Acne is one of those things that is just really frustrating especially when you are someone who takes care of your skin and has tried countless products to try and remedy the problem. During the last 15 years my acne has flared up at different times; summer time it always seems to get worse. There have been numerous times I have made my acne worse by using harsh products that irritate my skin. I can still get caught up in that web of thinking the more I do to my skin, the better it will be but that just isn’t the case.

Recently, on an evening where I was really frustrated with my acne, I researched for different products to help me. I came across PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash that had 10% benzoyl peroxide in it and was dermatologist recommended. Two days later I started using it to cleanse my face at night and a few days after, started breaking out terrible. As I continued to do research, the same theme kept coming up, “give your skin time to purge.” So, I decided to stick it out and continue to use the wash. Long story short, 6 weeks later my skin was still a mess and was worse than when I started using the new facewash.

Geranium Essential Oil

After stopping the face wash I started to do research on essential oils for acne and came across a lot of literature on geranium.

A 2017 review of studiesTrusted Source on geranium essential oil indicated that its antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antiseptic properties make it beneficial for reducing acne breakouts, skin irritation, and skin infections when applied topically.

Source

Fighting signs of aging, renewing tissues, helping fade acne scars, balancing PH levels, etc. were all things I started reading about. About a month ago I started using the oil in my nighttime skin care routine by simply mixing a drop of it in with a face oil I use.

My skin is LOVING the geranium as well as me stopping using the harsh ingredients in the PanOxyl facewash.

DIY Toner

Geranium has a very strong smell, the scent was sometimes overwhelming even though I was only putting 1 drop mixed in with my face oil so I decided to make a toner. I cleanse my face and then spray this on after. Refreshing, the smell is nice without being overpowering and my skin has looked the best its looked all summer.

These pictures are un-edited and taken in natural light so you can see how my skin looks.

I am not saying I am completely against any type of science based formula for skin care. I use a retinol product that I really like and helps my skin as well as other items. What I am saying is, FOR ME, I don’t believe in super harsh ingredients/products. I don’t believe in skin purging for weeks and weeks and weeks. I believe if a product is going to work, then you should see the benefits of using it within a week or two. I believe that if there is a natural product that will do the same thing as an un-natural one…. then why not use the natural one? And I’m also not saying I think my acne is cured and I’ll never get a break out again. That would be wishful thinking. But I do know the geranium is 100% helping!!

You can find geranium oil here. And for more information on getting your hands on oils, message me on here or Instagram: berryberryquitecontrary, and I would be happy to answer any questions you have!

I plan on continuing to research and educate myself on more oils for use in skincare!

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo Kayla