Acne. There’s certainly no “one size fits all” solution that can indefinitely clear up one of the most frustrating and commonplace skin conditions. There are many factors to take into account when addressing the root cause of your acne and skin congestion including but not limited to diet, hormones, lifestyle behaviors like sleep, stress levels, exercise habits, and finally, topical skincare products. We’re firmly rooted in the belief that optimal health is a delicate balance of a few core tenets including nutrition, physical wellness, and mental well-being. So, it’s important that when dealing with your acne, that you assess your overall well being, both physical and mental, and aim to help address your acne through a holistic lens for long-lasting, healthy skin.
You might be wondering, but where can I start today? While not always the complete solution, beginning your journey to clearer, blemish-free skin can start with what you put on it. While our skin is inherently intelligent and designed to self-cleanse, moisturize and protect us, we can support these natural processes with clean, nutritive ingredients to encourage clearer, happier and optimally functioning skin.
What is acne?
First, it’s helpful to know what’s happening below the surface of your skin. After all, it is your body’s largest organ! Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous unit, collectively made up of the hair follicle, hair shaft and sebaceous gland, your oil-producing gland. Most often, acne is experienced on the face, chest, shoulders or back. Excess sebum production, aka oil, bacteria, and inflammation are a few of the usual suspects when it comes to the formation of acne - which ranges in both appearance and form. It can include comedones, commonly referred to as black or white heads, papules which resemble small, raised bumps, pustules that contain pus and have a white head, and cysts which can range in severity.
How can I help address my acne topically?
Like we mentioned earlier, skin is smart. We each have a unique skin barrier and microbiome designed to keep pathogens and harmful bacteria out, and the good stuff in. Through years of marketing, we’ve been made to believe that oil is bad when in fact our skin so expertly produces this wax-like substance to coat and protect us. The truth is, healthy skin is in the balance, and our microbiomes and skin barrier are too often under attack by harsh ingredients and products that strip our protective sebum and sweat as well as the healthy bacteria which lives on the skin’s surface.
Think of your skincare products as supportive rather than replacements for what your skin is naturally designed to do. Let’s dive into one of the key products in our natural skincare line to address acne, supportively.
Charcoal & Sea Salt Soap
Focusing in on the concept of supportive skincare, our handmade soap deeply and gently cleanses your skin without stripping it of its natural sebum and healthy bacteria to better allow your skin to carry on its natural processes and begin to heal. Topically, acneic skin needs to be treated gently with bacteria-fighting ingredients but it also requires hydration, rather than harsh, drying treatments.
Supportive
Activated charcoal is extremely absorbent and when applied topically to skin, acts like a magnet for dirt, oil and other build up. By helping to remove this excess build up that accumulates, our pores can better carry out their natural functions like sweating and natural detoxification.
Hydrating
Our soap is made from a base of organic saponified plant oils (a process that involves the conversion of fat or oils into soap) that are super-fatted (meaning they contain extra fats or oils) to ensure they retain their moisturizing properties. The result? Skin is provided with the moisture it needs to help stay balanced.
Nutritive
Dead Sea salt is rich in minerals like magnesium, calcium and bromide which help level out some of the root causes of acne like high cortisol production and hormonal imbalances. When absorbed into the skin, these essential minerals can also help stimulate detoxification, reduce inflammation, and improve the skin’s ability to retain moisture.
Bacteria-busting
A star ingredient in this formulation is tea tree oil. This native Australian essential oil been has been shown to possess antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, meaning it can help fight off the bacteria that can lead to breakouts.
How to use it:
It’s important to keep in mind that over-cleansing or drying out the skin can actually further aggravate existing acne conditions.
On the drier side? We recommend using this soap 4-5 days per week, once daily at night. Be sure to follow up your cleanse with a hydrating, bacteria-fighting facial serum or a moisturizer.
Oily to Normal skin? You can use this soap 1-2 times daily. Don’t forget to follow up with a hydrating, bacteria-fighting facial serum or a moisturizer after thoroughly cleansing.