Manukah Check In: the good, the bad, and the ugly

      Thought I'd forgotten about the Manukah honey trials, didn't you?  Well, I didn't.  To be honest, I've been waiting for the trials to finish! Here's what happened:

     Week one, two, and three - fantastic! My skin was clearing, it was an even tone (which I've never experienced since puberty), and even my husband commented on how smooth and clear it was getting.  Then, about a month in, I started breaking out a little.  Ok, I thought, no big deal.  I had read some reviews saying that some people's skin would have a slight adjustment period but that it wasn't intense and would

even out presently.  Week five... six... It wasn't evening out, and it was getting worse, not better!  My skin tone was still even, but I had tons of tiny little cysts all over my face... even in spots where I normally never get them (my cheeks, etc.).  Finally around week seven I was starting to panic.  I asked a friend who had also switch to the Manukah method and not had any trouble at all what my problem could be.  She agreed that this was beyond the initial adjustment period, and that something was reacting badly.  Could it be my diet?  Seeing as I'm all vegan, 75% raw, and everything else is in tip-top shape (not to mention I've tested for just about every food sensitivity out there), this solution was unlikely.  Then she said "had you been using benzoil peroxide before you switched."  "Yes, why?"
     Oh that sneaky benzoil peroxide.  Touted by doctors and dermatologists (not to mention the pharmaceutical industry, which should be a red flag right there!) to be the best medication for acne, benzoil peroxide has a built-in buy-back guarantee.  Within three weeks of its use being discontinued, benzoil peroxide will actually cause you to break out.  And not just a little bit... a lot.  The theory is, it will keep you running back to your handy BP every time because when you don't use it, you break out.  So clearly there must be inherently wrong with your skin, right?  Wrong.  Actually, BP is hiding in your cells like a devious little ninja, waiting for its moment to strike to cause you endless worry and self-loathing.  There's nothing wrong with your skin.  Most of the time, the medication is causing the problem.
     So why not just wait for it to detox itself completely from your system?  Good idea.  I tried that.  After a few more weeks, I started asking around.  Some people had to wait several years before their skin even started clearing up from BP-induced acne!  I couldn't do that to myself.  But, I really really didn't want to go back to BP, especially since (in all my research) I found that it has been unofficially linked to some forms of skin cancer.  Either way, if I can't pronounce the ingredients, and ingestion of the product sends you to the ER, I don't want that on my skin.  So I had to use it, but I'm morally against it... what's to do?
     Luckily, my buddy Tracy over at TheLoveVitamin suggested that I pare back on my BP usage.  If I wash my face with it twice a day, go down to once.  Then, in a few weeks, once my skin has gotten used to that, go down to once every other day, then once every two days, etc. until I'm  no longer using it at all.  I've started doing that, in addition to the Manukah honey (it just feels so good and keeps my skin smooth and even) and some witch hazel astringent.  My skin is by no means clear, but it is getting there.  Slowly but surely it is starting to improve.  I'll check back with this topic later, but right now, I'd say my skin is about 60-70% clear (as opposed to the 30-40% it was before) and I'm down to washing with benzoil peroxide once every two days.  Right now, my skincare regime looks like this:

Morning:
either tea tree oil or BP (tea tree oil I apply with a cotton ball, then rinse off in the shower, BP I apply in-shower)
Manukah honey mask after shower for about 1/2 hour

Evening:
Take off makeup with jojoba oil
Rinse face
Witch hazel astringent for dirt and lingering traces of makeup (I don't wear much- just a little eye shadow and some concealer/powder for my face-but you'd be surprised how much can stick in your pores!)
Acne Free Cleansing Brush (wet the brush head and let it do its magic for about a minute)
Manukah honey mask for about 1/2 hour to a full hour

Twice a week I will do a mask with Moroccan red clay.  It really helps to draw out the impurities, plus I love the feeling of it stiffening up on my face.  I rinse this off and lightly apply a clean, warm, wet wash cloth to get the rest off.  Follow up with a couple drops of jojoba oil for moisturizer.

So that's what I do, now.  I'm seeing some improvement, but it's slow.  I guess that's a good thing.  Chemicals promise overnight results, and that's a surefire way to know that something isn't quite right.  As with all things worth having, good, vibrant, healthy, natural skin is worth the wait.

Namaste