Clear skin products and tips

I used to have very good skin in highschool, so good that, in fact, other girls would make known that they were jealous of my oh-so-clear skin. But then first year of college happened, and I started getting acne. Terrible time to start getting acne, when you have to make new friends and experience new things and just generally go out more. But now, two years on, I've finally managed to control it down to a blemish every now and then. I've tried a multitude of skin care resolutions, but I've worked out a routine that works for me, and general tips that would help anyone's skin out.

1. Natural products. I'm putting this at number one, because this was the big one that helped me clear up my skin. I've tried a multitude of acne solutions from Clearasil to Proactive, but none of them seemed very much to lessen my acne, at least in the long haul. So skeptically, I started using products that were gentler, had less chemicals and more natural ingredients. And gradually, my skin amazingly starting clearing up. I was shocked. I was so concerned and distraught with all the spots appearing, that I thought the best way was to use the harshest and strongest products at my disposal in order to fight it hard. But these products were much too harsh for my skin, and instead of removing my skin troubles, it probably irritated the hell out of it, so essentially, the more natural products gently helped my skin to fight the troubles rather than creating more. Below are some products that I would recommend, that are not only low in chemicals, but also gentle and effective.

Lush Herbalism Cleanser

Admittedly, this cleanser is weird. You grab a pea sized amount of the dry, crumbly mix and add a couple drops of water and mix it between your palms to make a squishy, squidgy paste. Then apply it and rinse off like you would a regular cleanser.While the smell is not for everyone, it's feels very nice on the skin, and I notice the morning after using this cleanser in the evening, any blemishes my skin has had, has calmed down and overall my skin just looks healthier. I use this for when my skin is acting up a bit more.

Mario Badescu Acne Facial Cleanser

I originally got this as a sample from Kit Cosmetics, but I'm now on a fourth repurchase. This is first product that turned everything around for me. It's a clear gel and feels like nothing special at all. No tingling, no instant glowing, no exfoliating or anything. Just a bland gel. But as I kept using this cleanser as a hey, might as well, my skin started getting clearer and clearer and I narrowed it down to this beauty. Incredibly gentle, you would be skeptical too, especially after using so many strong products, I was sure this wouldn't make a difference. But it did and was/is one of the most gentle and effective cleansers I have ever used. 

Mario Badescu Special Cucumber Lotion

Ah, another sample that turned into a full-size purchase. I fell in love with this product, using it as a toner before moisturizer and after cleanser. You apply it to a cotton pad and swipe it over your face until the yellow from the product on the cotton pad disappears. Again, I was used to strong, stripping astringents, but this was so gentle. I loved the smell of it, and I figured it was cooling to the skin so it may help with inflammation. And it did. Definitely going to keep using this one.

Thursday Plantation Medicated Gel for Acne

This stuff is amazing. I heard that tea tree oil was good for blemishes and whatnot, but, as it is a natural product, I wasn't inclined to try it. As my skin got to a really bad point (cystic acne ALL over my chin and jawline), I got desperate. I heard tea tree oil is a hit or miss, so I didn't expect results, especially considering all that money spent on Proactive with no (to worse) results. But I tried it one night and the very next morning. Bam. Over half of the cystic acne I had on my face was gone. Instant love. Keep in mind, I've found that this works better as a spot treatment, rather than a regular slathering.

Origins A Perfect World Age-Defence Skin Guardian

Now this one is not an acne-specific product, but it is a natural product and it has helped to calm my skin and improve its texture vastly. It has silicones in it, I'm pretty sure, so if your skin isn't keen on silicone, then I would give this one a miss. However, it has worked wonderfully in making my skin smooth and moisturized, even calming down particular redness and dryness. 

Kiehls Midnight Recovery Oil

Oh lordy. I watched an Essie Button video, and she RAVED about this product, and even her boyfriend was raving too. I had to have it. Like Essie (ooh, first name basis here), I was skeptical about it. The only other facial oil I had tried was Bio-oil and while that did work, it only worked, maybe, less than half the time I used it. So I got this oil in the hopes that it would calm the zits down a bit, maybe reduce scars, keep me moisturized without being too greasy... And it did all of them. It even made my skin glow nicely when I woke up in the morning. While it does not effectively combat zits, it does not irritate them, and helps to reduce any scarring that may result. 

Lush Celestial Moisturiser 

Finally, a beloved moisturizer. I have not been using this product very long and in the beginning, I couldn't decide whether I liked or disliked this product. The main reason I got this was because I was in need of a new moisturizer and this product from popped out at me when I visited Lush, as it was toted "for sensitive skin". I have not thought of my skin being sensitive before, but considering that I had been using products for sensitive skin and they had helped, I thought this would make a nice addition to the collection. Oh, and it smells so delicious, like soft vanilla cream. This product has definitely just added a nice rounding to my skincare routine and helped with any dry patches that result from using acne-fighting products. But the point is, it sinks nicely into the skin and doesn't add to the blemishes, while reducing redness.

2. Cleanse thoroughly. Pretty basic knowledge, if you want clear skin, you have to remove the gunk that's preventing your skin from being, well, clear. I used to wonder why I would get random (quite big) zits on my face even when I wash my face morning and night. But the trouble was, despite washing my face, I wasn't washing all the dirt and make up products off my face along with it, causing my pores to become clogged resulting in some nasty spots. I've played with a few cleansing oils, and while they work brilliantly to remove the make up, don't forget to also have something like a foaming cleanser to remove the cleansing oil. Not fully removing cleanser from your skin is another reason some people tend to get breakouts.

3. Drink water. Well, besides the fact that we can't live without water, drinking water is beneficial to your skin. I used to get quite oily skin, and I thought it was just cause I had oily skin. But the reason my teenage face was so greasy, is that I was not drinking enough water. As soon as I upped my water intake, the oiliness decreased, and a lot of acne on my forehead decreased too. 

4. Don't pick. This is THE biggest one for me, I think. Picking your skin. I just could not help myself whatsoever. I figured I was getting the gunk out of my skin quicker. What I was really doing was chucking lovely bacteria all around my face and making dimples are scars everywhere. Sad times. My mum kept telling me if I stopped picking, my face would heal quicker, and good lord, why did I not take the advice sooner? I forced myself to stop picking at my face for one week, as a test. My face healed so quick and got no new blemishes, even better no extra scarring. So yeah. Don't pick your face. Sometimes I can't help myself if it's a bit of dry skin or a "ready" pimple, but I try to reduce the pushing and squeezing and use a pair of tweezers so the slightest amount touches my face. Otherwise, yeah. Don't touch.