BEAUTY
When I had acne I was
convinced that drying out
my skin was the best way
to treat blemished skin.
Unfortunately, I found that
drying out my skin only
gave way to more blemishes as it impedes the
skin’s barrier function, provokes increased oil secretion, and causes inflammation. In my experience
the best way to clarify the
skin is to bolster its healthiness by nourishing it. But
that’s not to say that you
don’t need to purify problem complexions.
When an acne sufferer
has small blemishes that
do not have a pustular
head, moisturizing and rebalancing is often best on
its own; but if acne is cystic and has a lot of pus,
disinfection is still needed.
However, purifying and
drying are not one and
the same. Hydrosols from
natural astringents such as
witch hazel are both gentle and anti-inflammatory
as well as anti-bacterial.
Witch hazel is one of my
go-to hydrosols for toning
cystic acne complexions.
The hydrosol is extracted
right from the witch hazel
plant and is an excellent
anti-septic. It disinfects
the skin without stripping
it, unlike alcohol-based
toners and treatments.
Using the water extracted from this plant makes
for an excellent clarifying toner. It can even be
added to a facial mask,
charging it with blemishfighting power, or used as
a natural disinfectant for
cuts and scrapes.
open breakouts helps prevent bacterial infection,
thus preventing breaking
out again while supporting wound healing.
For all these reasons, witch
hazel is one of my favourite natural toners for acneic complexions. So, the
next time you’re facing
a breakout, give balancing and clarifying witch
hazel a try. Who says you
have to have to be rough
to achieve blemish-free
skin?
Even those with sensitive
skin can use naturallyastringent witch hazel
due to its anti-inflammatory properties. This is important because many
blemished
skins
tend
to be hypersensitive as
those prone to acne often have a history of using harsh, sensitizing products. Witch hazel is also
a tannin, meaning that
it helps seal up the skin.
This makes it excellent to
use after picking a pimple (not advised but if you
do, remember to steam
first!) as well as on pustules
that have broken. Applying this plant extract onto
Kristen Ma is the co-owner of Pure + Simple Inc., a group of Holistic Spas with
its own line of Natural Skincare and Mineral Make-up. She is an Ayurvedic
Practitioner who has studied in Canada, the United States and India. She
is also a Certified Esthetician with eight years of practical experience,
having worked in Canada as well as Australia. Most recently, Kristen has
authored “Beauty: Pure + Simple” which was published by Mc Arthur
and Company. Kristen has written on the subject of Holistic Beauty for
Vitality Magazine, Blink and Jasmine. She is also a regular contributor to B
Magazine, Tonic and Sweat Equity Magazine.
For more information on Kristen, please visit www.holisticvanity.ca.