Proactiv Acne Solution Blog – Proactiv Acne Treatment Info

Take a good look at the label on your moisturizer. Does the list of chemicals read like a lab experiment gone wrong? Your overall diet may be healthy, but have you ever really thought about what you’re feeding your skin? If you have dry, sensitive or acne-prone skin, the chemicals in your moisturizer may be doing more harm than good. Fortunately, there’s a natural product on the market that’s effective, inexpensive, and ideal for sensitive or troubled skin. Jojoba oil may be the answer to all your skincare needs.

Jojoba oil is pressed from the seed of the jojoba plant, a shrub native to northern Mexico and southern parts of California and Arizona. Native Americans used jojoba for generations to treat everything from sores, burns, bruises and scrapes, to sunburn and windburn. And they must have walked around with lustrous tresses, because they were the first to use jojoba oil as a hair conditioner and scalp treatment.

Jojoba oil isn’t technically oil at all. It’s a wax that’s liquid at room temperature, and contains vitamin C, as well as traces of sulfur, cobalt, copper, and tin. Jojoba oil is valuable for use in hair and cosmetic products because of its emollient, restorative and anti-inflammatory qualities. It softens and heals scars and stretch marks, and prevents and minimizes wrinkles.

Jojoba and Acne

Sebum is the skin’s natural moisturizer, lubricating the epidermis and keeping it supple. Over-production of sebum can lead to an oily complexion and blocked pores; add bacteria to the equation and the result is acne. Jojoba oil is unique among plant extracts in that it mimics sebum; our bodies can’t tell the difference between the two. That’s why jojoba oil is effective as a moisturizer for acne-prone skin; it’s absorbed very rapidly and leaves pores open and unclogged. Jojoba oil also has anti-bacterial properties which discourage acne. Jojoba helps heal and prevent new blemishes by breaking down sebum in already plugged pores, while simultaneously balancing oil production.

Some jojoba oil users notice a worsening of their acne before it improves, which is the jojoba oil performing a sort of pore “detox”, bringing acne to the surface before healing it.

Jojoba and Sensitive Skin

Jojoba oil is ideal for sensitive types, again because it mimics the skin’s natural secretions, and leaves pores open and functioning optimally. Unlike mineral oil, jojoba doesn’t promote redness or inflammation. People with sensitive skin often know that they react badly to standard cosmetics and cleansers, but can’t identify the specific irritant. With jojoba oil, you’re using a pure, natural substance that calms and softens the skin and doesn’t act as an allergen.

Jojoba and Dry or Aging Skin

Because it forms a water resistant barrier on the skin, jojoba oil is a fabulous moisturizer for very dry or aging skin, encouraging the skin to stay moist and supple. Jojoba oil can stop over-production of sebum, but it also remedies under-production. It softens the skin like a good moisturizer should, but also encourages the skin’s own natural lubrication. If your oil glands are over-active, jojoba will calm them down. If they’re under-active, then it will encourage more sebum production. By encouraging the skin to balance itself, jojoba oil can also be helpful to people suffering from eczema and psoriasis

From a perspective of pure vanity, jojoba oil is a boon because it can minimize the wrinkles you do have and stop you from getting more (or from getting them in the first place).

So how do you use jojoba oil? Just add 10-20 drops to your favorite moisturizer or body cream. You can also use it “straight”. A little oil goes a long way. Generally, only a few drops are required when moisturizing your face. Three dabs, one on the forehead, two on the cheeks, and then blend. It may feel oily at first, but will be quickly absorbed. If you have very dry skin experiment a bit to see if you need to apply more for maximum benefit.

You can buy jojoba oil in natural food stores and drugstores. Look for 100% pure, organic, pressed jojoba oil. Unrefined natural jojoba oil is a golden color and has a not unpleasant oily smell. You should be able to get a bottle for about $10 and it will last for ages.

If you have acne-prone, sensitive or dry skin, jojoba oil may be the product you’ve been waiting for. It’s natural, inexpensive, lasts a long time, and has the potential to revitalize your complexion. To those of you who’ve been struggling for years to attain “normal” skin: go try some jojoba oil. It’s “normal skin” in a bottle.

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