I never suffered from acne when I hit puberty, but as a young adult in college, my face took a left turn out of nowhere. So many things can affect your skin, whether it be genetics or environment. I knew my issue was a bit of both. On one side there was my father with perfect skin (maybe got one pimple a year!) and the other side was my mother who suffered severely as a young woman with really bad acne. I was a late bloomer and with stress from college, bad food choices, and no water, I was bound to grow a crater face sooner or later. First, I thought I was allergic to drugstore makeup, so I threw all mine out and bought MAC products, but that wasn’t the case. MAC gave me excellent coverage, of course, but did not solve the problem underneath it all. It wasn’t until I decided to go natural with my hair that it only made sense to go natural with my face products as well, Duh, right! It’s been a bit over two years and I only get the hormonal break out or two, but never severe and always heals quickly. I wish I had a before picture to demonstrate the change, but you can see now that my face is not perfect, but it’s clear and manageable.
This may not work for everyone because everyone is different and react differently to different products. I have more oily skin/combination. I get a bit drier around my lips and under my eyes in the winter, but for the most part I’m oily.
First thing is first, WATER! H2O is your friend. Drink more of it. In college, my liquids were predominantly coffee on the weekdays and alcohol on the weekends. My water intake was minimal, but now I always have a water bottle at my side. Not only will it aid in clearing your face, but also you’ll see a difference in your hair and overall skin.
Secondly, look at what you’re eating. Our skin reflects what is going on inside our bodies. If your suddenly breaking out and you haven’t change anything in your skin care routine, then look at the food. I know that too much dairy causes me not only to be sick to my stomach, but also my skin breaks out and my eczema can flare up. I stay away from dairy because of this. I also know too many foods that cause inflammation (bread, pasta, rice, etc) can cause me to break out. My way of knowing whether or not I need to avoid a certain food is to see how my stomach feels. If my stomach is not feeling good, then I know my skin will reflect that.
Last, natural skin care! It’s rough to switch up to more natural products because they are not as fast acting as others or medication, but they are the best in that quick fixes are not always long lasting. I have been using more natural products for over 2 years and my skin has been consistent. Also, there is less of a risk to harsh reactions to natural products. Below is what I used the first year of getting acne-free skin:
Day Time Routine: (most of these can be found at retail drugstores, Ulta, Wholefoods, Vitamin stores)
- African Black Soap (bar or liquid, but I used the bar for my face)
- Witch Hazel (toner; no alcohol, unscented)
- Day Cream (if there was sun I used this one, no sun I used this one)
Night Time Routine:
- Face scrub (I’ve used different ones, Yes To Carrots, Tomato, and Grapefruit face scrubs. As well as Alba Botanica)
- Witch Hazel
- Aloe Vera (Aubrey Organics brand or Lily of Dessert; store in cool area) with oil (moisturizer; you can use jojoba or almond oil)
Once a week I would do some type of mask, I’ve used Bentonite clay and French green clay as well as other single packets from the Body Shop that I bought at Ulta.
Oh la la ... J Frenchie 