Are you trying to treat your acne on a low budget but think it is impossible? Here comes the good news: it is possible to achieve by using acne soap.
If you are suffering from acne or have ever suffered from acne, you know how painful and frustrating it can be. Acne treatment requires that you give extra time and attention to your skin care routine.
Rough scrubbing will not decrease oil production and it would make your acne problem worse. Rather, keep your skin protected by using an acne soap. This works effectively without causing harm.
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Factors to Consider When Selecting Acne Soap
There are numerous acne soaps available in the market and selecting the ideal one for you can be difficult. Here are a few pointers to help you…
Brands
Ensure that you take into consideration the brand of the particular acne soap that you want to buy. A good brand of acne soap always has the necessary and required quality ingredients which are safe for the skin.
Take note: It can be very difficult to spot the fake acne soap from the original ones. To prevent this, it is advisable you buy your antibiotic acne soap from a retailer you know and trust.
The best place to purchase them would be a mall because most malls have official brands outlets.
Skin Type
If you are still confused about what type of skin you have, kindly visit a dermatologist. Why does this matter? Your skin has an influence on how well this type of soap will function.
Here are some tips that can help you determine your skin type:
Is your skin scaly, rough or even flaky? It is likely that you have dry skin.
Have you noticed your skin is greasy or shiny, with large pores? Those are signs of oily skin.
Does your skin has both dry and oily areas? You have combination skin type.
Do you feel your skin is clear, balanced and has no undue sensitivity? It is likely you have normal skin.
If you have oily skin, select an acne soap that contains moisturizers and citrus oil. For oily skin: it is important that you choose an acne soap that do not dry out the skin.
People with dry skin should select acne soap with oil-based cleanser or milk-based cleanser to keep your skin from drying.
Those with sensitive skin should avoid acne soap that contains fragrance or alcohol. They should rather look for calming ingredients like green tea, chamomile, polyphenols and aloe. Take note: some ingredients like lipoic acid salicylic acid, glycolic acid are skin irritants for sensitive skin.
Ingredients
It should contain acne treatment ingredients such as salicylic acid, sodium sulfacetamide, benzoyl peroxide and argan oil. These active ingredients are known to clear acne.
Salicylic acid clears blocked pores and reduces the chances of your skin getting swollen and red.
Sodium sulfacetamide prevents the growth of acne causing bacteria.
Benzoyl peroxide exfoliates the skin and kills bacteria causing acne.
Argan oil helps in decreasing sebum production in the skin.
Take note: the best acne soaps are those made from plant-based oils.
Price
If price is a concern when choosing acne soap, have no worries. Rest assured that you can get good results with a generic product from a discount store. How effective an acne soap would be has less to do with cost than the ingredients.
Always remember when it comes to acne soap, it is all about the ingredients.
Check out these interesting acne product reviews/articles:
Neutrogena Rapid Clear Oil-Eliminating Foaming Acne Facial Cleanser – In-depth Review
AcneFree 24 Hour Severe Acne Clearing System – Detailed Review
Bioré Warming Anti-Blackhead Cleanser – Detailed Review
Neutrogena Naturals Acne Foaming Facial Scrub – In-depth Review
Clean and Clear® Oil-free Pore Cleanser Daily Acne Face Wash – In-depth Review
Neutrogena Oil-free Pink Grapefruit Acne Face Wash – In-depth Review
Tips to Get the Best Shopping Experience
Get a Good Bargain
An acne soap that may be sold for high price in one location may be gotten at lower price in another location. Take note: It is not how much you spend that is important but how well it works.
Know Your Type of Skin
If your skin is oily for example, select an acne soap that will not dry out your skin. Natural products are best in such cases. Buy one that will give you skin supple. And one that contains tea tree oil is great.
Why does this matter? Tea tree heals infection and inflammation; it fights against acne without causing dryness or other skin reactions.
Avoid Toxic Ingredients
Some acne soaps available contain toxic ingredients such as fragrance oils and synthetic chemicals. Choose one that contains natural ingredients which would soften, soothe and hydrate your skin.
One beneficial ingredient you should look for in acne soap is jojoba oil. Jojoba oil mimics your natural sebum; it dissolves pore clogging sebum and restores pH balance to the skin.
Don’t Rely on the Term Non-comedogenic
There are many such products you would come across that have the term non-comedogenic. Seeing this term is no guarantee that it is safe because there is no regulated standard associated with it.
Here is why: there are other ingredients that can make the soap heavy and cause acne.
Check for the pH of the Acne Soap
You should look out for the pH of the soap before selecting it. Acne soap with a high pH is usually alkaline and would cause dryness and irritation to the skin.
Look Out for Spelling Errors
A trusted brand will never ever commit any spelling mistake on the packaging of their product. Be careful when you look at brand names, as fake products have similar names.
Read Reviews
Conduct a research to check if people have recommended your choice of acne soap. You can get reviews from blogs, magazines and other places you may know.
Check the pros and cons of the brand, and then make your choice if it something suitable for you. This will help you avoid buying ineffective product.
How to Get the Most from Using Acne Soap
Choose the Right Cleanser
Using the right cleansers can help you rid your skin of bacteria that are found in the hair follicles, which cause acne. They can remove dead cells from your skin surface, making your acne soap work effectively.
Choose cleansers that contain emollients such as lanolin, mineral oil and ceramides.
Humectants like glycerin will also help your skin lock in moisture.
Apply Moisturizers
The skin produces natural oil but it is not the same as hydration. It is advisable that you use moisturizers after using an acne soap. This is because acne soaps cause dryness. But moisturizers increase the water content in the skin. They also prevent water loss.
Wear Sunscreen
Using acne soap is not enough. You need to protect your skin from more damage by using sunscreen.
Use a sunscreen that has broad-spectrum SPF value of 30 or more because they offer protection against both UVA and UVB radiation.
Take note: a water or light-based sunscreen is suitable for acne-prone skin.
That is not all; limit the time you spend in the sun especially during the sun peak period. The sun peak period is between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm.
Exfoliate Your Skin Mildly
Exfoliating your skin sloughs away dead skin cells, unclogs pores and removes the bacteria that cause acne. But on acne-prone skin, you need to do this mildly.
Here is how to exfoliate mildly: With a clean fingertip, make a lather of soap. Apply it to your skin mildly. Take note: the longer you leave the soap on, the more likely it is to irritate the skin.
A few minutes after application, rinse off with warm water. Then pat your face with dry towel.
Clean Your Face Every Night
It is important to wash your face before sleeping so that your skin can breathe. Wash your palm before applying soap to your face. Create a lather while carefully rubbing in circular motion.
Take note: focus on your forehead, nose and chin (T-zone).
Consistency
Continuously use one soap for at least four weeks to get your desired results. Changing it every few days may seem useful but that approach can worsen acne. How?
Switching to new acne soap frequently can irritate your skin, causing new breakouts.
Additionally, if you notice improvements, stick to that particular acne soap. And even when you see results, continue to apply an acne soap to prevent new breakouts.
