Soaking up the natural benefits of the ocean at home...

Alison Carton, the founder of Clarisea, struggled with acne for many long years. She used a myriad of skincare products and saw numerous dermatologists without success. The treatments were either completely ineffective, too drying, or caused new breakouts or severe irritation and the cycle continued.

Sometimes you find what you are looking for when you least expect it. Alison found her acne solution when she noticed something amazing while on vacation. After a few days swimming in the ocean, she realized that the salt water was clearing up her skin. This discovery inspired her to recreate the clarifying effects of the ocean by developing her own custom blend of sea salts. Clarisea was born out of a desire to bring the natural acne remedy that changed her life to anyone else suffering as she had.

I have had the distinct displeasure of experiencing acne since I was twelve years old. While I would hardly call my acne debilitating, it has certainly not been pleasant. I have had my share of painful cysts. I am certain that my self-esteem has taken its share of hits thanks to acne. Sadly, I have also spent a lot of money looking for my Holy Grail acne cure. Honestly, I never would have believed that as a 33-year-old woman I would still be struggling with acne. Given all of this, I was very skeptical of trying Clarisea.

I was tasked to test the Clarifying Salt Treatment ($18 for 38 oz), which is a face soak, a new concept to me. The soak came in a generous, heavy container that lasts forever (almost). It has the shortest list of ingredients that I have ever seen; sodium chloride and mineral salt, and is said to work with your skin’s pH balance to naturally cleanse and exfoliate while helping to fight bacteria.

While the company offers a special spray bottle and collapsible bowl ($12, seen left, with yes, a snorkel) for use with the soak, I did not test them. Instead, I just used a large bowl that I could comfortably submerge my face in and filled it with lukewarm water. Next I added two scoops of the solution to the water (It took me a while to realize that a scoop is a tablespoon). Then, you then soak your entire face in the salt water for at least two minutes, taking breaths as needed.

This was tough for me at first, because I didn’t breathe frequently enough. That should be obvious, but it wasn’t for me. Once I found a comfortable rhythm, it became a relaxing and enjoyable experience. The recommended usage is three soaks times per week.

There are a few alternatives to this procedure. Clarisea offers a bathtub kit ($6), a small snorkel and earplugs, as seen above. How fun is that? I’m thinking you could also fill a spray bottle with the solution and spray away.

At first, I thought that the idea of the soaks sounded like a lot of work. But now I find it to be a relaxing and therapeutic experience. Aren’t we all worth a few minutes of “me time”?

Beyond being relaxing, the Clarifying Salt Treatment really works. I have been using this for well over a month and have clearly seen results. I have seen a significant increase in my overall skin clarity. I am getting fewer breakouts, and a surprise benefit for me came when I had a terrible allergic reaction to another product. The Clarisea helped to clear it right up – amazing.

I hope to in the future try the rest of the line. I definitely plan on keeping the face soak a part of my routine. If you suffer from acne, I highly recommend giving it a shot. It has really made a difference with my sensitive, acne-prone skin. Who knows, maybe with regular use, next year I will be a 34-year-old without acne.