One of the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is look in the mirror and evaluate my skin. I’m mostly looking for one thing – new acne.
Recently, I’ve been pretty happy with what I see. For the first time in a long time, my skin is doing ok. And it kind of freaks me out. I’m so happy my skin is finally calming down, but I don’t want to get my hopes up. That’s what almost 20 years of dealing with acne will do to you!
Anyways, I want to share more about what I’m attributing to this recent positive phenomenon.
The first thing is undoubtedly my dairy-free experiment. I can’t wait to share more about how it’s going (coming soon!). While travelling a few weeks from the end of November through the beginning of December, I didn’t stick to my goal of staying away from dairy. It was partly circumstance and mostly my own doing! But I’m back to it…with lots of lessons learned.
I believe the second factor that’s helping my skin is a new simplified moisturizing routine.
Before I share more, here are a few things to know:
- After going to a dermatologist, I took antibiotics for four months and used Tazorac gel for almost nine months.
- The pills and topical creams/lotions/gels worked for a couple of months (it got worse before it got better).
- In October, a few months after I was off the antibiotics, I noticed that even with Tazorac my skin was still breaking out.
That’s when my experiment loving self started doing some research. Both my cousin and countless articles on the internet suggested jojoba oil as a great option for people with acne-prone skin because it’s the closest to human sebum (it tricks our skin into thinking it’s producing enough oil, balancing oil-production), it’s non-comedogenic, it’s loaded with vitamin E and other useful things, etc.
And so I thought – let me try this!
My nighttime routine consisted of 4-5 drops of jojoba oil applied to my entire face and a pea-sized amount of Tazorac applied on the affected area. During the day, I used Trader Joe’s Nourish moisturizer and a very small amount of the Tazorac.
As the weather started to change (yes, even down here in Miami), I started getting dry patches on my skin. This led to severe peeling, aggravated skin, and more acne.
After my trip to DC, when my skin was at it’s worst, I made the decision to stop using Tazorac cold turkey. In it’s place, I decided to give tea tree oil another chance. However, instead of applying it directly to my skin, which I think caused more harm than good, I now mix it in with the Jojoba oil and my daytime moisturizer.
So this is what my new routine looks like…
- Daytime: one pump of Trader Joe’s Nourish moisturizer + two drops of tea tree oil mixed together and applied to the entire face (being extra careful around the eyes)
- Nighttime: five drops of jojoba oil + three to four drops of tea tree oil mixed together and applied to the entire face (again, being extra careful around the eyes)
It’s hard to explain in words what a difference this change has made. In a nutshell, my skin is less oily during the day, breakouts are at a minimum (and the ones that pop up every now and then go way more quickly than they ever have before), and during a time of month when things are usually super bad, my skin is calmer than ever.
Like I said, I’m kind of freaking out!
I honestly can’t say if this tweak would’ve made a huge difference had I not given up dairy, but I’m happy to report that together these changes are making a huge difference.
The one thing I’ve learned on my journey is that everyone is different. What works for me may not work for the next person (as evident by my ACV disaster). With that being said, I’ll share my progress over the next few months with the hope that my story may help someone else! If anyone knows how painful (in so many ways) acne is, it’s me!
Here’s to clearer skin (fingers crossed)!
Do you suffer from acne? What does your skincare routine look like?
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
December 22, 2014 at 7:54 amI’m glad it’s working!!! I used to have pretty bad skin and I started using proactiv a couple of years ago. It’s funny, because the infomercials made me SO skeptical but it’s totally worked. I barely break out now and my skin is smoother and more even. I’ve ruined almost all of our towels (it bleaches fabric, haha) but at least I’ve got clear skin! 😉
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myinnershakti says
December 23, 2014 at 3:55 pmOh I’ve used Proactiv as well! It worked well for me in high school, college, and even afterwards, but I’ve found that it just doesn’t have the same effect on my skin anymore. I’m glad it’s working for you though!
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says
December 22, 2014 at 8:47 amI use bot every day! Glad to hear they’re working for you. So weird to me to rub oil on my skin, but it works!
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myinnershakti says
December 23, 2014 at 3:54 pmI always think about you when using my Tea Tree oil! You were the one who recommended I check it out! Soo…THANKS!!
Pragati // Simple Medicine says
December 22, 2014 at 8:53 amI have skin issues too and I have to agree with you. My skin looks it’s best when I’m moisturizing with jojoba oil (I do 50/50 jojoba and almond) and limiting my diary. I used to think it was all about the cleansers and the topicals but I never had great skin when I was on those and this routine works much better for me.
The other thing I really like is a clay mask by Aubrey. I use it on spot breakouts.
Pragati // Simple Medicine recently posted…Oh, Hello Christmas
myinnershakti says
December 23, 2014 at 3:53 pmOhh thanks for the mask rec! I’ll check it out.
And I am 100% with you on the topical creams, etc. Despite less than perfect results, I was convinced that they were the only way. Glad to know I’m not the only one who’s had that experience!
Khushboo says
December 22, 2014 at 11:07 pmAh yay I’m so glad this new routine is working for you! Have you ever read Tara’s blog sweatlikeapig.coM? She too is a big fan of jojoba oil for acne! It’s funny how we initially spend so much money on skin products with various chemicals yet ultimately, the natural remedies work best!! I can’t wait to hear more about your dairy-free experiment! After a year of avoiding yogurt, I’ve started to test the waters again and fortunately, this time round it seems to be suiting me fine! I guess my system just needed a break!
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myinnershakti says
December 23, 2014 at 3:52 pmI’ll definitely check out Tara’s blog! Thanks for the rec.
I’m find that as I get older, the natural stuff just appeals to me more – I want to learn more about it and figure out if it will work for me. I’m glad adding back yogurt into your diet is working out! Maybe (fingers crossed) I’ll find the same to be true in a few months time!
dixya | food, pleasure, and health says
December 23, 2014 at 3:35 pmim still on the antibiotics + tarozac regimen which seems to be working better..although it will be nice to get off the meds and try something natural. I am so glad that this new oil concoction is working for ya!!
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myinnershakti says
December 23, 2014 at 3:49 pmGlad it’s working for you, D! Let’s talk in the New Year. If what I’m doing is still working, I’d love to chat to see if it helps you at all too. 🙂
Karuna says
December 23, 2014 at 9:12 pmLike most indian women I suffered from acne most of my life starting when I was 18 yrs old. After menopause I started getting cystic acne which was painful and left scars on my skin. I gave up gluten and dairy becz of heartburn and a very welcome side effect was no more acne. Now I can wear make up and moisturizer too. Also I found a cosmetic brand La mer which is very good for acne prone skin. I know it’s expensive but so worth it. Also aveda works too.Good luck
myinnershakti says
December 27, 2014 at 4:09 pmThanks! I’ll definitely check out that makeup brand. I’m always looking for “sensitive” skin products 🙂
Catherine says
January 26, 2016 at 3:09 amI also have found jojoba and tea tree oil work for me. I do limit my dairy, only organic 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee (except on special occasions). I do better with cream than with milk, but milk especially skim has much more hormone in it than cream. I’ve been using jojoba oil for many years now and I’m in my late 50’s people can’t believe it. I’ve had many women ask me when they found out my age what I use on my skin! Having suffered with break outs since I was 13 until about 10 years ago that is something I never expected! I also had used the Pantothenic acid (B5) routine which changed my life and skin for the better. I made the mistake of not balancing my other vitamins with it so I developed some issues and stopped for a few years. Now if I need to I only take 500 -1000mg of B5 but I balance it with a B-complex, Magnesium and a multi vitamin. I have recently started mixing the tea tree oil with my jojoba and I love the results. I don’t need to supplement with B5 very much anymore. I remove my makeup with it and the only moisturizer I use is the straight jojoba. I have also noticed over the last 15 years that since I only use all natural makeup products (mostly mineral make up) the condition of my skin as far as fine lines are concerned has improved! I have no wrinkles and only minimal signs of aging. You ladies are on the right track with jojoba, now add in only natural cosmetics and minimal sun exposure on your face (and neck!) and you will be glad you did when you are my age!
laura con says
August 1, 2016 at 6:09 pmTea tree oil is very strong in fighting against bacteria because it has strong antibacterials. To use it bare, you can plunge a cotton piece into the oil then place it on the affected skin. ITS VERY STRONG THOUGH – and I have sensitive skin. I like Tea Tree oil mixed in other products. Citrus Clear products use Tea Tree Oil, and I found that the Citrus Clear products worked better than just using plain tea tree oil. Especially cause my skin is so sensitive. No breakouts since I started that routine.
Abhijith says
May 21, 2017 at 6:32 amMy skin is also acne prone oil skin, i am using benzoyl peroxide 2.5%, apparently it keeps my skin dry for atleast 8 hours. Dry skin = no clogging, no acne.
It working good so far, let me try some jojoba oil and tea tree oil for my face and beard, ill see how my skin reacts, hopefully it gets even better.
🙂
Ashley Knighton says
November 18, 2018 at 7:02 pmI know exactly what your saying! I’m 34 with severe cystic acne, the worst possible kind out there! I NEVER had bad skin not even a pimple (that I can remember) before I was 30 and the instinct I turned 30 years old, my nightmare began, my life has changed for the worse, I no longer go out of my house! I’m severely depressed, I hate the way my skin looks!! I’ve tried EVERYTHING!!! I’ve done the creams, medications EVERYTHING but NOTHING has worked actually some of things I’ve been told to use has made it worse!! I’ve been doing ALOT of research on the internet which brings me to your article. It’s so funny bc before I read your article I have recently bought jojoba oil and tea tree oil and today is the first time I’ve tried it together! It literally set my face on fire… What am I doing wrong? I want this to work so badly I hope that I didn’t do something right so that I still have a chance at this!! Please help me thank you!!
Rachel says
January 3, 2019 at 7:12 pmYour ratio of jojoba oil to tea tree oil may be off. I believe you only need a few drops of the tea tree oil in several teaspoons of jojoba oil.?
MoisesSawicki says
December 30, 2018 at 11:36 pmTea tree oil works for acne not just the pimple. If you are using it for the occasional pimple, put a little bit of tea tree oil on a Q-tip and apply it to the pimple. Tea tree oil anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. It is used to for a number of things, including bad breath, athlete’s foot, cold sores, body odor and acne. It is safe to use tea tree oil as a treatment for whiteheads and blackheads.
Make a tea tree oil mask to help acne. tea tree oil can be applied to your skin two to three times daily for best results.
Natasha Garcia says
January 10, 2019 at 1:55 amI haven’t broken out in over 10yrs. Suddenly I have been getting tiny cystic acne and bumps that takes weeks to see a change or begin healing and itch/burn all the time. The only thing new in my routine is drinking a tablespoon of Apple cider vinegar every night for 3 months. I have had biotin pills but it did not effect me when I started last spring. Just now this fall I have had problems. I wonder if Tea tree oil mixed with olive oil will work if I stop drinking ACV
Adzomani Gifty says
May 11, 2019 at 11:55 amI have been battling with severe acne more than two years now n nothing seem to work, have use money in many treatment but all to no avail. So I will try ur treatment to see if it will health me
Deepashree says
January 31, 2020 at 4:00 amAm Glad that you healed from Acne. Am fighting with Acne from past 7 years and i have started using tea tree+Jojoba oil in the night time. Hemp seed oil in the morning as moisturizer. hope this works for me. Thanks for sharing the tips. God bless all people suffering from Acne and give them clear skin. Thank you 🙂
Deanna Fugett says
August 21, 2020 at 1:08 pmI have been using jojoba oil for a couple months, and while my skin looks better, I still get acne. I heard tea tree oil can help acne so I’m glad I found this blog. I’m gonna start mixing in a few drops of tea tree to the jojoba and see if it helps. Glad it helped you!