Sandhya Raghavan
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Written By: Sandhya Raghavan | Updated : December 19, 2017 11:10 AM IST
Acne is a universal beauty problem, which is more than just skin deep. It affects the mind as much as it does the skin. Sufferers often throw up their hands in frustration as treatment after treatment fails to show results. From tretinoin to benzoyl peroxide; from glycolic acid peels to isotretinoin, acne can sometimes resist the best of treatments. But sometimes, the answer to your acne problem does not lie in a pharmacy somewhere, but inside your kitchen cabinet. At least that's what Instagrammer Brianna Lopez realised when she managed to clear her acne using all-natural and safe ingredients.
The beautiful Instagrammer has over 9k followers as of today. But her post on cystic acne garnered her more than 10k likes. Like many of us, Brianna initially went to the dermatologist to treat her acne. She reveals that although her skin started showing signs of improvement in the initial days of the treatment, it stopped responding it after a while. It was then that she took to natural ingredients and a strict skincare regimen to treat her painful cystic acne. Here's a detailed breakdown as explained in her Instagram post.
{{ok editing this really quick cus I think people think I do this every day. I only reaaply moisturizer and sunblock in the mornings and do the oil cleansing and mask at night IF I had on makeup that day. If I didn't wear makeup I would just leave my face alone all the time}} I feel really dumb cus I wanted to make a video but Instagram wouldn't upload it. So I'm Just gonna show u guys picks. 1) i double cleanse with jojoba oil and wipe it off with a hot wash rag 2) i usually do a honey mask mixed with turmeric and cinnamon 3) i have two other masks that I like to use , sulfur mask and bentonit clay mask, but the honey one is my fave 4) I'll moisturize with the shea terra organics perfecting serum and doterra lavender oil 5) at night i'll spot treat with raw shea butter 5) I use the raw elements sunblock pretty much everyday 6) the last slide is the herbs I took to get my skin under control (please do your research on herbs before you take them(ill put a link in my bio for a video about herbs that really helped me) I only do all these steps if I had make up that day. So if I don't wear make up for a few days in a row, I just re-apply the two oils and some sunblock in the morning. I think that's pretty much it. I'm also pescatarian so I don't eat mammal meat but I eat fish. My diet is decent( I'm studying to be a nutritionist) this is what worked for me. I'm not saying that everyone has to do this to have decent skin. Commercial products may work for some people. But it didn't for me. Just made things worse. My skin still isn't "perfect". I'm gonna go through the comments on the other posts and go through the DMs to answer everyone one but there is a lot so bare with me. Feel free to ask more questions here if you need to. Hope this help some people. ( also just adding this in, if you don't wear make up, then I would suggest just leaving your skin completely alone. Look up the caveman regimen) A post shared by Brianna Lopez (@briannagabrielaa) on
Oil cleansing with jojoba
To clean acne-prone skin may seem counterintuitive. Why would you use oil on your already oily skin? Brianna gets it right by using a non-comedogenic oil like jojoba. It helps you clean out your pores better than abrasive cleansers and soaps. It leaves your skin looking healthier and happier than before. According to her Instagram post, Brianna double cleanses her face with jojoba oil in the morning. She wipes the oil off with a 'hot wash rag' after massaging it all over her face. What is oil cleansing? Read to find out.
Turmeric + cinnamon + honey mask
She applied a mask out of the most powerful antibacterial triumvirate available in your kitchen --- turmeric, cinnamon and honey. All the three ingredients are great for fighting acne. The potent combination of honey and cinnamon is known to fight the notorious P acnes and staphylococcus epidermidis, both of which cause acne. Turmeric is also used topically to target a wide variety of skin conditions which includes acne.
Bentonite clay and sulphur mask
Bentonite clay is a powerful clean cleaner, which acts like a vacuum to suck out dirt, debris and oil out of the pores. Sulphur is another time-tested anti-acne ingredient. While the bentonite clay unplugs your pores, sulphur targets the pesky bacteria that cause acne. Brianna used both the ingredients to combat her acne.
Moisturising
Acne sufferers overlook the importance of moisturising the skin to promote healing and to prevent future breakouts. Brianna used Shea Terra Orgranics' Rose Hips and Carrot Perfecting Serum and Doterra Lavender oil for this purpose. At night, she did spot treatment with raw shea butter.
Supplementation
It's important to fight acne from within and no treatment is complete without the right nutrition. Brianna uses a variety of supplements that includes milk thistle, Icelandic kelp, cascara sagrada, burdock and neem to make up for her micronutrient requirements. She believes that her acne stems from a hormonal imbalance, for which she drinks peppermint tea. Can spearmint tea balance hormones?
Diet
Although there is an ongoing debate regarding the role of diet in acne, most studies favour following a healthy, low-glycemic diet. Brianna confesses that going vegan did help her skin, but she couldn't keep it up for a long time. She is now a pescatarian (eats fish) who also has dairy. She believes that her gut health a role to play in worsening her acne, so she took neem supplements to heal her stomach. Here's why you should eat a low glycemic diet for acne.
Hyperpigmentation
Hyperpigmentation is one of the casualties of acne. Dark spots where the acne once was stay back for weeks after the pimples disappear. For counter this problem, Brianna used aloe vera, which is supposed to improve skin regeneration. The raw gel from the plant can be applied directly onto the skin to accelerate healing and to even out the skin colour.
Although the results are out there for everyone to see, Brianna says that every skin type is different and what worked for her may not work for everyone. In a video she posted on YouTube, she makes it clear that her tips aren't a substitute for medical advice since she isn't a doctor. Most of the ingredients she uses are natural, but you could be allergic to some of them. So always do a patch test before trying out some of the ingredients recommended to her.
Image source: Instagram - Brianna Lopez (briannagabrielaa)
