Holland & Barrett 'Herbal Authority Tea Tree Oil Soap'

I remember using pure tea-tree oil on my spots when I was about 11. My dad swore by it, and whenever I got a spot or an insect bite, he would be there dabbing it onto the affected area, telling me about the antiseptic properties. The magical thing was that the spot would be dried out and nearly gone by the morning! But that was before I suffered with the acne that I still tend to struggle with to this day!

I have never used tea tree oil on my current acne, I never even thought of it to be honest, I just think about AHAs, BHAs, retinoids, fruit acids, glycolic acid etc. I wandered into Holland and Barrett a few weeks ago, and saw this soap. I remembered all those times that my insect bites/spots had disappeared overnight, and bought it immediately. It was another route to go down in my acne management!

Using it on my oily skin, it foams up beautifully and leaves skin really baby soft and not dried out at all. It cleans so well, it removes every single trace of makeup from my skin, leaving it so clean, but without feeling tight. In regards to my acne, I would say it has definitely helped. I am still on my medications, but whereas the medications help from the inside, the soap helps from the outside, removing all grime and grubbiness and also acting as a antiseptic. It's fantastic.
When I used the soap whilst using my Retin-A at night, I did find that the soap really stung my skin like hell and left it feeling so irritated and full of rashes. I learnt the hard way!
In light of this, I would say that if you do suffer from acne but have really sensitive skin due to medications or whatever, steer way clear of this because it's not worth all the soreness. Use something a little bit gentler.

I would say if you are using the soap, make sure you are using products which moisturise and hydrate your skin well, since tea-tree oil does have a tendency to dry out skin and we are getting into colder weather which will give your skin a bit of a beating too! Personally, I always use Aquaphor overnight, which is an extremely moisturising and hydrating face balm and sort of counter-acts the drying action of the soap but doesn't impede the anti-bacterial properties!

It does smell quite strongly of tea-tree oil, so if you don't like the smell of tea-tree or any strong fragrances, don't get this!
Personally, I quite like the smell, it really makes me feel so fresh and invigorated.

It only cost me £1.49 for 70g of soap, which I think is a fantastic little bargain.

I will definitely repurchase because when I'm not using my Retin-A, this soap is fantastic at cleaning skin without drying it out completely. It's cheap and easily accessible (if you have a Holland & Barrett near you!). And it seems to keep my acne at bay! Win!