We’re having a bit of a heat-wave here in the UK at the moment and, unfortunately, it’s doing my poor skin no good at all. The rash I suffered with last summer is trying to come back, thankfully I still have my tea tree and eucalyptus cream to keep it at bay. I’m absolutely terrified of it being really nasty like it was last year as it took several months to ease off.

The heat is affecting my hair too. Though the vinegar rinse is successfully keeping dandruff to a minimum, my hair is greasy and limp within hours of washing. I don’t really want to wash it every day, but I’m not sure what else I can do. Any tips from readers familiar with this predicament would be greatly appreciated.

My acne is slowly improving. I think my body is finally getting used to being back on the pill - it’s taken about 6 weeks. The old acne marks are taking their time fading however, so I’m having to wear make-up whenever I go out and this frustrates me somewhat. The good news is that it hasn’t messed up my periods though (a common complaint from users with this particular pill), I started my last one bang on time.

I shall trudge on as always. And hope for a cool day sometime very soon.

In my early 20s I switched from the mini-pill to the combined pill in the hopes it would improve my acne. I ended up quitting after trying two different brands unsuccessfully and never got around to going back on the mini-pill. Until three weeks ago that is.

Well I expected to have a few issues with my skin and that’s certainly what I got. In fact, I’ve been experiencing the whole range of typical PMT symptoms - increased acne, overly flaky scalp, a very short temper and incredibly tender boobs.

To counter the skin problems, I’ve been using plenty of apple cider vinegar in my hair and face care routines.  Even so, I’m noticing greasiness returning after only a few hours. Not a lot I can do about my temper, other than try to bite my tongue before I say things and for the last concern I just have to make sure I’m wearing my most comfortable bras. :D

Generally, I’ve been trying not to worry about all this. I’m adding a new hormone into my body and it’s understandable that I’m going to have some balancing issues for a few weeks. But two days ago, something happened (which may be totally unrelated) that made me freak out a bit. I had a tiny little whitehead appear just under my lip and upon gently squeezing it, an enormous purple bruise suddenly appeared right underneath!

I can only assume the spot I squeezed was close to a capillary or something. I have never ever had bruises on my face and it was quite upsetting to see this prominent blotch on my chin. Applying a liberal amount of concealer didn’t manage to cover it either, so I skulked around indoors all day with no intention of being seen by anyone.

Thankfully, it’s already started to fade, but it’s certainly made me think twice about popping any more spots. Which I guess can only be a good thing really. :D

So, I shall continue to hang in there and hope my body adjusts to the mini-pill soon. Wish me luck!