Natural Acne treatment
5 Ways to treat your acne naturally
Living with acne is a pain in the ass. You are desperate to get rid of it. So you spend a small fortune on products and treatments, which are pure chemistry. Most don´t even work. Some make it even worse than before. Thereby, it could be so much simpler and cheaper.
I have acne since I was 12 years old. My hormonal acne got the worst when I moved to the US. After 8 months of misery, my skin is finally in recovery. Thanks to natural products and some simple changes in my life. It took about four weeks til I saw results. So be patient.
Get to know your skin
Even if dermatologist and skin care professional say they know, they only guess. They try what works for most people. But that doesn´t mean it will work for you. So to fight your acne, its crucial to know when your acne get worse and when its getting better.
Is it a monthly up and down? Or a seasonal thing? Does it get worse when you travel? When you are stressed? The best way to keep track and identify what triggers your acne, is to keep a journal. Doesn´t matter if you use an old school book, your laptop or a smartphone app. Just do it.
For us women, it´s most often our Zyklus, our hormonal imbalance and our diet. So keep an eye on that. For me, its also worse when I am travelling. Since I am living a nomadic life, that´s really a challenge.
Change your diet
I know it´s hard. But if you want to get rid of your acne once and for all, changing your diet is key. The following list seems long. Don´t get frustrated. If you quit processed food and dairy, the other stuff comes naturally with it.
QUIT DAIRY! I think that had the most positive effect on treating my hormonal acne. And I always can tell looking at my skin, when I cheat. So be persistent with that one. But please don´t substitute milk with soy milk. Use almond milk instead.
No processed food! The longer the ingredient list and the more cryptic, chemical items in it, the worse for your body and skin. The same goes for your skin care products. So hands off!
Reduce Sugar to a minimum! Best, if you quit sugar, but for me that´s too hard. So I allow myself a little treat here and there. But keep it to a minimum.
Avoid gluten and soy! It´s easy, if you avoid processed foods. It´s also not as bad as sugar and dairy, at least that´s true for me. And some gluten food is actually good for your skin. Best example, oat meal! But I do recommend
Avoid pork!
Avoid alcohol!
So enough with all the things you shouldn’t eat. Let´s see what is good for your skin.
Eat antioxidant rich! Eat veggies, especially green veggies like broccoli. Also, eat apples, bananas, berries, grapefruit and lemon. Buy what is in season and not too expensive for you. Also, have a coffee. Ideal black or with almond milk. And have some dark chocolate.
Drink your skin rich! Staying hydrated is key for healthy skin. So drink a lot of water. Mix lemon, mint, cucumber or berries for some taste and additional health benefits. Also, drink at least one cup of Green Tea and one cup of Camille Tea.
Eat the right nuts! Some say, all nuts are good. But some are too fatty. Especially for cystic acne. So stick with walnuts, almonds and cashews.
Eat more sea food! I suggest eating twice a week some sort of fish. Please buy sustainable. If you don´t like fish at all or don’t have access to good, sustainable fish, take omega capsules. They are not that expensive and do the job. You can also buy fish oil and put it in your food.
You may think it´s going to cost a lot to buy these groceries. But it actually doesn´t. Especially, if you buy seasonal veggies and fruits. Also, if you combine it with the Fasten Diet. I will post my whole diet plan soon.
Stop Skin picking
Most people who have acne pick at their skin. Until recently I didn´t know that I am a skin picker. Once I knew, I started realizing how often I pick on my skin. No wonder my acne stayed. Every time you touch your skin you bring dirt, bacteria, etc. on it. If you have acne, this nurtures it. So stop skin picking. Keep your hands busy. Read my post on how to stop skin picking.
Get a natural skin Care Routine
It´s important to keep your skin clean, hydrated and free from chemicals. Over the counter (or amazon) products for treating acne often consists of some kind of chemical ingredient. That often worsens acne. So use real natural products. Not the products “free of …”. They still have a lot of bad ingredients. Use products where you actually know all ingredients.
So let´s start with your daily routine. Clean your skin in the morning and evening, but do it naturally. Get a mist or tonic to spray on your clean skin. If you have the money, get a hydrating serum. But most importantly, wear sunscreen!
The best all natural products for little money I found and use is from Earthley. They really proof that natural skin care works and doesn´t have to be expensive. You get the starter set for not even $28. You can read all the products I use later this month.
Additionally, if you have the money, get a Jade roller. It works miracles. And is so relaxing and cooling. Plus you can use it for your back and headaches as well.
There are many fake Jade roller out there. After a lot of research I found one on amazon. It´s only 25$ and resisted all my jade tests. Most importantly, it seems to work.
Next step, showering. Don´t shower too warm. It dries out your skin and worsens black heads and acne in general. Also wash your hair first (also use conditioner before shampoo if you need any). Than your body. Wash your face last.
Additionally, use only 100% natural body wash. For the environment and your skin, natural soap bars are best. The one from Earthley is great and cheap.
Also, only wash your body where you sweat. This way the skin´s natural barrier stays intact. This is important especially if you have back acne like me. For that I only use a natural back scraper, no soap. It stimulates blood circulation and gets off dead skin.
Life can be stressful. And stress is toxic for your body, mind and your skin. So even when you are too busy, schedule at least one day a week (I recommend two days), where you treat yourself and your skin. For me, that is Sunday and Wednesday evening.
On your skin-care days, get a shower or a bath. Get a Camille steam bath (ideally do that one twice or three times a week). It opens up your pores, cleans and calms your skin. Clean out your skin afterwards if you like. But use sterile instrument. (I use this set from amazon. It´s only 8$.)
If your acne is declining, you can also try Microneedeling to treat your acne scars. You can go to a professionell (and leave 150$ per session) or do it at home. When doing it at home, make sure you have clean hands and sterilize everything you use. Also, make sure to buy a Microneedle Roller that has real needles. I use the Titanium Derma Roller on amazon.com. It has reel needles, has no plastic and only costs $19.99.
Last, apply a natural face mask (more on natural face masks later this month). Lay down and relax with the mask on. But don´t use avocado, coconut oil or Shea Butter for your skin care, especially not with cystic acne.
Also, use natural healing oils (But not pure). I have a Tea-tree oil, Manuka oil, Propolis and the Healing serum from Earthley.
Finally, spare the make-up. Use it only if you really need to. Also, avoid using make-up when doing exercise, flying or being out in hot weather. If you do need to wear make-up, I recommend using natural powder makeup. I use Lush and Aveda. But there are many more out there. Last and most importantly, always remove makeup! Even when it´s late and you are tired! And if you want to do it eco-friendly, use a reusable facecloth.
Treat acne in your sleep
Sleep is necessary for our hormone balance. Therefore, sleep at least 7 hours a day.
Also, keep your hair out of your face. Best way, use a hair band. Try to sleep on your back. Change your sheets weekly, your pillow twice a week. I have a neck/travel pillow. It helps keeping your face away from the sheets. It also helps with neck- and shoulder pain.
Have water on your night stand. If you are thirsty at night, you don´t need to get up.
In winter, when you are heating inside, and in dry climate zones (e.g. California), use a cool mist humidifier. It helps your skin stay hydrated.
Additionally, for back acne, change your sleeping shirt at least every other day. Only use natural body lotion. But again avoid Shea Butter, Coconut Oil and Avocado in lotions. I use the Whipped Body Butter from Earthley. And it works miracles.
“The struggle is real”
It seems a lot and it is. But take one step at a time and have patience and you will see you won´t need all these fancy, expensive skin products.
Get to know your skin. Identify what triggers your acne. Take care of your diet. Stop picking at your skin. Develop a healthy and natural skin care routine. Avoid makeup. Care for your skin at night as well.
What routine/tips do you have? Which natural products do you use? Let me know! I am always looking for new things to try.
You have friends or family who this post might help? Please go ahead and share it.
Let´s end the struggle with our acne together!
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No one know your skin better than you do.
nanesworld.com
