Hopefully we’ll be expanding to radio spots in the coming year. Thanks to all our customers who have tried Clear5 and helped spread the word! There are real acne solutions out there for those who are willing to look, and in this day and age, no one should have to live without clear skin.

People that know about vitamin formulation understand that having the right vitamins in the proper proportion makes all the difference. 400 mg of vitamin C may help you. 400 mcg of vitamin C will do absolutely nothing for you. Sadly, the average vitamin customer doesn’t know much about the science behind supplements, and there are no shortage of scam artists looking to take advantage of those customers. Thus, you get a lot of products on the market that try and throw in every vitamin, mineral and herb that could possibly help a certain affliction. These are the type of products that will never work. You might as well just throw your money away.

It’s not enough simply to have beneficial ingredients. You have to have them in strong enough doses, with supporting ingredients that aid rather than diminish absorbency. Take an acne vitamin treatment that includes all the B-vitamins plus vitamin C. That might sound good on paper, but in order for this treatment to have enough of those ingredients to actually help you, each pill would have to be the size of your thumb. That’s not going to happen, so instead what you get is a worthless treatment that has trace quantities of a dozen different vitamins in concentrations too low to make any difference. There are a lot of ingredients that simply aren’t going to make any difference unless you take them in significant doses. And also, many vitamins actually compete for absorbance. Taking them together can lead to your body absorbing less of what you really need.

Vitamin frauds aren’t going away, because there’s always going to be some customer who looks at the label, notices “this product has X ingredient that the other product doesn’t”, and buys the product with the bigger ingredient list. But you don’t have to fall for this trap. When you see a supplement with an ingredient list a mile long, be smart. Be skeptical. Does it look like the product has a definitive active ingredient? If so, there may be hope. But if what you’ve got is basically just a cocktail of everything plus the kitchen sink that some website said helps with your affliction, then do yourself a favor and save your money. Look at proven products like Clear5 or 5-Hour Energy and you’ll notice that they keep the ingredient list to the essentials, providing strong doses of exactly the vitamins that make a difference.

I was once one of those gullible buyers, and several years back I even packed Clear5 with more ingredients than we have today (twice as many, and it cost the same price to produce, by the way). We found that the added ingredients actually made our product less effective, and we cut them. So remember, don’t be fooled by a product just because it has a long, seemingly impressive list of ingredients. If every vitamin under the sun is packed into a supplement that calls itself a treatment, it’s almost definitely a scam.

I apologize to those of you who were fans of the liquid formula (yes, we’ve gotten quite a few emails ^_^). We do still have some stock on hand, so for a limited time, if you order 6 bottles of the Clear5 tablets, just email us and we’ll switch them to 8 bottles of the liquid Clear5 at your request. This is while supplies last. Makes sure to specify your desired flavor and email us right when you place your order. For those switching to the tablets, don’t fear. They are easy to swallow, effective, tasteless, and have the benefit of being more portable than the liquid vitamins. And hey, we just lowered our prices (especially on the 6-bottle value pack), so now’s a great time to try them!

I met someone recently who gave me an unexpected tip that worked for him: use nothing. It sounds simple, and it is. Basically, you shave with the typical multi-blade razor of your choice, but don’t use shaving cream or gel beforehand. Also, peel off the strip at the front of the razor. That leaves just your skin, warm water and cold hard steel.

I’ve been trying this for a week or so, and surprisingly, it appears to work fairly well. You should still spend some time splashing/soaking your face with warm water to soften up those bristles, and it is important to use a fresh, sharp razor so as to avoid snagging. Note that you may not get as close a shave this way, but honestly, that’s part of the strategy. With modern shaving technology, you can sometimes get a shave that’s simply *too* close for people with sensitive skin. Hairs can get clipped beneath the skin level and the top layer of skin can get stripped away, leading to those hairs getting stuck when the skin regrows and blocks the budding hairs from poking through (hence razor bumps).

I expected to get a bunch of rashes from this, as shaving cream weakens the fibers of your hair and helps prevent pulling when you shave those hairs off, but so far so good. Ingrown hairs can often be feeding grounds for bacteria and actually turn into acne blemishes as oil builds up and pressurizes in those clogged pores, so avoiding them is always important. If you have a hard time shaving and have tried everything else, it may be worth it to try nothing at all.

1) Take the right dosage. If you have mild acne and weigh under 140 lbs, start with 4 tablets per day, if your acne is moderate to severe and/or you weigh over 140 lbs, start with 6 tablets per day. Spread out your daily intake (ex: for 6 tablets, take 2 in the morning, afternoon and evening). Once your skin is clear, reduce gradually (ex: from 6 tablets to 5 tablets for 2 weeks, then to 4 tablets, etc.).

2) Be consistent. Clear5 will not work if you do not actually take it. Your body likes a predictable schedule, and especially during the first month, it’s essential not to skip days. Also, stay patient and don’t stress out if you do not see next-day results. If your body has been pumping out acne for months or years, it’s only natural that it may take a few weeks to reverse course.

3) Drink plenty of water. Water not only washes down the tablets, it also helps keep your body hydrated and enhances your circulation, making sure that the vitamin contents get where they need to go. Don’t skimp on water. Drink 2 glasses every time you take Clear5.

4) Don’t use 20 other products at the same time. Clear5 is safe to use with other products, but over-treating your skin can seriously have the opposite effect that you want. Give yourself 30 days and use Clear5 without all the other stuff. At least try not to use cleansers or spot treatments more than once per day.

5) Be safe. Rarely, new users may experience mild stomach irritation or stool softening. This usually ceases after a few days once your body adjusts (taking Clear5 with meals may also reduce the risk of these effects). Clear5 uses very safe, natural ingredients, but as with any supplement, there is always a chance that you might be hyper-sensitive or allergic to one of the vitamins or minerals included. If you experience any other side effect, lower your dosage or discontinue taking Clear5.

So how can turmeric help? It turns out that the herb has many benefits. It has the properties of being an anti-oxidant (like almost every herb), anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmotic supplement that can even help relax your muscles. Sounds nice. As you can see, there are several properties here that go hand-in-hand with healthy skin.

Of course, your not going to get enough turmeric from simply seasoning your foods to make much of a difference. You’ll need to take it in supplement form, and as with most natural supplements, you’ll need to take a decent amount to get any real effect at all. I’d recommended taking two 400mg tablets per day. Most users report seeing their skin improve after a few weeks. Note that some multivitamins include turmeric, but again, this usually isn’t enough. You’re better off taking the pure supplement (or one with piperine, which aids turmeric’s absorption). Turmeric works differently from supplements such as B5, in that it doesn’t effect your body’s metabolism of skin oil, but it may be a good additional supplement to take on the side.

I’ve said before that sometimes popping zits is not the taboo behavior that some people make it out to be. If the white of an acne pustule is clearly visible and right near the surface of the skin, there is usually little harm in forcing it out. You may even heal faster. But you have to pick your battles wisely. When you get stressed, the inclination is to attack any and all acne pustules that you find, and that never ends well. Acne that is too deep or too early in formation will usually survive your attack, and you’ll have managed to inflame the area around it, making your skin look ten times worse than it did before (and most of the time, it will stay like that ten times longer).

So when you’re feeling stressed out over your skin, try to keep this advice in mind:

1) Don’t storm over to the mirror and attack your face. Heck, stay away from the mirror altogether.

2) Don’t try to “preemptively” stop acne by squeezing pimples that are barely formed. Your efforts will have the opposite effect.

3) Don’t get fixated on an “immediate solution”. Even the best spot treatments seldom work overnight, and there is no miracle sure.

Keep your head on straight and only pop a pimple if it is mature and ready to break the surface of your skin anyway. Never try to force your skin to be clear by sheer acts of facial violence. Healthy skin takes a little time and effort. You didn’t get acne overnight, and you shouldn’t expect it to disappear overnight. If you are trying a new treatment, be patient and consistent, and don’t stress out like crazy if you don’t see a radical transformation in the first week.

Likewise, many acne sufferers discover that the skin around their hairline is more prone to blemishes than elsewhere. It comes down to the excess oil that is secreted onto your hair. If you’re washing your face, but ignoring the task of keeping your hair clean, it’s going to come back to bite you. Gently washing - or at least rinsing - your hair each day can be just as important as washing your face in the morning.

Just as your body keeps a protective layer of oil on your skin, it naturally keeps your hair somewhat oily. Hair that is too dry becomes brittle and frizzy, forming loose ends and looking generally bad. You don’t have to get extreme in your hair washing, but neither should you go too long without giving your hair a good rinse, especially if that hair is frequently in contact with your face. Cleanse your hair regularly and try not to use it as a mask to hide forehead acne. Chances are, you’ll only be encouraging more acne to form in the same place.

First off, don’t pick at your scar tissue! I know everyone had heard the “don’t pick” line a few times too many, but it’s especially important here, sometimes even moreso than with genuine acne spots. Scraping away at a scar tissue bump can have exactly the opposite effect that you want, as the scar tissue will often grow back even bigger, thicker and more noticeable than before. So sit back and let your skin heal.

That said, there are some things you can do to speed the process along. Natural exfoliation is a good thing, and by natural I don’t mean shaving over your bump with a razor blade. Allow yourself a bit of sun, rinse regularly and use a gentle exfoliation scrub when you’re in the shower. Keeping a healthy circulation will also help, so drink plenty of water and take some vitamin C along with B5. A bit of Neosporin can help if your skin if inflamed around the region, but use it sparingly and remember that the best way to prevent inflammation is simply to keep your hands away.

Occasionally, if a bump is caused by an ingrown hair, the hair may need to be removed before the area will heal completely. Do not try to dig it out prematurely. Wait until the spot is no longer swollen and the hair is clearly visible. If you wait a very long time, your body will actually break down the hair, but this can sometimes take months. As long as the hair is clearly visible and near the surface, a sanitized needle can be used to free it, after which it should be removed with a pair of tweezers.

Scare tissue bumps can be a pain, as there’s no simple treatment and the fact is that they take time to heal. Patience is your best weapon. And of course, it’s a good idea to be gentle with your skin so as to prevent these blemishes from occurring in the first place.

Update: server is back online. Sorry again for the inconvenience. Hopefully our host will stay up this time.