Take 15% off your first order, use code INSPIRE15 | Free shipping over $75 (Canada & USA)
Take 15% off your first order, use code INSPIRE15
Free shipping over $75 (Canada & USA)
Free shipping over $75 (Canada & USA)
Take 15% off your first order, use code INSPIRE15 | Free shipping over $75 (Canada & USA)
I had acne that was only getting worse as I was getting older. By the time I was in my early 30s, my acne was worse than in my teens.
I was fed up, frustrated, and miserable.
I tried all the conventional solutions like acne skin care products, medicated creams and lotions, prescription drugs, antibiotics, birth control pills, facials, skin treatments, etc.
Nothing worked.
My mother heard of a dermatologist that was quite popular amongst her friends and told me to go see her. She thought perhaps this dermatologist would have something else to offer me. I was reluctant to see yet another dermatologist, I had already seen plenty, and they would all tell me to do the same things (take the pills, use the creams).
But this dermatologist was different. Instead of suggesting a different medication to take or a lotion to try, she told me to stop everything, and let my skin breath and balance itself out. She told me to find the gentlest cleanser I could find, and not put anything else on my skin.
Wow!
I was quite taken aback from what she told me. I was so used to putting everything on skin. In fact, I was kind of addicted to trying all the latest potions and lotions. I was a skin care product junkie! And to stop my skin care routine, well, that just gave me anxiety!
But, I was desperate. So, I followed her advice, and yes, within a few weeks my skin started responding and healing.
It took 1-2 weeks to get used to not putting anything on my skin after washing it. Over time my skin was less dry, less tight, and eventually it became much less irritate and inflamed.
Taking the creams, lotions, toners, serums, and acne products out of my routine didn’t necessarily take the acne away, but it certainly got rid of the redness, inflammation, irritation and uneven skin tone. It made my acne much less apparent, and much more manageable.
There’s a big difference between have red, ugly, irritated breakouts, and having pimples that are there, but much less noticeable, and easy to cover up.
This for me was a step in the right direction, and for the first time in over a decade, my skin was starting to look a lot better.
So I definitely continued.
If that one step of doing less to my skin could help, I was inspired to find out what else I was overlooking that could be the answer to my problem.
I started experimenting more with my diet. At that point I had been a vegetarian for almost twenty years, and intuitively I knew there was a direct connection between my diet and lifestyle, and the state of my skin and overall health.
I experimented with different diets and taking certain foods out, and adding others in.
Then one day I decided to experiment with the raw vegan diet for 2 weeks. I was interested to see what would happen. And for the first time ever, I started getting rapid skin-clearing results.
I was amazed. It’s not to say that my acne cleared up over night, but it did over time. Day by day, my skin was getting noticeably better. The pimples healed and cleared up, and new ones completely stopped forming.
I cleared up my skin, and stayed on the raw vegan diet for 3 1/2 years!
Over the years, the one thing that I did notice was that even though I was on a super healthy diet, there were still some healthy foods in that diet that caused breakouts for me, and my coaching clients.
When it comes to acne, it’s about figuring out what those foods are (both healthy and unhealthy), that are causing the breakouts.
After being on the raw vegan diet for 3 1/2 years, I started developing deficiencies and it was time to move on from that diet. Many people warned me that if I got off the raw food diet and started eating cooked foods and animal meats again, the acne would return.
But for me, it didn’t. I knew based on my own experience and that of my coaching clients; it’s not so much what diet you choose to be on (whether it be vegan, paleo, raw, low carb, whole food, etc.), it’s about figuring out what the specific foods are (both healthy and unhealthy), that are causing your breakouts and acne.
That’s why you see some people go on a certain diets and their acne goes away, while others follow the exact same diet, and their acne gets worse. When it comes to acne, you need to do the detective work to know the exact foods that are causing the issues, and which ones can help prevent them.
I would also say that there’s certain times in your life where you are going to be more prone to breakouts than others. Usually these time have to do with hormonal shifts and stress. Examples would be when you are having your period, ovulating, pregnancy, childbirth, nursing/breastfeeding, and the onset of menopause. At these times, the hormonal changes and fluctuations can cause breakouts, and you have to be even more diligent with your diet, skin care routine, and lifestyle to prevent them.
How I see it, acne is a lot like weight loss. When someone is prone to putting on weight, has a hard time getting rid of it, and when they finally do, they have to be diligent with their diet not to let the weight come back on. It’s the exact same with acne. You get rid of it now, you do have to do the work to keep it at bay (and of course, it’s definitely worth it!!)
Hi, I’m Natasha St. Michael, founder of Inspire Beauty. I’m also a Certified Holistic Health Coach and Natural Health Educator accredited by the Institute For Integrative Nutrition. I’m obsessed with skin care and self-care. I’m 48 years old, struggled with adult acne until I was 30, and now I’m all about preserving the youthfulness of my skin (and sharing all my tips and tricks). If you have a question about a product or need a recommendation, feel free to contact me anytime.
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This blog is for information purposes only. The content is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Should you have a medical or dermatological problem, please consult with your physician. None of the information or recommendations on this website should be interpreted as medical advice.
All product reviews, recommendations, and references are based on the author’s personal experience and impressions using the products. All views and opinions are the author’s own.
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10 Responses
Hello. I bought the honey you recommend for a fash wash and it did not take my makeup off. Do you have any suggestions of what to add to the honey at night time when I need my makeup off? Thank you
Hi Alyssa,
Yes honey won’t remove makeup or sunscreen. Best to use an oil like jojoba oil or grape seed oil to remove eye makeup.
Here is a link & video demo how to use oil to wash your face: https://www.inspirebeautyshop.com/oil-cleansing-method/
You can wash your face in the morning with honey, and evenings where you aren’t wearing makeup. Then when you do wear makeup and/or sunscreen, do the oil cleansing.
Thank you! Do you think I should try one of the living libations oils? Which one do you like better?
Hi Alyssa,
Yes you can definitely use the Living Libations Best Skin Ever. The two I recommend for oil cleansing are Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever (best for oily, combination, acne prone skin) or Rose Best Skin Ever (for dry or maturing skin, but can be used for acne prone skin as well).
It’s hard to say which one I like better, I’ve used them both and they’re both really good. It just depends more on your skin type.
Also, for removing eye makeup like mascara best to use a plain oil like a jojoba oil or grape seed oil (the Living Libations Best Skin Ever is an oil blend containing some essential oils, it’s fine to use to wash your face but I would use a plain oil to remove eye makeup like mascara because the eye area can be quite sensitive). Living Libations does sell a plain organic Jojoba Oil.
Also, I’ve received some of your email questions but in the past 2 weeks I’ve been having a hard time replying to anyone with an aol.com email account (all my emails to aol.com email accounts get rejected). I’ve spoken to my email service provider and this has been a recent issue they’re working on. So I’m just checking with you to see if you have received my replies or no (sometimes it says the email was rejected, but it still gets through).
Thank you so much! All of this is very helpful!
I have my honey. I ordered from Living Libations the oil for my face and oil for my eyes!
I received your emails about the 5 day steps but not personal emails back to my account with the questions I asked. I am getting these replies from this comment board. Thank you so much!!!!
Hi Alyssa,
I just resent my email replies to you, and I believe they got sent (this time I’m not getting an email reply saying my email was undeliverable, so that means the issue is probably fixed! phew!) If for some reason, you haven’t yet receive my emails replying to your questions (there’s 2 emails), just let me know here and I’ll post the replies here.
have you heard of doing parasite cleanses to help acne? Do you have any supplements you recommend?
I would be very careful with parasite cleanses and supplements. These types of supplements aren’t regulated, and can be quite harsh on your liver and digestive system. In some instances, they can cause more harm than good. If you suspect you might have a parasite infection, I would consult a qualified practitioner or physician who can conduct the proper tests and work with you to treat it. Parasite infections can cause severe deficiencies and a whole host of problems, so it’s important you seek assistance from a reputable physician or qualified naturopathic doctor.
Natasha!!! This helped me so much, I can’t believe it actually worked! I’ve known about your blog/channel for a few years and tried to get into ocm and honey cleanser, but it didn’t help me. Actually I think ocm lead to my TEWL and severe dehydration. My skin felt like it completely stopped producing it’s own oils and my rosacea/skin allergies was just getting worse. But I couldn’t use anything else on my skin.
I wanted to give up completely, and then I remembered this post/video. Being locked in shelter in place with no reason to really care about how bad my skin was in public was the excuse I used to just do it. I finally found a cleanser without triggering ingredients. I couldn’t use cleansers for years because they all give me eczema from getting dried out, or break me out.
During the first week my skin did dry out really bad, get super rough and flake like crazy. I was afraid the eczema would come back, but it didn’t. Finally in week two I noticed some oil coming back into my skin under the surface, but the surface was still dry and flaky (although getting noticeably better!)
In week three the surface of my skin started relaxing and I began using sunscreen again a few times a week. I also got a couple white heads, so I massaged some oil into my skin before washing to lift the dead flakes off that were blocking my pores, and that helped. I’m in week four now and my skin no longer gets tight after cleansing. My skin is producing oil all on its own and feels soft after cleansing. I now have a normal skin type again!
It’s really amazing. I still have some rosacea to deal with but I’m so freaking happy I am no longer severely dehydrated. Thank you so much for sharing this!! I hope it helps others!
Hi Renee,
I’m so happy to hear your results!! Great you took advantage of the lockdown to give your skin a break and allow it to balance out. You must be thrilled. I’m curious to know what cleanser ended up working for you?