Pimple-be-gone face scrub

I think I have mentioned in the blog before that I am trying to detox from refined sugars, dairy and gluten from my diet, which has been going well and I say this because I truly feel different, from my energy levels to my weight. I did have Yorkshire puddings and chocolate cake last weekend but hey, even the detox needs a break, and I am being realistic about this, I don’t want to completely cut gluten, dairy and sugar from my diet because I know it would be unsustainable for myself and also because I believe few things bring me as much happiness as butter and chocolate do.

This new regime has made me more interested in reading about food and I came across an article about Pulitzer-nominated Shann Nixx who moved from California to Wales and now has a goat farm. She experimented with goat’s milk to make a natural remedy for her son’s eczma and she was amazed by the results. What amazed me even more was that she used raw Manuka honey to look after her husband after he had a bad case of MRSA. They found that antibiotics were not doing the job on top of killing all the good bacteria. She got her husband back on her feet. The article reminded me of the tremendous power that natural products have. Ok I don’t have access to raw goat’s milk but a lot of cupboard items such as cinnamon and peppermint tea can do wonders for our body. As a nurse we see people take cocktails of many drugs, and I believe medication has its rightful place in our lives but there’s no action without a reaction and side-effects can be pretty horrible and debilitating. So I believe that for the little pimples that pop up in my life natural is best.

So I decided to swap my facial scrub for a natural one especially as my daily facial cleansing routine was not helping me with the ginormous pimples I’m getting non stop.

I had been applying a few drops of tea tree essential oil to my face wash and I started to notice great results. So I decided to add some raw organic honey to the mix. Both tea tree oil and raw honey are great natural antibacterials and help fight acne by disinfecting your pores. I was getting increasingly impressed with the results, I still had a few little ones popping up but they never went full on ugly. Cutting the story short I made the sugar scrub below with a few added ingredients, such as cinnamon which helps with blood circulation and pumps out the toxins and mint which helps with swelling and redness. 

It has worked incredibly well for me and I have been using it for 2 months now.

Pimple-be-gone face scrub

3 tbsp set raw organic honey (you can also use runny)

1 tbsp of sugar

5 drops tea tree essential oil

1 tsp cinnamon

4 mint leaves

Blitz it all in a food processor and keep it in a closed container in a cool place.

To apply the scrub tie your hair back well and wet your face with warm water and with the tip of your finger lightly apply the scrub to your face by doing circular movements. Pay particular attention to your acne prone areas. You can also apply the scrub with a cotton pad but either way it is really important not to apply too much pressure while exfoliating as sugar is a very potent exfoliant! Rinse your face with warm water.

Repeat it once or twice a week.

It is important that you make a test on a small part of your skin, especially if you have sensitive skin as the spices and essential oils can be irritating. Also this recipe has worked wonders for me and my skin but it might not work for everyone and if you have severe acne you should seek medical advice.