 drops of tea tree oil
Moisturize w/ Living Nature Vitalising Toner
Night:
Mix Cetaphil oily skin cleanser w/ Baking soda - gently scrub for abt. 1 minute
Rinse with water, then rinse with water mixed w/ vinegar & tea tree (balance ph)
Moisturize w/ Living Nature Manuka Honey & oil gel
Apply epsom pads to any active acnes/healing red patches - no more active acnes!! Just a few healing spots, and red marks!!!
Additional Treatments:
Every few days I will use an egg white mask mixed w/ a squeeze of lemon - been doing this for years, and it really helps w/ smoothing skin.
Every week or so I will also apply a clay based mask or Milk of Magnesia
I think the reason I experienced no serious breakouts after quitting bp, is because of the tea tree & manuka products that I have been using, granted, they don't kill off the bacteria as successfully as bp did, but they don't harm my skin either - and I heal much more quickly now!!
Just wanted to say that Epsom Salts are GREAT!!!!!!!!! I've never had my skin this clear! I've also been adding some tea tree oil to my cleanser and mix it around before i wash my face every nite, and that seems to be helping as well. Thanx everyone for all u'r input...it really helped me a lot!!!!
Hey lllynch,
Sorry for not replying, I've been very busy. I got a couple of those at the beginning, but they just went away without forming a head. Maybe the skin is just adjusting to a new regime?? Tea tree oil works really well on the ones that don't want to come to a head, and while it takes longer than bp to heal the lesion, it rarely leaves any scars/red marks.
I've been lurking more often than posting here, and I decided to try the epsom salts. They work. I still use bp, but I've switched to a lower concentration (5%) and only use it once a day.
My revised regimen:
Morning:
wash with a cetaphil knock-off cleanser (walmart brand)
scrub very gently with a mixture of baking soda and epsom salts. the salts alone disintegrated in my wet hands and were just too hard to work with. the baking soda helps to exfoliate, and helps bind the salts or something.
rinse
dry face by patting with a towel
apply acv (slightly diluted)
apply some bp, but not as much as before
apply eucerin daily facial moisturizer (with AHA)
it sounds like a lot, but i only spend a few seconds at most using the epsom salt/baking soda scrub and much less time applying bp.
Evening:
shower, wash face with cleanser
while in shower, scrub for a few seconds
rinse
dry
apply acv, let dry
apply premade epsom salt solution, let dry on face
Hello Everyone...well, it's been a couple of days since I last posted...and I currently have zero active acne!! Yay!!!!! Not even a whitehead has popped up with my current regime. I think the combination of exfoliation (baking soda & epsom salts), disinfection (tea tree & manuka), healing (epsom compresses) as well as ph balancing (vinegar rinses) totally keeps the bacteria from invading my skin. I can actually look in the mirror without cringing...and the hyperpigmentation marks are on their way out! I also have to hand it to Living Nature...they make amazing gels...they take a while to work, but boy, when they start working...I've never seen my skin heal so quickly or look this good!!
I put on some concealer yesterday, and it looked like I had perfect skin...seriously, my parents and friends can't believe it. I'll keep on posting until I no longer have to wear concealer (my longtime goal in life...can you imagine??)...but good luck to everyone here...you really have to tailor the regime to suit your skin type (mine has to have lots and lots of exfoliation cause I shed skin like crazy!!), and then just have patience. Thanks ukochana for all your tips...really, really helped me in achieveing the acne free skin that I've dreamed of for years.
Yes, I tried Jason's tea tree oil a few months back, and it did NOTHING...so I almost gave up on tea tree oil, as it just made my skin greasy. Then I read that the amount of terpinen in the oil was what caused it to have antibacterial properties. The only one that I have found to have a 'guaranteed' amount of Terpinen-4-ol is Thursday Plantation. It doesn't make my skin greasy, just sinks right in and has 36% guaranteed Terpinen...which is more than enough to kill off those pesky p.acnes:)
Just wondering...can your skin get used to the epsom salts? Because i had a bad breakout today after having completely clear skin by using the salts with tea tree oil. I got red spots all over! I thought maybe my skin has gotten used to the epsom salts and now it doesn't work anymore. Is this possible?? Please help!
Damn - I kind of just fill my bathroom sink about 1/4 of the way full with warm water, add about 1-2 drops of tea tree oil, and a 'splash' of vinegar...how much exactly of the vinegar?? Well, judging from the splash, I'd say about 3-4 tablespoons:)
Well I'm due for an update...I havn't been writing because...well, I've started going out...yes, I can actually leave my house now, in the middle of the day, and not worry about people staring at my face (which used to be covered in makeup in my unsuccessfull attempts at hiding my breakouts)...but now, all I need are a couple dabs of concealer (just for a few red marks left), and I'm off. Geez, I'm getting a little teary eyed here just thinking about how much confidence I've gained...and how much my relationships with people in general have improved (ie. my friends, my parents, my boyfriend)...I'm not afraid to look them in the face anymore, cause I don't even think about my face anymore!!
And it's such a relief.
Granted, I still get the odd whitehead...as ukochana has said she still gets a couple of those too...but a whitehead is gone as soon as you pop it, while zits and their red marks linger...well, for me they were beginning to linger forever!!
I am so glad to have gotten off all those chemicals which were burning my skin off, and I'm so glad to have found this site, with all of its helpful comments...which gave me the tips to create my own regimen that has given me clear skin which I thought I would never see again (well, not until I was forty, and too old to care anymore:)
So, thank you all...and I will continue to pop in every now and again...as I'm eternally grateful to this site.
And I wish everyone luck in getting clear...just remember that your skin is different, and you need to find your own level of tolerance...and that you need to give things a chance for at least a week before you move on!!
Just wondering...can your skin get used to the epsom salts? Because i had a bad breakout today after having completely clear skin by using the salts with tea tree oil.I got red spots all over! I thought maybe my skin has gotten used to the epsom salts and now it doesn't work anymore. Is this possible?? Please help!
hey deville -
First of all i just wanted to say I'm glad you found somehting that works for you and are sharing with the rest of the community.
My question is about the baking soda you just implemented into your regimen. Theres another thread (OMG GUYS!!! YOU MUST TRY THIS!!!!) that has a regimen really similar to yours, except that they use baking soda instead of epsom salts. I know their chemical compounds are different, but do they act in the same manner? Whats the main difference you can tell by your use of them so far? Oh, btw do you think the baking soda needs to be fresh? i know i've got some in the house but i'm sure its erally old.
hey deville -
First of all i just wanted to say I'm glad you found somehting that works for you and are sharing with the rest of the community.
My question is about the baking soda you just implemented into your regimen. Theres another thread (OMG GUYS!!! YOU MUST TRY THIS!!!!) that has a regimen really similar to yours, except that they use baking soda instead of epsom salts. I know their chemical compounds are different, but do they act in the same manner? Whats the main difference you can tell by your use of them so far? Oh, btw do you think the baking soda needs to be fresh? i know i've got some in the house but i'm sure its erally old.
Just like to add ive recently tried using epsom salts. THey are absolutely amazing. My skin glows like never before afterwards. I had a zit on my cheek, which was probably going to turn into quite a big one. I applied a pad dipped into epsom salts onto it, everything went to the surface within an hour. Absolutely amazing. I popped it very carefully, i know for 100% that i have removed it.
Just like to thank the creator of this thread, i'd heard about epsom salts in the past, but never really knew how to use them. The stuff gives my skin a healthy glow, its amazing!
Hi, first time poster here. I am 23 years old and for the past year, I have been suffering from cystic acne. It's not too bad I guess, but I am very self-conscious about it. My acne is mostly the cystic kind that just hangs around for weeks on end. Some of cysts hurt when I put pressure on them while a few are just kind of there.
Well, I bought some Epsom salt yesterday and started using it. In the afternoon, I exfoliate with a small handful of the salt, then I use a cotton ball to dab my face with a high concentration salt solution. I let it dry on my face and wash it off after 1-1.5 hours.
So far I don't see much difference. I think it may have helped the redness of my acne, but I'm not quite sure. I'll use the salt for a week or two and report the results here.
It has been a long while since I have posted on here. I have been using the epsom salts on my face for the last 4 days and it has made a difference. I still have acne, but my breakouts are so small and they go away in a day or two. I went from having Moderate acne to very mild acne. I still have about 5-8 active spots on my face but they are so small.
Then tonight at work something amazing happened. A fellow male co-worker of mine stopped in the middle of a conversation we were having and told me what a great complexion I had. He said he normally doesn't notice other males skin but said that mine looked very good.
I honestly can't remember the last time someone complimented my skin.
Hi all,
Well the regimen was great, atleast for the 4 or 5 days it was. I mean i had seen some amazing improvements from this regimen and very thankful for the person who went out of thier way to post this thread and shared their regimen with us.
Like i was saying the first 4-5 days was excellent, my skin looked its best, not only didnt help rid acne but also with the scars. I honestly had a girl in my class actually talk to me for the first time after like 5 months of being in the same class, this girl was like the "it" girl of the year so i was thinking by next week (this was last week comenting) that i'd rid my acne completely and no more breakouts.
Unfortunately the six day started to go wrong, my skin was looking as bad as before and now around day 8 after starting regimen my acne has come back for more . I really can't understand it, seems everything i try works for a little while and then and explosion of breakouts, mind you hardly any white heads just zits and these things don't go away for a while. Am i doing something wrong?
this is my current regimen
Morning:
Wash Face with lavenda soap
Rince face with vinegar, water, and tea tree oil
Night:
Scrub face with baking soda, rince
Rince face with vinegar, water, and tea tree oil
Apply epsom salt on pads, remove pads after the dry up and rince
Is there something im not doing or......
Any help is greatly appreciated, Sorry bout long post