This is a post that I am writing on a whim about my cystic, hormonal acne. It has been a long time coming and I’m excited to finally share. I’ve worked for years on how to get rid of my acne and have found success with Estroblock.

There’s nothing pretty, glamorous, or healthy feeling about having acne; it’s something we all ignore in conversations because to an extent, it’s embarrassing. It is also especially frustrating for me to struggle with mild acne at this point amidst all of my efforts to put good things onto and into my body. You’d think that exercising regularly, eating a mostly organic diet and using only organic skin products would be the fix, right? Well, I am here to tell you that for me, it has not quite done the trick.

Food & Acne

I came to this conclusion after doing several things dietarily, to no avail. You name it—I’ve done juice cleanses, segments of time without gluten/bread and dairy, limiting sugar, and drinking ALL KINDS of homemade elixir concoctions, omitted and added countless numbers of foods in hopes of seeing some progress in my acne healing. Though I have seen slight improvements, these changes have not cleared up my skin.

Not to mention, I’m NOT perfect and I enjoy eating out with my family on a somewhat regular basis as well as enjoying pizza, greasy foods, cheesy foods and sugary foods. There is something about being uptight about food that is off-putting to me. Coming from an organic fanatic, that might be surprising. Something that I can tell you about me is that I do not advocate having an unhealthy relationship with food. Eating organic 80% of the time does not mean you have to be a crazy, neurotic, obsessed individual who can’t live freely in regards to food. It’s truly about achieving balance.

Food Causing Stress

If you are SO stressed about what you are eating all of the time, then you might as well flush all of your efforts down the toilet. Seriously. No really, seriously. The trauma that your body endures when it is stressed causes all of your vital body functions to take a back seat and effects you negatively on the cellular level. This means that your body is not performing like it should be because of this undue stress; which is why stress is the cause of so many ailments and illnesses.

Worrying about food shouldn’t be a badge of honor. It doesn’t make you more responsible or accountable, it just makes you increasingly sicker.

Perhaps the KEY is to find balance. Achieve that balance. Live that balance. Remind yourself of that balance. Write “balance” on your refrigerator to keep your mind healthy about food, because it’s all the little reminders that add up to big change.

True Causes of Acne

What makes the most sense to me is that acne is the result of imbalances within our bodies. You are not SUPPOSED to have acne. It’s not something that you are supposed to live with and endure. It’s a sign that something is off. That’s not to say that it is always easy to figure out WHAT is off. However, it seems there are some common themes in regards to what is at the root of acne:

-Hormone Imbalances (sometimes caused by prior or current birth control use)

Taking a supplement called Estroblock helps. It targets “bad” estrogen, is non-gmo and I recommend the Triple-Strength for acne-sufferers. Also, Chaste Tree Berry (also called Vitex Berry) helps regulate progesterone. Having an imbalance of these two hormones in your body will often result in acne.

-Digestive issues that are causing bad bacteria to effect your skin

Ingesting Apple Cider Vinegar, a Probiotic supplement and Pau D’Arco bark. You can find all three of these at most health food stores like Whole Foods.

-Liver Malfunction

Taking these supplements: Burdock Root, Milk Thistle, or Liv-Tox (can be taken in place of the other two).

-Ingesting too much sugar and/or processed foods

Look to good fats & protein for fuel. Excess sugar causes an increase in internal acity (acne is one results of an acidic body.)

-Over-washing & over-moisturizing your face (this is one that many do wrong–I have been guilty of it)

Give your skin a break! Get past the need to wash your face several times a day and let your skin do what it knows how to. Your skin knows how to regulate itself. I even suggest using minimal products. 

Currently I only use baking soda, bentonite clay and pure oils (like hemp or jojoba) on my skin. I use a baking soda/bentonite clay mixture to gently exfoliate my skin and clean the makeup off my skin. I follow up the oil as a moisturizer.

It might sound crazy if you’re been religiously practicing your skin routine for years. If you are still reading this, though, chances are that routine has not cured your acne. Give this new routine a try and you will be surprised at how your skin improves.

-Too much stress!

Exercising (running, yoga, resistance training), and make some time for YOU helps. You + nature – cell phone is even better. Remind yourself to not focus and dwell on your current acne. Accept it as the beginning of a healing process.

Keep in mind

If you start to take these supplements, BE PATIENT. Your body will take time to recalibrate and rebalance itself. It is undoing several years of imbalance and damage that your body and skin have endured. I, myself, have been taking Estroblock, Vitex Berry, Burdock Root, Milk Thistle and Pau D’Arco root for almost a month now. I am about to start taking LivTox in place of the Burdock Root & Milk Thistle.

I’ll keep all of you posted on my progress after a few more months of using these supplements. Check out Tracy’s blog, TheLoveVitamin.com for a ton more in depth posts about acne and healing it. Here is one of my favorite posts and where I have learned about these awesome supplements.

Here are my recent before/after shots:

Check out this link to shop for my favorite acne supplement, Estroblock (newly renamed Estro Balance; same formula!)