Glowing Skin is Always In.

Over the last several years, just like many other women, I have suffered with breakouts, cystic acne, combination skin and hyperpigmentation. Most of this was due to stress, dehydration, digestive issues, food intolerances and hormone imbalance. Ultimately, what led me to clear skin was addressing those key dietary and lifestyle issues. It took time and it took dedication, but it was all so worth it. Moreover, it is equally important to invest in your skincare products and to ensure that the method you are using to cleanse and moisturize your skin, is one that is non-toxic, non-abrasive and will actually heal + protect your skin. This is why it is essential to find products, which are healthy for the body (organic and wild crafted) and actually work. In this post, I share the skin cleansing method that has completely changed my skin for the better and the specific product I used to achieve this.

Posts that relate to this:

A Potent Tea for Radiant, Glowing Skin

Goodbye Xeno-Hormones and Welcome Healthy Glowing Skin: A Plan of Action for Beautiful, Acne-Free Skin

Less is More Approach

My approach to a skincare regimen is narrowing it down to the nitty-gritty. The less time I can spend in the bathroom, the better. Plus, beauty products can be quite alluring and expensive, so before I invest in a new product, I try to get a sample to test-drive it first. Most importantly, I look at the ingredients to ensure I know exactly what I am putting into my body. If I can’t read it or understand it, it is a no-go! Why spend money on garbage and then put that into our precious body. Other important factors for me when I choose products for my skincare regimen is that they are multi-purpose and easy to find. Overall, the “less is more” approach saves money, time and space in the bathroom.

I do however acknowledge the importance of the following steps to help correct problematic skin.

Important Steps in Skincare

• Cleanse
• Exfoliate (how often depends on sensitivity of skin)
• Hydrate/Tone
• Serum (optional, good for anti-aging)
• Moisturize/SPF Application

What is Oil Cleansing + Why I Cleanse 2x at Night Only

The oil cleansing method is the process of applying oil to dry skin to either remove makeup and/or cleanse the skin. Once you have massaged the oil into your skin, you then use a warm wash cloth to remove the excess. I have found the double cleanse method to be especially helpful when removing makeup and dirt.

First, use a mild, natural cleanser to wash away makeup and then oil cleanse to replace the natural oils back into the skin.

Oil cleansing always seems counterintuitive for individuals with acne prone or combination skin (it was for me in the beginning), especially if the skin is already on the oily side. However, there are several reasons why our skin can overproduce oil and therefore cause acne breakouts. By doing one of the following, we are causing our skin to overproduce oil:

• Using products that strip away the natural oils of skin (so your skin overcompensates and produces more oil)
• Over-washing
• Not exfoliating enough (to remove dead skin that may be clogging the pores)

All of this, along with not correcting the aforementioned diet and lifestyle issues, is a recipe for bad skin. Again, it is so important to maintain and preserve the natural barrier of our skin (which nourishes and protects) to not only prevent skin issues, but also keep the natural ph of our skin balanced. In light of this importance, it has lead me to only cleanse 1x per day. In the morning, I simply splash my skin with cool water, then tone, moisturize, apply SPF and then makeup. In the evening, I double cleanse to remove my makeup and impurities from the day, which leaves my skin fresh for the morning.

There are different oils you can oil cleanse with and it is important to experiment in order to find out which oil is best suited for your skin type. However, if you have combination, sensitive or acne prone skin like myself, oils like Jojoba, Tamanu or Sea Buckthorn are all light weight oils that won’t clog your pores. Instead they will cleanse, moisturize, heal and protect the skin without contributing to acne.

The Perfect Product

I am happy to say I found a product that contains each of the three healing oils–Sea Buckthorn, Tamanu and Jojoba. I like to call them holy grail beauty oils because they make my skin so smooth and radiant. Because this product has the three oils combined, this means you get triple the healing effects and the product is organic and wild crafted. Living Libations Best Skin Ever – Sea Buckthorn is the product that has forever changed my skin. It is one easy, multipurpose product that takes care of cleansing, healing and moisturizing. I use it for everything and have no fear using it over existing acne.

The Take Away

If there was once piece of advice I could give to someone suffering from skin issues, I would say…find yourself a good holistic practitioner that can help you address each of the underlying issues that relate to the health of your skin: digestion, hormone imbalance, malnutrition, food intolerances, stress management and hydration. Remember everything in your body is connected, therefore it is important to address any imbalances that may be occurring in the mental, physical or spiritual aspects of our body. So, yes, stress management and self-care is imperative to good skin and if you can’t remember the last time you examined the level of stress in your life, I encourage you to take the time to do this. Whether it is through journal writing, talking to a trusted friend, meditating or expressing yourself through artwork, take the time to check in with yourself and make sure things are in balance.

<3 Eat Your Greens Out