Sometimes I feel like a constant experiment in progress when it comes to my skin. I'm always looking for new methods, products, tips, and tricks to try on my skin in search for that perfectly balanced, clear, smooth face we all want. I'm all over youtube vlogs finding out what has and hasn't worked for other people. This is why I finally consented to trying out witch hazel a little over a month ago.
If you read my witch hazel review, you know that I was fairly happy with the product right away. I think it had immediately made some changes in my skin. It took care of my monstrous breakout at the time greatly, but not entirely. For the price, I thought that was a good result in itself. My skin also felt less oily and a lot more cleansed overall. However, these results weren't really lasting, and they haven't gotten better from there. I've had much worse breakouts since that post, so the witch hazel hasn't magically gotten my acne-prone skin under control, unfortunately. I had high hopes for the stuff when it seemed to work so well right away.
I'm still using witch hazel. I'm almost out of it and I'm not sure I'm going to buy it again. If I do, I'm not going to go out of my way to pick it up. It's not exactly a "holy grail" skin care product for me, but I do still like it at least as a toner. My skin feels very clean after using it, and it does help somewhat with the shininess/oiliness of my skin without harshly drying it out. It's just not as amazing for acne as I had hoped it would be.
During my last horrible breakout when I realized the witch hazel (and really nothing) was working out for me, I finally decided to call my dermatologist and set up an appointment. I saw him recently and we talked about what I had been doing as far as a skincare routine. We talked about how no topical products seem to help and where I tend to break out the most (strictly on my face, never on my back or chest, usually around the jawline/cheeks). Because I have such isolated breakouts and because my skin doesn't respond to washes, creams, or anything, he believes its adult acne due to hormonal imbalance. He said he really thought I would benefit from taking a birth control pill that was specifically tested for the treatment of acne. So I am now on TriNessa. He said it will probably take at least 2 months to see significant results, but I am okay with the wait if it works as well as he believes it will. DO NOT tell me any birth control horror stories, of any kind. I've been doing my best not to read anyone's bad reviews online because stuff freaks me out. Thanks.
Anyway, while I wait to see if this whole bcp thing works out for me, I've been reading a lot about something called the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM). Basically, people are using natural oils (evoo and castor oil) as their primary skin cleanser. I am interested in natural methods because something about all the chemicals in manufactured products seems counterproductive in my mind. I wonder, even for the stuff that "works," like benzoyl peroxide for instance, how it can effect us in the long run. The thought behind OCM is that "like dissolves like," so oil dissolves oil. By cleansing with oil, you remove the nastiness from your skin and replace it with healthy, natural oils. It should moisturize your skin while still helping to control oil production. Like I've mentioned before, most skincare products are harsh and strip your skin of its natural oils to the point that they stimulate oil production (which is not what you want if you already have oily/acneic skin). The logic sounds promising to me, but I am still very skeptical because I can't wrap my mind around putting MORE oil on my face. I've been trying other things recently, like cleansing with baking soda and using calamine lotion as a sort of primer. So far I am loving the baking soda. It's great for a gentle exfoliant and it leaves my skin very smooth and soft. I really liked the calamine lotion at first because it balances out my skin tone some and calms my often irritated skin. I used to use it as a mask at night, and primer in the morning, but I don't like it so much at night anymore. I am still using it under my makeup as a primer when needed, though I'm not sure if I'll keep up with it once it's gone. I'm considering trying this oil cleansing method out, though, because a lot of people swear by it. I figure, why not keep the experiment going?
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