Ive been wanting to start using more natural products on my skin. I use to have cystic acne but i havent had a cyst in a reaaalllly long time, probably due to my b/c and eating really healthy/ exercising. Now my acne is light to moderate. i dont get a lot of big pimple but i do get a lot of small ones and my pores on my nose look clogged.
My recent rountine consisted of:
morning(desert essence thoroughly clean face wash with tea tree oil and awapuhi, khiels dark spot solution, (sometimes cetaphil dermacontol moisturizer w/ spf 30 but it makes my skin too oily), and neutragena clear face sunscreen (if i dont use the moisturizer)
night(panoxyl 4% creamy wash, khiels dark spot solution, and mario badescu drying lotion)
i realied that the panoxyl was too harsh for my face and making the creases at the sides of my nose and under my mouth very dry so i decided to stop using it.
My current routine is:
morning(desert essence thoroughly clean face wash with tea tree oil and awapuhi, Witch Hazal, khiels dark spot solution, and neutragena clear face sunscreen
night(exact same thing as the morning plus the mario badescu drying lotion and minus the sunscreen)
i want to use more natural products so i was wondering if there was a better cleanser than the one im using and if theres a good moisturizer
i was thinking about using aloe vera gel as my moisturizer
Any suggestions for my skin type? I would like inexpensive products easily accessible in NJ
Thank you!
hi! have you tried oil cleansing?
lately I have been trying sunflower seed oil mixed with 2 drops of peppermint and 1 drop of tea tree in a little dropper bottle and the pores on my nose are definitely unclogging. I used to use jojoba instead of sunflower and i'm not sure which one i like more. also jojoba is a wonderful moisturizer.
I massage my face with oil and then wash it off with Sappo Hill almond soap bar. it's a very simple regime 
If you want a more natural moisturizer + sunscreen I've been using the Mychelle Sunshield and it's been pretty nice. Good sun protection and moisture in one step, and is lightweight and invisible on the skin.
The Desert Essence cleanser you're using is pretty good. Keep in mind though that it's primarily an "oil cleanser" as it's based on coconut and tea tree oil. I find that I have to alternate between an oil cleanser and a more traditional surfactant based cleanser. If I use an oil cleanser all the time I get clogs. There are just some impurities that an oil cleanser cannot remove. (By the way "cream cleanser" is usually another name for an oil cleanser.) A good cleanser you can alternate the DE with is the Alba Botanica Pineapple Enzyme Cleanser.
The reason the Panoxyl dries out your skin is because it contains benzoyl peroxide. Just be aware that any treatment with benzoyl peroxide will have the same effects.
If you're going to use aloe vera, be aware that almost any aloe vera you can buy at the grocery store has a TINY amount of aloe vera. Even that "Fruit of the Earth 100% Aloe Vera Gel" is NOT really aloe vera. I point that out because that brand is available at Wal-Mart and such and people always gravitate towards it. However it is false advertising. I actually called up that company and asked about that, and they are trying to say that the title means it's 100% GEL, not 100% Aloe Vera. The actual content of aloe vera in that brand is only about 2%.
If you really want the benefits of real 100% aloe vera, I have used the following brands with good results. You will have to get them online. At least I could not find 100% aloe vera even in the natural stores in my area.
Aubrey Organics 100% Aloe Vera
Aloe Farms Aloe Vera Gel
Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera Gel