How to get rid of bacne: Maxi Peel Exfoliant Soap and other tips

Hi ladies! I haven't posted for quite a while. I've been very busy with work. I've been thinking for quite some time on what to post next, and I decided to share my experience with bacne (or acne on the back)

I never used to have trouble with acne at all, especially on my back, until recently. I was bothered by the hyperpigmented spots that they left, making it impossible for me to wear back baring clothes, which I used to love. I finally decided to do something about it, and regain my flawless back.

I started by doing some research. Like many skin conditions, bacne is the result of multiple factors, and the first thing to do is try to figure out what caused them in the first place.

Have you been taking new medications prior to the onset of your bacne? Have you changed your laundry detergent/fabric conditioner? What soap have you been using? Do you think your conditioner might be the culprit? Are you exfoliating your back enough?

In my case, I think it's a mixture of several factors, so I had to make quite a few adjustments in my routine. First, we have to remember that acne is caused by the buildup of sebum in sebaceous glands, due to clogged pores, which then becomes infected by bacteria. Good exfoliation of the back is key to prevent clogged pores  which predispose to acne. Also, hygiene is very important, so make sure your clothes and the surfaces you put your back on are clean. This includes the backrest of your chair, and your bedsheets and pillows.

These are the things that I did to fight my bacne:

1) I made sure to scrub and exfoliate my back really well. I used a bath puff to scrub my back. When I give myself a foot scrub, I notice that more dead cells come off when I rub with semi-dry feet. Using the same principle, I gently scrub my back with a dry cotton cloth after my shower, when my back is a bit moist, but not dripping wet.

2) I used an exfoliant soap to spot treat my back. I have very sensitive skin and I tried to keep this soap on my back area only, but of course during rinsing some of it would run down to the lower part of my body. Thus I had to stop using it when I noticed that my legs were beginning to become dry and itchy.

I used Maxi Peel Exfoliant Soap. First I would scrub my back with this soap then leave it on while I use my regular hypoallergenic soap for the rest of my body. It's active ingredients include Salicylic Acid which fights pimple causing bacteria, Niacinamide which lightens skin, and Glycolic Acid which I have discussed earlier. 

Here is LINK to the site of the product, and the product description:

As your body gets exposed to the harsh elements from the environment, your skin becomes dull, acne-prone, and uneven. You need to renew your skin’s beauty by removing acne-causing dirt and dead skin cells that prevent your skin to be at its best condition.

• GENTLE MICRO-EXFOLIATION
• Gently rids your skin of dead skin cells to reveal younger-looking skin!
• Aids in PIMPLE REMOVAL
• Helps dry up pimples and prevents it from coming back
• INTENSE WHITENING
• Evens out skin complexion in as fast as 7 days!
• GERMICIDAL
• Cleans and rids skin of germs

3) I washed and conditioned my hair separately, to make sure that no conditioner residue gets to my back. Hair conditioner is notorious for causing bacne, since it clogs your pores. What I do is I shampoo and condition my hair leaning forward, so none of the stuff gets on my body when I wash. Then I do the rest of my body. This may seem tedious at first, but I've gotten quite used to it. When you think of it, shampoo and conditioner aren't really made for skin, so you shouldn't let it touch your body, right? ;-)

4) I used a clean linen on top of my bed sheet at bedtime. No matter how clean your bed is, dirt and dust will still find its way on it, so to be extra sure, I used this extra linen which I keep folded away in my cabinet at daytime.

I probably used the exfoliant soap for less than a month. This, plus the changes I made, were effective enough, and I no longer have bacne. Given time, my hyperpigmented scars were gone too, and I can now wear my back baring clothes without shame :-)

I rate the Maxi Peel Exfoliant Soap as a hit, because in spite of irritating the heck out of my legs, it served its intended purpose well. For those who have sensitive skin like me, I advise to use it sparingly and discontinue if you notice that your skin is becoming irritated. I definitely DO NOT recommend it to be used on the face.

I no longer need to use the exfoliant soap, but I continue to do everything else, and so far, no bacne in sight :-)

I hope these tips can help you achieve a flawless back as well. Do you have other tips to remove bacne? Share them in the comments section :-) 

Thanks for reading this!

Egyptian Magic Cream Review

Hello ladies!

I have recently been lucky enough to come across this product, the Egyptian Magic Cream. I've been using it for a couple of weeks now, and I'm so glad I tried it.

Egyptian Magic Cream

Image taken from: https://beautyarmy.com/egyptian-magic-skin-cream

Apparently, there's been a lot of buzz about this product, and it's been endorsed by top celebrities like Madonna and Kate Hudson. To be honest, I only heard about it when my *soon to be* mother-in-law asked if I've tried it already. She then gave me a generous sample from her 4 oz jar purchased in the States.

I was really hesitant at first, because the words "magic cream" have a very negative connotation for me. Most of the time, these products are loaded with steroids or mercury or other scary ingredients, including hydrogen peroxide (agh!) that make them effective skin lighteners but VERY toxic and harmful.

I decided to learn more about it online, and although the labeling looked kind of weird to me, I learned that the ingredients are all natural:

 Olive Oil ( Olea Europaea oil), Beeswax, Honey, Pollen, Royal Jelly and Propolis Extract 

Here's the product description:

Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream, the People's Choice, is a phenomenal healing balm with legendary powers due to its unique mixture of all natural ingredients derived only from living plants and organisms. Egyptian Magic All-Purpose Skin Cream, The People's Choice, has been on the market since August 1991 with a solid track record, a loyal word of mouth following, and twice the healing power for half the price of conventional skin creams.

Suitable for all skin types. 100% natural.

This miraculous all-purpose formula will amaze you. This non-greasy blend of all natural ingredients serves an astounding variety of purposes. Use it on your face as a night moisturizer and eye cream. Apply as a split end mending hair conditioner and defrizzer. Try it as a lip balm and as a healing nail and cuticle conditioner. May be used to smooth rough areas and treat conditions like eczema, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Egyptain Magic All Purpose Skin Cream has antibacterial properties and contains no toxins, making it a perfect stretch mark prevention cream for use during pregnancy. May also be used to soothe redness, fade scars, and even heal blemishes. 

And here's how to apply it:

For Best Results: Take moderate amount and rub in your palms until it takes the form of oil. (It helps the skin absorb effectively.) Apply over your skin gently. 

AGAIN, and I cannot emphasize this enough, ALWAYS be careful when you try new stuff, especially if the brand is unknown to you and if they contain words like "MAGIC" or "SUPER" or suspiciously say "PLUS" or "MEDICATED". If you can't read what it says, like if its all in chinese, stay away from it. A lot of chinese creams are loaded with mercury.

Hydroquinone is a pretty strong steroid, and though steroids can be used on the face for eczematous conditions, it is used sparingly, for a limited time, and the least potent steroids are prescribed by doctors. They should NEVER be used as a skin care product because steroids cause thinning of the skin and will permanently damage your skin! You'll know it's a steroid when you stop using it and you break out. It will also eventually cause permanent pigmentation and darkening of the skin. If you suspect you've been using a steroid containing product, go to your dermatologist to help you.

Mercury is TOXIC to your skin and to your kidneys and other organs. I can't even imagine how these people can sleep at night after deliberately putting POISON in their products!

Here's a site with a pretty concise list of products containing these harmful chemicals. I'm pretty sure there are more out there not listed here. The rule is, if you're not sure, don't put it on your skin! Like anything else in life, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

After all the research and the endorsements I've read from celebrities and beauty magazines, I decided that the Egyptian Magic Cream was safe and worth a try. Here's how my sample looks like:

Another warning: there's a lot of fake Egyptian Magic Cream products going around especially online, so be careful where you get your product.

As you can see it is light yellow and very thick. It is more of a balm than a cream actually. Some people have compared it to petroleum jelly. That's where the similarity ends. Petroleum jelly stays thick and greasy, and is pretty much used only as a barrier to seal moisture into the skin. This product melts in your hands (as you can see above), especially when you rub it on your palms. It does feel quite greasy initially but it doesn't feel heavy on my face at all. Unlike petroleum jelly, it is slowly absorbed into the skin.

The product smells like cooking oil. Don't worry if you find this unpleasant, because it's not very strong and only smells that way in the jar. In my hands, I couldn't smell it at all.

I incorporated this product in my routine by substituting it for my nightly moisturizer. After applying my retinol and anti aging product, I apply a layer of it all over my face, including my under eye area and lips. I saw an immediate effect on my skin the first time I tried it. When I woke up, the product had been completely absorbed. My skin felt soft and very smooth, and it looked as if my skin was glowing. Other people noticed this too, and I got the exact same comment for one of the pictures I posted online. It gives your skin this natural sheen without using makeup. I had a stubborn sun spot on my cheek and I noted that it has lightened after only a few days. I even notice that I need less concealer for my very dark under eye circles. I had a few acne scars and they are GONE completely.

I love, love, super love it. If I were stuck on an island with only one product, I would definitely choose this. There are so many ways that you can benefit from this cream. It heals scars, soothes burns, moisturizes the roughest patches. People with eczema say it works wonders for their condition. You can even use it on your hair. It is safe enough to use on babies! When I get pregnant, I'll use this stuff to fight stretch marks.

A little product goes a long way and I think I have a couple of months to go before I run out of my sample, but I will definitely be purchasing more before that happens!

Have you tried the Egyptian Magic Cream? How did it work for you? I'd love to hear your thoughts :-)

Thanks for reading this!

Beauty Drops Vitamin E Beauty Oil

A quick post on something that I tried recently. I was looking around Greenhills, and chanced upon this product in one of those shops selling imported beauty products. When I got home, I looked it up in and saw good reviews in Make Up Alley.

In the States, you can get it for 99 cents, but the shops here are retailing it for P200 (over $4). Quite a mark up, but still not that bad, considering you only need a bit per application.

Beauty Drops Vitamin E Beauty Oil 

It's a 29.5 mL bottle of essential oils from Grapeseed and Saffllower, plus Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E).

Vitamin E is an antioxidant which promotes better capillary circulation and skin regeneration, giving it anti-aging and skin healing properties.  From the reviews online, the users claimed that Beauty Drops Vitamin E Beauty Oil gave them softer skin, lesser fine wrinkles, smoother complexion and diminished hyperpigmentation.

I used a small amount, warmed it in my palms and gently rubbed it all over my face, including my lids, undereye area and lips. It was pretty light, considering that it's pure oil, but it still felt a bit heavy on the face. Most of the stuff gets absorbed into the skin (or rubbed off on your pillow, if you're not careful), so it's barely noticeable when you wake up. In the morning, I was so happy with how soft and smooth my skin felt, and with continued use, my sun spots were gradually fading. My lips were so smooth without any flakiness, which happens to me a lot, even when I use lip balms generously. The dark circles and fine lines around my eyes were lessened too.

Why did I score it as a MISS then? A couple of days after, I noted that my pores were getting prominent, I began to developed white heads and black heads on my nose, and I got three stubborn pimples. IT CLOGS MY PORES. This is the danger of oils, not all of them, but I guess this particular preparation does that to me. I remember using sunflower oil on my face, and I broke out too.

When they are blocked, pores accumulate dirt and debris, making them appear bigger and darker. This also predisposes to acne, which is an inflammation and infection of oil glands on your face. I put quite a lot of products on my face, but I don't use new stuff all at the same time so I know which product is causing what problem. That's why I'm pretty sure the Beauty Drops is the culprit here.

I'll probably continue applying it on my lips and under my eyes, but other than that, the rest of my face is now off limits. I can also probably use it on my hair, but right now I'm using a serum on my hair that really works, so I really haven't tried it for that purpose.

This makes me really sad, because this stuff really works, and it's quite cheap too.

Have you tried this product? How did it work on you? I'd love to hear your story.

Thanks for reading this! :-)

Drug Store Find: Hollywood Style Whitening Peel Off Mask

Just a quick post on something I found at Watson's. I occasionally drop by to buy face masks especially when I feel stressed and need extra pampering. What's amazing about drugstores is that you constantly find good stuff stacked away somewhere at a bargain price. The downside is, when everything's so cheap, I tend to buy stuff that I never get to use. I have a big box of products stashed under my dresser exactly because of this.

I was looking for a pack of face mask one afternoon when this caught my eye: Hollywood Style Whitening Peel Off Mask

It doesn't indicate the amount of product anywhere in the label but I'm guessing there must be around 250mL inside. For a bit over P200, I figured it was worth a try.

Here's a shot of the back for the product description, directions and ingredients:

They're not kidding when they say it's extra strength. As you can see in the ingredients list, it's got denatured alcohol, salicylic acid and kojic acid. All pretty strong stuff. I recommend skipping this product if you have very sensitive skin or you're particular about alcohol containing products.

The good part that I like is that it's also loaded with extracts from fruits and plants like mulberries and licorice. It also contains arbutin, which is known to lighten skin and remove pigmentation.

Here's what the stuff looks like:

It's actually almost like transparent glue, in consistency and smell, and that's how it dries up too. Initially, there is a sting from all that alcohol which goes away in a few minutes. You have to put a lot on your face, to make an even layer so that it all comes off together when you peel it. Waiting time is around 20 minutes. When it dries up, it becomes shiny and really tight, like you're looking at a plastic version of your face. When I use this product, I sometimes think "so, this is how Botox feels like". Hehe.

The results are amazing. My skin feels so fresh and looks so bright and clean. It's an instant pick me up for dull skin. After using this twice in a week, I got rid of all those tiny black dots on my nose. It really helps to get rid of that layer of dead skin cells and impurities on your face.

I now use it less often, because I don't want my skin to get used to it. That kinda happens to me with really good products which is a bummer.

So in spite of that alcohol sting and those strong products and the glue like smell, I'm rating Hollywood Style Whitening Peel Off Mask as a HIT :-) For the price, this is definitely a steal. You just have to use it in moderation because of all those strong ingredients. I would buy another bottle as soon as I run out.

What are your favorite masks? Do you have amazing drugstore finds that you want to share? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for reading this! :-)