Tens Must-Dos for Blemish (Acne) Prone Skin

If you are unfortunate to have blemish prone skin or suffer occasional breakouts then you know it can be a frustrating ordeal. The problem I notice with acne sufferers, and I had the same problem myself, is that we are so focused on the cure and treatment and not enough on the prevention and getting to the core of the problem. The acne on the surface is a reaction to things wrong internally in the body and bad, unhealthy habits. The human body is amazing and we have to get in the habit of listening to our bodies and understanding what it is telling us.

Below are a list of (10) must do's for those with blemish-acne prone skin. Many of them are cliches, but absolutely necessary to achieve smooth blemish free skin.

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Revivig Dull, Lackluster Skin with Reviva Glycolic Serum

Is your skin looking a bit dull and sad? Like she needs a bit of TLC to cheer her up? Well, the trick is all in a good exfoliating treatment.

Our skin is alive and it is constantly renewing itself and shedding tons of nasty dead skin cells every day, you just can't see it, they are microscopic. And sometimes, our skin needs our help in sloughing off those dead skin cells. When we slough off the dead skin cells, we reveal the treasure underneath...youthful, glowing, baby soft skin.

There are many great ways and products to exfoliate the face naturally. I recently found a great product during a trip to Vitamin Cottage by Reviva Labs and it is the 10% glycolic serum. The glycolic acid is composed of fruit acids that assist the skin in sloughing off dead cells and leaving the skin beautifully rejuvenated. My mom used this product and after one week, her skin was smoother and had a luminous glow. The Reviva labs glycolic serum is perfect for those with dry, dull, oily, acneic and mature skin types and it is not a harsh product at all, very gently. Those with sensitive skin, might want to take care and use less frequently to avoid irritation.

For those with dry, dull  and mature skin, it should be applied at night and followed with a rich moisturizing cream. For the oily and acneic skin types, it should be followed with acne and anti-bacterial treatment. In addition, the serum can be mixed with or applied before a skin lightening or bleaching formula and applied over dark spots for maximum effect. The exfoliating serum will enhance the effectiveness of the treatments because by removing the dead skin cells, the other products can penetrate the skin and work quicker with better results.

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The Inexpensive Miracle Toner for clear, flawless skin

Toning the skin after cleansing is a necessary step especially if you suffer from blemishes because it removes excess dirt and grime that your soap or cleanser might have missed and clears out the pores. Toning also balances the pH level of your skin. Balancing the skin's pH level is important to keeping skin in healthy condition because this will enable it to fight off blemish causing bacteria, normalize oil production, prevent premature aging, skin damage and maintain its natural glow.

There are all kinds of toners in the market and the best toner that I have found thus far is good ole' inexpensive witch hazel. Witch hazel can be found at most department and drug stores and my absolute favorite is T.N's Dickson Witch hazel which retails for about $2-$3. This is an excellent toner and I apply with a face towel or cotton ball and immediately I will see the left over dirt and soap residue left on my face which can clog more pores and lead to spotting. Also after applying the witch hazel toner my face feels instantly cleansed and refreshed. Try it and you will shocked at all the nastiness that is left over on your skin.

Something important to note is that distilled witch hazel consists of a mixture with alcohol, some brands have a higher alcohol base, which can be too drying for some skin types. I find it suitable to use brands with lower alcohol base, which is why I like my Dicksons.

Witch hazel is an expensive but effective beauty product and it is one of my beauty must haves. It is ideal for especially oily, acne prone skin types like myself and gentle enough for even sensitive skin types. It will keep your skin clean and prevent nasty breakouts.

Enjoy ladies!

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Ultra Glow Black Soap for Acne Breakouts- A Product Review

Every so often as a result of school, relationship and life stress, my skin takes a beating and explodes in bumps, white heads and black heads. One weekend, it so happened I was visting a friend during one of these phases and she immediately noticed the condition of my skin and recommended I try Ultra Glow Black Soap. She had been using the soap with much success on her skin.

I was a bit skeptical about using local products on my face because prior to that I had given up using soaps on my face to using facial cleansers. I decided to give it shot anyway, and the soap was fairly inexpensive. After using the Ultra Glow the first night, I instantly noticed a difference, I especially liked how it made my skin feel cleansed and refreshed.

I continued using Ultra Glow Black Soap, and I used it twice a day in conjunction with witch hazel toner and tea tree oil. In about a week, my skin was rid of most of the bumps. I have to say I absolutely love this soap and it truly does work to remove acne breakouts and pockmarks. I was so impressed, I went down to the local beauty shop and purchased about three more packs. One important thing to note though is that this product will not be most effective alone by itself especially if you have severe breakouts, it must be used in conjuction with a good skin care regimen and that includes toning and exfoliating. I do recommend Ultra Glow Black Soap and I still incorporate it in my beauty regimen. For new users, because every skin reacts differently, you can test it on a small patch on you face such as on the back of you jaw line to see how your skin will respond.

The Ultra Glow Black Soap is made by Keystone Laboratories and the ingredients are as follows:
Sodium Tallowate, Sodium Cocoate, Water, Glycerin, Fragrance, Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Colloidal Oatmeal, Sodium Chloride, Pentasodium Pentetate, Tocopheryl Acetate.

Please leave your reviews.

Thanks and Good Luck!

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Tea Tree Oil for Blemish Free Skin

What will I do without my bottle of tea tree oil! I recommend that if you suffer from oily, acneic or combination skin, or if you have normal skin (lucky you!) and you want to keep those blemishes from occuring, then you should grab a bottle of tea tree essential oil.



Tea tree oil has been used for ages to treat all types of skin issues because of its antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial qualities. Tea tree oil comes from leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia, which is unique to Australia and New South Wales. It has a strong, herbal scent and has a cool, tingling effect when applied topically.

I recommend purchasing tea tree oil from natural or health foods store such as Whole Foods or Vitamin Cottage or pharmacies and look for premium grade, 100% pure tea tree oil.

To use:

1) Cleanse face and pat dry
2) Apply using fingertips on cotton ball all over entire face focusing on the problem areas
3) Let the solution dry before applying exfoliating treatment.
4) I use tea tree oil day and night, however for those with sensitive skin, you might want to limit usage to once a day.
5) If you have a ripe pimple, simple dab a few drops of tea tree on that bad boy and let the oil work its magic. Also if you cannot resist popping the pimple, make sure to coat the popped blemish and the areas surrounding it with tea tree to prevent bacteria from spreading to other parts of the skin.

In addition to being great for the skin, tea tree oil is also wonderful to use on flaky scalp!

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Reduce Oily Skin...Reduce Breakouts Naturally with Zinc!

Did you know that Zinc, a natural supplement that can purchased at local drug stores can help control oily skin and tame breakouts?! Read on...




As an avid sufferer of skin breakouts and extremely oily skin, I have searched and tried everything under the sun to control the greasiness and pimples. Oily skin can be attributed to a variety factors, the main being an imbalance of hormones as a result of overproduction of the androgen hormone in women. Androgen is basically the male hormone and both males and females produce the hormone, however men obviously produce high quantities of androgen. Women who produce excess of the androgen hormone will experience symptoms of oily skin, acne breakouts, excess hair growth, baldness and other. Acne breakouts is also attributed to poor diet and skin care regimen.

A lady who experiences hormonal imbalance is often treated medically with prescription birth controls or antibiotics. While these do work to an extent, they are not natural treatments and for long term care and treatment, it is often better to use nature's cures.

So how does Zinc work? Zinc is a mineral that plays a key role in balancing hormones, which is a major factor in excess oil skin production and appearance of acne. Zinc will assist the body in balancing hormonal activity and therefore reducing excessive oiliness and breakouts. However for Zinc to work, it has to be taken daily in doses ranging from 30mg-100mg daily, to avoid zinc toxicity, it is recommended that we do not take more than 100mg daily. In addition, there are (2) forms of zinc that have been shown to be more successful in normalizing hormone production and they are zinc gluconate and zinc monomethionine also known as OptiZinc. Further, beware of certain foods and supplements that can inhibit the effectiveness of zinc and their intake should be limited. Zinc inhibitors phytic acids, soy proteins and copper.

One important thing to note is that zinc alone will not completely eradicate your acne, a proper diet and skin care regimen will further remove toxins from the body and keep the skin looking and feeling clean and fresh. Keep skin cleansed at least twice a day with proper exfoliating treatments and adopt a fresh diet filled with green foods (i.e vegetables) and fruits while reducing sugar and fat intakes. Also drink lots and lots of fresh water and avoid stress.

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