ACNE WAR : A review on my all time favorite clay mask

Hey, everyone, I promised I'd be more consistent on here in my last post and here I am again :) A link to the last post in case you missed it. 

In this blog post, I'd be talking about my struggles with acne, blackheads, whiteheads, and everything that comes with that and how I eventually got rid of them. If you're a female who has gone through puberty, you would know what these are as you'll probably have had some kind of war with them at one point of your life or the other. I like to refer to the constant treatment as the ACNE WAR.

THE WAR

My acne war started when I moved to a different climate region. I was always the type of girl with a smooth face, occasional pimples around that time of the month but never anything serious. Never left my face with spots. Little did I know I had my own time coming haha. Took me a while to adjust to a different weather climate, actually my whole body. Hormones did whatever they liked and I ended up looking like this after a long while. Spots everywhere and I woke up almost every day with a new blackhead it was getting frustrating. 

On my last visit to the doctor, I mentioned it, and was advised to increase my daily intake of water which I had promised to do in my "turning 25" blog post. Here's a link to that if you missed it. In case you're wondering what water has to with acne, water is a very important class of food that should be taken every day (she, the doctor told me 8 glasses of water is recommended daily). Keeping the body hydrated regularly is not necessarily a cure for acne but it does help with flushing out the constant build up of toxins in the body which if isn't flushed out can increase the acne build up.

TREATMENT: AZTEC SECRET INDIAN HEALING CLAY MASK

Decided to try this clay mask after reading so many good reviews on it but just like other things I've tried I was a tad skeptical it wouldn't help my acne but good news! It worked wonders.

So, I started using this about 2 months back and I was pretty consistent with it. Used it almost every 2 days because my face was totally covered with spots and the fact that I couldn't keep my hands off my face has a little something to do with the spots so I stopped that too. Here's how I used the clay mask which is almost the same way other clay masks are being used.

First I mix about one teaspoon of the Aztec secret Indian healing clay with the same volume of Bragg's organic (raw-unfiltered) apple cider vinegar in a plastic bowl. Instructions on the product container said to mix in a non-metal bowl with a non-metal mixer as seen below. 

This is what the resulting mix looks like.

Next, I apply onto my face with a brush and spread it out evenly. Then I let it dry for about 10-20 minutes, basically following the instructions on the product container. States to use it for 10-20 minutes for normal skin types and 5-15 minutes for delicate skins. While it dries off, there's a pulling sensation while your face tightens and even redness after you wash it off. Don't worry, the redness is the increase of blood flow/circulation on your face and lasts for about 20 minutes. Washing the mask off can be tricky, it's bentonite clay so that means literally has clay properties and can clog drains. Usually I run hot water over a face towel and use it to pull it off. It comes off faster this way and makes me be in control of what goes into the sink drain. 

My face feels a little too dry after washing this mask off so I rub some organic, cold pressed "virgin" coconut oil on my face after that. Coconut oil also has tons of antibacterial and antifungal properties. It's also an excellent mosturizer so I'm sticking with it. 

THE REVIEW!

After using this "consistently" for about two months, my breakouts reduced drastically, my acne scars faded away and I no longer wake up everyday with a new pimple on my face! Magic! No extra routine except washing my face twice daily, keeping my hands off my face! (very important) and using this clay mask at least twice a week. It worked for me amidst my skepticism and the best part? It is absolutely affordable! Compared to other facial products, this is definitely a good deal. I bought mine for $6 (1 pound) from Whole foods market (not online) but I've seen it for sale from other online stores like Amazon and if you live in Nigeria, on Jumia. A little pricey on there with the current dollar - naira rate but it is a good one if you can get it.

Thank you for reading, I hope this helped in some way! 

Love, M.