This week I am sharing some skin detox tips + a few of my favorite skincare products and ideas. I had no idea how nutty women are about their skin until I started sharing my crazy skin history…which, I guess makes me nutty as well.
We spend so much time hemming and hawing over what our skin needs, whether to pop that zit or not, what to cover it up with, how to prevent it from happening in the first place, whether to worry about blackheads, what to do about peeling dry skin, and/or what to do about skin that is too oily.
What I thought would be a lifetime of acne (this idea came from the fact that while I was in middle and high school, my mom was still breaking out–and she wasn’t even 40 yet), has made a vast 180 turn for the better. A quick background is that I broke out all the time as a teenager, and even into my early 20’s. My doctor even put me on that Tetra-something antibiotic to clear it up in high school, which only made it worse. Of course around my period it would also worsen, so I really thought I was doomed.
Nobody mentioned to me a thing about diet, which at the time was rich in sugar, dairy, and wheat. Nobody told me I could heal and seal my gut, and nobody told me I could use nutrition to heal my skin.
How I cleared my cystic acne
I tried ProActiv. That’s a truth that’s never been told publicly, so you should all feel special 🙂 I tried Aveda, bought the whole line only to break out even more after using it. Then finally a couple of things happened around the same time. The first thing I learned was trough Nutrition Response Testing. I discovered working with my practitioner not only did I have some immune challenges and metals to clear, but I also had several food sensitivities. Over a 9 month period of abstaining from fruit, grains, and dairy, my skin cleared up within 3 weeks, my scarring healed within 3 months, and my skin has never looked or felt better. The second thing I learned was that it was ok to not use “soap” to wash my face. An esthetician taught me to use a textured washcloth for exfoliation and warm water to really scrub my face before applying oil to heal it. This not only felt amazing but I was surprised at how clean my skin felt and how quickly the scarring went away using oils such as frankincense and manuka.
What I do now to maintain clear, healthy skin
My skincare routine now is simple. I do the warm water textured washcloth wash once per day, then apply a lustro oil or Nourishing day cream with a few drops of frankincense and manuka. I divide the second wash per day between the charcoal cleansing bar or the exfoliating wash, then I apply a charcoal mask twice per week and my skin feels amazing! The essential oils I get from Young Living and the other products I use are from Beautycounter. Being picky about what I use on my skin has paid off because it’s never looked or felt better.
In terms of the role diet plays for me, I avoid refined processed sugars, am dairy free/gluten free and mostly grain free. I have a ton of energy, sleep so great (when I’m not up with my wee one) and don’t have anything on my list of health complaints, and it took a heckuva long time to get there (to no health complaints).
Take a peek below where I share some of my favorites!
