I have spotty skin. Apparently it's not acne, just a conatant presence of spot on my chin and forehead. i think chemicals are to blame, because I've tried so many 'spot killing cleansers' and none have worked, and some have made it worse. I loathe having to use yicky chemicals just to get rid of spots which have been appearing since I was 12. What do you suggest that I could use to cleanse my face? I'd like something natural and vaguely inexpensive please. Any contribution would be a great help!
I'll have a go at that! My mum got me some lovely natural stuff from Lush yesterday, it's called Fresh Farmacy, I hope it works!
Ingredients: Calamine Powder, Chamomile Decoction (Anthemis nobilis), Elderflower Decoction (Sambucus nigra), Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Glycerin, Lavender Oil (Lavendula hybrida), Chamomile Oil (Anthemis nobilis), Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia), Rose Absolute (Rosa centifolia), Sodium Chloride, Perfume, Marigold Flowers (Calendula officinalis). SLS? NO WAY would I apply that to my face. that's the harsh cleanser in shampoos. add salt and an unknown scent oil, and it could be worse. however, calamine, chamomile, lavender, rose and tea tree oils plus calendula could override the problems SLS can cause (like everything, some folks will love it, some hate it)
Teaches me to read ingredients! Lush is supposed to be a natural comapny, bahh. I'll give it a spin though, cos it's much better than my old cleanser, which had the following list: Butane, Isobutane, Parabutane etc etc. That passed itself off as natural too. Makes me so angry!
the word 'natural' is bandied about somewhat loosely by the cosmetic industry. i won't put anything on my skin that i wouldn't eat.
yep. While I will put things topical I would not eat (jojoba oil, castor oil, some EOs--never taste patchouli) I am careful about ingredients. Lush lies, in an advertising way. they have SLS in their "soap" bar. even some of the clerks pass off lanolin as vegan.
the only reason why other products probably caused it to worsen is because alot of the chemicals used in these supposidly dermatologist approved harsh soaps and washes is that they irritate and dry your skin which usually makes it worse. they also strip your skin of its natural oils. ive learned to stay away from those.
you could try washing your face with purified water too. there are chemicals in tap water that can irritate skin...like fluorine and chlorine. (of course, you get better results if you don't drink it also.) i don't know about the UK, but in the US a gallon of distilled water is cheap...usually less than $1. i know it's kind of a pain in the butt, but i can't use fluoridated water on my skin or i have all kinds of breakouts, rashes, cracking, and irritation...it's quite horrible really. :tongue:
Facial scrub - try using a scoop of epsom salts with some water to make it a thick paste, then add some (a few drops of) tea tree oil, some peppermint oil and any other oils you might like. The peppermint cools and sooths while the tea-tree kills bacteria. The epsom salt scrubs gently and leaves skin very smooth. For a cooling, moisturizing lotion, try aloe with a few drops of tre tree oil mixed in.
