Could it be that the honey isn't cleansing your oily skin well enough? I'd say if you want to be more natural with your skincare regimen you should try out the oil cleansing method in place of the raw honey. A mix of castor oil and jojoba might be able to fix the issues your having with breakouts. If you want to continue to use the honey I think you should try it as a mask throughout the week instead of as your method of cleansing.

Thanks bailey. Im wondering if thats the case too. What other oils can i use besides jojoba though? Im a little freaked out about the rash it caused. Within two days the first time, i had little red bumps everywhere. Not acne though. Felt awful when i would wash my face, it was like going from smooth baby skin to a thousand chicken pox. (Maybe i should mention that my allergies to skin care products, meds, detergents are extensive. No dryer sheets, no body wash other than johnson and johnson baby oil wash, the lists goes on.) ive read so much about the ocm but jojoba seems to be the ingredient for oily skin and im too scared to take that route again. Let me know if almond oil or grapeseed would work for me.

Of course, you could definitely do the OCM with grapeseed. Finding the right oils for your skin type is all about trial and error so if you're skin likes the grapeseed then stick with it I've heard other good options for acne prone skin are sea buckthorn and emu.

The only reason I suggested the castor is because it could help with the oilyness of your skin. So maybe try a 20/80 mix of both the castor and the grapeseed. Castor is quite drying but in small amounts it works wonders on oily skin.

Also, just noticed you exfoliate with baking soda. PLEASE do not do this. It is far too alkaline for the skin and can disrupt or even damage the skin barrier. Making it much much easier for bacteria to breed on the skin.

You might find this of interest.

http://www.sebamedbikeday.de/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/Studien/Saeuremantelkonzept/1.06.pdf

I love the article! To be honest i haven't really ever understood what ph really meant. I don't think I've ever thought of our skin, as an organ, as being acidic. This actually makes me wonder if my skins ph is on the high side because i cant wear silver jewelry or copper. It tarnishes before the day is over. Doesn't leave any marks on me, just turns black.

The baking soda method for hair and the baking soda paste i exfoliate with both call for apple cider vinegar rinses. I read that it balances the ph, and before i read that i had no idea what it meant. Which is silly, cant believe i haven't researched that too. When i did the bsv method on my hair, the vinegar made it very greasy after a couple of days. So for my face, i skipped the vinegar as well. Eek. :/

So something in my last cleanser must have had a ph that was within the appropriate range. Does honey have a ph?

I had no idea that the baking soda could be a problem. Makes my skin so smooth. i heard so many great things about it. But im stopping tonight.

I will try the castor oil with the grapeseed. From what i read, castor is always the base oil right? Where do i find castor? Let me know a brand name if you can. Thanks again for the article, you just put a whole new perspective on all this.

Ive read about this caveman method, just water or whatever. How do girls do this? I wear makeup. Not a lot. Just blush, mascara, and bits of concealer on the spots. Face powder if I'm desperate for even tone. But face powders have never been my thing. Causes trouble and i feel it clogs my pores. But how could i get away with washing with only water? I feel like i would just rub the icky oily blush further in.

But i get that washing the face can definitely rob it of its natural goodness. I just don't know how i could do it. Do you do the ocm every day? Am and pm?

Why don't you try a yogurt or milk mask to exfoliate the skin? Or if you like the feel of a mechanical exfoliant you could substitute the baking soda for sugar. (Using the washcloth to wipe off the oils should be exfoliation enough however) I don't know much about the water only caveman regimen so I cant help you there. I've always felt like that method only works for people with normal skin.. and mine is far too oily and acne prone to just splash some water on it. Depending on how my skin feels that day i'll either do the OCM it both AM and PM or just at night. I buy my oils from vitacost because they have the best prices. You can get a huge thing of castor for about 6 dollars there.

Good luck! i hope this works for you. If you have any other questions let me know

My oily skin is extremely finicky. I found that there are very few products, natural or synthetic, that work well with it. Soooo if you find something that gives you no problems, my advice is to stick with it. I can't even begin to count the number of days I've jacked up my skin because I wanted to try something new.

I wouldn't worry too much about the chemicals in those products. The hype that is given to how bad some of they are is usually unfounded.

You're post made me laugh Oilygirl 1980, because you sound just like me; I tend to over-analyze the crap out of my skin care routine lol.

But really, if it's not broken don't try to fix it

I spent two hours at the vitamin shoppe today. Twas a lovely visit with a smart girl who is in school for nutrition and diabetice education. Very interesting.

Bailey, i bought some fun things for skin and hair. I shall let you know how it goes. Thanks again for your help.

CBIOT- you aint kiddin.....

Ive done the same thing and i always return to my old ways. Granted the times i played around before were for different reasons. Each year i become more obsessed with aging. Which would piss off normal people because i still can be mistaken for someone in highschool. Guess im trying to hold onto that for as long as i can.

Glad to know im not the only one that overthinks this stuff. Im basically a google girl on steroids, constantly searching for something better.

My question for you- how do you deal with your oily skin? Like i said, i really did have very good skin. Which is crazy, because i have oily skin, i have hormonal cystic acne that leaves scars, i just had methods, diet and topical, that managed it really well. My main problem, besides trying to go natural, is the oil during the day. Looks like i smeared vaseline all over, but i blot and stay away from heavy makeup. Can i ever change that?

I went 98% natural with hair care and i havent looked back. I have VERY long blonde, thin, flat hair and what im using now has given it more life than its had in years. I guess i was hoping that i could do the same for my face and maybe, just maybe get to wear some DANG EYESHADOW for more than 20 minutes.

How do I deal with it? Well I'm a guy in college, so I really try to have as simple a routine as possible. I use Cetaphil and an ACV toner (currentky trying to find something to neutralize the smell) after a shower/shave, which is usually around twice a day. I fortunately get very little acne, but my oily skin is also super sensitive so I every now and then it gets red if I wash it too hard. To deal with the oily skin during the day I just blot like crazy, and that works okay. The only issue is sometimes when I'm with someone, like taking a girl out for the evening, I feel like an idiot having to use the bathroom three times to blot my face lol.

I feel like ladies have some fairly decent options as far as makeup to combat oily skin, but as a guy I just can't bring myself to use any of them. I may try Milk of Magnesia in the near future, but people usually wear it under makeup because it can make your face white.

I'm still trying to figure out if this is something I'll have forever. I am healthy as can be, in great shape and have no pre-existing conditions that could affect my skin at all. I have light Irish/Italian skin, and no one else in my family has oily skin so I'm currently making the rounds with dermatologists and doctors to see if there's some sort of vitamin or hormonal imbalance behind it.

But you have the right outlook on it in your original post Oilygirl1980. Sometimes it's just the hand we were dealt, and when I see all the problems people have I see how much worse it could have been.

Cetaphil-thats one of the must haves for a lot of people. I see people on here talk about it all the time. It didn't work for me unfortunately. It was too harsh, made my skin feel tight and there were those lines on my nose from how dry it made it. I was twice as oily than using my cream cleanser, and then i broke out like crazy and it made my skin splotchy and red. Like you, I'm fair. Nothing but swedish skin for my family. So yeah, maybe try the cream cleanser i mentioned? I feel like you might have similar skin. Let me know. I have oily, fair, thin, sensitive and acne prone skin. Kind of a weird combo i always thought. I don't know.

I feel your pain with the disappearing and blot routine. A few times at work with the neutrogena sheets or just a kleenex. And then again when im home. I hate it. As far as the makeup, i can imagine for a dude, thats not really a route you want to go. My husband uses concealer and hid it from me for years. I found it one day and i was like, honey, you don't have to hide this from me and also, lets find a better brand for you. I got him a better brand with better ingredients and the right color for him. He doesnt give a what now! He openly says its awesome for him. And you're right, girls do have some options but i feel like they only apply to girls with mild oily skin or normal skin. Every time i use face powder, and I've LITERALLY tried them all, not only do i still have to blot, the powder just sort of sits on top of my skin and you can see it. It looks thick and fake. And then washing it off, i feel like I'm pushing it in and when i use my toner after a very good gentle wash, there is still more on my cotton round. Yuck. That cant be good for my pores. Doesn't seem to cause acne really, but the blackheads on my nose are way more visible. I only use face powder over my concealed spots when i have some nasty cystic ones and only if I'm going to be in low light or sunlight. Def cant use it at work under the fluorescent light. Looks god awful. I found a brand that i hate less than drugstore brands and even all the fancy brands, its studio gear pressed. I think its about $20 but i have had the same one for well over a year. You dont need a ton, and it does control the oil for a little longer than normal. I blot my skin carefully when i use it so as not to rub it all off. For your age, dont be scared to try it, but theres no need to tell anyone about it. Later on, if people know, good friends wont be dicks about it and tease you. We ALL have our secret bathroom methods.

After baileys very helpful article about the ph of skin and what alkaline and acidic treatments can do, ive learned a boatload since yesterday. I started something new last night and today, its good so far. But we will see, everything is good the first day. Ill take some time with it but if it works, ill let you know. Normally, i have to blot within the first hour, its been 3 hours as of now, and im not even glistening yet. Fingers crossed.

Thanks for the tips. Yea it seems like we probably do have similar skin; if you add "black facial hair" to your description you pretty much nailed it lol.

And for the Cetaphil, there's actually two types of the face wash. One says "For Normal to Oily skin" and pretty much dried the hell out of my face the week that I used it. The one I use regularly says "Gentle Skin Cleanser," and it's much less harsh. Maybe you used the drying one?

Or maybe it wasn't; it's amazing how differently people's skin can react to the same product lol.

I think i may have tried both, but i bet it was the oily skin one. That sounds like my reaction to it too. Back then, i was too impatient. Didnt give things enough time to work.

Its day 3 of what im doing now. If this doesnt work, i have the supplies now for baileys reccomendation for the ocm. Just gave this a shot because i already had this in my house.

Dr bronners castile soap. Baby mild, unscented. Witch hazel. Grapeseed oil and neutrogena bp. At night, since im washing the day and makeup off, i add a few drops of the oil to the one drop of soap so i can wash it well. Still scared of too many bubbles, but its different bubbles and surprisingly, its not drying in the slightest. No new marks thank god, and the oil is much better. Going to give it a fair shot to see how my skin adjusts...

hmm, eating healthy is something that I have only recently added to my regimen, and it seems to be helping.

Agreed. Eating healthy is i think most important. And lots of water. I ate like garbage in my early 20s, and i think it had a huge impact. I still havent found any dietary things that help the oil yet. Let me know if you know of something specific though.