How i got rid of my Acne part II :skin care routine

Thank you so much for still keeping up with me,,, For those of you who might have missed my first part which is mostly an introduction on my skin, If you wish to read it then you can simply click HERE.  As most acne sufferers, my skin was so oily, like really oily that I think the oil that my skin produce can easily be enough to cook a scramble egg. It was that bad. I have tiny white bumps all over my forehead. I have big red cystic acne around my cheek, chin, neck, and chest. I have acne all over my back, shoulder and upper arms. So to fight my acne and oily skin, I was using all this recommended acne skin care products which actually just end up making my skin so tout and tight after every wash. A few minutes after washing my face, my oil glands would produce double the amount of the oil and my skin would look so dull and the tone of my skin is so uneven. At this point I really need the help of make-up and cosmetic products just to cover the patches of my uneven skin tone, the acne and obviously the scars as well. I just can never imagine walking out of my home without wearing make-up. At some point I start to realize that there must be more to this problem. I went on googling and reading blogs on natural skin care, cos clearly using chemical filled products have failed to help me clear my acne. I started to come across a lot of blogs and videos on Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) and Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) Toner. Everyone who is suffering from acne and oily skin was raving about this two methods. So i thought to give it a try. I have nothing to lose. My skin was already so bad that I am willing to take the risk and give this routine a try. And guess what?!!! It really works!!! I would never have imagined that applying oil on my extremely oily skin will be the cure to my oily and acne prone skin. When your skin is well moisturized and the pH level well maintained, I guess you are helping your skin to heal and thus minimising acne on you face. This skin care routine is so affordable, its dirt cheap. Imagine all the money wasted on the so called acne products and treatments.....If only I would have discovered this method earlier but its better late than never. I am so happy that I found out about this that I am now going to share it with you on how to do it.

OIL CLEANSING METHOD 

You will need:-

1. Choose a Carrier oil that suits you the best (extra virgin coconut oil,  jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, Castor oil, Hemp seed oil, etc, etc)
2. Your choice of an essential oil ( tea tree oil,witch hazel oil, lavender oil,etc,etc)
3.  Clean face towel
4. A small bucket filled with almost hot water ( but not hot enough to burn your skin)

Method:-

1. Soak your face towel into the bucket of hot water
2. Drop your oil mixture into the palm of your hands and apply it on your face and neck. massage the oil into your skin in circular motion, do this for at least a few mins. It is good for the blood circulation.
3. Take your face towel and squeeze the excess water. Place it on your face. The face towel should be covering your full face. Let your face to steam for a few seconds, allowing the pores to open up. 
4. Wipe away the oil from the face with your towel.
5.  Repeat step 3 and 4 a few times, till your skin is well moisturized

Apple Cider vinegar Toner 

You will need:-

1. Organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar ( which still contains the ´MOTHER`)
2. Empty toner container which has been cleaned
3. Filtered water

Method:-

1. Pour 1:1 portion of ACV to filtered water in your toner container.
2. Apply the toner on your already cleaned face and neck with a cotton
3. It will dry off and leave no smell behind ( yes ACV does stink a bit) 

My experience with OCM :-

• Honestly at the beginning I was skeptical about using oil to clean my already so damn oily face, but I was so surprised at how my skin was enjoying and eating the oil when i first time did it. After my oil wash my skin was so soft and glowing. And I was expecting my skin to be very oily but to my surprise that whole day I did not need the use of my oil blotter. My skin was having a healthy glow but it was not at all oily. That alone surprised me a lot. 
• By using oil on oily skin, You are helping your skin to not over produce the oil on the skin. You must respect and accept the state of your skin. Be it oily or dry skin.Most acne and oily skin over the counter products just end up stripping the natural protective oily state of your skin. That is why you get tout feeling after every face wash. And your skin get so confused and start to produce more oil and blotting the face with a blotter is again causing more trouble to your skin, thus causing the oil glands to again produce more oil. Do you realize how our Oil glands never gets to rest. Its a never ending oil producing cycle. By using oil, you are feeding your skin with healthy oil, and only oil can dissolve oil. so when you steam your face, the clean oil will enter the pores where else the dirty oil will leave the skin.Its just basic equilibrium happening here.
• This skincare is pregnancy friendly. Our skin is the largest organ in our body. Whatever that u applied on your skin gets absorbs and goes to your blood stream and if you are pregnant,then its passed to your baby. Most acne products are so harsh and unsafe for your fetus. It contains dangerous chemicals that can harm the fetus. So why take risk....
• I do OCM only once a day, before I go to bed every night.So when I go to bed my skin is cleaned and well moistened. Morning when I get up I will just rinse my face with some warm water without any face wash and then just pat it dry. This way my skin stay moist thru out the whole day.
• I personally started with extra virgin coconut oil. I was very impressed with it. But with time, I started to experiment with other oils as well, and now I am using Jojoba oil mixed with a few drops of tea tree oil and lavender oil. Make sure all the oils that you use are of the highest quality and its cold pressed and organic. My advice is too keep experimenting with oils till you find the right oil for your skin. 
• I can happily tell you that my skin is now no longer oily. Its been ages since I even have the need to blot my face. My skin is NORMAL. I have seen less wrinkles and lines on my face.  That's another plus point on OCM.

My experience with ACV toner:-

• My skin was glowing and my skin tone was more evened.
• pH level of  the diluted  ACV really matches to that of our skin.
• Its natural anti bacterial.
• I broke out for the first 2 weeks, it actually the purging process. But I have nothing to lose cos my skin was already in a terrible state.
• After 2 weeks I started to see improvement on my acne and my skin tone.
• I use ACV toner twice day, morning and in the night before I go to bed.
•  My acne was so under control. I still break out but only two or three here n there but at least it doesn't look like a pimple farm anymore.

For my backnee:- I am using Nubian Heritage African Black Soap on my body. It contain all natural ingredients. And the best part is that it is cruelty free. One bar of this soup can last me for around almost 3 months. My backnee is minimised after I started using this soap.I highly recommend this soap for people with sensitive skin. 
 

My journey in curing my acne is still not over, cos I was still breaking out. Though it is not as bad or severe as it was before.But I was still not satisfied. So I started to ponder more on this issue. And I discovered that food plays major role in curing your acne. Acne is a sign of allergy for most people.... I will in my next blog share with you more on the food that triggers acne and other skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. Changing my eating habits and eliminating certain food from my diet have instantly cured my acne. Stay tuned for my upcoming blog... cos you will sure be glad that you did... till that time tchuss.