My journey to natural skin care

I have always had really oily and acne prone skin and while it has kept me looking younger as I approach 30, it had been a hassle to deal with since I was 13. I really can't remember a day where my skin hasn't been a stress to me. Looking in the mirror first thing in the morning to see what new has popped up has been a daily ritual for about 17 years now...way too long if you ask me. About 7 years ago I went on Proactiv and can't say enough about it. It worked great for me for about 5 years and while I still had some acne, it was nothing like I had before I started using it. Then about 2 years ago I noticed it stopped really working for me, I was getting large cystic acne over and over and over again. So I started looking again and got the ever familiar feeling of buying tons of products to find out what works for me, only to be disappointed by each one. I decided since ProActiv was based off of Benzoyle Peroxide (BP), I would get something with Sacyilic Acid (SA) since my skin seemed to be used to the BP. I tried the Nuetrogena Acne Stress Control line and it worked ok, I don't think it had enough SA in it. I used that for about 8 months before I found Natures Gate Natural Results Acne System. This has worked really well for me, but can dry my skin out and is a bit expensive. It lasts about 3 months and is $30 plus tax a pop or if you order online $30 + shipping. Still cheaper then ProActiv and worked better for me, but I really want something more natural for my skin.

Now I have noticed over the last year my skin has started to dry out and the fine lines and wrinkles are popping up, mostly under my eyes but still scary. So I don't think I need such harsh products anymore but sm terrified to use something that doesn't control acne. I don't think it will matter how old I am, because of my struggles with acne I will always be worried about what I will wake up to. So lots of reading on the Everyday Minerals forum have convinced me that I can have nice skin with natural products, I only hope it is true. So here is where my travels have taken me, step by step:

1. It was recommended to me to try the GOW Tea Tree Oil cleanser. I bought the smaller size to try it out and am I glad that I did. It dries my face out so badly but so far no new acne since using it. I am going to use this up but am on the lookout for a better cleanser that won't strip my face. See item #4 below.

2. The GOW Pineapple Hydrating Mist was recommended as a toner and I totally love this stuff. It smells delicious and doesn't dehydrate my skin. The pineapple is supposed to help with acne.

3. A mixture of Aloe, Jojoba Oil, Vitamin E Oil and Tea Tree Oil (TTO) was recommended for a moisturizer and so far I am having little luck with this mix. It is drying me out badly so I need to add more oil and less TTO next time around. What was recommended was 1/2 oz Aloe, 8 drops of Jojoba Oil, Vitamin E oil and TTO into the mix, use after washing your face. What I have been doing since my face is so dry afterwards is wetting my face down and applying two drops of jojoba oil in and then wetting my hands again and going over my face to make sure it sinks in. This has been decent but my face tends to dry out after while.

4. Because I don't like how dry my face has been lately I went out and got some Alba Botanica products yesterday. I had $6 off at CVS (thank you Extra Care card!) and so I went and purchased the Alba Pineapple Enzyme Facial Cleanser, the Hibiscus Toner and the Coconut Face Wash just to try them out and see how my skin likes them. I tried the Coconut Milk facewash as a makeup remover last night and followed it with the TTO face wash and the regular routine and my skin was dry. So this morning I tried the Coconut Milk facewash, followed by the GOW Pineapple Hydrating mist and my skin was so nice! I decided to try the TTO/Aloe mix and instanlty my face dried out, so I have the culprit for sure.

I have read that acne is caused by your PH balance being off, so I am wondering if I should start cleansing with the Coconut Milk cleanser in the morning and follow it with the Pineapple Hydrating mist and then spot treat with the TTO blemish stick that I have. This will cut out the dryness but I just hope I don't break out like crazy! I will keep you all posted on my results as I continue on my journey. :)