Natural Skincare Results - Paleo on my face!

I was never the kid in high school who struggled with acne. I got a zit here or there, but it certainly wasn't the biggest problem I dealt with (let's talk poor taste in clothes and mile-high hair). However, something happened in my mid-20's and for the first time in my life I could not get acne to stop erupting. It mainly hung out on my cheeks and chin and at times would be cystic-like and painful (I have the scars to prove it).

Fast forward to the past couple of years and now you add acne that remains below the surface and then persists as a bump on my skin for weeks on end... only to turn into a dark spot once the bump was gone.

I am THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OLD. What the frickin' heck!?

It's been almost two years since I took the Paleo plunge, and I'll admit, my love of cheese and dairy helped the acne problem persist. But even when I did Balanced Bites' 21-Day Sugar Detox in January of 2012, I still came out with zits, zits, zits. Nothing was working.

It wasn't until around October 2012 I realized that perhaps my INSIDES weren't the only thing sensitive to toxins, but my OUTSIDES too. I threw out all my skincare  and make-up products after reading Cave Girl Eat's blog post on the oil cleanse method. I wasn't going to worry about sunscreen, anti-aging, pore cleansing, this or that... I wanted a SKIN DETOX.

My routine was as follows:

• Morning: 
• Wipe off my face with a Norwex body cloth
• Apply pure jojoba oil for moisturizing (I got mine from Whole Foods)
• Evening: 
• As in Cave Girl Eat's post, I made a concoction of castor oil and grapeseed oil (I only used grapeseed oil because I had bought some and then realized I shouldn't be eating it). I did 20% castor oil and 80% grapeseed for what I consider combination skin. I applied some on my DRY face and rubbed it in and worked it through my eyelashes to remove mascara. I then soaked my Norwex cloth in hot water and applied it on my face for a few seconds and then rubbed in the oil more. Last, I rinsed my Norwex cloth and wiped off the oil and make-up. 
• Apply Green Pastures Beauty Balm

Right away I saw results. For anyone freaked out about applying oil to what they think is oily skin... DO NOT BE AFRAID. I was that girl who had to use those oil sheets to soak up the oil on my forehead and cheeks in the afternoon - I was an oil factory. Within a few weeks my skin normalized and I have absolutely no need for those sheets anymore! 

Infiniti and Beyond Face Package

Then Trina of Primal Life Organics offered a deal for Black Friday - at this point I was ready to add in some additional natural products to see how my skin reacted. It had been purged of all the toxins in my prior products, so I was starting with a clean slate! She suggested I start with the Infiniti and Beyond Primal Face Package and then rotate between that one and the Infiniti Primal Face Package. I bought it right away and couldn't wait for it to show up!

Once it did, I started introducing the products slowly - first just using the face serum and toner. Then occasionally adding in the cleanser and then I rotated between the Green Pastures Beauty Balm and her moisturizer in the evening.

My current face routine: 

• Morning: 
• Wipe my face with the Norwex cloth
• Infiniti Face Toner
• Apply jojoba oil if my skin isn't too dry, but lately it's been super dry so I use Green Pastures Beauty Balm
• Evening: 
• Mainly the oil cleanse method and my Norwex cloth, but about once a week I use the Earth Primal Face Cleanser
• Infiniti Face Toner
• Beyond Primal Face Serum
• Beyond Primal Face Moisturizer

Aaaaand.... here are my results! It was hard to get the lighting the same, but on the left is October 2012, on the right is January 19, 2013. 

My skin has lost most of its red patches, which I am guessing was irritation from harsh chemicals and it's so much smoother. But the best part is, no cystic acne since I started and the persistent patches just below the corners of my mouth are GONE! 

Now I've just finished up my second round of the detox and so I've combined complete removal of grains, sugar and dairy with excellent skincare products and couldn't be happier with the progress my skin is making. It definitely isn't perfect, but that's where my next purchase comes in!! I've been waiting for a LONG time for this to come out... Liz and Trina teased about it weeks and weeks ago and it's finally here! A complete guide to everything on the outside of us - skin, hair, nails, etc. 

Find out more about this guide and purchase it here. 

Thank you Liz and Trina!!! Lovin' Paleo on my face! :)

Make-up used is by Caren Minerals

*I am in no way affiliated with any of the companies or products in this blog post and do not receive any money if you purchase them - this is me just loving them enough to share them with you!