Natural facial product suggestions?

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Ok so for some reason I am breaking out like crazy with acne (I’m 33!), no changes have been made to diet, soap (I have to use Dove Sensitive) or detergents (free and clear) or anything. I cannot use the typical salylic acid or Clearsil type OTC products as they burn my face and cause it to peel off! :o Dermatologists and their “wonder cures” are just too darn expensive. Anything natural and easy on skin (and the wallet 😊) that anyone has found? Thanks!
 
Oatmeal soap is a good choice if you need something natural and easy on the skin
 
Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with water, try it on a small part of your face first to make sure it doesn’t cause a reaction.
 
Epsom salts. Make VERY sure it is EPSOM- do not use ordinary table salts or any other salts. You can purchase it at any drugstore/pharmacy. My grocery store carries it in a big milk carton like packaging.
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What you do is wet your face and put the Epsom salts on all over your face and let it stick to your face like a mask.  Wait until it is all dry, which is usually about 30 or so minutes, then wash off.   Epsom salts help draw out impurities.   Its used for wound care and it also helps speed up recovery time.   It also reduces inflammation.
Some people use it as a scrub. I don’t because I think it might be too abrasive, but that depends on the size and hardness of the salt crystals. I’ve seen some Epsom salts that are really fine, but usually they are very course. I would recommend doing this only twice a week, but as long as your facial skin doesn’t get dry I would suppose you could do it every day if necessary. You should see an immediate reduction in redness after you do it.

Since sugar feeds bacteria, I also highly recommend cutting out sugar from your diet (sugar as in the white granular stuff, not the natural sugars found in fruits etc. ). And also make sure to drink plenty of water- but not too much because you can hurt yourself if you drink too much water. Water will help the body flush out impurities as well. I think it is said that 8 glasses a day is the recommended amount.

Taking an Epsom salt bath and soaking in it may help alleviate stress, which in turn might help with the acne. Also, if your condition doesn’t heal or get better, you might want to check in with a doctor. It could be hormonal.
 
Some people swear by oil cleansing methods - I did it for a while and liked it, but it requires hot water and my bathroom sink has horrid water pressure and takes forever to warm up, so it didn’t last long. I recommend googling just to find a combination that will work well for your skin type, but I used a roughly 1 to 2 ratio of castor oil to olive oil, mixed up in a small squirt bottle. I warmed up the oil in my hands, spread it all over my face, and then used hot water on a wash cloth to wipe the oil away and steam. My skin felt amazing afterwards. I only needed to do it every other day or so.

It seems contrary to what you’d think because so many acne products are marketed as oil-free, but the reality is that stripping the oil from your face just makes your body produce more, which increases your dependency on the product. I have breakouts that are cycle-related, but they almost disappeared entirely when I was doing OCM, and I know a lot of adult women who have acne who’ve had success with it. It’s very cheap to do and as I said above, you can research to find a combination that is likely to work well for your skin.
 
pensmama87 said:
Some people swear by oil cleansing methods - I did it for a while and liked it, but it requires hot water and my bathroom sink has horrid water pressure and takes forever to warm up, so it didn’t last long. I recommend googling just to find a combination that will work well for your skin type, but I used a roughly 1 to 2 ratio of castor oil to olive oil, mixed up in a small squirt bottle. I warmed up the oil in my hands, spread it all over my face, and then used hot water on a wash cloth to wipe the oil away and steam. My skin felt amazing afterwards. I only needed to do it every other day or so.

It seems contrary to what you’d think because so many acne products are marketed as oil-free, but the reality is that stripping the oil from your face just makes your body produce more, which increases your dependency on the product. I have breakouts that are cycle-related, but they almost disappeared entirely when I was doing OCM, and I know a lot of adult women who have acne who’ve had success with it. It’s very cheap to do and as I said above, you can research to find a combination that is likely to work well for your skin.
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Wow! I would have never guessed this one! I will look into it thanks! 👍
 
Burt_Macklin said:
Oatmeal soap is a good choice if you need something natural and easy on the skin
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Now I have heard this! I’m thinking Aveeno might even have a sensitive premade oatmeal soap or was it lotion? I will check it out. Thanks!
 
Two other natural aids are getting enough sleep, and steady exercise such as brisk walking for an hour. Lack of exercise and sleep show up on the face, however unfair that may be.

Also, it’s unlikely you’re starting on rosacea at your age, but if you are, keep that “natural” preference toward treatments. The blood drive can’t accept blood donations that contain certain medications. Like I said, though, that’s unlikely.
 
I had that issue about 10 years ago, my face looked like I should have been 13 and not in my 40’s. It was awful.

I have pretty sensitive skin, and I bought a one time, one month supply of Pro Active. It was less than 30$ and it got rid of the break outs within 2 weeks. And I’ve had no further problems and only used the ProActive for that one month.

I don’t know if they have sensitive skin products, but I would use it again in a heart beat. And I tried a lot of different soaps and such before buying the proactive and nothing even helped except the proactive.

Good luck! 🙂
 
A good place start is the Paula’s Choice site (formerly Cosmetics Cop). There is information about products, how to manage various skin conditions and how to create a skin care routine, and gives an idea of cost so you don’t have to break the bank. Paula Begoun has formulated her own products but she reviews thousands of others. I don’t use her products but I look there for recommendations.
 
Everyone that I have talked to has had great results with the Proactiv products to cure acne and make your skin look nice again. If the actual Proactiv is too expensive, try the generic version that they sell at Walmart. My sister used that, and it totally cured her acne/rosacea. (She is about the same age as you.). She had tried a bunch of different products, even prescriptions from the doctor, but nothing worked except the generic Proactiv.
 
I second the apple cider vinegar suggestion. It’s the only thing that really helped with the acne. As in your case, most topical OTC acne “treatments” made things worse after just a little while–redness, peeling, excessive drying, more inflammation. With the AVC you can water it down as needed. It stinks, but it’s great! It will cause a little bit of peeling, mostly lots of thin flakes, but eventually it should just keep the acne from popping up at all.

My brother had the same results with witch hazel. We never really tried each other’s remedy as we were so happy with our own.

Another thing that worked was Neutrogena’s compact powder. It was a totally unintended side effect of concealing the acne spots. 🙂 Plus, it comes with built in SPF 30.

Sunlight. While it can cause you to get those dark acne spots that take weeks after the pimple’s gone to fade, it also helps keep your skin from breaking out. Accidentally discovered during vacation, confirmed by a massage therapist/facial-ist.

Finally, make sure you moisturize! Overdrying causes your body to freak out and overproduce oil to try and reestablish normal levels. Yes, even Dove soap for sensitive skin can be a bad culprit! Personal experience. My favorite thing to use is jojoba oil, particularly after (hot) showers. The molecules are very small so it blends in with skin so well. The Desert Essence brand worked great, the NOW Foods one I’m using now, not so much. Might just be this bottle, though.
 
Have you ever been introduced to Arbonne products? They’re quite expensive, but I find that they last much much much longer than products I buy at the store - so I can justify spending more money on them right now. I had terrible skin up until a couple of years ago when a friend introduced me to the company - their mantra is “Pure, Safe, and Beneficial” and they use mostly natural ingredients. I would highly recommend checking them out.
 
Clinque Clarifying Lotion #2 does not contain salycylic acid and worked well for me when I was younger and my skin a bit more oily. The trick is to gently steam your skin after using the lotion with a hot washcloth so as to not leave a residue of the alcohol-based product on the skin. I think this would be true for any astringent. Little goes a long way, so cost over time is affordable. Be sure to screw lid on snugly after use or it will evaporate.

Basis Cleaner Clean Face Wash is my go-to product to clean my face. Oil and soap free. Not expensive.

Other suggestions:

Change pillow case very frequently or put small fresh towel over pillow.
Avoid use of hair spray and hair gel.
Don’t use face moisturizer or makeup. Natural sebum should suffice unless you have very dry skin or are past menopause.
Avoid potato chips and french fries (greasy).
Drink lots of water.
Try to exercise (sweat) every day.

Basically, keep your skin free of “stuff” and clean it gently; allow the pores to operate naturally, allowing sweat and sebum to do their part to cleanse and moisturize.
 
I second the drink lots of water advice.

I also find the coffee (even decaff) and wine are great for cultivating spots!

If you can, try to make all your meals from basic ingredients, rather than buying ready-meals and packet-mixes.

Try Aloe vera juice and a good multi-vitamin supplement.

A good home-made face mask (which also tastes nice if you accidently swallow some) is egg yolk, honey and oatmeal.

I drink a bit of cider vinegar and honey in warm water before breakfast too, which seems to help.
 
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