I wanted to keep it real with you guys in this post. All these photos of me are makeup free and unedited in natural daylight. I wish I had before photos to share with you so you could see just how bad it really was several years ago. Unfortunately I either deleted or edited out any blemishes because I was ashamed of how bad it was. You will notice that my skin is still not perfect, but religiously following these steps has made a huge difference. Sorry in advance, this post is a little wordy, but I wanted to provide plenty of information and tips.
We’ve all experienced skin issues in our lives. Whether it be minor or major, it’s still annoying and can really crush your confidence. I want to start out by saying that growing up I never had acne or dull skin. It wasn’t until I was 23, and went off the hormonal birth control pill. I had been on it for 7 years, and when I stopped my hormones went crazy. Suddenly I had SEVERE acne. Face, back, chest, you name it I had it. I was absolutely miserable. No matter what I did nothing seemed to work. So I got serious about it and took action. Here are the steps I took to achieve clear skin.
Step 1
First you need to heal yourself internally. Before you dive into analyzing your diet and products though, get your hormone levels tested!!! I wish I had done this right off the bat because I wasted so much money. I learned the hard way that even if you have a perfect diet and all the right products, none of this will matter of your hormones are out of sync. You may not even realize it, and you don’t have to stop taking birth control like I did for it to happen. If you find that they are in fact out of sync, you can google specific vitamins to take to help naturally get that back on track. It may take some time so be patient, but please, please, PLEASE do not take any prescriptions the doctors suggest to you. I did this, and not only did it make things worse, but I researched the medication and it had tons of dangerous side effects.
Step 2
If your hormones aren’t the problem, then the next step is process of elimination. This will be the hardest step. We all know what causes us to break out; chocolate, dairy, greasy foods, etc. I will be the first to say that I seriously struggled with this. You must remove all of the junk from your diet for at least 3 months. (Note: After this period of time, try slowing introducing things back into your diet, but not all at once and don’t overdue it. If you get a breakout, then you will know what caused it.) The easiest and most affective way to cut the crap out is head to the grocery store and stock up on healthier snacks and meal options. Whenever you get a craving, or want to binge eat because you are bored (I’m famous for this), go for a piece of fruit instead. My go-to is bananas. This will get easier after about a week, it takes about that long for your body to stop craving bad foods. Avoid going out to dinner as much as possible, because you will be tempted to eat poorly. Also, AVOID FAST FOOD AT ALL COSTS. Yes that means sugary coffees with tons of creamer too. Sorry. Try to keep candy/chocolate intake to a bare minimum. I won’t ask you to completely cut it out because that’s pretty much impossible. At least for me. Lastly, NO MORE DIARY. I know, I said it, but you have to break up with cheese. Dairy is one of the leading causes of breakouts, and to be honest, it isn’t really that great for you anyway. Don’t worry, you can still live a normal life without it, and I will give you some suggestions below.
What You Are Eating VS. What You Should Be Eating
Breakfast
Old: High calorie coffees (Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts), cereals with lots of sugar, pop tarts, oatmeal with milk, dairy yogurt, donuts, bagels with cream cheese, you get the idea…
New:
- Black coffee, add almond or coconut milk and sugar as needed (no dairy)
- Organic/natural cereal with almond milk
- Oatmeal with almond milk (bananas on top optional)
- Coconut yogurt (search for one with less sugar)
- Vegan protein powder – blend with almond milk or liquid egg whites and fruit
^ I do this last one daily as my breakfast. It also makes your hair grow like a weed.
Lunch
Old: Fast food, sandwiches with cheese, salads with fatty dressings, misc. fried foods and dairy, soda
New:
- Sandwiches with healthy lunch meat, choice of veggies (avocado is my favorite)
- Romaine or mixed greens salad with vinaigrette dressing, choice of meat and veggies
- Premade meal you cooked the night before (organic choice of meat or veggies or both)
- If you like carbonation try sparkling water instead (the kind with no sweeteners or sugar added!)
- Pressed juices, flavor of choice
Dinner
Old: Fast food, pizza, pasta with cheese, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, soda, etc.
New:
- Salmon or choice of fish with veggies and rice
- Choice of organic meat with veggies
- Pasta with no cheese or cream sauce
- If you want pizza, try Diaya brand pizza
- Fruit of choice for dessert
^I was skeptical about Daiya pizza because it’s vegan, but there are no gross filler ingredients, and it literally looks and tastes like a regular pizza. Nobody who I’ve had try it can tell the difference! They sell it in the frozen section at most grocery stores. This is my go to meal if I’m too lazy to cook. The “Pepperoni” is my fave.
(You can see my problem areas tend to be my forehead and chin)
Step 3
So you’ve gotten your eating habits under control, but still notice more breakouts that you like. What gives? Invest in some vitamins. No seriously, these things saved me. I grew up in an organic, health freak household, so supplements are no stranger to me. However I know many people have no idea where to start. Luckily that’s what I’m here for. You don’t have to go crazy and spend hundreds of dollars, but if you want clear, radiant skin then this is a very important step. I take vitamins daily, and it has had a huge impact on my skin. Here are some of the vitamins that worked best for me…
- Zinc – studies show zinc kills acne causing bacteria, and reduces inflammation
- Vitamin A – reduces sebum (oil secretions) production and maintains protective tissue. If you have overly oily skin, this is a good one for you. It also helps maintain good eyesight. Avoid if pregnant, as it has been linked to birth defects.
- Vitamin D – Vitamin D is the most crucial supplement you can take for your health and well being. It’s important for locking in moisture and supporting your immune system, as well as minimizing dark spots and acne scars.
- Vitamin C – helps reduce free radicals, supports cell strength, improves collagen, and fights wrinkles, spots, and dull skin.
- Selenium – pretty much nobody on the planet gets enough selenium. Found in nuts, grains, salmon, and halibut, it helps preserve the levels of other antioxidants such as zinc. It’s a key factor in preventing the inflammation of acne, and has been known to help eczema and psoriasis.
Step 4
Now that you know how to heal your body internally, lets talk about external methods. An important skin care routine is crucial to keeping your skin bright and acne free. What I found that works best for me is using more natural products when possible. I get nervous using medical grade products because of all the chemicals in them. I don’t trust that they won’t lead to skin damage later in life. That isn’t to say that I don’t still use drug store products at times either. I’ve recently begun slowly weeding out products that test on animals, and favoring cruelty-free options. I’m not vegan, but I try to be conscious about the planet when possible.
First thing’s first….
Wash your face! This seems like a no-brainer but you’d be shocked to know how many people skip this step, and no, using face wipes only doesn’t count. I do this morning and night to remove any dirt, makeup, and oil from my skin. I’ve noticed that if I skip it then I’ll typically break out the following day. Once I’m done washing my face, I then go in with a face wipe to make sure my skin is 100% clean.
I have tried every face wash under the sun, and I can honestly say the Pacifica Kale Detox deep cleansing face wash is the best thing ever (pictured back left). Since I began using this about a year ago, I almost instantly saw results overnight. No joke, my skin drastically cleared up and became brighter. You can usually find this at any health food store or Ulta, and occasionally the pharmacy. If not you can purchase it online. As you can see, they offer a bunch of other kale products, and they also offer a variety of other face washes including a cactus, and a sea foam line. I haven’t tried anything other than the kale face wash, but I’m sure they are all fantastic. This is also a vegan product!
Moisturize
I know a lot of you are afraid to moisturize because you’re thinking “won’t the lotion clog my pores and cause me to break out?” This only happens when you use the wrong moisturizers. You need to invest in one that caters to your skin type, whether that be acne-prone or dull skin. I really like this brand for natural skin and haircare products. They’re a little pricier than what you might find at the pharmacy, but we’re talking about your money maker here. It’s worth it, trust me.
So far the best moisturizer I have come across for acne-prone skin is Burt’s Bees Acne Solutions (middle). It’s super light, doesn’t leave an oily or greasy residue, and it actually helps keep my skin clear! You can find their products pretty much everywhere in the U.S. (not sure about internationally), and you can also order online. While they are not vegan (they use beeswax) they are cruelty-free 🙂
Although people generally associate oily skin with acne, dry skin can cause breakouts too. Keeping your skin dry to avoid acne is the biggest misconception. Dry skin usually means damaged skin. Your skin relies on its lipid layer to keep out harmful bacteria, fungi, and irritants to maintain consistent cell turnover. When your skin is dry, you are limiting it’s ability to preform these tasks, thus causing skin cell buildup, and ultimately, acne.
Burt’s Bees also offers a brightening line, so if you have dull skin I would definitely check these products out. For the quality, I feel like they are reasonably priced (not too cheap and not too expensive). Plus I like knowing I am using more natural brands on my skin.
Don’t Skip The Eye Cream!
Eyes are the most important feature on your face. So when you have dark circles or wrinkles, it automatically ages you and makes you look tired. I cannot stress enough how important it is to invest in a good eye cream! You can never start too young when it comes to skincare. I wish I had been more proactive about it when I was in high school. Sadly it wasn’t until college, and really afterwards that I began taking care of my skin.
I currently use the Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 Anti-Aging Eye Cream. I must say, it works very well, and I’ve noticed a huge improvement on my dark circles and fine lines. They’re almost non-existent! I haven’t really tried any other eye creams because this one has worked for me so well, but I’m open to suggestions! I’m just not crazy about the fact that they test on animals, and they are not a natural/organic brand. Nevertheless, I have to hand it to them, they’ve done their job. Thanks to this eye cream (and probably genetics as well), I look 10 years younger than I am without makeup, and constantly get ID’d everywhere I go, even for rated R movies! I’m 26 years old and get mistaken for a 16 year old regularly. It’s a blessing and a curse.
Step 5
Once you’ve cleansed and moisturized your face, and figured out what products work best for your skin type, you can move on to the final step.
Apply Sunscreen
This is something I balked at for years. I simply refused to apply sunscreen to my face. Ever. The only time I did it was when I was already sunburned, and by that point it’s really too late. Even living in the Arizona sun for 4 years, and laying out at the beach in California all summer, I could not be convinced. I will always regret this decision, I was simply being ignorant. Sun damage is not only dangerous, but seriously ages your skin. I know we all want that bronzed goddess glow, but try to limit it or find other ways if possible. I find that Mystic spray tans give me a super natural, dark tan. They are offered at most tanning salons.
I honestly cannot say enough good things about Neutrogena’s Breakout-Free sunblock. I use this exact one with SPF 55 everyday as my last step in my skincare routine. It’s super light and it’s oil-free! It dries really quickly and leaves no residue or greasy feeling behind. Seriously this is the god of SPF. This is a very popular brand, and can be found in basically any pharmacy or store. Only downside is they are not a cruelty-free brand :/ I apply it to my face, neck, and chest because you want to keep those parts of your body from aging as well. Tip: I recommend applying in an upwards motion, so you aren’t pulling your skin down and encouraging wrinkles and sagging.
Sometimes your skin is just going to be stubborn, and you will likely always have a breakout here and there.
If I’m noticing a breakout, after washing my face before bed I will apply tea tree oil. You can use pretty much any brand, they’re all pretty much the same. As you can see, it’s suitable for breakouts.
Lastly, get plenty of sleep and drink lots of water! I know it’s always a hassle and we forget, but hydrated skin is healthy skin! Water helps to eliminated the toxins from inside your body, and the hydration will help keep your skin radiant and flawless. I hope this was helpful, and best of luck on your skin journey babes!
Xx Alya