My current track record for store-bought brands marketed towards acne-prone skin is extensive, and after many years of trials and errors with different skin care brands, I found Aveeno to be the best solution for me.
It was great! My skin took a major transformation, over time of course, and revealed a face that was bright and clear, and even in tone and texture.. meaning no more scarring or dark spots.
Fast Forward to 2013, I'm no super health-nut "this is good/this is bad" product pro, but I'm much more aware of what and how I eat these days, as well as the chemicals/ingredients in the products I put in my hair and on my skin. So when the day came to finally turn over the bottle of my Aveeno face wash, amongst many other ingredients there was butylene glycol, sodium benzoate, and polyethylene. According to google, those mean PETROLEUM, PRESERVATIVES, and PLASTIC. What...???
*enter Heart Break*
A combination of things held me back at first, but I've put my Aveeno bottles away in the cabinet beneath the sink.
That's where Alba Botanica comes in.. Here is what's printed on the back of the bottle:
No:
Animal Testing
Artificial Colors
Parabens
Phthalates
Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate
or Sodium Methyl Sulfate
There is also the internationally recognized "hopping bunny" logo, confirming it's Cruelty-Free certification, and the universal Recycling Symbol (the three chasing arrows), so the bottle is made from post-consumer material.
On the surface it sounds great, but whether or not it can deliver is what really matters.
For the next four weeks, I will be documenting my progress with this brand and follow-up with documentation and detailed description of it's effectiveness
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| DAY 1 - BEFORE Photo - Full face shot with runny make-up and general grime of the day on my skin. |
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| DAY 1 - BEFORE Photo Eye close-up: Glittery eyeshadow and dark eyeliner/mascara. |
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| DAY 1 - AFTER Photo Eye close-up: With just a few drops, Alba Botanica's Even Balance Eye Make-up Remover took it all off in one smooth swoop. This product worked very well! I was rubbing deep into the crevices of my eyelids to get at that eyeliner, and while I'm sure a small amount likely seeped in through my eyelids, there was absolutely NO EYE IRRITATION. I am 100% a believer and promoter of this product! |
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| DAY 1 - AFTER Photo - Full face shot. I used Alba Botanica's Acnedote Deep Pore Wash and Acnedote Deep Clean Astringent, followed by Acnedote Invisible Treatment Gel. It appears as though the weight of the world has been lifted off my face. It looks so much lighter in tone here! But in a big way, it's mainly because my skin was left much drier than I could have expected following a wash, tone, and moisturizing. Slightly irritated as well. The wash had a minty/menthol "open pore" sensation which was nice, but following with the astringent was agonizing! Yeowch!! The gel to cover my face with added to the burning. Very uncomfortable. This was the skin sensitivity issue I was afraid of. |
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| DAY 1 - AFTER Photo - Right side view of my acne affliction (consistently the more 'complicated' side of the two). |
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| DAY 1 - AFTER Photo - Left side view of my acne affliction. |
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| DAY 2 - Right side view with an irritated reaction to the Alba Botanica Acnedote Deep Clean Astringent and Acnedote Oil-Control Lotion. Flaky/peeling, and very, very dry.I think the amounts of Salicylic Acid in these two products are too harsh for my skin. My face looks terrible.. |
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| DAY 16 - Right side view, some good improvement from Day 1! Blemishes and swelling are down. The dark marks are still healing but I am using Alba Botanica's "Even Tone" line with sea kelp along with the Acnedote face wash. The spots will take a while, so this is definitely a step in a better direction. I stopped using the Acne toner and lotion, actually returned them for a refund. I think I've found a good balance here. |
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| DAY 16 - Left side view, very happy with these results thus far. |
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| DAY 34 - Maybe a week or two after my Day 16 photo, I was on the internet exploring a few familiar skin care lines and was interested in a few new products to add to my regiment: Yes to Grapefruit Daily Facial Scrub and The Body Shop's Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask (once/week). The Grapefruit advertises correction and repair to skin that's prone to hyper-pigmentation (dark marks/scarring post-sebum extraction a.k.a popping zits), and I must say - very gentle, light citrus scent, and super smooth. The clay mask is great, and literally the weight of the WORLD is lifted off my face. Extracts oil, impurities, and dirt with positive/negatively charged ions deep into your pores. Super impressive.. I love it. |
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| DAY 34 - Left side view, feeling like I'm 75% there to total clarity. There were a few small tough-guy blemishes that broke through between DAY 16 and here, but everything is evening out pretty well and the dark spots have been fading more and more. |
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| DAY 34 - Right side view, I am beyond THRILLED with the improvement on my "problem side". It hasn't been blemish-free since DAY 16, but the recovery rate from outbreak to its healing period is much quicker. As with the left side, this side is seeing some great fading with those dark spots. |
Looking at myself from Day 1 to Day 34, there are some incredible strides and such a difference I have made (thus far) in my Cruelty-free skin care movement. It's also wonderful to know that the changes I've made for my skin are helping me make a change in the way I see the benefits of using products that have a lesser impact on the environment and base their campaign on refusing harsh chemicals and encouraging natural-based ingredients. Even better -- this is all AFFORDABLE and accessible online, or at your local drugstore and chain stores like Wal-mart and Target!
Below is a listing of my full skin care regiment in a week:
MORNINGS:
Alba Botanica Natural Acnedote Face & Body Scrub
Alba Botanica Natural Even Advanced Sea Algae Enzyme Scrub
Yes to Grapefruit Correct and Repair Daily Facial Scrub
Alba Botanica Natural Hawaiian Facial Toner, Complexion Balancing Hibiscus
Yes to Tomatoes Clear Skin Daily Balancing Moisturizer
EVENINGS:
Alba Botanica Natural Acnedote Deep Pore Wash
Alba Botanica Natural Even Advanced Sea Mineral Cleansing Gel
Alba Botanica Natural Even Advanced Sea Kelp Facial Toner
Yes to Tomatoes Clear Skin Daily Balancing Moisturizer
-- or --
Yes to Cucumber Soothing Facial Towelette (if I'm feeling lazy...)
ONCE/WEEK TREATMENT:
Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask by The Body Shop
or
Alba Botanica Papaya Enzyme Facial Mask
Vitamin C Microdermabrasion by The Body Shop
Alba Botanica Natural Acnedote Invisible Treatment Gel (for on the spot blemish treatment, as needed)
I will continue on my journey, and would welcome any of you readers to ask questions or offer any comments in regards to what you've read here, or perhaps what you would like to know outside of here!
Suffer from any similar symptoms? Have any tips? Like to mention some products you use yourself? PLEASE SHARE!
Thank you for reading**
Onward and upward
ReplyDeleteWhich is the only way to go from here! Thank you Sandy*
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