Acne, Rosacea, Psoriasis Oh MY!

All these years I’ve had terrible skin.

Cystic acne, ingrown hairs, rosacea and psoriasis have all haunted me. I’ve never had one day of clear skin. Not until this past year when I started making my own remedies. I would spend hours doing my makeup or refuse to go out because I was so embarrassed by the bumps and scars that littered not just my face, but my entire body. Neck, back and shoulders, arms, even my legs! Nothing seemed to stay sacred. 

I tried diet changes and exercise, big brands like Proactive, No Zit Sherlock, Curology. I even had medications from the dermatologist that gave me facial hair and vertigo. Needless to say NOTHING worked. It all seemed to make it worse or I was allergic to the method. I used to think that if the product stung and itched and hurt, that, whatever chemicals were used in the product were finally working. My skin became so abused that chemical burns and acne scars became my norm...

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Most people reach their 20s and suddenly their skin clears up. All the adolescent hormones have taken a break from raging and magically you're supposed to develop pristine skin that emulates the whole youth and beauty shtick. I reached my 20s and it just got worse.I was a hairy, red bumpy mess. I had developed kidney and ovarian problems from the medications prescribed by the dermatologist. My constant was being sick and depressed. All I wanted to do was put a bag over my head and hide. So I did. I stopped going out, stopped socializing and let myself become a hermit. I figured no one could see me be gross if I was isolated and alone.

The best thing I ever did for myself was throw out all the broken promises. The bottles and the creams and the pills that promised perfection. After a few months of not having any of that crap I started to notice a change. My skin was less oily, my acne was less cystic and more manageable. I still had a bit of a beard but I figured I could hack it. I cancelled all my subscriptions to acne moguls and started doing research on natural skincare.After talking to my mother about my skin she told me about my fathers skin conditions and genetics, turns out I got all these conditions from him. Learning that I had rosacea and psoriasis put huge chunks of the puzzle together. Now that I had all the facts, I could begin to take control of my life. 

Masks became my best friends. I remembered that as a little girl at sleepovers we would make concoctions of sugar, honey and yogurt to slather on our faces. Why should now be any different? At first I started making these DIY food masks with ingredients like oatmeal and ripe avocado. Or using apple cider vinegar as a toner. Some of my experiments works and others were a waste of resources. The ones that worked kept me going. The ones that failed taught me lessons.

It’s been almost a year now that I started this personal journey of self care. I started experimenting with melt and pour soap thinking I’d just make a couple gifts for mi familia. Then I got curious about the process and started making my own face bars from scratch. It was a toss up. I threw things in like activated charcoal and tea tree oil cause I read somewhere they would be good for acne and prayed I didn’t just waste all my money. I knew that chemicals and I couldn’t be friends so I went the organic route and used what was in my kitchen. A little olive oil, a dash of coffee grinds and voila, the Briar Rose acne bar  was born. Within a week I had clear skin.

Thats right, a week.