How I Got Clear, Glowing Skin Holistically (& Never Looked Back)

Okay, it's time to write an extensive post on how I cured my acne naturally, without chemicals or prescription drugs.

Here's a little back story before we get into the good stuff:

I didn't always have acne. Growing up in high school, I had just a few spots every now and then. I didn't have perfect skin, but I also didn't have the worst skin. 

Last year, my skin reached a new level of bad. I lived in a small town in Louisiana, and there weren't many healthy and organic options to choose from when it came to food. I ate a lot of organic chili, organic garbanzo beans, and organic carrots. Naturally, I ended up eating some non-organic things due to a number of factors (which I take full responsibility for), so my health declined along with that. My skin progressively got worse and worse. 

I know for a fact that my acne was correlated with my diet because I was breaking out mainly on my lower cheeks, which is often thought of as being a mirror for our stomachs, digestive system, large intestines, etc. You get the idea! I wasn't breaking out nearly as bad anywhere else compared to my cheeks. At one point, it got pretttttty bad. I should have taken a picture of just how bad it got so you guys could see for yourself, but around this time I was avoiding cameras like the plague. Which is a shame, because I'm really passionate about modeling. Anyway, thanks to Face Mapping Charts, it wasn't very hard to isolate the issue.

I'll talk more about diet later.

In this post, I want to share with you the things I did to totally eliminate my acne and acne scars. I'm going to mention several things, because I can't attribute my clear skin to one thing in particular. When I got fed up with having bad skin, I did A TON of research, and started implementing several different healthy habits and natural routines into my life. My skin's healing was a result of a number of different factors, which all worked together in harmony to nourish my skin. I wish I could say straight up 100% *THIS ONE THING* is what cured my acne, but it wasn't that simple. It took a lot of experimenting to find what worked for me. All I know for sure is that what I'm going to share with you are the things that have worked and are still working for me now.

Without any further ado, let's get to it!

♦Cleansing Methods♦

Even though I hadn't used chemicals on my skin since 2010, I would still break out, so I needed to find a gentle chemical-free cleanser that would get the job done and keep my skin nice and clean. I use a number of cleansing methods these days. Whatever I use in the moment basically depends on what I feel like. Sometimes I'll use a combination of these things, other times I'll keep it simple. I like mixing it up! The great thing about using natural products is that you can play with the ratios and find what you feel works best for you. So here's what's working for me:

♦Raw Organic Honey

I use a lot of honey in my life. I get the big jars of raw organic honey from the health food store, and I scoop a decent amount into a smaller jar to keep in the bathroom. It's important to keep things used in the bathroom for skin care separate from things used in the kitchen for cooking for obvious reasons! I felt I should mention that just in case. Anyway, sometimes I'll just dampen my fingertips with warm water and rub honey on my face and then splash it off. Other times I'll put the honey on my face and leave it on for a while-- sometimes over an hour! I just pull my hair back in a ponytail, wash dishes or something, and sometimes I forget I have it on my face until I lick my lips or accidentally touch my skin and it's all sweet and sticky! I feel the longer I leave it on- the better. I find that honey is a perfect cleanser for my face, and it also helps fade acne scars. Overall, I love this stuff.

♦Baking Soda

I like this because it's super inexpensive and works great. I keep some baking soda in a upcycled glass spice jar in my shower. Whenever I am showering, I splash some warm water on my face (never use hot water!!) to open my pores a little bit, next I shake about a tablespoon of baking soda from the spice jar into the palm of my hand, then I rub it into my face in a circular motion. I love cleansing with baking soda because, not only is an effective cleanser for the skin, but it also acts as a mild exfoliant. 

♦Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap

I am in love with Dr. Bronner's soaps. My favorites are the rose and almond ones. I'm currently using the almond scented one, and I love it. I always buy the biggest bottle they sell because this stuff last me a long time. I find if I pour some in my hands and lather it with a bit of water, it makes for one helluva incredible-smelling and gentle cleanser.

♦Oil Cleansing Method

Sometimes I will massage my face with a combination of castor oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, coconut oil, and macadamia nut oil. I have a lot more oils, too. Sometimes I use castor oil on its own, but often times I will dilute it with one or more of the other oils I mentioned. I can imagine some people with what they believe to be oily skin are saying, "What?? Why would I want to put oil on my face?!" but trust me, oil cleansing can actually help balance out your natural oil production! It's similar to how not shampooing hair can balance the oil production from our scalp. There's a whole science behind oil cleansing which I don't want to get into here. There are tons of articles and testimonials on the web, so if you're interested in reading more about the oil cleansing method, click here. I highly recommend it for all skin types! This is one of the reasons my face glows!

♦Toners/Face Mists♦

I always use a toner or a face mist after I cleanse my skin. Once I remove all the dirt or buildup, I like to replenish my freshly-cleansed skin with these things:

♦Hydrosols

Hydrosols are flower waters made by steam-distilling plants. The hydrosol encapsulates all the good stuff each plant has to offer. They smell wonderful too, so when you mist your face with them, not only are you nourishing and replenishing your skin, you also get some awesome aromatherapeutic benefits. I'm just now discovering the wonderful world of Hydrosols. I plan on making my own blends with herbs like jasmine, sage, and lavender. My favorite so far is classic rosewater. My skin just loves it. On top of that, it smells heavenly. I can only imagine how good a jasmine one would smell!

♦Witch Hazel

Witch Hazel is commonly used to treat cuts and wounds. As a toner, it refreshes and tightens the skin, while also locking in moisture. If you buy witch hazel, make sure you buy an alcohol-free brand, like Thayers.

♦Apple Cider Vinegar

I love ACV for my skin. As a toner, it balances out the skin's pH, fades acne scars, reduces pore size, and overall heals the skin. There's a lot to be said about this, but since there are a lot of articles out there already about most of the things I'm talking about, I'll leave it upon you to research what interests you! I'm simply relaying what worked for me in case these things can help you too :)

♦Tea Tree Oil

I like to use tea tree oil as a spot-treatment after I cleanse my skin. Some people don't like the smell, but I personally love it. I find it refreshing and invigorating. Tea tree oil is anti-fungal and antibacterial. I notice it reduces redness. Most people recommend diluting it with water, but I apply it straight onto my trouble areas. Otherwise, if I feel like using it all over my face, I dilute it with a little olive, coconut, jojoba, or rose hip seed oil.

♦Aloe Vera

I can't say enough good things about aloe. It helps fade scars, helps heal existing acne, tightens the skin, improves complexion, etc. It basically does it all. I couldn't go without mentioning Aloe Vera!

♦Moisturizing Methods♦

It's important to me to keep my skin nice and moisturized, so I drink a lot of water. I only drink spring or distilled water. Stay away from the flouride, folks! Here's what I use to moisturize my face to keep it looking dewy and fresh:

♦Oil

I will use several different oils to moisturize. My favorites at the moment are:

*Rose Hip Seed Oil - Rich in Vitamin C, helps fade acne scars, improves complexion.
*Jojoba Oil - Similar to our skin's natural oil, loaded in B vitamins, leaves nothing to be desired.
*Coconut Oil - Promotes collagen production, helps retain moisture already present in the skin, a must-have for skincare DIYs.

♦Vegetable Glycerin

This stuff is seriously amazing. I can't even begin to describe how amazing it is. But I'll try. I don't know why it took me so long to discover this stuff. I've heard of vegetable glycerin before in countless DIYs, such as beet juice lip stains and homemade essential oil perfumes. Finally, I decided I must have some to play around with. I bought a big bottle, and I am so glad I did. Once I had it in my hands, I said, "Okay, show me what you're made of.." I started googling all the uses for vegetable glycerin. I stumbled across an article saying it's great to moisturize curly hair, so I tried that and was impressed. I figured, why not try it on my face too? Hehe, I love experimenting. So I did one night. Best thing I ever did! I woke up the next day with glowing skin.. somehow my entire complexion seemed brighter! I wont ever go without this stuff again. Total win for my skin.

♦Supplements/Diet♦

Diet is directly related to our skin's health. It's important to eat fresh organic foods. Do not eat processed foods! Yuck! I could write forever about diet, but I probably shouldn't go off on that tangent right now. Below are several beneficial things I added to my diet that helped cure my acne: 

♦Fermented Cod Liver Oil

This is the #1 best supplement I started taking. It's helped my skin out A LOT. Overall, everything is better. Less breakouts, clearer complexion, healthy glow, soft and supple lips, etc. I love this stuff. I can go on and on about it, but instead, I'll link to you a couple articles that convinced me to try Fermented Cod Liver Oil to cure my acne to begin with:

Why Fermented Cod Liver Oil is the Best Acne Supplement

Cure Acne in Just a Few Days: How I Finally Cured My Acne

♦Probiotics

A lot of people take antibiotics to cure their acne, and when I hear that, I cringe a little to myself. Antibiotics are terrible for the good bacteria in our guts. Sure, it kills off the bad stuff, but it takes the good stuff with it! Totally not worth it. A simple Google search reveals countless articles on why antibiotics are bad for you. Check it out here to learn more. Anyway, forget the antibiotics! Go for probiotics to restore a healthy environment in your gut and get rid of acne! If you choose a probiotic food made from dairy, be sure to only eat it if it's 100% grass-fed and organic, from a farm that doesn't use antibiotics or abuse their animals. Here's a list of foods and drinks I consume that are loaded with probiotics:

*Kombucha
*Kefir
*Beet Kvass
*Saurekraut
*Miso
*Natto
*Rejuvelac
*Yoghurt
*Cheese

♦Schizandra

I actually have a funny story about how I found out Schizandra is great for skin. I often travel to Rochester, New York to work for an upcoming organic line of teas called Tea Witch Tea. The last time I was there, I chose my plant name. There was a ritual involving a blindfold, drums, sage, and, well, you get the picture.. I chose Schizandra. I didn't know much about Schizandra apart from the fact that it's a staple superfood for many health gurus. What I didn't know is that it's also one of the best gifts I would ever give my skin. When purchasing Schizandra, make sure you find a pure, high quality source. The best source I've found is 100% hands down Lucidera. I just mix a little bit of Schizandra powder with some water and drink up. I also sometimes blend it in a smoothie, mix it in kava, or take the powder straight up.

♦ELIMINATE Bad Food Combining

This one took forever to sink in! For a long time, I was combining grains and fats, which was a major problem for my digestive system. Now I try to keep digestion as simple as possible, but I still allow myself to indulge and stray from the path a little. If you want to see a really cool chart for food combining, check this one out here.

♦Clean Surroundings♦

Living in a clean environment should be common sense when preventing acne, yet somehow I remained ignorant to this fact for most of my life! Why I hadn't made the connection sooner, I don't know, but now that I do know, I make sure to always avoid letting any bacteria come into contact with my skin.

♦Hands Off!

It's super important to not touch your face when you have acne. It only makes it worse! I know because I used to hide behind my hands and hair when I had acne. Even though I would wash my hands a lot, the bacteria from my hands would transfer onto my skin and wreak havoc. And popping pimples is a big DON'T! I know having a big zit that's ready to blow is *really* unsightly, but popping it will just force the bacteria back into your skin and it will spread to the surrounding tissue. So not only will you cause potential scarring from popping it, but you will also cause more spots.. which is not what we want, right? Think to yourself, "Stop before you Pop!"

♦Pillow Cases

Washing pillow cases often may seem obvious, but I was totally ignorant of this before! We rub our faces on our pillow cases every night, and if our faces aren't clean every time, we transfer the bacteria onto the pillow cases! Eww! It's so important to routinely wash your pillow cases. Once every two weeks or every month should be okay. The more often, the better! Keep those babies clean!

♦Cell Phones

Keeping my cell phone clean was another thing I didn't think about until a dear friend of mine (who's an esthetician and herbalist) and I were talking about my acne. She looked at me and asked, "How often do you clean your phone?" I was ashamed to realize that I hardly ever clean my phone, and I was putting it up to my face to answer calls all the time! Now I wipe it down with antibacterial wipes or rubbing alcohol to keep it clean, but I also avoid holding it to my face due to Electromagnetic Frequencies (EMFs) now anyway.

♦Conclusion♦

I want to reiterate how important it is to eat a pure and simple diet. Our skin loves hydrating foods and especially loves veggies! Greens, such as kale and spinach, nourish our bodies on a cellular level. It's *super important* to eat a healthy, well-rounded diet if you want to see improvement in your skin.

Wow, that was a lot of typing, and I really hope you enjoyed this post and maybe even learned something! If you struggle with acne, I hope what I shared with you here will help you on your journey to beautiful, clear skin! Trust me, you will get there.

Check back Wednesday for a new post!