daily care
Follow a daily care routine to keep your skin clean, bacteria
free and encourage the skin to shed dead cells. However, don't
over do it because over zealous cleaning and scrubbing can
aggravate acne and cause your skin to become more greasy and
infected. Be gentle with your skin.
cleansers
Avoid harsh astringent cleansers as these will strip
the skin of oil and only encourage it to produce more
to compensate. Look for cleansers that are gentle,
ph neutral, perfume free, colour free and for sensitive skin.
Don't forget to moisturise your skin after cleansing to seal
in water. Look for oil free, non-pore blocking moisturisers.
Suggested facial cleansers:
facial scrubs and clay masks
If you mainly suffer from blackheads, use a mild
facial scrub
daily to exfoliate the skin. This will remove dead skin
cells and dirt that can clog the pores. If you also suffer
from spots, don't use harsh exfoliators with apricot,
almond or walnut shell granules because these can spread
infection. Instead, try those with softer grains such
as oatmeal which are just as effective. Face masks
that include clay will help draw out blocked pores.
Use a clay
mask once a week.
Suggested face scrubs:
steam facial and clay mask treatment
Once a week, steam your face using a kettle full of
freshly boiled water in a basin with a few drops of tea tree
oil. Steam your face over the basin for 5 minutes, covering
your head with a towel. When the 5 minutes is up, pat your
face dry and apply a clay
based mask. Leave on for 10 minutes.
Suggested clay masks:
toning
After cleansing, use a toner to treat the pores and remove
any traces of cleanser.
treatment oils
Use a treatment oil afterwards on problem areas, such as
tea
tree. Use a natural blemish
gel on existing spots and pimples.
make up
If you do wear make up, make sure any foundations and concealers
are non-comedogenic and oil free so they won't
block pores. Try not to apply make up if your face is sweating.
Always remove your make up with a cleanser
at the end of the day. Keep all your make up brushes and
sponges clean. Wash them in mild shampoo once a month
and let dry completely before using.
shaving
For men who shave their facial hair, make sure you lather
up well, stimulating blood supply to the area and shave
in the direction of hair growth (usually downwards). Electric
shavers are sometimes better as these don't get so close and
irritate the skin. You could, of course, choose to have stubble
or even a beard to both conceal your acne and remove
the necessity of shaving every day and potentially aggravating
the skin.
We stock several natural
men's shaving products.
skin brushing
Skin brushing helps slough away dead skin cells, increase
the blood flow to the skin and encourage lymphatic
drainage. It helps release the toxins near the skin's
surface into the blood stream and out of the body via the
lymphatic and digestive systems and not through the skin.
Buy a body brush and use it dry every day before you shower.
Brush with long strokes towards the heart. Do not use on the
face (the bristles are too harsh for the face). Brush gently
over any areas of your body affected by acne.
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