Hi AmyyRose,

Stay clear of benzoyl peroxide if you want healthy clear skin long-term. Benzoyl peroxide also causes cancer. Indeed, benzoyl peroxide ruined my skin. It took years to undo the damage!! SO PLEASE RUN FROM IT & ALL OTHER TOXIC CHEMICAL ACNE PRODUCTS!!!! Stick with natural, organic, safe, non-toxic & gentle products.

Instead, use pure organic lavender oil directly on blemishes and tea tree oil with your moisturizer as a preventative acne measure (there's also a thyme tincture that is more effective and safer...please see the Holistic Health tips thread on this forum for the recipe). Also, you should be cleansing your skin with very mild, natural organic cleansers. These cleansers you've noted sound horrible for the skin & barbaric!! They are one of the key reasons why people with acne get scarring in the first place. i.e. because scarring is more likely to occur to over-processed, over-washed, nutrient stripped, dry & bare skin (i.e. these products strip the skin of its vital & natural protective lipid and oil barrier that prevents scarring and acne).

Instead, look for a very gentle, natural, organic & effective skin care range like Pure Skin Junkie, Sukin, The Body Deli, Jess Organics etc. You can also use sea salt + spring water if you need to stop an acne break-out cycle to wash your skin. Just don't wash or shower everyday. Your skin needs its natural skin oils to soothe itself, protect itself and heal itself naturally.

Also, please note most commercial sunscreens are highly toxic (please research). Wear a hat instead. Also, you need a little daily vitamin D from the sun for health, wellness, healthy skin & bones and to prevent many illnesses like cancer, MS, arthritis etc (just go a little pink, don't burn).

Hope this helps

AS

PS Also eat & drink healthy and do 10-30 minutes of light exercise daily.

PPS Your skin is a reflection of your intestinal health and overall general health. Lead a healthy, natural, organic, balanced life & lifestyle and you will heal your body/ mind and then - in time - your skin...

PPPS Try making and drinking fresh superfood green juices daily for great skin! Also, fresh lemon juice and spring water is great first thing in the morning (use straw to protect tooth enamel if necessary). Stay away from toxic junks/ toxic sodas/ junk drinks/ dairy/ coffees/ caffeinated teas, fluoride tap water etc

Hi AmyyRose,

Stay clear of benzoyl peroxide if you want healthy clear skin long-term. Benzoyl peroxide also causes cancer. Indeed, benzoyl peroxide ruined my skin. It took years to undo the damage!! SO PLEASE RUN FROM IT & ALL OTHER TOXIC CHEMICAL ACNE PRODUCTS!!!! Stick with natural, organic, safe, non-toxic & gentle products.

Instead, use pure organic lavender oil directly on blemishes and tea tree oil with your moisturizer as a preventative acne measure (there's also a thyme tincture that is more effective and safer...please see the Holistic Health tips thread on this forum for the recipe). Also, you should be cleansing your skin with very mild, natural organic cleansers. These cleansers you've noted sound horrible for the skin & barbaric!! They are one of the key reasons why people with acne get scarring in the first place. i.e. because scarring is more likely to occur to over-processed, over-washed, nutrient stripped, dry & bare skin (i.e. these products strip the skin of its vital & natural protective lipid and oil barrier that prevents scarring and acne).

Instead, look for a very gentle, natural, organic & effective skin care range like Pure Skin Junkie, Sukin, The Body Deli, Jess Organics etc. You can also use sea salt + spring water if you need to stop an acne break-out cycle to wash your skin. Just don't wash or shower everyday. Your skin needs its natural skin oils to soothe itself, protect itself and heal itself naturally.

Also, please note most commercial sunscreens are highly toxic (please research). Wear a hat instead. Also, you need a little daily vitamin D from the sun for health, wellness, healthy skin & bones and to prevent many illnesses like cancer, MS, arthritis etc (just go a little pink, don't burn).

Hope this helps

AS

PS Also eat & drink healthy and do 10-30 minutes of light exercise daily.

PPS Your skin is a reflection of your intestinal health and overall general health. Lead a healthy, natural, organic, balanced life & lifestyle and you will heal your body/ mind and then - in time - your skin...

PPPS Try making and drinking fresh superfood green juices daily for great skin! Also, fresh lemon juice and spring water is great first thing in the morning (use straw to protect tooth enamel if necessary). Stay away from toxic junks/ toxic sodas/ junk drinks/ dairy/ coffees/ caffeinated teas, fluoride tap water etc

Oh my goodness thank you for all the information you have shared with me! Yes I never really stepped back and realised how many nasty chemicals I have been trying/using! I used to use lavender oil at a toner and I think I may actually go back to using it! I remember it did make my face look really nice (and also smelt really nice too). I have not tried using tee tree oil for a long time now as when I used to it used to burn so badly and leave my face inflamed but I shall try it again diluted down 🙂 Ohh yes I have heard about the Sukin range! I use their mist/hydrator sometimes and I really love it 🙂 I should give some of their other products a go!

I think I might have to throw away the Benzoyl Peroxide.. As I noticed my face is going worse than when I originally started 🙁

I am really sad about the slight brownish mark the BP has left me with on my left cheekbone area 🙁 I really hope it can be cleared in a short time..

I think I will take some of your advice and really take a look at all my products I have been using and maybe throw some away and put the others at the back of my cupboard. Really thank you for the 'wake up call' I needed! I really believe I am using too many chemicals on my face and thus the result of my dullness and pigmentation it has caused 🙁

Yes, I learned the hard way that natural, safe, non-toxic, organic remedies are best in the short term & long term.

However, re lavender oil toner, I have read that organic essential lavender oil should only be applied directly onto a blemish, not the entire skin as it's a powerful essential oil & even too powerful for healthy skin (it will totally dry it out & even cause some healthy cells to expire!). Whereas, a little dab of lavender oil on a blemish will make it disappear within 24-48 hours. So, lavender oil should not be applied to the entire face or it will dry it out eventually & even damage healthy skin cells if used to excess. Lavender oil is only meant for sores, eradicating pathogens, blemishes, insect bites, burns etc...it's not meant for application to healthy skin.

However, organic essential tea tree oil (i.e. Thursday Plantation brand), prevents & reverses skin cancer (please research for university study details). It also keeps the skin pathogen & acne free (but only if you're eating & drinking healthy too!). If it's too strong for your skin, consider using a drop with your favorite carrier oil (rosehip, jojoba, grapeseed etc) or with a non-toxic, natural moisturizer.

Cheers

PS In case you'd like to know, I cleanse my face only 2 or 3 x per week with New Directions Mild Cleansing Lotion and use 1 x fortnight Sukin Foaming cleanser. I also apply New Directions Beta Glucan liquid after cleansing (however, I have since heard that the Garden of Wisdom brand has far less additives so I'll switch to Garden of Wisdom's beta glucan liquid. Beta glucan is a great natural ingredient for the skin & is very healing, immunity building & anti-aging; it essentially helps regenerate healthy skin at a cellular level. I highly recommend it to everyone.

I also use iodized sea salt + water every few months for a general scrub and pure lemon juice as a natural skin peel once a blue moon (however, I did use it about 3 or 4 x per week for a few months a while back along with skin needling but don't need to anymore - this protocol is only advised if you have significant [i.e. not slight or superficial] scarring. I used the short derma roller from clearskincare.com.au along with the pure lemon juice followed by beta glucan liquid. But I don't think you need skin needling at all!). NB You can further dilute the pure lemon juice with water if its too strong (as some people find pure lemon juice way too strong & irritating for their skin - so please test a small patch of skin first if ever you decide to try it - but I don't think you need a pure lemon juice peel. But you can dab a little on your blemishes if needed).

Lastly, I use Sukin Replenishing Night Cream as a moisturizer now as well as Thursday Plantation's rosehip oil (over the beta glucan liquid). And 100% pure vitamin e by Invite around my eyes (stops lines & wrinkles). You can make your own rosewater facial mist if you need extra hydration/ suppleness. (I also use Sukin's facial mist on special occasions for a glowy complexion, but find that the glycerine in it can make my skin a little dry by bedtime, so it's not an everyday facial mist. Instead, I prefer 100% natural DIY facial mists with natural ingredients & spring water for an everyday skin hydration booster).

PPS Here's a blurb about thyme tincture I thought would be of interest to you:

Use thyme as a natural cure for acne - http://www.naturalne...ures_thyme.html "A thyme-based tincture has proven to be a more effective topical solution without side effects than benzoyl peroxide creams, according to recent research at Leeds Metropolitan University in Leeds, UK. The thyme tinctures, not essential oils, proved highly effective at soothing the skin and killing the Propionibacterium acne.

In addition to the healing and antiseptic attributes of the herb thyme, the alcohol base used for the tincture adds more antiseptic qualities. The tincture can be applied with a cotton ball, gauze, or sprayed on from a mist spray bottle.

You can make your own long lasting thyme tincture or any other herbal tincture inexpensively ( http://www.naturalne..._tinctures.html )."

Yes, I learned the hard way that natural, safe, non-toxic, organic remedies are best in the short term & long term.

However, re lavender oil toner, I have read that organic essential lavender oil should only be applied directly onto a blemish, not the entire skin as it's a powerful essential oil & even too powerful for healthy skin (it will totally dry it out & even cause some healthy cells to expire!). Whereas, a little dab of lavender oil on a blemish will make it disappear within 24-48 hours. So, lavender oil should not be applied to the entire face or it will dry it out eventually & even damage healthy skin cells if used to excess. Lavender oil is only meant for sores, eradicating pathogens, blemishes, insect bites, burns etc...it's not meant for application to healthy skin.

However, organic essential tea tree oil (i.e. Thursday Plantation brand), prevents & reverses skin cancer (please research for university study details). It also keeps the skin pathogen & acne free (but only if you're eating & drinking healthy too!). If it's too strong for your skin, consider using a drop with your favorite carrier oil (rosehip, jojoba, grapeseed etc) or with a non-toxic, natural moisturizer.

Cheers

PS In case you'd like to know, I cleanse my face only 2 or 3 x per week with New Directions Mild Cleansing Lotion and use 1 x fortnight Sukin Foaming cleanser. I also apply New Directions Beta Glucan liquid after cleansing (however, I have since heard that the Garden of Wisdom brand has far less additives so I'll switch to Garden of Wisdom's beta glucan liquid. Beta glucan is a great natural ingredient for the skin & is very healing, immunity building & anti-aging; it essentially helps regenerate healthy skin at a cellular level. I highly recommend it to everyone.

I also use iodized sea salt + water every few months for a general scrub and pure lemon juice as a natural skin peel once a blue moon (however, I did use it about 3 or 4 x per week for a few months a while back along with skin needling but don't need to anymore - this protocol is only advised if you have significant [i.e. not slight or superficial] scarring. I used the short derma roller from clearskincare.com.au along with the pure lemon juice followed by beta glucan liquid. But I don't think you need skin needling at all!). NB You can further dilute the pure lemon juice with water if its too strong (as some people find pure lemon juice way too strong & irritating for their skin - so please test a small patch of skin first if ever you decide to try it - but I don't think you need a pure lemon juice peel. But you can dab a little on your blemishes if needed).

Lastly, I use Sukin Replenishing Night Cream as a moisturizer now as well as Thursday Plantation's rosehip oil (over the beta glucan liquid). And 100% pure vitamin e by Invite around my eyes (stops lines & wrinkles). You can make your own rosewater facial mist if you need extra hydration/ suppleness. (I also use Sukin's facial mist on special occasions for a glowy complexion, but find that the glycerine in it can make my skin a little dry by bedtime, so it's not an everyday facial mist. Instead, I prefer 100% natural DIY facial mists with natural ingredients & spring water for an everyday skin hydration booster).

PPS Here's a blurb about thyme tincture I thought would be of interest to you:

Use thyme as a natural cure for acne - http://www.naturalne...ures_thyme.html "A thyme-based tincture has proven to be a more effective topical solution without side effects than benzoyl peroxide creams, according to recent research at Leeds Metropolitan University in Leeds, UK. The thyme tinctures, not essential oils, proved highly effective at soothing the skin and killing the Propionibacterium acne.

In addition to the healing and antiseptic attributes of the herb thyme, the alcohol base used for the tincture adds more antiseptic qualities. The tincture can be applied with a cotton ball, gauze, or sprayed on from a mist spray bottle.

You can make your own long lasting thyme tincture or any other herbal tincture inexpensively ( http://www.naturalne..._tinctures.html )."

Thank you for taking your time to explain all this information to me! It is really helpful and I will definitely be trying to use less chemicals and more natural on my face! I did not use BP yesterday or last night and I woke up with already smoother skin, not dramatically but I think by a month my face will definitely be transformed back to the nice dewy glow I want. Although I want it to be zit-free unlike before 😛

I used to use diluted lavender oil all over my face but now I will just use pure lavender oil on the zits and scarring because I am trying to get rid of my dry/tight skin feeling BP has been doing to it.. I have used diluted lemon treatments in the past and for some reason my skin just can't handle it at all, unless it is diluted to mostly water.. But then it doesn't work as well I don't think? I will buy a little bottle of tea tree oil and see how it gets along with my skin now that I am older and maybe know how to use it better 😛

Thanks so much for your help, I really appreciate your time you put in with all your helpful information you shared with me! 🙂

I'll give the thyme and green tea toner a go for a week or so and see what happens 😀