I’ve been asked this question a lot by acne sufferers, especially teenage acne sufferers. What skincare products should acne sufferers be using and what are the best recommendations for cleansing the skin.
Everybody has their own preference, and something may work better for you. But these are the products that I have used which I know for a fact have not and will not make me breakout.
Here is my video:
Here are the links I refer to in the video:
- Dermalogica Ultracalming Cleanser (my old favorite cleanser, this is a really good one)
- Banalasta hydrating day cream
- Cetaphil (US)
- Cetaphil (Australia)
Fran Kerr is the founding editor of High on Health. To cure your acne, sign up to Fran's FREE acne cure mini-course or download her latest how to guide, Eat Away Your Acne.
43 responses ↓
I have been getting good results with Aveeno Oatmeal Soap. Do you have anything to say about using oatmeal on the skin?
Hi Andy, I’ve written a blog article about oatmeal here:
http://www.highonhealth.org/easy-oatmeal-recipes-for-homemade-facial-skin-care/
Thanks for your comment!
What is the name of the natural cleanser you mentioned in the beginning? Thanks for all the tips!
Oh, the first one I menion is actually the dermalogica one, it’s not a natural product but it’s great.
Fran
Ana,
Fran mentioned a natural cleanser from Miessence, I’m thinking of getting that one myself, I just bought the Miessence Purifying Blemish Gel, and I’m testing that out first, I got mine from here: http://www.theorganicsalon.com/detail.php?id=80
as I live in the UK, they do free samples with every order and I get 10% off on my next order.
Tegen
^ Thanks! I was asking about the MiEssence. I’ve tried Dermalogica products (both for normal and acneic skin) and they just did nothing for me. For the past few years I have been sticking to natural products and that seems to work best.
I use “Toleriane Facial Fluid” (which you can get in France, Germany (pharmacy), the US (www.laroche-posay.us) - I don’t know about Oz and other places) and it’s the only moisturizer I’ve ever used twice. They use it in acne treatment clinics over here because apparently, you can’t go more anti-allergic & anti-breakout than it.
It’s expensive and doesn’t have an SPF (I put a gel on for that), but it feels like nothing on my skin, keeps it moist, and I have used it for almost two years now.
Wow Maria, that sounds like a great product, I might look into it - thanks!
thanks for the recommendations fran! do you use a separate product for removing makeup? i’m currently cleansing my face with cetaphil but i find that it takes me forever to completely get the makeup off.
Hi Lexi, I’ve just found a product which is now my new favorite cleanser EVER and it’s magic at getting makeup off. I have stubborn mascara that I used to have to almost scrub at, but this gets it all of so gently. It’s not a natural product, that’s the only bad part. It’s called Philosophy Purity Made Simple.
HI Fran! I was wondering what do you think of shu uemura oil cleansers? Do you think they be safe for acne skin? Oil desolves oil right? I Also like the idea of how they remove really strong sunscreen without having to scrub your skin. I was also wondering why do you have to wash your face in the morning? I only wash my face at night in the shower and it looks way better, when I used to wash in the morning to shave it would get all red and irritated now I use a electric shaver and its way better. My face will never touch water in the morning ever again! You girls are so lucky that you don’t have to shave, but yes I would love to know your opinion on Shu uemura. BTW the main oil in the cleanser is mineral oil, I personally never really had any negative reactions to this oil when I put it on my face I used to put aquaphor on my face beacuse its soooo dry and that has mineral oil in it. Now I use coconut oil is that good or bad? Sorry for going on so long.
Hi Zack, look them up on makeupalley.com
You can just wash your face at night if you want. Sometimes it’s good to wash all the dead skin cells and stuff off, but overwashing can be bad too so do whatever you think is best for your skin.
Mineral oil is controversial. It should be okay because it’s non-comedogenic so it won’t clog your pores. Coconut oil on the other hand may possibly. I found coconut oil too aggravating for my skin.
Hi, has anyone tried the ‘Ginale’ skin care range created by Chris Gibson (author of Acne Free in 3 days)? He created it with the help of a dermatologist and it is all natural. Just wondering if anyone has tried it and how they found it, and how it might compare to Miessence?
Hey Fran, I’ve been using the Cetaphil for the past few months now, adding a little baking soda to it for exfoliation purposes (there is so much dead skin to be rubbed off, I find). Do you think this is damaging my skin? I thought maybe it prepped it better for the moisterzer, but I’m not sure. Thanks!
Hi Liza, adding baking-soda to cetaphil is a REALLY great way to exfoliate, so if it’s working for you keep it up! I actually wrote about this tip in one of my newsletter emails
Cetaphil and baking-soda is very popular with some of the top makeup artists, they swear by it.
Hi Fran. Just purchased Purity @ Sephora here in CT - USA. It was only $21.00. Hope it works!
I’m having bad whitehead breakouts on my forehead and all throughout the day my forehead always itches, would that be considered sensitive skin? I’m trying Rachel Perry Tangerine Dream and Alba Botanica but they don’t really have a product for sensitive, but I don’t know if I have sensitive skin? THANKS!
Hi GABe, I’m not entirely sure. Sensitive skin seems to react to whatever you put onto it..so it could be. If your forehead is always itchy, it may be a good idea to visit a doctor or dermatologist.
By whitehead do you mean like blackheads but they’re white? Or do you mean inflamed pimples with a white pussy head?
If it’s the first one, I recommend a product that contains salicylic acid. Paula’s Choice BHA products are good, but not natural.
Have a look up on http://www.makeupalley.com to see if the products you’re using have been reviewed, it’s good to see what others have to say about them.
Yeah they’re inflamed with white pussy head and they just show up really fast . I’ve tried Burts bees , Rachel Perry, Alba cleansers and lotions and they’ve all made me breakout with the inflamed pimples on my forehead and sides of my nose but nowhere else
hi i was wondering what you thought about the facial cleanser “purpose” i was told to use that. Do you think it’s a good product???
And another thing what tips do you have for dryness around the eye area where uts very sensitive at. because my eyeslids and undereye are very dry and it makes me look dull and old. Any advice??????
thanks
Hi Ashley, look up the product on http://www.makeupalley.com for reviews from others that have tried it. I haven’t actually heard of it.
For dryness around the eyes it’s great to use an eye cream. There are heaps of natural alternatives available so have a look next time you’re at your local health store. When you’re applying the cream, make sure you lightly dab with your fingers, don’t rub your eye area because this skin is very delicate, and over rubbing or stretching the skin there can lead to eye bags and wrinkles.
Hi Fran,
I had acne problem for 7 years already, trying many ways to clear them but failed all the time. I just tried proactiv for two days and today I found you on youtube which I found that you are my angel warning me of how bad proactiv are, which I actually experienced that too. I couldn’t sleep last night cause proactiv made my skin very itchy and hurt all night so that I had to wash my face during the night. I will follow your natural ways (Thank you very much) I have one questions? I want to buy what you have but it’s in Australia. I live in New Zealand and I found this website selling natural product too. Can you advice me whether I should buy or not (please help me take a look at their ingredient whether it’s safe and natural or not).
http://www.beewild.com/product_id/8/acne+treatment.html
Thank you Fran, you helped and educate me a lot. I hope I can clear up my skin soon.
ps. I love you cause you love animals, so do I….
Hi kanyakit,
There’s a great New Zealand natural skin care line called Trilogy. It’s had rave reviews in my blog and on http://www.makeupalley.com if you want to look it up there (remember it’s always good to read others reviews on makeupalley). You can look the one up that you’ve found there too.
Here is the trilogy website:
http://www.trilogyproducts.com/
The Aspirin mask is AMAZING !! This is what I read from the makeupalley.com
I would like to try this on me but want to consult you first just to make sure it won’t harm the skin.
Should I try it Fran????
Hi kanyakit, yeah I read that too …it has like the most number of reviews or something.
I have tried the aspirin mask, once. Interestingly enough, aspirin essentially is salicylic acid, so that’s why it has such good reviews - because the salicylic ingredient in it does a great job at helping get rid of blackheads and whiteheads.
I did try it once, and maybe my heart just wasn’t it in at the time ..but I didn’t think it did a good enough job and it dried out my skin a little too much even when I added aloe vera and manuka honey. I did a blog post about it months ago, here:
http://www.highonhealth.org/aspirin-masks-to-help-reduce-acne-redness-and-inflammation/
I do prefer some of the other salicylic acid products that you can leave on overnight. I find them a little gentler on my skin. It’s worth trying the aspirin mask though because it’s fun to make stuff at home and it’s really cheap!
Hi Fran! Does this cetaphil moisturizer cure scar too! Almost all my acne are gone, but they left me with scar and dark spot. Do you know any moisturizer does that job? Thank You!
Hi Andrew, unfortunately the cetaphil will not cure scars. The only thing you can really do to speed up the healing of scars is to use an AHA or BHA. For natural methods, try regular exfoliation (add baking-soda into your cleanser) or there are tons of home remedies around. Lemon and vinegar are two very popular remedies. Do a Google search for acne scars & lemon.
The pigmentation scars will fade with time though
And congrats on your acne being gone, that’s awesome!
Hey Fran what is your views on the LUSH handmade natural cosmetics company ?
Hi Carmen, I haven’t used Lush products before so I really don’t know much about them. I didn’t think they were natural products which is why I haven’t tried them in the past. They look and smell great though. And they get really good reviews on MUA.
Hi Fran, I managed to by Banalasta hydrating day cream online from Australia and using also what you recommended (Trilogy cleansing gel)….
I would like to ask about Banalasta? I used it for four days, I feel good though but still can’t get rid of my active big acne(s) …. Is this normal?
Do you have any reviews about this Banalasta from your subscribers??
Thank you Fran for your patience.
Hi Kanyakit, both Banalasta and Trilogy products are good quality skin care products, but they are not designed to clear acne. They are good choices for acne sufferers, but if you’re after something to clear your acne you will need to use a product that’s designed for that.
Are you in my mini-course? Follow the steps in the course which is a good start.
hi, im looking for something that does not dry out the area around my mouth, the sides of my nose, and between my eyes. i have recently heard of the brand MARIO BADESCU, i have read amazing reviews and horrible ones too. so im just wondering if you’ve heard of it, they mainly operate with natural ingredients but im not possitively sure they are 100% natural. is BANALASTA impossible to get shipped to the US?
Hi Melissa,
Banalasta will ship to the US if you ask them to. You could probably find some good alternatives that are more local to you though.
Check your product on http://www.makeupalley.com (there are over one million product reviews on there), and if you can’t find it …browse the reviews and I’m sure you’ll find something.
As for what I’m using at the moment, check out this thread:
http://highonhealth.org/forums/showthread.php?t=71
HI Fran,I’m KIKI who is come form Hong Kong,I am interest in the products that you provided,but I have a few difficults to buy some products,so can you help me to buy these products and send off it to Hong Kong,can you?But I know,it will have a lots of problems between them,so,how can I do is the best way to buy these products?Thanks.
Hi kiki, you don’t HAVE to use these products. Have a look in the drug stores in Hong Kong and online and see if you can purchase them, if not …jump on http://www.makeupalley.com and see what other products others have used that have worked on acne prone skin, and that are available in HK.
Also post a message and in my forum - http://www.highonhealth.org/forums/
because you may be able to find others in HK who can recommend a product
Thank you for your help,I will try to find the best product that is suitable for me.
But I am worry about the products that will make my face become worse.
Because I have use a lots of different brand that I heard from internet or friends,they say that is suitable for me.However,it didn’t.
So how can I do?Because I have wasted much money to buy these kinds of products,and I do not have any confidence to try others.
kiki- http://www.makeupalley,com is a much better resource than asking your friends. There are over one million product reviews in there. It’s fantastic.
hi fran I use the cetaphil gentle cleansing bar and a moisturizing cream both non-comedogenic it doesn’t clear up all my acne but i want all gone what should i do?
Hi Chris, cetaphil is not a medication product, so although it’s nice and gentle on the skin, it’s not working at actually clearing your acne. Sign up to my mini-course if you haven’t done so yet, you’ll learn everything you need to in there about how to clear your acne.
Fran, Do you still use the olive oil and castor oil to clean you skin? Does this work on oily skin also? Mine is very oily, and I’ve heard that cleansing oils clean oily skin. Wendy
Wendy- Nope I don’t. Click the ‘acne’ button at the top of this page, there are more articles and videos about it.
Hi fran, thanks for give us all of this information, I was checking videos about how to get rid of the acne, and I saw your videos and blog, and I think you are very smart, thanks for made this and I will like to tell you this: I had acne since I was 12, now I’m 15 and I get bored of see my face with a lot of pimples, and I have tried every product that I saw on tv and online, I have a oily-skin and I think it will never dissapear, and I was wondering if You could help me with a prouct that works for me, because where I live (Houston,TX) is less than 6 days to get back to school, and I got nervous, because everytime that people look at me, they laughed, criticized me, and some much more, so I hate to come back to school, because I will be looking bad, and with a low self-esteem, and without self confidence for everything I will be doing.
Please help me
I will do everything,
I heard that diets helps a lot.
its that true?
and if it is… Do you have one that you can share with me?
pleaseee?
Thanks
God bless you.
Hi Daniel- All of your questions are answered in my free acne cure mini-course and in the acne blog archives (http://www.highonhealth.org/acne/).
Or you can join my coaching program for personal support:
http://www.highonhealth.org/coaching/
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