I think that it’s pretty ironic that I change my skincare regimen almost immediately after I update my regimen page and/or film a video about it. I have no idea why I have a tendency to do that but…that’s just how shit goes I guess. *shrug*

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and realized that it’s almost one full year since my severe nodular and cystic acne flared up again last May 2011. When I think about it further, I am usually able to control the severity of my acne 3-4 months after I make a change to my regimen for each of my previous “flare-ups”. Since high school and undergrad, I’ve always been able to relatively “clear up” my acne in one way or another. I’ve never gone one full year with little to no change in the amount and severity of my acne before.

And that’s when I began to think: I’m doing something wrong. The products I’m using is wrong. The changes I’m making is wrong. Something is wrong this time and whatever it is that I’ve tried, isn’t the right way to “fix” it.

I’m at wit’s end with making a decision on what exactly it is that I want to do, what exactly it is that I’m willing to commit myself to. I’m starting to get back into my all-natural phase again, here’s to hoping that I’ll be able to stick to it for more than one month. I started the following regimen on May 25th, 2012:

1. I’m going to give the Oil Cleansing Method another try – and this time, I’m going to do it the correct way. If you read back to my previous post about it, you might see that I wasn’t using the correct oils and methods at all. I’ve gone out and purchased organic castor oil and organic jojoba oil to give this another try. I started off with a 75% castor oil & 25% jojoba oil cleansing mixture but I think that was too drying for me. I’m currently using a 50/50 mix of castor and jojoba oil. As you can see, I’m using my old, empty Kose Softymo Cleansing Oil container to hold and dispense my mixture.

2. I’ve also been very tempted to give manuka honey a try, ever since I heard about it through Fran and Tracy. I finally took the plunge and invested in some high-quality organic manuka honey. It’s expensive stuff, so I’m really hoping it helps/works. I’m currently starting on my second jar of it. One jar lasted me one month, and it runs at around $30-$35 USD, so pretty pricy. If I don’t see much a difference in this second month, I’m going to stop purchasing it because I can’t spend that much of something that doesn’t work for me.

3. I was using my Melazepam 20% azelaic acid cream as a spot treatment for most of June but as of June 30th, I’ve started to use it even less. Instead, I’m mixing a few drops of tea tree oil into my jojoba oil to use as a moisturizer/spot treatment all in one. Generally, I use a 50/50 mix of jojoba oil and tea tree oil too. If there is an area of my face that is really having a hard time, I’ll even mix a 1:2 ratio of jojoba oil to tea tree oil (so 1 drop jojoba to 2 drops tea tree) to re-apply as a treatment. Be very careful though, if it stings too much for you wash it off immediately. You have to really work hard to find your perfect balance of oils for your skin in order not to damage it!

And it really is true that I can’t stick with one regimen for too long. Today, June 30th, I’m about to make yet another change for the month of July:

I recently purchased these two items. The sunscreen I’ll review later but the Nippon Kodo Deitanseki Soap is something I’ll be adding into my regimen.

Check out my Regimen page for an in-depth listing of the products I’m using as well as how I’m using it. Please feel free to leave comments and tips on how to properly use these oils – I’m a complete newbie when it comes to all this natural, organic stuff!