People tend to have different feelings when it comes to the different types of acne treatment (topical) out there. We all react differently to different forms of acne treatment and most of us have experience with multiple types of acne treatments. I would like to hear your opinions on what you think works best for you and what don't. What you think is bad and what you think is good. The three main types of acne treatments i am focusing on here are Benzoyl Peroxide, Salicylic Acid and Tea Tree Oil. So let's hear your thoughts guys.
Tea tree oil because it's natural, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid both have chemicals that are not good for the skin. For the long term tea tree oil will be better for you because those other treatments will be bad for your skin in the long run.
i agree! i've tried all three in the past ten years. Salicylic acid irritated my skin...benzoyl peroxide only supressed my acne and dried me out....tea tree oil rapidly reduced my inflamation and helped the zit heal faster. Actually HEAL and not just conceal
Tea tree oil because it's natural, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid both have chemicals that are not good for the skin. For the long term tea tree oil will be better for you because those other treatments will be bad for your skin in the long run.
uhmmmm...that's pretty blatantly false. It's also really misleading to say BP and salicylic have "chemical that are not good for the skin" and then imply that tea tree oil doesn't have similar such chemicals.
To the OP, try each product out, INDIVIDUALLY for a few weeks or so, see what works for you. Some products work for some people, others don't. Eschewing some products because they're not "natural" is a very dumb way of approaching the process, because you're shutting yourself out of clinically-tested medicines and instead heading into the realm of unregulated pseudoscience.
Tea tree oil because it's natural, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid both have chemicals that are not good for the skin. For the long term tea tree oil will be better for you because those other treatments will be bad for your skin in the long run.
Tea Tree oil is the best, and it works pretty quickly as well!
Tea tree oil because it's natural, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid both have chemicals that are not good for the skin. For the long term tea tree oil will be better for you because those other treatments will be bad for your skin in the long run.
What do you mean BP and salicylic acid "have chemicals?" They are, themselves, chemicals. There is nothing but benzoyl peroxide in benzoyl peroxide. Whether or not there are chemicals that are bad for the skin depends on what product you buy. Tea tree oil, on the other hand, is a mixture of dozens of different chemicals. Some of them might help your skin, others are irritants. I've never had any success with it.
Tea tree oil because it's natural, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid both have chemicals that are not good for the skin. For the long term tea tree oil will be better for you because those other treatments will be bad for your skin in the long run.
What do you mean BP and salicylic acid "have chemicals?" They are, themselves, chemicals. There is nothing but benzoyl peroxide in benzoyl peroxide. Whether or not there are chemicals that are bad for the skin depends on what product you buy. Tea tree oil, on the other hand, is a mixture of dozens of different chemicals. Some of them might help your skin, others are irritants. I've never had any success with it.
Tea tree oil is also just as toxic, btw. Well, toxic in the sense that you should never ingest it or get it in your eyes or nose.
BP works well in helping a cyst move on my chin and develop/heal faster, but can be very drying! Sometimes can be sticky.
SA works better on my skin to purge/clean pores and make them much smaller. Helps loosen blackheads and smoothen face over all. However I always get an intial break out when starting a new product with it. I use Paula's Choice 1% and am getting the toner soon--I hear great things!
TTO I use to be holistic only. This stuff works really well on cysts. However its best to dilute it though I never did :/ which is prob why I got neg results when using more than twice a day. It dries my cyst/pimple into a really hard lump that flattens but becomes a visible hard surface like there is a tiny flat stone under my skin!! Watch out for over use and get 100% Australian TTO (not brands that mix oils together!)
I like tto al ot but I have to dilute it or it makes it worse. and the brand really does matter.
I dont use bp bc it just dries out my skin and makes my acne worse. and the even worse one is salicyclic acid just makes my face red. IT is up to each individual what works for one may not work for another. JUst try them all and see which one you prefer. this is all just my opinion. personally I LIke willow bark (the unaltered version of salcycic acid) way better than most chemical based saliycic acid.
good luck
i have some 100% tea tree oil that i am going to dilute & use instead of the noxzema face pads that i have been using for a long time. all the products ive used b4 have SA in it so i'm thinking the SA hasnt been helping my skin at all. i'm going to give the natural products a try & start over with my skin b4 i decide if i want or need to reintroduce any harsh, drying or irritating chemical agents.
Tea tree oil has done nothing for my skin. I've tried 100% and organic. BP has always been harsh for my skin but it does stop a pimple from forming,but I HATE the red mark it ALWAYS leaves. Right now and for past week ive been using Paulas choice 1% BHA aka salicylic acid GEL. I apply it every night after I cleanse followed by emu oil. I love it. It has made my skin super smooth and has gotten rid of virtually all of my clogged pores. Yes I purged but I was expecting that because the stuff in the pores has to come out. It's reducing my red marks as well. The gel has green tea and other soothing ingredients. The lotion however irritated the hell out of my skin. It was horrible. The gel I love though. They can send you samples for .50$ if you want to try it. I highly recommend the gel in a 1%. They also sell a 2% but I dont feel it's necessary for me.
well i guess i used too many drops!! i could smell the tto all day & didnt wash that night because my skin still felt like it was healing. if that makes sense? today i used just 10 drops and soaked the cotton pad with cold water from my bottle in the fridge. it's filtered water from the cooler so it was free! my skin didnt feel as tingly and thruout the day it seemed much calmer. i will just wash my face b4 bed & use moisturizer, no tto.
- I think benzoyl peroxide loses its effect after a while (I used La Roche Posay's Effaclar Duo).
- Tea tree oil, on the other hand, is quiet effective when it comes to spot treatment (I used The Body Shop's tea tree oil).
- Finally, my favorite is salicylic acid (I used La Roche Posay's Effaclar K) when used on entire face. It surely unclogs pores, fades away acne scars (yes it does but I am not saying that it's a product directly for scarring treatment).
All in all, I would recommend salicylic acid but I am not saying that you shouldn't use benzoyl peroxide or any other product that doesn't/didn't work for me/for any one. I think the best way to a working regimen is trial and error. Nobody, even a board certified dermatologist, yes you heard me right, can identify whether a product will work for you or not. Yes they can be more accurate with their predictions about the products to be used but there is no guarantee that they'll work for you. So once you think you found a product that is just right for you (after making a thorough research about it), buy it, use it for a while (at least for 4 weeks or even more depending on the product) then make a conclusion about it.
I really like salicylic acid and have recently purchased tea tree oil but it's pure so I have to dilute it. Anyone know the most potent your skin can handle it? Cause I sure don't have sensitive skin but I don't want to directly apply it to my face. Suggestions?
But as for BP, eff that. I saw no results, worsened skin texture, and it's just overall time consuming and a headache for no results. But that's my skin.
I really like salicylic acid and have recently purchased tea tree oil but it's pure so I have to dilute it. Anyone know the most potent your skin can handle it? Cause I sure don't have sensitive skin but I don't want to directly apply it to my face. Suggestions?
But as for BP, eff that. I saw no results, worsened skin texture, and it's just overall time consuming and a headache for no results. But that's my skin.
i soak a cotton pad with cold water. ive been using filtered water from the water cooler because it's free lol! then ive been using 8-10 drops of tea tree oil on the cotton pad. i squeeze out the excess water which also distributes the TTO thruout the cotton pad. i then wipe my entire face with that pad. the first time i used TTO i soaked a second cotton pad in cold water and wiped my whole face again because it was feeling really tingly!!
I really like salicylic acid and have recently purchased tea tree oil but it's pure so I have to dilute it. Anyone know the most potent your skin can handle it? Cause I sure don't have sensitive skin but I don't want to directly apply it to my face. Suggestions?
But as for BP, eff that. I saw no results, worsened skin texture, and it's just overall time consuming and a headache for no results. But that's my skin.
i soak a cotton pad with cold water. ive been using filtered water from the water cooler because it's free lol! then ive been using 8-10 drops of tea tree oil on the cotton pad. i squeeze out the excess water which also distributes the TTO thruout the cotton pad. i then wipe my entire face with that pad. the first time i used TTO i soaked a second cotton pad in cold water and wiped my whole face again because it was feeling really tingly!!
Wow you are so helpful, thanks a lot. 
You apply it to your whole face?
ur very welcome clambak3!! 
yeah, i've been applying it to my whole face and i really like it! FYI: i started using just SIX drops of tea tree oil on the cotton pad that i soaked with fresh cold water. i noticed that i could no longer smell the tto on my skin and it felt less tingly. if u have sensitive skin (i think u said u dont?) u might wanna start out with just 4 drops & add one or two more if u feel u need to.
i think my skin is reacting well to the tea tree oil. i havent noticed any new breakouts except a few on my chin. (but - tmi alert - that might be related to hormones & my monthly cycle) i do feel itchy sometimes around my chin & jaw where i have a current outbreak, but i dont think it's itching because of dry skin or a reaction to the TTO. i think it's itching because it is healing. if that makes sense? when a wound heals it begins to itch. i'm wondering if it's the same for acne since it's basically little wounds on ur skin. just a theory!!
Bp just completely stopped working for me. I went to the grocery store and realized Ive tried everything on the shelves. Im using salylic acid right now just to feel like Im trying. Where do you buy tea tree oil? Ive never tried it, nor have i seen it being sold in anything but a shampoo lol.