A Guide to Better Skin

     I wanted to call this blog "A Guide to Great Skin" but I'm not even there myself yet so I very well couldn't call it that! This blog is going to be about products and at home remedies I swear by! Growing up my skin could get problematic but I was lucky enough not to have to deal with severe acne. At the age of 25 I found out I have PCOS. If you read back to my older posts you can see more about it, but I found out that acne is a side effect of PCOS. Since I am trying to have a baby I wanted to get use to using more "natural" products. In the past I have gone to the dermatologist and used almost everything over the counter. Some products worked okay, but a lot of them left me with dry, flaky, red, swollen, itchy skin. Especially ones with benzoyl peroxide. That's when I decided to start doing some research on more natural products.

     The first one I want to talk about is honey and cinnamon. I make a mixture of honey and cinnamon and I keep it in a container in my bathroom.  Honey has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and cinnamon has antimicrobial, antioxidant properties which can help in controlling acne. I use this mixture as a "spot treatment" for acne. After taking off my make up, washing my facing, and patting it dry with a towel I will apply this mixture to my acne. I like to sleep with this on my face but it does get pretty messy. If you sleep with this on your face I highly suggest laying an old towel over your pillow just in case you toss and turn in the night.

The second at home product I like to make is a facial scrub made of olive oil, sugar, and cinnamon. I add all three products into another storage container and keep this in my bathroom as well. Some people find it odd to wash your face with something that has oil in it. But olive oil is one of the most simple, pure, and gentle oils you can use. It adds smoothness to your skin and gives you a nice glow. The sugar is grainy is acts as an exfoliate. I prefer sugar over salt because I think its more gentle. And once again, cinnamon for controlling acne. Once I take off my make up I will gently scrub my face with this mixture and rinse it off with luke warm water, then pat dry. I only suggest using this scrub at night before you go to bed. Your face will seem oily, but trust me, when you wake up and take your shower your skin will feel so soft! Both of these products can be made at home for cheap!

Now, this product was turned on to me by my friend Tina. Its called "Yes to Carrots" The product on the left is an exfoliating cleanser made with carrots to nourish the skin and bamboo to exfoliate. The product on the right is the eye and face make up remover. Its made of carrot juice, pumpkin, sweet potato and dead sea mud. Both products say they are "Paraben Free." I didn't know what that meant so when I googled it, it states, "Parabens are chemicals that are used extensively as antimicrobial and fungicidal preservatives in cosmetic products, in pharmaceuticals, and in food and beverages."  I love these products because there all natural, they don't irritate my skin, and they feel really creamy. Not to mention the make up remover smells like carrot cake with vanilla icing! These products can be bought at Target, each one runs about $9.99. I also saw they came in different fruits, like blueberries and tomatoes. The blueberry one is for anti-aging, and I think the tomato one is more for refining pores but since I have a slight tomato allergy I didn't get that one. These are great products and I highly recommend them!

And last but not least. Treating cystic acne! AHHH the worst type of acne, well to me at least! and I get them ALL the time! Cystic acne usually appears as hard nodules underneath or on top of the skin. They hurt sooooo bad, rarely ever come to a head and last forever. Plus, if you mess with them they scar so bad. I usually get them around ovulation or period time. I'm a raging ball of hormones I tell ya! So this is what I do. I fill my sink with luke warm water and pour about 2 teaspoons of baking soda in the water. Baking soda kills acne causing bacteria. The Calamine lotion helps with the inflammation, so I just put this on as a spot treatment and sleep with it on.

    That's it guys! I hope you enjoyed this blog. If anyone tries these remedies comment me and let me know what works or doesn't work for you!! Bye