Why Your Organic Skincare Is Failing In Treating Acne
Hype is lame. It distracts us from the analytical process and leaves us with purchasing habits that directly conflict with our goals. We are soover the organic skin care hype, at least when it comes to acne. Some of the most severe, cystic, inflamed acne I have ever seen in my acne clinic are due to organic products; from sunscreens to moisturizers, conditioners, and body washes.
Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap is a common offender. Almost all of the patients we see are experiencing a new level of frustration in trying to manage their skin; its the absolutely maddening experience of changing your ways for the better, opting for natural, organic, seemingly “better” products to aid us in healing our
skin. Because we know that nature is inherently good, we therefore think natural items must be good. Or at least better than the drugstore stuff. Totally normal next step, but here’s why organic items are making your acne worse.
“Organic” just means there’s a carbon molecule present. Ask Walter White, he’ll concur.
Gasoline is technically organic, friends. And organic coconut oil will just give you organic pimples. Know what else is totally “natural?” Mold. Bacteria. Puppy poop. Natural doesn’t mean jack, especially in topical products as the laws for “Organic” are VERY different for food items.
No matter where you purchased a skincare item or how many five-star reviews it got, you must crafter your skincare regimen with as few items as needed (generally 4) and use a process of elimination for YOUR skin climate. (Climate = Your Skin Type + Your Physical Environment ).
Identical twins experience different levels of acne due to something as innocuous as having different breakfast habits. (Seriously). So take 5 minutes to cross check your skin, body, and hair products against the list of pore-clogging ingredients we provided you. Check any new products BEFORE you buy or use them so you don’t waste your time, your skin, or your money again.
Common Acne Triggers Found in Organic / Natural Products:
Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Myristic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Olive/Apricot Oil, Algae, Kelp, Plankton, Algin, Soybean Oil (Soja), Flaxseed, Linseed, Ethylhexyl Palmitate
TIP: The word “extract” is generally code for oil. So if you see “Soja Extract”, that’s soybean oil.
If It Smells Delicious, You’ll Just End Up Having Deliciously Huge Acne, No Matter How “Organic”
Have you ever been to the whole foods skincare section? Organic, expensive and delicious smelling ingredients will make you think you are in heaven of organic skincare. Worst of all, it will give you false hope that if you use it, you will say Goodbye to your acne once and for all. Wrong! A word of advice from our experts who have seen some of the worst acne from “all natural” skin care: if it smells good, it will only give you good smelling acne.
Ingredients such as coconut oil, essential oils, shea butter and the like, are some of the worst offenders. Yes, they smell delicious and are great for a range of uses, however, not for your acne prone skin. The worst part is that these ingredients penetrate into the pores quickly and clog them for months to come. In some cases it can take 3-6 months to get clear after using some of the most “organic” and “delicious” smelling skincare products.
And some of your friends will tell you: “I use those ingredients all the time and my skin is glowing.” But are these friends prone to acne like you? Most definitely not.
What we are saying is that some people can put pretty much anything on their face and get away with it. But if YOUR SKIN is ACNE PRONE, it’s a whole different game.
This is why we take a comprehensive approach to treating acne by following inside-out and outside-in anti-acne treatments and regiments. What doe this mean? Let’s go over it.
Inside Out Approach to Acne Treatment:
The inside out approach means that it’s not just what you are putting on your face, hair and body, it is also about what you are putting into your body. So yes, there is such a thing as anti-acne diet and the best anti acne foods to eat. Here is short an overview of what you should be eating:
Low-Glycemic Foods: this means stay away from sugar processed sugar. And even too much natural sugar. You want to go for low sugar and natural. Example: berries.
Good Fats: Omega 3 and good fats such as coconut oil. Yes! Not to be confused with putting coconut oil on your face. While coconut oil is good to digest, it is very dangerous to use on your acne prone skin.
Quality Protein: Salmon and grass-fed meats are great to eat. But keep in mind this is when you actually do want to go as natural and as organic as possible.
Hydrate: water is your best friend! Always!
Outside In Approach to Acne Treatment
Now let’s get back to your skin and all the products you are putting on your face and body. And yes, your hair conditioner could be breaking you out. We wrote a blog on this that you can read here. Also, your lotions, shampoos, make up and everything you like to put on any part of your body. It travels to your face and breaks you out.
The best approach to topical acne treatment are ingredients that do not clog pores and are anti-bacterial as well as anti-inflammatory, and also promote healthy cell turnover. One of our favorites is mandelic acid. In addition we have developed a one-of-a-kind stem cell, anti-acne, anti-aging product that will keep your skin clear from acne, aging,and it is the best face serum for acne scars. CLEARSTEM will not only help you get clear, but it will help heal your skin, decrease inflammation and combat aging.
For a list of dangerous pore clogging ingredients, please see our Pore Clogging Ingredients List. Take it with you. Check all of your products and get rid of anything that has any of these pore clogging ingredients.
