Guest Blogger: Thrifty (and Effective) Skin Care Tips

It's time for our very first guest blogger. Thrifty Reader Lynn wants to share her secrets on thrifty (and effective) skin care.

Take it away, Lynn:

I have really oily skin. It wasn't always like that, but I think with age it's gotten worse and worse. Face abuse or what have you. I always had mild to bad acne as a teen and I prayed and hoped that it would dissipate when I graduated to adulthood.

I have tried nearly every face wash from your local drug store. I even used Proactive, which worked for a couple months then it was back to what it was; oily and pimply. An esthetician had told me many of her clients that use Proactive have very dried out skin. I quit using it after that!

Mary Kay has an "Oily TimeWise" skin care line which I really do like. I think my skin was far too gone by then. 

The worst part? Everytime you go out to try something new, you end up sinking $25+. This, in end, will cost less than $20 if you buy generic.

What most people don't realize is that the oil our skin produces is healthy! When we use cleansers, we're stripping our skin of good oil which it is trying so hard to produce. This causes a vicious cycle. We try to keep our skin as non-oily as possible, while our skin is producing more oil to protect our skin. Thus oily skin.

So after a lot of research, I had a modge podge of different face regiments. Some of them were really expensive, I'm not spending $50 on a 5oz bottle of face wash that will HOPEFULLY work. Uncool. I found a couple that I was willing to try for a low investment. This is the first one I tried, and it's worked incredibly well for me. I noticed a difference within a few days. For some people it will take longer, it just depends how long it will take for your PH to balance out.

$0-$10: I use Mary Kay's TimeWise 3-In-1 Cleanser (combination to oily). I've read that Cetephil works wonderfully too. Try whatever you already have first!
$4-$9: Benzoyl peroxide acne cream (I use the strongest stuff I can find, which is usually 9%)

$5: The secret weapon - Vitamin E pills (Yes, like the kind you take in the morning. Walmart has them on sale occasionally - 2 bottles for $5! FTW!)

When you wake up in the morning, splash your face with cold water. It'll help waken up your skin and and take down the inflammation. Works better than cucumbers. Wash your face, you can use warm water. My biggest mistake was SPOT treating my acne, and not treating it like a war zone. I use a little bigger than a pea size and slather it on to my jaw line (my problem area). Do this wherever your areas are. Take a thumb tack and poke a hole in the Vitamin E pill and squeeze about half on to my finger. You can replug the pill with the thumb tack. Using a thumb tack helps you locate it as well if it drops on the floor. I dab it on both cheeks and one line across my forehead then I make sure to spread it everywhere. Don't forget your neck! Try to lay off the SPF and makeup for a while as it tends to inflame acne. Reintroduce it slowly after you feel your skin is ready. If you can't lay off all makeup, skip foundation at least.

It'll feel a little weird for the first couple days, but if your face is oily like mine you won't notice unless you touch your face (and if you're like me, you try to avoid touching at all costs anyways). And be forewarned, it does not smell like roses and peaches. Hopefully no ones getting that close to your face throughout the day though, and the one that is won't care. Hehe!

I've only been doing this for a few weeks. Not only has it cleared up immensely (and while PMS-ing? Miracle!), but it's glowing. I haven't used foundation in 2 weeks! I'm getting a lot of compliments too.

Once I feel like my PH has stabilized, I'm going to switch to using Vit. E only at night. When I switch to using the Vitamin E once a day at night I'll be using a moisturizer.

No one's skin is the same, so play around with it. Use the Vit E. once a day, every other day. Maybe it's the cleanser you're using. Maybe you have sensitive skin? Try that instead.

Here's an article with a list of the benefits of Vitamin E and skin!

"There are a variety of other benefits of vitamin e for skin care:
it helps maintain the skin’s oil balance during the cleansing process."

Another little trick? If your burn yourself apply Vitamin E to your burn. It'll help it heal quicker and you won't blister. =)

That's all, folks!

 These are great tips! Vitamin E promotes healing, so it is no wonder that you can use it for acne, scrapes, and burns. I hope you find these tips helpful to you!