WHEN ACNE, PIMPLE IS WARRING WITH YOUR HORMONES, WHAT NOT TO DO.

 I wake up in the morning and flip on the mirror to my bathroom I expect to see my skin via 2000. The acne on my face was warring with armored cars, if not that i was naturally a confident lady, i would have developed low self esteemed. Well i thank God for my kind of personality and Aura he bestowed in me.  I always have to constantly remind myself that my hormones are no longer at war with my face and I can now rest easy. This why i have taken my time to really share this experience to as many youths out there who are suffering from this annoying thing called ACNE.

I gave up on wearing makeup completely because at 96 degrees, I’m just wasting time carefully applying the face that will soon be dripping onto my white shirt as a law student and wasting precious products. The oil production of my skin that I thought was under control in the spring is suddenly wonky with the dank humid air and high temperatures, and it becomes clear that I need to start applying an astringent to absorb all this extra me seeping out of my pores. 

 Scratching a zit, pop a puss-filled pimple, putting makeup over the open wound etc. It may just be me but after years of making this mistake only to have the pimple morph into a gross double-faced monster I now subconsciously never touch my face. The minute I found out that one of the causes of my acne was resting my cheek on my palm, I never went back. It gives me anxiety just THINKING about it.

One thing you should be grateful for is that, having an oily skin is far better than those with dry skin. The good thing is, we do not age quickly, our skin stay supple with or without Acne. The moment your Acne is gone, you feel beautiful like a newly wedded bride.

I think everyone who has ever suffered from bad acne and overcome it has some form of skin ritual that they swear is what cured it. For me it’s not touching my face, not wearing too much makeup, washing my face with special soap and using a toner and face wash my brother suggested. Even if that’s not what is actually keeping my skin clear (it may just be acne angles sprinkling clear-dust on me at night) I still ritualistically perform my process at night and in the morning. I even avoid eating a lot of junk food and milk because I read somewhere that it can cause acne.

If you could do the above, in addition with the use of aloe vera gel if you cant get the below astringent.
 
Personally, astringents and toners make me a little nervous. Just because I don’t want my face to look like you could cook a burger on it with all the excess oil doesn’t mean I want dried out skin instead. If you like to keep an organic regimen or are on a beauty budget this summer, make sure to keep a bottle of witch hazel in your medicine cabinet. Witch hazel, often used to treat cuts and burns, will be an amazing addition to your natural beauty routine.

Witch hazel contains tannins that fight bacteria, repair broken skin, and reduce swelling. Here are just a few of my favortie ways to use this magical plant.

Acne Fighter

To use witch hazel as an astringent that will decrease oil buildup and eliminate breakouts, simply apply on freshly clean skin with a cotton pad before you add your daily moisturizer. Try a test patch on your forearm to see if you need to dilute your new face med. Plus, if you find it particularly drying, you can definitely add in a few drops of grape seed oil to balance it out.

Reduce Puffy Eyes

This is one beauty secret that I swear by, especially during allergy season. Because of witch hazel’s tannic acid, it’s amazing at tightening skin. Apply witch hazel under your eye (being extremely careful not to get it inside!) and leave on for about 5 minutes, then rinse with a warm washcloth. I promise, you’ll notice immediate results! 

Heal Bruises and Varicose Veins

There is nothing worse than slipping into your brand new sundress and realizing you have a humungous bruise on your leg after hijacking a game of Capture The Flag over the weekend. Not only can witch hazel break up the blood vessels of bruises and varicose veins — which diminishes their appearance — but, it also will soothe the pain or aching by reducing inflammation in the area. Take a washcloth drenched in witch hazel and apply directly onto the area of skin for 15 minutes.
Ready to put this plant to work? You can purchase witch hazel at any pharmacy or local grocery!

Images: Kristine Paulus / Flickr; Sea Turtle/Flickr; Jessica Rabbit’s Flickr/Flickr