I was in the drug store the other day, and having used so many of the other face washes at one time or another that are suitable for acne prone skin, I was drawn in by one I hadn’t used in years.

Mostly by price, because I happened to be low on money that week, I must admit, but also partly out of nostalgia because this was one the first soap bars that I ever used when I was old enough to start developing skin problems in my very early teens, in addition to Clearasil, Noxzema and Basis and Purpose Soap (Purpose is actually another Neutrogena product, and believe it or not, I have no idea if it’s even still made!)

The Neutrogena traditional amber soap bar which is a see through amber colored bar of gentle but deep cleansing glycerin based soap, clocked in at just over two bucks. Right up my alley when I’m running low on cash, so into my little shopping basket it went, along with some other necessities like toothpaste and shampoo!

I use one bar of soap or liquid cleanser outside of the shower at the sink for cleansing my face in the AM before work since I take my shower at night, and one in the shower for cleansing my face in the PM. So the Neutrogena amber soap bar is now my AM cleansing soap.

I love it’s pleasant, earthy, minimally messed with smell, and boy did it bring back memories of my early struggles with acne. It really does do a nice cleansing job on your face, leaving no residue and not drying it out too much. It probably would work well for your back and chest as well and other body acne areas.

Although I like it for once a day, I choose to use a deeper, more acne targeted and skin cell renewing cleanser in the evening with salicylic acid, which is my preferred OTC acne topical treatment over benzoyl peroxide for a variety of reasons. One of them being that benzoyl peroxide is too drying and irritating for my skin and doesn’t seem to do squat to prevent breakouts on my face.

I also like the sloughing aspect of salicylic acid since it helps to renew the skin cells, and this is how it helps fight acne. Acne is caused by a buildup of this kind of crap on your skin, which clogs your pores and creates erosions because or small infections.

So, I got off track, but the down low on the Neutrogena amber bar – it’s a still a great face soap for basic cleansing that doesn’t over dry – and it’s really easy on your wallet. Word of caution, if you’re using this in your shower, either take it out after every use or shelter it in a water proof case so that the warm water doesn’t melt it too much since it is glycerin based.

Exercise is a key to keeping healthy skin. There are a number of reasons why. Number one, as it related to acne at least in my opinion and experience is the fact that exercise is probably the greatest stress reliever that you can have.

Stress and acne go hand in hand because stress releases hormones that affect your overall balance of testosterone (or androgens, male hormones) and estrogen. Estrogen and androgens, of which we have both even though you are a male or female, can be very delicate to balance.

When they are out of balance, this causes acne. Acne and androgens and too much estrogen or androgens go hand in hand. Exercising helps keep all your hormones in balance. It keeps the stress hormone cortisol in check all the time. Cortisol is the hormone that is released when you are stressed out.

When I exercise, I can almost “feel” the stress flowing out of my body. I also happen to enjoy glowing, healthy looking skin that’s got a healthy color and healthy tone and texture when I’m working out regularly.

When I’m not working out, my skin looks less toned, and takes on a powdery, dry look. I also do tend to break out more because all that stress that I experience builds up in my body. I can literally feel my skin boiling over with potential acne, and I can feel an acne lesion brewing when I’m under a lot of stress.

Exercise banishes those feelings of stress and anxiety. Not only that, it increases circulation, which is necessary to keep your skin healthy and toned. Exercise in itself helps your hormones balanced.

It depends on how oily your skin is, but you may very well be able to get away with these occasional entire days without washing your face, unless of course you need to put on makeup, then it’s entirely advisable that you wash your face in the morning to prepare your skin and prime it with protective moisturizers and SPF for the day to come.

Many times though, especially if it’s a day where I know I’m not going to be exposed to UV in the winter, and I really don’t want to dry my skin out all the time by washing it twice a day, and it’s a weekend day where I don’t have to put on face paint for my job, I enjoy just leaving my face be and going washless for the day. I just use a blotter mid day to blot off the excess oil, and I’m good to go.

Then, the funny thing is, when I do finally wash my face in the evening (I still do wash it the once at least, don’t want too much toxic stuff and oil to build up, and I want my face to be clean from debris when I sleep), my face feels baby smooth. It’s almost like your skin needs a break from washing, and needs to bathe it’s own protective oils all day once in a while.

It’ sort of like a vacation for the skin, is the way I look at it. And so far, this practice has not made me break out at all. I think that having acne, unless you have severely oily skin, we tend to think that we have to constantly wash and dry out our skin, and in fact that damages it more and just makes us break out more in the end. It’s good to give your skin a break from washing and makeup every once in a while – it allows it to breathe and be free of anything, just for a little while.

Over the counter drugs, often called OTC drugs are products that became very popular alternative to prescription medications which were used for treatment of acne. These products are readily available and person doesn’t need a prescription for them.

Common used and most effective OTC acne fighting ingredients are few but the group of these ingredients is enlarging fast. Standard active ingredients for acne fighting used in OTC acne medications are salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, resorcinol, glycolic acid. On the other hand a huge demand for OTC acne medications with natural active ingredients is occurring. These natural ingredients common used are tea tree oil, witch hazel extract, chamomile extract, aloe vera, green tea extract, lemongrass and others.

The most used OTC acne medications are topical preparations like masks, foams, gels, scrubs, liniments and creams. Most of them contain benzoyl peroxide and/or salicylic acid or combination of this two. Benzoyl peroxide is the most often used active ingredient in OTC products, and it is available in concentration of 2,5% increasing to 5% and 10%.

Research suggested that best effects can be achieved starting with 2,5% and increasing through 5 – 10%. But concentrations of 5 and 10% of benzoyl peroxide are not significantly more effective than 2,5%.

On the other hand salicylic acid is well tolerated. Beta hydroxy acid works as an acerbic by elimination of the dead skin cells. Salicylic acid is used in makeup removers, but is also used in gel and lotion form. Sulfur is another well known and old ingredient used in OTC acne medications. A lot of soap cleansers contain sulfur as active ingredient.

Resorcinol in OTC remedies helps in the process of rapid skin development and lessens the blocked pores. Generally it is used in combination with sulfur. On other side natural ingredients in OTC topical skin products are used for their antiseptic properties and as a group of remedies well tolerated from the skin. Tea tree oil has proven antiseptic properties and his use in topical skin care OTC products in 10% concentration has the same effect as 5% of benzoyl peroxide.

Aloe vera in OTC acne medications is used regarding antibacterial and antifungal activities, it has been shown to inhibit growth of bacteria and its use is well established also for his effect of soothing, moisturizing and healing properties. It is available in many forms gels, scrubs, creams. Witch hazel is used in OTC topical products as a strong antioxidant and astringent, as a useful ingredient alone or in combination in fighting acne.

For other natural OTC acne fighting ingredients they are used in combination with the benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid and other to enhance their acne healing properties.
Acne can definitely be treated with a combination of both natural and chemical ingredients, but of course it’s best to go with the most natural acne treatments and supplements possible, after all, you don’t want to add more toxins to your body, you want to remove them for clear skin.

This is unfortunate, since your face is the very thing by which so many people judge and view you.  That’s why skin care is so vitally important, and making sure that your facial skin is protected at all times from sun damage is of the utmost importance.  Just the tiniest bit of sun an really dry out your facial skin and magnify wrinkles. I know this from personal experience since I’ve accidentally let my sunscreen wear off or I’ve been in the sun a little too long when I thought I’d only be outside for a few minutes, without sunscreen.

My face almost always looks worse for the wear the very next day, which is a true testament to me that it’s important to keep your face out of the sun as much as possible.  Of course, the sun’s rays are necessary to produce vitamin D, but there are plenty of other body parts that are larger that can soak the rays up for you.  That is one party the face always has to miss out on.

So, without further delay, I wanted to again tell you the various facial sunscreens that I’ve compiled and tried over the years which I have found to be both very effective and also totally noncomedogenic. That’s right, they blocked the sun’s rays effectively with SPF of 15 or higher, and they moisturized really well too, without clogging my sensitive pores or causing any type of irritation bumps or rashes.

The first one is my favorite because it’s cheap and it’s a great moisturizer. It’s Aveeno’s moisturizers, in both calming and soy formulas (I like them both). They both have 15 spf and they also come in a generous sized bottle that lasts me two months or so for about $15.  There is also one by Avon that is a face perfector. It’s a powder/liquid that is translucent and has an SPF of 20.

I like to mix this with a little bit of tinted moisturizer or glow lotion for great SPF coverage and a nice, even but light coverage for the summer time to help my skin look more even. This product is called Avon MagiX Facial Perfector.  You’ll love the texture, it’s a velvety mix of powder and tiny flecks of light reflectors for great sun protection and a light foundation coverage for summer time.

I wonder, is the reason this thing works to cleanse your skin better because it literally “shakes” all the dirt and debris out of your pores? Hmm, something to ponder.  What I have to report is that I still think the Clarisonic facial cleanser is a good product and a good buy.  It seems to really clean my face much better than when I just rub the cleanser in with my hands.

My skin feels squeaky clean when I’m done, and my skin care products just seem to get eaten up by my skin much faster, which makes me think they are penetrating better.  One of the drawbacks though, is if you wear mascara.  I try to get the mascara off my lashes before I put the Clarisonic on my face, because I notice that the mascara instantly colors the white bristles on the Clarisonic black. I now have a grey brush instead of a white one, so that makes me feel like I’m rubbing dirt into my face, although I’m sure I’m not.

I’ve even been cleaning my husband’s face with the Clarisonic, on it’s two minute cleansing setting (I got the model with the speed and cleansing setting options, which I’d recommend so you can customize it to your skin and likings).  He likes it too.  I haven’t notice any real pore shrinkage yet around my nose or his, since we both have larger pores around our nose, but I’m thinking that with continued use, this product may help with that. More to come after I’ve been using this thing for a little while longer!

Like the most delicate part of our body, the skin requires everyday care. The basic ways to take care of any kind of skin is cleansing, toning and moisturizing. Skin cleansing is a very important part of personal hygiene. It helps to remove the make up, dirt, oil from your skin.

The most important function is killing the bacteria which try to infect your skin, and cleansing devices can help to remove this from your face and your body if you have body acne that you want to prevent or treat. Starting a daily skin care routine is important, but finding an effective skin cleansing product that keeps your appearance as youthful as possible is even better!

Facial cleansing should be effective without irritating the skin, and to achieve this it is important to choose the most appropriate products. Nowadays there are many products for keeping the skin clear. There are cleansing oils, cleansing wipes, cleansing milk, cleansing gels and so on. There are also different types of cleanser which you can choose from.

Every one of them is useful on their own way. You can use devices or products other than your hands to apply the cleanser, in order to get a deeper, or more exfoliating (depending on your goal) cleansing.

The Buff Puff facial sponge is used for deep cleansing of your face and skin, but it’s mostly for exfoliation. It will leave your skin feeling clean and refreshed. The feeling is just wonderful! Many machines exist for lively and pure skin. Ultrasound facial machine emits ultrasonic waves that can be ideal for the skin. This is a possible way to get rid from unwelcome bacteria.

Have you tried a spa care yet? If not, you should definitely do it with effective, affordable, professional facial, beauty, body treatments available. What dermatologists say is that there are several ways to cleanse the face, but the ingredients that work for one person may not work for someone else. Therefore, look for a cleanser that suits your skin type.

One mistake that all some of us commit is to cleanse the face too often. This should be avoided, if we want perfect skin. The only care this skin requires is cleaning it at least twice a day. You should take good care of your skin, in order to be gorgeous and pure. Cleansing your skin should be part of the daily routine. It can also be enjoyable, like you’re in a spa too, if you choose to use a skin cleansing device.

I bought this cool contraption (the Pro version with 4 speeds) after reading glowing reviews on a few websites about it. A lot of people with acne felt that it really helped to shrink their pores, refine their skin tone and deep cleanse their pores. They felt that they had less breakouts after using it for a while too.

I’ve been eye balling this device for a while, wanting to try it but procrastinating because of the almost $200 price tag. I finally took the plunge and bought it though. The set up was fine. You have to charge it on it’s charging cradle for 24 full hours before using it. So I charged it from about 4 PM to 4 PM the next day. I used it for the first time at night, to get all my makeup off.

I was surprised at how soft the bristles were. The gentle brush is included with the product, depending on your skin type or goals, you may want to buy a harsher one. The fine brush worked ok for me. The instructions to use the different settings was a little confusing at first and I had to read over them a few times. It works off of lights and beeps instead of obvious “dummy” settings that tell you exactly what they are. I’d change that if there was something I could change about the product.

The device beeps every time you are done with one area of your face, and lets you know when it’s time to move to the next area of your face. You use circular motions and barely press the brush to your face, the machine does the work for you.

My skin feels extremely clean when done using this product, almost squeaky clean. It also feels pretty dry because I’m sure I’m not used to this type of deep cleansing, so I make sure to put EXTRA moisturizer on afterwards. I like the device so far, but it’s too early to tell after only three uses if it’s actually making my skin look better or less prone to breakouts. More details, experiences and reviews coming as I get to know my Clarisonic better!

Now, if you take really good care of your skin where you have facial hair, and you make sure you deep cleanse these areas every night, your problems should be minimized from having facial hair blocking your pores, but most guys really don’t have a good facial cleansing routine at night and in the morning. Ok, maybe I’m just speaking for my poor hubby who doesn’t even know I’m throwing him under the bus now, but a  lot of guys only wash their face once a day, maybe at night with their shower or in the morning with their shower.

That’s not good practice for your facial skin, because you need to get the oil and dirt off your face that compiled on your face overnight in the morning, so that your skin is smooth and shine free all day, and night is the most important time to wash. Why? Because your face has been subjected to dirt, pollution, oil buildup, and all kinds of other stuff that is floating around in the air, waiting to attach itself to the oil on your face like a klingon.

I sort of nag my hubby to wash his face twice a day, but to no avail, because I do notice that he gets enlarged pores and blackheads quite a bit in particular areas.  If you have facial hair fellas, just make sure you wash up twice a day to minimize any pore-clogging issues.

Clarisonic is a deep skin cleansing device. It sits in a holder while it charges, and it has a patented sonic cleansing motion that cleanses your skin with your chosen cleanser much deeper, they say twice as deep or something like that, than regular, good old fashioned “manual” cleansing with your hands.

The reviews on it have been pretty steadily good, and women and men who use it say that it has helped with the little bumps they get on their face, their skin tone, and blackheads as well. A lot of people who suffer acne have also noticed that it has greatly diminished their breakouts, so this is something I want to give a try both for my occasional acne and oil issues since it deep cleanses out bacteria, dirt and oil, and also for anti aging.

I should be getting my unit in the mail next week, so I’ll be sure to drop you a quick report on my experience with it. I’ll probably report on my first experience with my first impressions of the product, then a week later progress, then two or three weeks later and maybe even a six week interval so you can get an idea of whether this thing is worth the $180 it sells for.