Honey: Possible Acne Cure

Yes, a natural product like honey is actually a superb acne fighter! I’ve tried this myself and all I can say is… IT BLOODY WORKS!

Honey is soothing, moisturizing and has natural antibacterial properties. Instead of regular honey, you can also consider Manuka honey (think of it as a super honey). Whichever you decide to get, I’d recommend choosing one that is raw and unpasteurised as this ensures that the honey is not heated above a certain temperature and thus maintains all its original goody goodness.

Manuka honey is obtained from the nectar collected by bees that feed on manuka trees. This type of honey has natural antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiseptic, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties (Whew! What a sentence!). Manuka honey’s antibacterial activity is due mainly to hydrogen peroxide gradually being released by the enzyme glucose oxidase. Whilst most honeys naturally contain this peroxide activity, Manuka honey also has a unique antimicrobial activity known as non-peroxide activity.

When purchasing Manuka honey, it is also important to note the UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) or NPA (Non Peroxide Activity, but this is less commonly used) rating. These ratings measure the level of antibacterial activity in Manuka honey; the higher the number, the greater the antibacterial activity. To fight acne, look out for a UMF or NPA rating of between 10 to 18.

From my observation, there are Manuka honeys with UMF ratings as high as 25 but I think this is overkill. Not only will it burn a huge painful hole in your wallet, Manuka honeys with such high ratings also increase the potential for it to irritate your skin. (I also read that some sellers may add antibiotics to the honey to boost the UMF rating artificially! So past a certain UMF I don’t trust it)

You can find this at certain Unity Pharmacies in Singapore

 This is the honey I use and I’m very happy with it. You can see from the label that the honey is ‘Active 15%’. I know it doesn’t have a UMF rating but it works. Also, it’s the only Manuka honey I came across thus far that is labelled raw, unpasteurized and organic. The label also states that the honey is extracted at room temperature, so no high heat involved, wonderful!

How to use?

Face cleanser – Simply dampen your face with water, scoop out a chunk of honey and

 massage it around. Once you’re done, rinse off. (Note: not a good makeup remover 
 so use a separate one)

Mask – On a clean face, spread the honey evenly onto your skin and leave for as long

as you want. Rinse off when done. (Honey is most effective for acne fighting   

when it is left in contact on your skin for as long as possible. Try to use it for

at least day and night for 10 mins each time)

Moisturizer - Mix the honey with an aloe vera gel or your moisturizer and apply it as you would a
                      normal moisturizer. (Surprisingly when I did it like this, it really helped to keep even  
                      cystic acne at bay after the initial purge but does not get rid or prevent clogged pores)

Using manuka honey as a mask or in my moisturizer gave me clear skin after about 2 months of daily use. This is a treatment that works in the long term, and yet does not have side effects! I prefer mixing it in my moisturizer though as using it as a mask every morning and night for 10 min can be a hassle after some time. 

Be warned though that honey will cause purging so your acne will probably get worse before it gets better.

Pros:
- It does work to fight and prevent acne
- Gentle on the skin and won't harm or disrupt your natural acid mantle, so no side effects.
- Moisturizing
- Can be used as a spot treatment for painful pimples
- One jar of honey can last a loooonngg time so if you work it out it's cheap
- Is completely natural with no harmful chemicals or toxins!

Cons:
- Takes a long time (can be several months) before you see the final effects, patience is key.
- Messy and may attract ants
- Does not remove makeup when used as a cleanser
- Will most likely cause purging. All the underlying pimples/blackheads/whiteheads you never knew you had are gonna rear their ugly heads. This is definitely a treatment where it will get worse before it gets better. Duration and extent of purging depends on how bad your skin condition is.

This is not a treatment for the weak hearted! 

Hope you found this useful!

Sweet dreams,

PockMarkFats

Sources:

http://www.manukahoney.co.uk/article1.html

http://www.jmbfs.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/suliman_jmbfs_0085.pdf

Charcoal Powder to Spot Treat Your Pimples

Hello my lovelies!

This will be my first product review and good news for you guys, it’s something that is easily accessible and also very cheap! This product that I’ve recently tried out is… … Charcoal powder! Yayyy!!!

I came across this remedy whilst surfing the net (as with most of my other remedies) and it says to look for activated charcoal as it attracts toxins and impurities, hence drawing these harmful substances from our body. Some people also consume charcoal to cleanse internally but I only used it on my skin. Note that activated charcoal is charcoal that has been treated and purified. I won't be held responsible if you use normal BBQ charcoal!!!

Activated charcoal powder can be purchased online from some websites but most of these are based in USA. I was reluctant to fork out $$$ (I sho pooorrr!!!) for overseas shipping and was pleasantly surprised to find it at Watsons in Singapore. 

Ultracarbon tables: Selling at $4.50 per box (20 tables)

Norit: selling at $8.90 per box (30 capsules)

As you can see from the box, these pills are meant to be consumed for diarrhoea, food poisoning or flatulence (Teehee!).

The Ultracarbon version has 20 black tablets that have to be crushed into a powder. What I did was to use a spoon to pound all the tables into a powder. Also, the box states 'medicinal' charcoal so I'm not sure if it is 'activated' but it should work as well. For the brand Norit, the box contains 30 capsules with activated charcoal powder in them so there's no need to do any crushing. Simply split open the capsules!

What used to be a biscuit jar of some sort... ...

So to use charcoal powder to spot treat, just take a pinch of the powder and drip a small amount of water to turn it into a paste. Apply the paste on your pimple (make sure it’s a relatively thick layer) and leave it on till it dries. Once you’re ready to remove it, wash it off with warm water. Easy right??

I find that this remedy works really well for those large pimples that are really painful to the touch and lie under the skin. Use this spot treatment the moment you feel the pimple appearing and it will get rid of it in around 3 nightly applications! It doesn’t work as well on clogged pores or small pimples though. You can use this treatment as an all-over mask but I find that the black charcoal sticks to sebum plugs and is really hard to wash off, so I had to really dig at the plugs to get rid of the charcoal (this is for the Ultracarbon brand as it is the one I tested, not sure if the other brand Norit does the same but I read that it does not stain).

*you can also use bamboo charcoal which has the same cleansing properties but does not leave black stains on your skin. I've never tried this but if you have it would be helpful if you could comment on how well it worked!

Give this spot treatment a shot and let me know how you go!

Hugs,

PockMarkFats