Gooooood morning! Coming to you bright and early (thanks insomnia), to share some of the biggest game changers for my skin as of late. I tend to be apprehensive to share posts like this, knowing everyone’s skin is different (and out of fear of jinxing myself), but if these products and tips help just one person, I’ll be happy!

If you’ve been following me for any amount of time at all, you know I have pretty sensitive, acne-prone skin. Unfortunately, my skin issues didn’t arise until after college, so acne was newfound territory for me that required a lot of trial and error. While things are not perfect, I am grateful to have found some products that seem to agree with my skin (for now at least). There are so many factors at play when breakouts occur, so do not take this as an exhaustive list. Hormones, diet, hydration levels, digestion, sleep, stress, etc, all play an important role in how your skin looks on the outside, so while products can be helpful, often times the real answer lies within (aka, cleaning up your diet, etc.).

The products included in this list have been helpful for me, but do not always guarantee they will help everyone. Refer back to THIS post when testing new products, and proceed with caution.

*Disclaimer: I am not a dermatologist, nor a medical professional. Please consult your physician prior to starting a new skincare regimen or implementing any dietary or lifestyle changes.

Products I’ve Been Loving

I want to start off by saying I am a BIG believer in the 80x20 lifestyle, and when it comes to my skincare routine, it is all about balance! I always strive to use clean skincare, but there are times when clean doesn’t always cut it, or I haven’t been able to find a cleaner alternative to my favorite skincare products. I have accepted the fact that my current routine isn’t 100% perfect, but that is ok. Again, it is all about balance. Anyway, in no particular order, here have been my favorite products lately!

1) De La Cruz Sulphur Ointment: This stuff has been A HUGE FREAKIN GAME CHANGER for my skin. I have spoken about it on my page before, but this is one of my favorite (SUPER CHEAP) products for acne, milia, and perioral dermatitis. I use this product as a spot treatment for active pimples, or 1-2 times a week all over my face as a mask for prevention. It has worked wonders at breaking up little bumps all over my face, and I swear has been a huge help in clearing zits quickly. While I couldn’t find this particular product on the EWG Skin Deep Database, the primary active ingredient (sulphur), gets a score of 1 on the database, so I feel OK recommending it to people, and using it all over my skin regularly.

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2) Beautycounter Counter+ Charcoal Facial Mask: I have used the Beautycounter Charcoal Facial Mask for YEARS, and have absolutely fallen in love with it again recently. The active ingredients in the mask provide a DEEP skin detox, that I like using 1-2 times a week (in the bath, of course!). The mask is made with kaolin clay with activated charcoal purifies and balances, absorbing excess oil and drawing out impurities. Similarly, it has salicylic and lactic acids which promote exfoliation, giving skin a smooth look and a minimized appearance of pores. Plus, you can count on Beautycounter’s clean ingredients which I obviously love! Interested in trying a sample? Fill out my Beautycounter Sample Request Form HERE!

3) Noble Formula Zinc & Emu Oil Facial Bar: I know what you’re thinking, emu oil bar soap?! What is EMU OIL? Does it come from a BIRD? And the answer is, yes. But hear me out. If you read this post, you saw I was dealing with a bad, several month long flare up of perioral dermatitis from March-June of this year. Perioral dermatitis is one of those new to me skin frustrations that required a lot of trial and error to clear up. I believe the combination of the products listed in that blog post, but most importantly this zinc and emu oil bar soap that made a huge difference for me. Zinc is great for skin health, which I think really helps keep my skin clear. If emu oil weirds you out, you can give this zinc soap a try, but I can’t speak from experience on it’s performance!

4) Beautycounter Counter+ Overnight Resurfacing Peel: There is a reason why this overnight treatment is one of Beautycounter’s top sellers. I feel like everyone who uses it absolutely LOVES it, and I feel the same! I really didn’t know what to expect with this product. So many thoughts ran through my head as I started using it (starting a new skincare product always gives me anxiety since my skin is so sensitive). I assumed I would have a skin purge, but so far, no purge! Just bright, luminous skin. It took about 2 weeks of use before I noticed a difference, but I am really loving the product thus far. I started out by using it every other night, but now I use it most nights without any irritation.

Skincare Practices and Tips I’ve Been Following

1) Cutting Back on Nuts: EEEEK! I know there are people who aren’t going to like hearing this, but I feel like my skin is always SO MUCH clearer when I cut back on nuts. Nuts tend to be particularly tough on my digestion, which in turn can lead to inflammation, slow motility, and breakouts, as a result. Many nuts are also quite high in Omega-6s, which can be attributed to breakouts as well. As hard as they are to reduce, I usually do feel much better without them in my diet.

2) Increase Your Fiber: For me, gut stagnation (that sounds better than constipation), almost always leads to acne. Think about it, that stuff is sitting in your gut, your body is quite literally full of toxins. I have found that this results in acne appearing on my face. I always am eating and snacking on fruits and veggies throughout the day for fiber, but you may consider adding things like psyllium husk to your diet (can be found in capsule form or powder form) to get things moving.

3) Take Vitamin C Daily: Adding vitamin C serums to our skincare routines (although, I haven’t made that addition quite yet), has become really trendy in the past few years. Vitamin C serums are great because they can lead to brighter, more even complexion, reduce redness, fade hyperpigmentation, etc. Truly all good things. But I’ve found taking supplemental vitamin C can be just as beneficial for my skin health. In fact, I notice an immense difference in the brightness of my skin when I am taking vitamin C daily, versus when I am not. NOW Foods offers a great buffered vitamin C option, and I also love the liposomal vitamin C from LivOn Labs.