Acne.org Products
Thanks TM, haha, you are right and yes, indeed I do know the downfalls of switching products too often. I am impatient and idealistic... so not a good combination. And I have sensitive/reactive skin to making matters that much more difficult.
I agree that with products results are often person-specific but I'm still interested to hear others' feedback, in particular ideas about pairing up my products as it's not so dependent on trial by user. And ingredients could always be scrutinized more thoroughly that what I have done, or another person with sensitive skin could share their experience with a culprit ingredient and that then may correlate with my own and help clarify matters further for me. It's that sort of thing I'm after.
Do you have sensitive skin? If so, what gave you found to be useful vs problematic?
I don't think I have sensitive skin, just acne prone. I've been using Dan's regimen for over 10 years and a few months ago decided to stop and see how things went. When I started the regimen I had acne in a few different places but over he years it became localised to just around my mouth. Like where you'd grow a goatee. It got me thinking that maybe it had become cosmetic acne as this was the only place I was still breaking out as the rest of my face has cleared over the years.
When I was younger I don't know if my acne was any worst than anyone else my age. I just got caught up in buying face washes and harsh products and to be honest its been a vicious circle ever since. Who knows, maybe my skin might start to heal itself naturally if I give it time enough.
I promised I'd give myself about 2 months at least to see how things went. I'm currently cleansing my face with Manuka Honey morning and night and as we speak I have about 3 live pimples.
The last few weeks I've had a few bad breakouts. I was trying a few different cleansers but last week I decided to stop as my face was just feeling itchy afterwards and I was waking the next day with fresh breakouts. I've decided to go 2 weeks with the honey and nothing else. I also use a beard trimmer so the honey as basically all that my face see.
If your a guy and don't wear make up, I'm a firm believer in washing your face as little as possible. Not many of us really get our faces that dirty these days. Its taken me all these years to come around to this way of thinking though.
If my current plan fails then I know I can always go back to using BP but at the minute I can live with a spot here and there.
You're right that it is difficult to moisturize well when you have an oil slick on the surface. I truly understand your frustration.
This is why solving my acne and oil problems hormonally made things so much easier. My skin is now capable of receiving moisture and the acne is gone.
I know that isn't much help and hormonal treatment is tricky, but just putting that out there. If your skin is super-oily it's probably because of an internal imbalance, and all the topicals in the world won't stop your body from producing a certain amount of oil each day.
Regarding the Honey being moisturising, I'm not sure to be honest. Its definitely not drying. I don't have dry skin. My skin is olive so I guess its oily. I'm not usually one for natural products and all that but I feels really good when applied and I hear its got some anti inflammatory effects. I read nothing but good things about honey though. The one thing I do like about it is that your skin doesn't feel like its been stripped like when using cleansers. This could be a pro or con but I like having an oily feel to my skin.
I last washed my face with a standard cleanser about a week ago so I'm gonna give this another 2 weeks.
I promised I'd give myself about 2 months at least to see how things went. I'm currently cleansing my face with Manuka Honey morning and night and as we speak I have about 3 live pimples.
Cleansing with Manuka honey....now THAT is an idea I have given some serious thought to. How do you find the clean it gives? Thorough enough but still gentle.
I've gotten sofrustrated at times witg how temperamental my skin is that I have oft considered just using sole ingredients for cleansing a moisturising purposes. Honey for cleansing being one of them. I've thought to add raw aloe to it as well to 'bulk' it up a bit. The other thong is using whole milk yoghurt as a cleanser. I've tried it as it does the job well. It's just the residual smell I'm not cool with.
You're right that it is difficult to moisturize well when you have an oil slick on the surface. I truly understand your frustration.
This is why solving my acne and oil problems hormonally made things so much easier. My skin is now capable of receiving moisture and the acne is gone.
I know that isn't much help and hormonal treatment is tricky, but just putting that out there. If your skin is super-oily it's probably because of an internal imbalance, and all the topicals in the world won't stop your body from producing a certain amount of oil each day.
Glad you can understand my frustration Green Gables. It is indeed tough to accept these skin issues when I'm so kind to my skin and body. In theory I cover all bases and do everything basically right. This gets to thinking what you have mentioned about internal factors. I have my suspicions, but why I remain so committed to working out my topicals is that I'm in otherwise great shape - problems are only showing up on my skin, and to reduce it further only on my facial skin. It's odd. I do suspect there's something hormonal going on though because accompanying my extra than ordinary oily skin is this weird tendency to sweat. So my skin is damp and oily. This pikes my curiosity as to weather it might be a slight fungal issue too, even it's it's just secondary. Deems I've been too have ruled that out but I'm not entirely convinced given I've trumped their understanding of certain skin issues in the past I've presented with and have admitted I'm right, conforming my own self-diagnosis. It's all so confusing...and a bit scary when you know something's going on and despite your thorough investigations keep coming to dead ends.
Thanks for your advice. It's always helpful and informative.
Clearwaters - Could you remind me what condition(s) you are trying to clear up on your skin?
T.M. - Do you find that the honey has a moisturizing effect? I read anecdotally that it serves as a humectant. I haven't found anything scientific yet.
My skin condition: extremely oily and shiny first and foremost. Second to that I have lots of blackheads on upper cheeks and to a lesser extend on forehead and midcheeks. Countless tiny flesh colored bumps on forehead that occasionally become actual zits. In addition to o this I have the slight sweating issue as mentioned earlier and some diffuse redness. Pores are enlarged but not greatly so. Aldo have the kind of 'cosmetic' acne on jaw and neck like TM alluded to but I put that down to shaving. Marks of my forehead from old zits take literally months to fade even though I didn't touch them.
Clearwaters - Since you liked the whole milk yogurt as a cleanser but disliked the smell, maybe you could add honey to mask the smell. And if honey is truly a cleansing agent you'll have that additional benefit. When left on, this could double as a lactic and glycolic acid AHA mask as well. Have you tried targeting the blackheads and closed comedones with a salicylic acid product?
^ yes, that is quite an idea. I have thought of it myself but usually as a treatment up until now. Personally, would you regard it as suitable for daily, ongoing use? Do you think there could be any risk of sensitivity issues of putting acids, abeit mild ones, on everday? Do people use salicylic acid on a daily basis? I don't know. I worry with acids having this uber-sensitive skin, but lactic acids have so far been relatively kind to me.
Little update. I'ce been doing quite well using the natural sorbolene as a cream cleanser in managing the oiles. It seems really suitable for my skin in pretty much every way save the preservatives in it. Maybe I can forgive them if they are causing no apparent problems, it's just a mental thing I've got to get over...
What I've learned from this board is that the 1% and 2% Salicylic Acids in facial washes are being used daily by people, but the acids have no effect when they are not left on for a period of time. I've read that it depends on the pH of the acid as well and that the acids don't really have much effect if they are above 4.0 pH. I tested yogurt and it read 5.5.
Is the Sorbolene a moisturizer that you're using as a cleanser?
Oh ok, thanks, you're very helpful Gingergirl 
Yes, it's a light, waterbased cream that can be used as a lotion, shaving aid, moisturizer. It's an all purpose product so to speak. I like the idea of a one-product routine for simplicities sake. I just don't know why they had to go ruin this with 3% chem. preservatives. I know, necessary evil I'm sure, but my purist geared mind just can't be at ease with it.
Ok, this is what I'm trying...my new cleanser: a mixture of honey, grapeseed oil and white tea. That's it, just those three ingredients. And no lotion afterwards. I'm going to see how the small amount of residual grapeseed oil left after cleansing works for serving that purpose. Given this method doesn't strip my skin in the first place, a small amount of a light oil like grapeseed should in theory be enough. I might add, or alternate with, with pure veg glycerin or aloe too, but that will be later.
Hope all of this pantry-raiding insanity is worth it! Lol
Ok, this is what I'm trying...my new cleanser: a mixture of honey, grapeseed oil and white tea. That's it, just those three ingredients. And no lotion afterwards. I'm going to see how the small amount of residual grapeseed oil left after cleansing works for serving that purpose. Given this method doesn't strip my skin in the first place, a small amount of a light oil like grapeseed should in theory be enough. I might add, or alternate with, with pure veg glycerin or aloe too, but that will be later.
Hope all of this pantry-raiding insanity is worth it! Lol
Well, you certainly have thought it out well, so I'm sure it will be worth it! Keep us posted!
^ Thanks Gingergirl. Will do!
The next thing I'm considering using for cleansing is almond or oat milk/meal. What do you think?
The mad science continues...lol
Not sure about the almond or oats, but what about the yogurt you felt was helpful?
Back to acids, I think they are essential a few times a week to combat open and closed comedones. I have been really happy with the results of a 2% salicylic acid at 3.0 - 3.5 pH which I leave on overnight 2-3 times a week.
Well yeah, the yoghurt is great at what it does...it just the smell I can't get around. The honey only disguises it so much and only while it on. And strangely I find it to be a little too drying to use while on thos whole no-moisturiser thing I'm trying. It is good though...
Meanwhile, the honey is seriously one of the best things I've used to cleanse with to date. No kidding. And why I'm looking for something else is not because I'm not happy with the honey but because I want soothing else to rotate the honey with. As in, it works so good I'm kind of worried I'll overuse it and it will lose it's effectiveness. (TM, if you happen to read this, can you answer that for me - has it lost any of its effectiveness using it daily?)
Ok, so onto acids...right...two times a week you say. Ok, so what form does your salicylic acid come in - as a moisturiser, serum, etc? Will it affect my no-lotion approach? I what about concomitant redness or peeling? Any issues with that? I've even stopped my once a week washcloth exfoliation because even that reddened and angered my skin. Or maybe chemical exfoliation is preferable for sensitive skins. My skin is bordering on rosacea red these days...
Thanks Ginger, I'll look it into, for sure!
Are you using Manuka honey?
Considering you have such sensitive skin maybe you should skip the salicylic acid. (I make my own out of SA that I bought at makingcosmetics.com and mix it with strawberry juice, a pinch of sugar and water so mine isn't a lotion...I add a little yogurt before applying just to make it smooth...would be glad to share the recipe if you ever want it. It's a little time-consuming but I freeze mine so I always have a stash. Maybe you can just use fruit acids for any blackheads since many people have reported good results with things like lemon and ACV.
I'm so happy for you that you were able to come up with a natural cleanser that agrees with you!
(After a quick search online I see that some folks treat blackheads with honey, so it looks like you have an all-in-one ingredient with honey!)
Oh cool! That recipe sounds kinda wicked Thats a good suggestion with the fruit acids too, I'm going to have to do trialling me thinks and just see how it goes, erring on the side or caution and tracking changes and results as I increase strength/frequency.
Aaaand, guess what? I'm so freakin' stoked right now. I made my own lotion today. I did it! And I love it! Well I love the result in terms of consistency and feel at least. On-skin results are yet to be seen of course. And I think it could be used as a cleansing milk type thing too. Yknow that all-pupose product philosophy I'm crazy about? Yeah, this totally fits in with that. I had a friend come over and I got her to try it and she adores it already. Reckons I should sell it! I just can't believe something I whipped in the blender could turn out so well. The texture is so silky and cool and very salon sophisticated. And it has all of the great stuff I want with none of the nasties I don't! Oh the joys of DIY
Oh, and the honey I'm using is just raw, organic honey from the supermarket.
Not yet a replacement, Ginger, but I'm excited about the possibilities. All the stuff I've been making are basically variants/mixtures of the same thing. It's only the emulsifier thats changed things. I'm now looking into making my own oil free lotion which is just a whole other world of discovery and experimentation. I'm looking into oils now, and oxidation/rancidity issues and subsequent effects on skin. It's something rarely considered, but I feel it's worth investigating. I feel I might be becoming wary of vegetable oils...I dunno, undecided yet. I know that most don't agree at all with me. Also looking at non-oil water retention and conditioning agents. So much to explore! Will report back with finding haha.
Update: Awesome moisturiser - FOUND! *celebrates*
Finally...I think I know where I had been going wrong. Oils! I had never questioned oils until while I on the search for the perfect and most pure DIY moisturizer recipes I learnt about vegetable oil rancidity risks. And now in practice, using an oil-free moisturiser, I'm seeing some seriously good results. My skin just doesn't need more oil. Oil is basically just a film/barrier forming agent for water retention puroposes and there are other non-oil ingredients that can perform that function just is well (if not better) minus the pore-clogging potential.
Check this beauty out. This is a hardcore oil-free moisturiser, not just watery mess full of silicones:
Pure Therapy Intense Moisture Repair Gel:
Ingredients: Aqua (purified Australian water^), aloe barbadensis leaf juice, panthenol (pro Vit B5), glycerin*, avena sativa (oat) kernel flour, sclerotium gum*, ceramide 3, ceramide 6-11, ceramide 1, phytosphingosine, cholesterol, mannitol*, ammonium glycyrrhizate*, caffeine, zinc gluconate*, aesculus hippocastanum (horse chestnut) seed extract, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract (certified organic), sodium hyaluronate*, piroctone olamine, xanthan gum, sodium lauroyl lactylate, carbomer, sodium gluconate*, citric acid*, phenoxyethanol, ethylhexylglycerin, ^BP standard *botanical sources
~~~~~~
My forehead is the flattest and smoothest its ever been
Hi Gingergirl, yep, I've mostly been using my own cleanser or just honey and then this as my moisturiser. I'd use my own lotion but this one has treatment ingredients and is lighter too, so suitable for day wear.
And yes, Green Gables had been sending the message about oils, and I did know it myself as well. I just didn't question them in the context of eliminating them entirely, as I have now, and was at odds to think of what could be a replacement for barrier function. I'd only ever been aware of the need for water and emollients as well as oil, rather than looking at oils as an aspect of my skincare that could go altogether.
My next port of call is experimenting witg making ny own version of this moisturising gel, and tweaking it a tad to my own liking. It's great as is but I just love trying my hand as replicating products myself and this stuff is a bit exxy for how much you get. I was thinking of calling on makingcosmetics.com to source some of the ingredients I don't have. I beleve you've used them before for you're own creations?
Yes, I have purchased from makingcosmetics.com I may have mentioned before that I don't care much for their pH strips, but I absolutely love these: http://www.indigo.com/test-strips/ph-test-strips.html No cosmetics supply companies in your country?
