I’ve been using a salt wash to clean my face for the last week, sure it’s kept my face seemingly clean. Well cleaner than it was before I bothered with any cleaning :O BUT I’ve discovered little blackheads popping up like daisies and discovered quite a few big ones too. No big pimples (except for one on my nose that won’t go away). So in a moment of madness I decided to to go on a blackhead squeezing spree, the forehead got quite a battering and now I was left with big ugly swollen red spots.
However, thanks to some quick googling, I discovered a few methods to deal with the red spots after getting blackheads. So here’s what I did:
1. I cleaned the area with cold water and apple cider vinegar.
2. I put a cold compress on my forehead, and got my hands on the following lotions and potions: DermAid (a 0.5% hydrocortisone cream), 100% Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Oil and Invite E 100% Vitamin E Oil.
3. Cleaned the spots again with tea tree oil and put a dab of the cortisone cream on each red spot. This was for the rest of the day.
4. At night, I cleaned the area again with tea tree oil and put vitamin E oil on each spot. Went for my beauty sleep.
5. The next day woke up and checked the damage. Not bad. A little bit red still but not as bad as the other times when I would go on impulsive blackhead attacks. Cleaned whole face with tea tree oil this time and put vitamin E oil on spots. I figured they weren’t too inflamed at this point and were probably healing up. Since I didn’t want to be left with nasty dark spot, I dabbed on the oil. My previous experience with the Invite brand was with my own father, who in a workplace accident severely burnt his arm and face. A combination of quick thinking (dunking himself into a lot of water) and diligent upkeep with the Invite Vitamin E cream has ensured that today he has NO scars from that accident at all. So with this mind, I felt the oil could do a lot of good for my beat up skin.
6. Have just cleaned face again with straight tea tree oil (well two cotton balls soaked in cool water with 4-5 drops of the oil) and face feel fresh and tingly. I love the smell too! Will apply vit E oil and see how we are tomorrow.
I’m also hoping from cleaning my face with pretty much straight tea tree oil that it will keep most blackheads at bay, let alone pimples. I know my oily face must feel like some oasis to bacteria.
I’ve also cut out ACV toner, or just toner in general. I felt it was drying my face out and I think I was right. I just cleaned with salt wash and put on jojoba oil (I felt coconut oil was a bit too heavy for me) and my face always felt quite nice throughout the day.
Besides my blackhead bashing, the boyfie and me are house-hunting. The joys of competing with 50 other people for one place. Our lease runs out soon and cross my fingers we get a place. Aikido is going well and went for an hour session today. It was about learn the basics, which was good (and easy 😛 ) and it was good to review basics in the coming up for a grading (which I’m thinking about doing). Although exercise has been easy to upkeep (rain has finally cleared off!!), I keep making little errors with my diet. Most of the time I’m on track but it seems I always stray. One Macca mocha here, a macaroon there. The rest of the time: meat, vege and tons of fruit. Been having lots of lychees and enjoying how yummy and cheap they are from Aldi.