Acne cure?

OK, I'm not really one for curing actually, more like I'll just have to learn to control it. Which is fine, if only I knew how...

Ever since I was 18, small signs of acne turned up and I began to look for ways to get rid of it. Unfortunately, after a large mixture of trying and failing with various acne products, natural methods and a whole loads of other remedies, I haven't been able to control my skin very well. I have learnt a lot about my skin, but in terms of actually getting to the results I want? (AKA clear, blemish free, scar free miracle skin) It's been a no go.

Here's my current skincare routine, with some new products that I've been using or just started to use:

I've just started with the DHC cleansing oil, which I'm quite hopeful about. My previous oil cleansing attempts were pretty good, it was just a pain in the butt with the constant steaming and cleaning of towels. With this oil, I don't need steam, and I'm hoping that my pores will become unclogged.*Update* DHC broke me out like crazy...darn it. Now I've switched to the Effaclar purifying foaming cleanser, and that seems to clean my skin well. 

The Effaclar Duo. I want to buy another tube of this, but is it worth it? When I first used it seemed to work, but with my skin constantly breaking out it wasn't a miracle cure for sure. I think I'll get another tube, and use it in my new routine to make sure.

Una Brennan Tea Tree Mattifying moisturiser. Now, I'm not so sure about this product. When I first bought it and used it with the cleanser, my skin didn't break out. After stopping and using the Effaclar duo instead, I reverted back to this for daytime. My skin has broken out recently, with several whiteheads on my face out of seemingly no where. I can't remember changing my routine or diet drastically apart from going back to this moisturiser, which worries me a little. Having said that, I have head of salicylic acid products breaking people out as in purging, but I'm not sure. But my skin hasn't broken out any more, and when I first used this product nothing bad seemed to happen...purging over?

Good Things Eye Cream. Bought this today! Hopefully I can get some positive results from it!

Turmeric + Cinnamon + Yoghurt = face mask
Lemon + Baking soda = face mask

I'll alternate through a variety of face masks, I just love applying and mixing those things!

Well, that's a long update about my face xD

See ya.

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DIY ACNE MASKS - Cheap, easy, and safe! (Scroll down for easy DIY customisation!)

My acne hasn't gone. I suppose in recent months (during my time abroad especially) I have been more stressed and the different environments have taken a toll, and it has gotten slightly worse. But I'm fine, it's really not that bad.

Here are some easy acne masks that I do quite often, along with some hints and tips at the bottom so you can customise your own masks :)

TURMERIC MASK:

• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of natural yoghurt
• lemon juice (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together, and leave on for as long as you like. Bear in mind that it does dry, and may leave a slight yellow tinge if left on for too long. If you do let it dry, it does make a great exfoliator though. Wash off. In order to get rid of the tinge, just wait till the next day and clean with your normal skincare routine.

OATMEAL MASK:

• 1 handful oatmeal

Put your oatmeal in a microwave safe container. Add a small amount of water, just enough to cover the oatmeal. Microwave until it's of a slightly thicker consistency than normal. Wait for the oatmeal to cool and stir. When cooled enough, apply the warm oatmeal to your face, and leave on for as long as desired. It does dry rather hard, but can be easily removed with warm water.

LEMON JUICE AND ASPIRIN (Not for sensitive skin! It buuuurns!):

• 4-6 uncoated aspirin 

(aspirin that comes in a more powdery tablet form, but if you don't have these you can just wash normal aspirin until the coating is removed.)

• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice (or slightly more, if you want to use more aspirin)

Mix ingredients together to form a powdery paste. Put on a clean face, paying attention to areas with spots and marks. And then feel the BURN! Don't do this is if you have a very low pain tolerance or have sensitive skin. After the mask has dried (bits of aspirin will start falling off) then wash off and apply toner and moisturise as usual.

HINTS AND TIPS:

For anyone who wants to mix and match their own masks, here is a list of ingredients you can keep in a cupboard or fridge so you can make masks any time!

LIQUIDS

• Lemon juice 
• Plain yoghurt (Big cheap tubs of it! I've found that many branded and non branded tubs are basically the same and last for up to a month.)
• Honey (raw is best, but the best quality you can find is fine)
• Witch Hazel (only a dash or too, don't just use this one on it's own with a dry ingredient, try to add another liquid.)
• Water is great too!
• Milk
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Mayonnaise (I've yet to try this one, but Google says yay)
• Egg White

DRY INGREDIENTS:

• Nutmeg
• Turmeric (stains your face yellow, but you can use a cleanser the next day to wash off, so any masks containing it should probably be worn at night!)
• Cinnamon (be VERY careful with this one, only use a bit less than a pinch in masks, otherwise you'll burn your face! Even with a little amount you can feel the slight burn of Cinnamon.)
• Aspirin (2 should do.)
• Banana (on it's own, just mush it up and paste!)
• Papaya (Same as with other fruits, mash and paste)
• Oatmeal (Ground up if you can, if not it's fine to just use it as is)
• Ground Almonds 
• Avocado (Ditto with the other fruits)
• Clay (you can buy it on line, the most famous one is the Aztec Secret Healing clay, which recommends apple cider vinegar in particular.)

The basic idea is this:

DRY INGREDIENTS + WET INGREDIENTS = APPLY TO CLEAN FACE

(If you end up making quite a lot of a mask mixture that contains yoghurt, I recommend keeping it in the fridge so you can use it throughout the week!)

You can use as much or as little of the dry ingredients as you like, just make sure to make it like a paste with an equal or less amount of the wet ingredient. 

Here's a a few easy ones that I've done:

Turmeric + yoghurt + lemon juice + nutmeg + dash of cinnamon + ground oatmeal and almonds

aspirin + oatmeal + warm water

Turmeric + lemon juice + dash of witch hazel + cinnamon + nutmeg + yoghurt (my current fave for my acne)

And that's it folks!

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