Fight Breakouts with a Tea Tree, Witch Hazel & Argan Oil Treatment

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If you're suffering from an acne flair up, or if you just can’t seem to break the viscous cycle of over the counter drying acne products, I highly recommend trying out this acne treatment. Recently I had been experiencing random break outs, likely from the stress of planning my wedding, losing a parent, balancing my job, etc. The stress and changes in my diet and workout routine were taking a terrible toll on my face.

I normally get the occasional hormonal breakout on my skin, but for some reason this wasn’t my usual bought of a handful of pimples. I noticed the texture of my skin was more oily and less bright, and what I didn’t want was to start the cycle of “chasing” my skin issues with product after product that wouldn’t work. Usually when we see a break out, the first thing we do is try to spot treat it with really harsh ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, which wind up drying out our skin, irritating it and in the end it causes MORE oil production to counteract that.
That’s why long ago I gave up using dermatologist prescribed, super harsh, drying creams and lotions. The issue with acne or break outs isn’t the oil, the oil is natural and the oil is good for your skin. The real problem is the bacteria and clogged pores with bacteria, oil, dirt and all that other gunk that gets stuck in them.

So after awhile I started to look into more natural methods to clear my skin. Recently I've become interested in the effects of essential oils, carrier oils and witch hazel for my skin. For years I have used witch hazel as a toner. It helped to remove excess dirt and oil, even after I had washed my face. I would put it on a cotton pad and be surprised by how much more stuff came off my face. Witch hazel doesn’t sting or burn and it doesn’t dry your face out either.
I like to use the witch hazels by Thayer’s, which you can find online, in some drug stores or specialty health food stores. They are always under $10 and a bottle will last you a long time. For this treatment, I used the witch hazel with aloe vera, which has a soothing effect on the skin and helps with inflammation (the culprit behind the acne you see). Do you remember as a child your mom ever using aloe vera leaves on you for sun burn or a bad cut?
I wanted to take using the witch hazel up a notch and then made a blend for my skin that would help to clean the skin, reduce bacteria, clear and tighten my pores, and moisturize all at the same time. So the witch hazel was used to clean/tone and the aloe would help with the inflammation. Next up I threw in a few drops of pure tea tree oil. I had read and heard for years that tea tree oil was great to spot treat pimples, but I was curious to see how it would work for everyday use.
I didn’t want it to over dry my skin or sting (which it can if applied directly to the face without any carrier oils or being diluted with water). Tea tree oil has been shown in studies to work better for clearing and battling acne than harsh benzoyl peroxide. The trick is not to over use it, or it can dry the skin and cause it to produce even more oil. So in order to balance that out, I decided to add a few drops of pure argan oil to my mix.
Argan oil has so many great moisturizing skin benefits, which can be used in dry hair, dry cuticle, dry skin…the list goes on and on. Just make sure you are buying 100% pure argan oil (which can be pricier) not a blend of other filler ingredients.

How to make your acne fighting cleanser mix

To make my mix I bought a large pump dispenser, similar to what you see at a nail salon for nail polish remover. This helps me to make one big batch and not have to take out 3 bottles every time I cleanse my face. This is stored in my bathroom next to a mason jar of cotton pads. I prefer the pads to the balls as they seem to glide better over the skin.
In the container I add:

• 75% to fill with the witch hazel
• 15 drops of tea tree oil
• 8-10 pumps of the argan oil

I apply this to my face when I wake up in the morning before I put any make up on. It removes any residue or oils from sleeping over night. It's great because it cleans the skin but the argan oil also helps to moisturize and keeps my skin from producing excess oil during the day. I also use this at night after washing my face. It will have a bit of a smell to it, which comes from the tea tree oil, but it fades within a few minutes as the mix dries into your skin.
Your skin will NOT feel greasy, sticky or oily. It will feel clean, fresh and actually a bit tighter as it tightens up the pores. If you would like to apply your usual nightly moisturizing cream, you may do so after this has set and dried into your skin. You might also want to follow up with just another drop of the argan oil and pat that into the skin as well (argan oil is so good for your skin).
I've been doing this for a few days now, and already I feel a difference in the production of oil in my skin, the redness and also the prevention of new break outs. If you're suffering from acne and are looking to try a more natural approach, you may want to to invest in doing this as part of your daily skin care routine. Let me know how it works out for you if you do try it out.

Ingredients To Purchase:
1. 100% Pure Tea Tree Oil
Ingredients: Distilled entirely from the leaves of the Australian Tea Tree, Melaleuca alternifolia 100% pure, antiseptic, Minimum 30% Terpinen-4-01, No greater than 10% Cineole
2. Thayers Alcohol Free Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera
Indications
Acne, Dry Skin Moisturization, Oily Skin, Skin Conditions
Ingredients
Purified water, aloe barbadensis leaf juice (certified organic filet of aloe vera), glycerin (vegetable), hamamelis virginiana (THAYERS proprietary un-distilled witch hazel) extract, citric acid, citrus grandis (grapefruit) seed extract, and tocopheryl (vitamin E) acetate.
3. Pure Moroccan Argan Oil
IngredientsUSDA certified organic argan oil (100% pure) body, hair and face treatment.