I’m using 1 bottle of Witch Hazel/Aspirin toner a week!

[ammoniasmith]

I have resigned myself to the fact that my skin does not exfoliate well. I have battled acne, Keratosis Pilaris, and ingrown hairs for the last 15 years. While the acne was greatly helped with isotreninoin I was forever getting clogged pores.

I have finally gotten on the Aspirin mask/scrub bandwagon and have even gone so far as to mix up a bottle of Witch Hazel and Aspirin. I have been applying this to all parts of my skin twice a day and it has helped tremendously. I don’t have nearly as much problems with clogged pores, or bumpy upper arms. My ingrown hairs on my legs have virtually disappeared. I spray the toner on all affected parts and so I have been going through it rather quickly. Oh well, it is the only thing that really helps.

I am kicking myself because I used to overlook over-the-counter medication thinking that it wasn’t strong enough to work for me. And if I hadn’t really stuck it out for a full month I might have given up on it because the effects don’t really show for a long time. Well now I know better.

[ammoniasmith]

I have resigned myself to the fact that my skin does not exfoliate well. I have battled acne, Keratosis Pilaris, and ingrown hairs for the last 15 years. While the acne was greatly helped with isotreninoin I was forever getting clogged pores.

I have finally gotten on the Aspirin mask/scrub bandwagon and have even gone so far as to mix up a bottle of Witch Hazel and Aspirin. I have been applying this to all parts of my skin twice a day and it has helped tremendously. I don’t have nearly as much problems with clogged pores, or bumpy upper arms. My ingrown hairs on my legs have virtually disappeared. I spray the toner on all affected parts and so I have been going through it rather quickly. Oh well, it is the only thing that really helps.

I am kicking myself because I used to overlook over-the-counter medication thinking that it wasn’t strong enough to work for me. And if I hadn’t really stuck it out for a full month I might have given up on it because the effects don’t really show for a long time. Well now I know better.

[Jaime]

this is working for your keritosis pilaris? I have been battling this for years and years. Mine really seems o be acting up these days. What is the ration of witch hazel to asperine? Any ole asperin will do? You can mix it up in advance and then just spray on everyday or what ? Sorry for all the questions but i will try anythign to make it better!

[ammoniasmith]

No problem!

It seems that the acidity of the aspirin breaks up the dead skin cells and helps to exfoliate better. This is why I have to use it religiously or else the dead skin cells build up again and I am back to clogged pores, bumpy arms, and ingrown hair. It is probably all related to dead skin cell buildup. The alcohol in the Witch Hazel helps to dissolve the Aspirin and allows it to penetrate the pores. Alpha hydroxy acids (like Amlactin lotion) haven’t really helped me as much as the toner.

Here’s what I do to make the Witch Hazel/Aspirin toner. I get the generic bottle of Witch Hazel from Walmart which thankfully is rather cheap. I place the bottle in the microwave for a minute and a half to heat up the liquid until it is very hot. Then I dump a handful (25 tablets?) of cheap generic Aspirin on the bottle and shake for several minutes. Let the mixture cool completely at which point you will see crystals of dissolved salicylic acid form. If I see crystals than I know that I have supersaturated the solution with Salicylic acid. Pour out the liquid into a spray bottle leaving the sediment behind. I suppose you could strain this through a coffee filter too. Spray on to affected skin twice daily (or once a day if it really bothers your skin). It will take quite some time before you will see results so try to stick to it for a while.

[Jaime]

i should definatly try this thank you for your help! I have given up on physical exfoliation for my arms... it just doesnt do anything. I wanted to try a chemical exfoliant, but just had no idea what to try. How does this leave your skin feeling? Dry ? Do you moisturize the area at all ? TIA

[FiestyFemme]

I'll have to tell my mom about this for my brother - he's got awful KP on his arms and is so self conscious.

[ammoniasmith]

My skin doesn’t feel dry and I don’t moisturize but then I have oily skin so I don’t know how it will affect you. If I do moisturize (maybe once a week) I’ll use AmLactin (with 12% lactic acid) lotion or an unscented lotion like Aveeno.

I try to continue with daily scrubbing in the shower as I figure it can’t hurt. It just seems like manual exfoliation and alpha hydroxy lotions alone didn’t seem to do the trick for me.

I hope it will work for everyone else. Be sure to report back in a month’s time!