Can ingredients in hair products cause acne?

I’d been battling a losing battle with blemishes and acne for the past month and a half. I’d never really had perfect smooth skin but I’d stopped getting breakouts too. I’m getting too old for having a face full of acne! So, I was at quite a loss last month when my whole face inexplicably broke out. Not only was I getting hard painful acne, I was also getting lots and lots of bumps under my skin which were horrid. My forehead, where I don’t get many spots, was a mess as were my cheeks.

I initially thought it was a skin product I was trying out so I stopped using it. Instead of going away, I kept getting one bump after another on my skin and it really bugged me.

That was until I was reading some reviews online and came across a user of Tresemme hair conditioner who loved how soft the conditioner made her hair, but said that it caused her to get body acne. That got me thinking. What if the skin problems I was facing was not to do with skincare but with the Tresemme conditioner I was using? I gave it a rave review previously, but I’d never thought it might affect the skin.

My hair conditioner was finishing, so I decided to stop instead of restocking, just to see if my gut feeling was right. I went instead for Himalaya Herbals Protein Conditioner which I have also reviewed.

Within 3 days of stopping my Tresemme conditioner, I realised I was not getting any new spots. Within a week, and with a little help from my trusty apple cider vinegar toner, my skin is now almost back to the way it was i.e. relatively smooth, with no new blemishes or spots. I’m very happy about that.

However, it got me wondering about why the Tresemme conditioner would cause my skin to break out. I’ve never had a hair product do this to me before. It could be because I wash my hair everyday so I am exposed to the product a lot and something in it did not agree with me.

Either way, I seem to have isolated the hair conditioner as the cause of my traumatic month-long battle with problem skin and I’m working on clearing it up now, with great success.

Have you had a hair product break you out before?

Review: Himalaya Herbals Protein Conditioner

I was wanting for a hair conditioner again after my last one (Tresemme) finished. Hair conditioner is always one of the fastest things to finish in my experience especially in relation to shampoo.

Anyway, for all the goodness of Tresemme, I wanted a change as I suspected that the conditioner might be causing some unwanted acne, so I thought to try another brand so I could test my theory out.

I settled for Himalaya Herbals Protein Conditioner for normal hair. According to their sites (there are 2 sites Himalaya Herbals and Himalaya Herbal Healthcare) is a range of 100% natural and safe products with rare herbs collected from the foothills of the Himalayas hence the name. They have been around since 1930 and that’s a really long time.

This Protein promises to condition hair and nourish with natural proteins from Chickpea for the nourishment and health of your hair, Jasmine for the nourishment of hair and Thistle which promotes hair growth and prevents premature graying of hair.

I found the texture thick and creamy which is nice as it coats the hair well after washing. You don’t have to use very much unlike other conditioners. After leaving it on for a few minutes and then rinsing it out, my hair feels light and soft. It doesn’t tangle when I comb through and when it dries, it doesn’t feel heavy.

All in all, as a drugstore hair conditioner, I think it works amazingly well. I only have one gripe. The smell.

The hair conditioner smells of jasmine. I know of people who like the smell of jasmine so this won’t bother them. But for those who don’t like the smell, it can be a bit strong. It does wear off when it gets dry though. The smell lingers for a bit, but it gets less bothersome.

This brand can be found at most pharmacies and also at supermarkets and standalone Himalaya Herbals stores in selected locations. This bottle cost RM17.90 for400ml.

Pros: Leaves hair soft and smooth, Cheap

Cons: Strong Jasmine smell

Rating:

Review: Tresemme Vitamin E Moisture Rich Conditioner

I ran out of my usual conditioner and in an emergency situation, decided to pop into Watson’s to get a drugstore hair conditioner. I haven’t used a conditioner from the drugstore/pharmacy in ages, so I did not know what to look for. Honestly, the selection and brands were mind boggling!

In the end, I came upon Tresemme, which it says is used by professionals. I don’t know the truth of the statement but something about the packaging appealed to me. I got the Tresemme Moisture Rich conditioner with Vitamin E at under RM20 for 500ml.

To be honest, I did not expect much from this conditioner. Previous experiences with pharmacy brands had left my hair dry and lack lustre. However, I’m happy to say that Tresemme’s conditioner left me surprised at how soft and tangle free my hair felt after I showered.

The texture is thick and a little goes a long way so you don’t really have to use very much to get it all through the ends of your hair. I usually use a 50 sen size dollop and that is sufficient for my shoulder length hair.

There is a fragrance but its not over powering and does not stay, which is good. I don’t like my hair smelling of pine trees or perfume or roses or whatever shampoo makes your hair smell like. I like it clean and smell free, which is what this does for me. The packaging we have here in Malaysia is similar to that in the picture except that the Vitamin E moisture one has a blue stripe.

For the price and performance, I might actually find myself re-purchasing this when it runs out. Not likely to happen for a while though.

Pros: Doesn’t leave a fragrance, cheap, detangles hair and leaves it soft

Cons: None I have experienced Had horrible breakout after using it

UPDATE: I experienced horrible breakouts after using this conditioner. I isolated it as the cause after a process of elimination. Within a week of stopping its use, my skin is back to normal and as clear as it can be. I don’t know what ingredient in it caused the breakout but I’m glad I picked up on it. I have added this as a Con above and the rating has been amended to reflect how I feel.

Rating: for causing my breakout