SPOTS - The word that haunts us all.

StainCast · 27-12-2006, 08:00 PM

Everybody gets spots. No matter how much you cleanse, how much you scrub, and no matter how much rubbish you buy from your local superdrug.

Below i've posted a few tips on how to prevent the build up of grease/ oil, and still retain the same moisture that your face needs.

Please ensure you read the labels on all cleaning lotions etc, and ensure that you are not allergic to any of the ingredients.

1.) Don't be afraid of cleanser.
A good cleanser can go a long way. Somthing like Avon's ClearSkin face cleanser, or Johnson + Johnson's Clean and Clear Cleanser (My personal favourite). If your face is really greasy, or you work around cars, or outdoors i suggest using the Avon Cleanser as it is stronger. However if spots aren't such a big deal for you, stick with the milder (but still effective) Johnson + Johnson's.
Ensure that your hair is clean, dry, and out of your face. Take a piece of cotton wool, and apply the cleanser. Rub the cottom wool over the areas of your face where there appears to be alot of spots. Try to go over the whole of your face as this will minimise the risk of the leftover oil spreading further. Repeat this untill you have worked the cotton wool over the whole of your face (You may change the cotton wool half way through if your face is very oily.) If you want to know how to completely dry up blackheads/ spots etc. Continue to step 2.

2.) Allow your face to recover. This should take around 10 minutes. !!IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE AT THIS TIME. THIS WILL SIMPLY REAPPLY THE OIL THAT IS IN THE PORES OF YOUR FINGERS!! Once your face has been left alone for 10 minutes, take some tea tree oil. I love tea tree oil as there are so many uses for it. It can be used to stop bleeding, to fight bad breath, as an ingredient in shampoo, or to stop the odour of smelly feet! :p Take the tea tree oil, and spread some generously over a wad of cotton wool. Rub this over the face, but keep it AWAY from your eyes, as it WILL make your eyes sting and water if contact occurs. If contact does occur, ensure you have a piece of dry cotton wool to wipe your eyes, or perhaps a cloth in clean, warm water. It will not damage your eyes but it can hurt alot. Rub the tea tree oil over your face, and leave it to soak in. After one or two minutes of the tea tree oil soaking in, your face MAY start to sting a little. This is normal + this will not damage your face in any way. Tea tree oil can be used on any face type, but it is not advised that you use it on dry/ damaged skin.

3.) DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE! It is essential that you do NOT touch your face. Everytime you touch your face you add oil to the pores on your skin. These oils block the pores and form the red bump that you know as an "icky spot". I would therefore advise, that you should try not to touch your face in the daytime.
DO NOT USE THE TEA TREE OIL MORE THAN ONCE EVERY 3 DAYS. The tea tree oil is a very old, strong natural lotion. It is not in anyway dangerous to your skin, but if you use it too frequently, it WILL try out your pores and cause it to be very sore and irritable. Do not use it more than once every 3 days, and consider even less if you have very delicate skin.

IF YOUR SKIN BECOMES TOO DRY/ YOU USE THE TEA TREE OIL TOO OFTEN:

Don't keep washing your face. The water will dry your face up even more. Instead, find some moisturiser. Body shop is very good. I use "cucumber cleansing milk". Other good products are the Marks and Spencers Body Moisture creams, or Avon. Any creams will do, but they may take longer to work. Apply this to your face every night before you go to bed, and then ensure you wash your face the morning after. Continue this process until your skin feels and looks moist enough again. However if you followed the steps above as i stated, you should not have to result to this.

Tea tree oil is especially good for those tiny, pesky blackheads that form around your nose, or under your nose. It's honestly, the potion of the beauty gods.

Enjoy, and if you have any more questions then please feel free to PM me. I'm a cleaning freak lols.

Love Jo x