Oatmeal – A Natural Exfoliator

Oatmeal is part of a balanced skin care routine!

Brief: “Oatmeal doesn’t just support healthy colons – it supports healthy skin!”

Price: $2.00-$3.00 for 1 kg of instant oatmeal

Overview

I know what you’re probably thinking: “Is this guy nuts? What’s oatmeal got to do with skin care?” Just hang on a minute and I’ll tell you my story. A few months ago, I was searching online for natural acne remedies and came across things like egg whites, crushed aspirin, and apple cider vinegar. I decided to try using oatmeal because, hey, its in my kitchen already and I’m eating it everyday. The results were absolutely fantastic and better than any store-bought brand that I’ve ever used, such as St. Ives Apricot Scrub or Spectro Jel Cleanser. My face always feels fresher, more moisturized and firmer after a good oatmeal mask and a hot shower.

St. Ives Apricot Scrub Gentle Review

Yoda: “Beware its powerful scrubbing action you must”

Nickname: Fresh Skin Tron-3000

Where: Grocery & Drug Stores

Price: $3.77 for 150mL

ABOUT

St. Ives is a well-known brand that produces an assortment of facial cleansers, moisturizers and body washes. However, the company is most famously known for its line of apricot exfoliators. They contain tiny beads that physically rub away dead skin cells and therefore promotes greater skin cell turnover. Exfoliation is important as it assists the healthy process of skin regeneration – removing accumulated dead skin cells to unplug pores and allow new cells to rise to the surface. More details on exfoliation can be found here.

INGREDIENTS

• Apricot: high levels of vitamin A and antioxidants to nourish the skin
• Corn Kernel Meal: ground flour from dried corn promotes skin cell turnover and regeneration
• Walnut: ground walnut shell used as exfoliator beads
• Information on ingredients found on St. Ives website here

PROS

• Skin feels fresh and light afterwards
• Exfoliator beads are very small and gentle
• Natural ingredients
• Smells nice
• Widely available and affordable

CONS

• Sharp edges on packaging (seriously: they are SHARP!)
• Packaging does not specify key ingredients – however they are available on its website

VERDICT

This is a great product by a great company. The St. Ives Apricot Scrub for Sensitive Skin is a good quality exfoliating product that is effective and affordable. It also smells nice.

ADVICE

Don’t use this everyday despite what the label says. Substitute this product for your regular cleanser every second or third day. Take your time: massage your face for at least a minute to get the full effectiveness and be gentle while moving your hands in circular motions.

When purchasing this product in stores, you will see other apricot scrubs like “Fresh Skin” and “Blemish and Blackhead Control”. I recommend the “Sensitive Skin” version because the beads are smaller and the product is less likely to cause irritation or drying.

Introduction to Acne Products

Alright, let’s go over some of the basics of acne treatment products. In today’s vast and never-ending collection of acne products and brands, it’s important to understand how products work and which ones are appropriate for your skin. Today, I’ll talk about the different types of products, the typical ingredients found in them and the different places where you can purchase them. Keep reading…

ACNE: A BRIEF BLURB

While I won’t go into detail here (perhaps in a later post), keep in mind that acne is a common skin condition influenced by a number of factors including genetics, overactive sebum glands, eating habits, hygiene and of course, the bacteria Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) after which the condition is named. Doctors and researchers are still not certain of the underlying factors that cause acne. For now, it’s important to note that effective treatment options must address the root causes of acne such as by killing P. acnes or reducing the amount of sebum production in the pores.

TYPES OF PRODUCTS

The most basic acne regimen consists of four essential components: facial cleanser, toner, active treatment and moisturizer.

1. Facial Cleanser

Washing your face with a good facial cleanser is step one. The point of this step is to prepare the skin for treatment by getting rid of the oil and grime that naturally accumulates on your skin over time. If your skin is really oily like mine, you can sometimes feel that layer of oil clinging to your face. Remember, the purpose of the cleanser is to prepare your skin. You don’t need a high quality cleanser – just a reliable one that balances the skin’s natural pH and does not feel overly drying.

2. Toner

This step is my personal favorite. It involves dabbing cotton balls or puffs with toner and then slowly smoothing the cool liquid over your affected areas (or entire face if you want). The point of the toner is also to prepare your skin by removing accumulated dead skin cells from the top layer of skin called the epidermis. It can also soothe the skin and help it more effectively absorb treatment.

3. Active Treatment

Now we get to the most important step. This involves carefully applying a cream or gel onto affected areas in order to treat the underlying factors of acne. These creams or gels contain active ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid used to eliminate P. acnes in the skin and regulate sebum production. I’ll discuss both these ingredients shortly.

4. Moisturizer

After treatment, I highly recommended applying moisturizer (even though it feels like a hassle) because active ingredients like benzoyl peroxide are extremely drying to the skin. I really emphasize this step because it’s so easy to forget but trust me, you can easily get dry and flaky skin if you don’t.

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS

1. Benzoyl Peroxide

This is the most common ingredient used to treat acne. Benzoyl peroxide treats acne by eliminating P. acnes bacteria in the skin. More precisely, it releases oxygen and creates an aerobic environment in which P. acnes cannot survive. While generally effective, the side effects include dry skin, irritation and increased sensitivity to heat/sunlight. When using a benzoyl peroxide based product, always start off with small amounts and gradually apply more over time to prevent irritating or burning your skin. As I said before, always moisturize afterwards to prevent dry skin. Benzoyl peroxide comes in concentrations ranging from 2 to 10 percent. I recommend using between 2-2.5 percent because higher concentrations are more drying and irritating without being any more effective. One last point – benzoyl peroxide can bleach your clothes so make sure your face is dry before wearing any clothing.

2. Salicylic Acid

Also a popular ingredient, salicylic acid is found in cleansers, toners, pads and creams. It helps exfoliate the skin (helping it shed dead skin cells) by promoting greater skin cell turnover rates and this prevents pores from clogging with dead skin cells. Salicylic acid works best in conjunction with benzoyl peroxide because their effects are complimentary to one another. Concentrations range from 0.5 to 2 percent depending on the product. Among the side effects are dry skin, irritation and sensitivity.

WHERE TO BUY

1. Grocery Store

You can get everything you need from your local grocery store like NoFrills or larger retailer like Wal-Mart or Shoppers Drug Mart. There is a fair bit of selection, decent prices, and it’s super convenient! On the other hand, for those with more severe acne, these products might not be effective. Most of these brands are well-known like Neutrogena, Clearasil and OXY.

2. Over-The-Counter

These products are found at a pharmacy and can be purchased without a prescription. They contain stronger concentrations of active ingredients and may contain other medicinal ingredients. One way of recognizing them is that their brands are relatively unknown compared to grocery store brands.

3. Prescription

Some of the more potent treatment options involve a prescription from a dermatologist (skin doctor). You may be prescribed antibiotics like Minocycline or Tetracycline, topical creams like Tazorac or Clindoxyl Gel and Accutane. I’ve never tried Accutane (although my dermatologist recommended it) because there are just so many serious side effects like liver and bowel damage not to mention depression. Having said that, I’ve met many people who have used Accutane with success and their acne no longer comes back. I personally feel that Accutane carries too much risk however always talk to your doctor about the side effects.

4. On-Line

On-line retailers like ProActiv and eXposed are slightly more pricy, especially considering the shipping costs, but can carry higher quality products and offer greater variety. Be careful when ordering on-line as some sites will automatically ship packages every month and bill you the cost without clearly indicating this.

Thanks for reading! I hope this post helped clarify things. I’ll be happy to hear any comments or answer any questions. Definitely check out the sources below:

SOURCES (Check them out!)

http://www.acne.org/whatisacne.html

http://acne.about.com/od/acnetreatments/a/benzoylperoxide.htm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000030/

http://acne.about.com/od/otcacnetreatments/ht/How-To-Choose-An-Otc-Acne-Treatment-Product.htm