Monday, September 8, 2008

Bee-autiful Skin

If you are like me and struggle to keep your skin clear you are in luck. Years ago a friend of mine mentioned a website she had found that helped her acne. Then again a Mary Kay lady recommended the same website. It was started by a guy named Dan Kern. He shares what he has found to clear his acne and has also started his own line. You will find on his website acne.org information about acne, message boards, and reviews on all sorts of products such as otc, prescription, and household items. His main routine is to use a non-comedogenic gentle cleanser. Non-comedogenic means it won't cause acne, and if you have blemish problems you should always look for those words on your skincare and make-up products. Second step is using a benzoyl peroxide treatment. I use Mary Kay's Acne Treatment Gel it has 5% benzoyl peroxide. Third step is using a non-comedogenic moisturizer. I have had great results with Oil of Olay's sensitive skin formula, and I like that it has a sunscreen in it. For the most part when I follow the routine I have great results. Mind you I still had an occasional blemish and blackheads that generally aren't noticeable with makeup. I do admit to playing around with different face cleansers as I haven't found one I love yet. Whenever I use a cleanser with salicylic acid I tend to break out with painful blemishes. I have concluded I may be allergic or sensitive to it. Recently I decided to try cliniques cleansing bar and toner along with my MK acne gel. I wanted the toner as I felt I needed a little more exfoliation to get rid of rough patches. My last visit to acne.org I read about two products I wanted to try. Chances are you have them in your cupboard. One was lemon juice used as a toner, the other was a mask made with baking soda. I have not tried the lemon juice yet, but I did make the mask. All you need is baking soda, honey, and water. I measured it by eye-balling it, but it's approximately 1 tablespoon baking soda 1 teaspoon honey and enough water to make a paste. If your mixture gets too thin add more baking soda. I mixed it in a small bowl and applied with my fingers. Let it dry for 10-20 minutes and rinse off. The baking soda works as a scrub as well as cleansing and tightening your pores and the honey works as a moisturizer. After the first use I was impressed. My skin felt great and I felt like it shrunk and helped relieve inflammation from the blemishes. Currently I am trying it for the second time. It smells pretty sweet too.

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