Town Talk
Bye Bye Breakouts (and that One Bad Zit!)
It never ceases to amaze me the amount of products people purchase to combat acne, before they even try the more common sense route. What’s good for the cut on the foot is certainly good for the bump on the face. I’m speaking about soaking in hot water, or, rather for the face, using hot compresses. The hot compress solution is a bit more time-intensive than most chemical and medical solutions, but the hot compress solution is also quite often more effective and always, always more cost effective. Do try this at home!
1. Wash your face with a simple, perfume-free soap (I highly recommend Dove soap). Use your hands. If you must use a washcloth, make sure it is fresh out of the laundry; otherwise, it can harbor bacteria.
2. Rinse your face with cold water.
3. Boil water and place in a bowl. (For severe acne, try adding salt to the water. e.g., nothing heals like ocean water!) Lightly dip the tip of a clean washcloth or a clean paper towel into the hot water. Gently press the tip to the acne-area of your face, being cautious to test the heat before you press, e.g., under no circumstances should you put water on your skin that is too uncomfortable!
4. Repeat ten times on same spot. If you have different areas or spots, repeat ten times for each area. Your face should be very red in the areas where you’ve placed the hot compresses; therefore, do this at night, or at least two hours before going out.
5. Wash again with soap and hands (if you are using a washcloth, you need to use yet another clean washcloth than the one you originally used).
6. Rinse again with cold water.
7. Pat skin dry with a clean towel.
8. Do not add moisturizer to the problem areas (never touch the moisturizer in the jar, or the tip of the moisturizer jar—always remove what you need with a Q-tip, as your fingers harbor bacteria).
9. Change your pillowcase every night. Every night the pillowcase must be new. Or turn the pillowcase over to the new side, and change your pillowcase every other night. Your pillowcase harbors bacteria.
10. Make sure that when you brush your teeth, that you use a bit of soap around your mouth after you brush, as toothpaste can cause breakout reactions, too.
11. Get out of the habit of touching your face. Period.
12. If you travel a lot, considering using the same bottled water as your final rinse. This keeps your skin’s PH consistent and, voila, Audrey Hepburn skin beckons you.
We love this natural method—and budget-conscious way—of skin cleansing!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/18/09 at 12:12 PM
