natural products for face

I'm 25 with acne.  This is not normal acne.  Often it turns into sores.  They leave scars, which fade after a while.  Still, they're painful and embarrassing.  A doctor told me it's all stress related, but I'm not sure anymore.  Anyway, benzoyl peroxide seems to help but I don't like using something that is so harsh on my skin.  I am really sick of this and I don't know what is causing it, but I'd like to stop using products with any ingredients that could possibly cause any sort of reaction and see if that helps.  For the first time in years, I've stopped wearing makeup.  We'll see if that helps.

But I still need a cleanser and moisturizer.  I have been using Dove unscented for sensitive skin.  I also use St. Ive's scrub once a week.  But nothing seems to help, and I have no health insurance or the money to pay for a dermatologist.  So, any suggestions for cleansers and moisturizing lotions for my face would be greatly appreciated.  The shorter the list of ingredients, the better.

I had acne for many many years. Not just little pimples or zits. Deep (and I mean deep) sores with massive pits in them. Like boils. Loads of them. You get the idea :-)

The only thing that helped for me, was a combination of antibiotics and going onto the Dianette birth control pill. I was on that combo for several years. At one point (early on in the treatment) the doctor said I may still need a deep chemical peel to get rid of deep scarring that may remain. But - looking at me now, you'd never even guess I even had a problem with spots! let alone the crusts of acne.

So I suggest perhaps looking into getting the Dianette if you can. I know you said you're not on health insurance, but can you get this birth control? I'm not sure they'd prescribe it though without a consultation...

(Just to add - I've found Dove the most horrid thing to use ever! it strips my skin bare - moisturising my foot. The doctor told me that the most natural thing to use to clean my face, is water).

Hi there!

I know how frusterating acne and acne scars can be. A few months ago I was doing a lot of research on the same stuff.

I can across Paula Begoun. She is known in the industry as "The Cosmetic Cop" and wrote the book "Don't go to the Cosmetic Counter Without ME." she has researched EVERY skin care product out there for like 20 years.

Anyways...She actually has a full skin care product like called Paula's Choice. at Paulaschoice.com

I'm not trying to like sell anything to you. But I found her products and WOW. She talks extensively about acne and scaring. She says a lot of products out there, especially ones for acne contain REALLY irritating ingrediants like menthol and alcohol. This actually causes irritation and increased oil production and makes acne worse!

Anyways, check out her products Im serious! She has a complete acne line (called CLEAR anti-acne) that has cleanser, toner and a benzoyl peroxide cream. They contain ingrediants that sooth instead of irritate the skin and help reduce scarring.

She also has a full line of products that are for oily skin that soothe the skin as well that reduces acne but is mainly to promote balanced healthy skin for oily types.

I was having bad acne and I ordered only the benzoyl peroxide cream from Paula at first, put it on once a night and it cleared my skin tons after 2 weeks. I plan to buy the whole system this month.  

another thing she SWEARS is needed for healthy acne free skin is an exfoliant. You skin sheds and renews itself at night, with oily skin it does not happen like it should. Exfoliants like a BHA (which is salicylic acid) helps get into the pores and sheds the extra cells. I purchased one of her BHA's as well.

Sorry to write a novel! But seriously check her stuff out. People give her products wonderful reviews and its priced SO reasonably.

So check it out! You have nothing to lose, and I know for me, I am SO much more knowledgable about skin care, healthy skin, and acne after reading all of her research.

Original Post by eromyci:
So, any suggestions for cleansers and moisturizing lotions for my face would be greatly appreciated.  The shorter the list of ingredients, the better.

I use skinvac cloths for cleansing. They're these microfibre cloths that last about 100 washes or so and because of the material they're made from you only need to add warm water. As well as for daily cleansing you can buy cloths for unblocking pores and exfoliating. I've been using them all for probably a year or so and they're one of the rare actually useful things I've bought. Oh, if you use the skinvac website and put in vegan in the vegan discount box you get 10% off.

The only moisturiser I've used that doesn't make me break out or clog my pores is Boots Botanics Sensitive Oil Free Moisturiser. I've had problems with my skin and so used to lurk the acne.org boards. I tried moisturisers recommended on there and this has been my only success. 20 ingredients but none of them are on the acne detective bad list (if you've not heard of this, it basically lists cosmetic ingredients alongside a rating of whether they are comodogenic or irritants- basically whether you want to avoid putting them on your skin). 

Oh and as regards make-up. I find my skin is better when I avoid it altogether but generally I'm self-conscious about my skin so I wear mineral make-up (Lily Lolo) when I'm going out or whatever. I know mineral make-up has mixed reviews but just thought I'd chip in.

Good luck! I hope you find something that works for you! (:

ETA: I spoke to my doctor and at one point was on antibiotics (Tetralysl or something, I think..) but they didn't really seem to do much. He later switched me onto a topical: Zineryt ('erythromycin-zinc complex containing the equivalent of 40mg/ml erthyromycin and 12mg/ml zinc acetate'). It's drying but is nowhere near as harsh as benzoyl peroxide- I just use normal moisturiser before I put on make-up, nothing intensive.

I've recently started using Alba's Sea Lettuce Cleansing Milk facewash. It's 100% natural and not tested on animals. It smells awesome, contains no soap (so it doesn't dry your skin) and I haven't had a breakout since I started (it's only been about a week and a half). Hopefully it stays that way.

For moisturizer I have been using Desert Essence Facial Moisturizer. It's also 100% natural and says it doesn't clog pores. I've been using it for 6 months now and it feels light on my face and I haven't gotten any extra pimples as a result (I break out around my mouth, chin and under my chin and when I used other moisturizers I used to break out around my nose and forehead... I haven't at all with this).

Before I wash my face everyday I use tea tree oil soaked pads also by Desert Essence all over my face. It smells awful which is why I use it first because the face wash will wash the smell away after.

My acne is PCOS related so for me, it's about keeping it controlled. I still break out but far far less often. I'm still working on it.