As many people do, I believed the main problem with my skin was what I put on my face. If I could just find the right face wash or acne cream, everything would clear up. As a teenager, I tried Proactive, and while it did improve my skin for a time, I found after a while it would stop working. So I moved on to a prescription called Differin. My sister got it from her doctor, but she didn't like it so she gave it to me. The instructions said to wash your face with a bar of soap every morning and night, and then apply the acne cream. Even though I didn't see much of an improvement, I kept using it. I thought if I kept up the routine it would kick in, but it never did. In fact, my skin was even more jacked up because on top of the oil and breakouts, now I had scaly patches from the medication drying it out.
At the age of 21, I finally went to the dermatologist. I put a lot of trust in them because I thought "these people went to school to learn how to have clear skin, so they'll tell me what I need to do." They asked questions about my daily routine and I discovered the soap I was using was awful for my skin. They prescribed three acne creams and suggested I start using a Clarisonic to wash my face. I was optimistic this would work and over the next 3 years, I did as I was told. The only thing I'm thankful for about that visit was ditching the bar of soap and getting the Clarisonic, which I love to this day. The prescriptions ended up having the same effect as the Differin, plus they were very expensive.
At 24, I felt defeated. What was I doing wrong? Why has everything I've tried not worked? I prayed for God to give me the answers I so desperately needed, and He did just that. I decided I couldn't live like this anymore and I had to do something different. I began to research skin on my own. I read many articles about the causes of acne and what I discovered changed everything. I was looking on the outside when I should have been looking inside. Yes, some of my skin issues were probably hormonal as a teen, but my main problem was the food I was eating.
At the beginning of my story I said I had believed what you put on your face is the key to the problem. The moment I realized that is only a small piece of the puzzle, I felt so free. I finally had control over the state of my body. Since I've always been underweight, people have told me I can eat whatever I want and always be skinny, which was true. But when I was 20, I found out I had high cholesterol. My doctor was shocked and said it had to be genetic. She suggested I exercise more and change my diet, although she wasn't very clear about how I should do this. That was the only time I really tried to focus on a healthy diet, and even then I didn't put much effort into changing my bad habits. I had always eaten the Standard American Diet consisting mostly of dairy, animal protein, processed junk foods, sugar, and gluten.
When I began my research, I started to make drastic changes to my diet. Thankfully, my husband was very supportive and we cleaned out our pantry and fridge, getting rid of all processed foods. It was mostly cereal, cheese crackers, and other junk food I no longer desired to consume. At around this same time, I decided I would finish the prescription creams and not buy them again. A friend had told me a long time ago she didn't believe in acne prescriptions because of all the chemicals that get absorbed into your skin. The more natural and clean your products are, the better they are for your body. Plus, they don't get to the root cause of acne. My skin began to gradually improve. Soon, I no longer had those dry patches of skin and I started using tea tree oil for breakout areas.
In December of 2014, I discovered an author and C.N. named Kimberly Snyder. I got The Beauty Detox Solution and The Beauty Detox Foods for Christmas and by January I had finished the first book. I remember the shock and empowerment I felt while reading it. All the science behind her program made total sense to me. I felt like I had uncovered the secret to health and I was determined to test it out for myself.
In her first book, she talks about how not only are our livers and kidneys detoxifying organs, but so is our skin. When our internal organs are overloaded with toxins, our bodies push them out through the skin. "If the colon is clogged and backed up (which can happen on a deeper level even if we are regularly going to the bathroom) and/or if our bodies have become overly acidic and a fertile breeding ground for unfriendly bacteria, our liver will get clogged and backed up, and toxins will be pushed out through the skin...and then the acne shows up!" (p.50 from The Beauty Detox Solution). I had never heard this aspect before and it was upsetting my dermatologist hadn't shared it with me.
My main focus was to adjust my diet so my skin would clear up. I started with one of the easiest steps: drinking hot water with lemon first thing in the morning. Then, I made the Glowing Green Smoothie (GGS) for breakfast. It didn't take long for me to realize I loved this new morning routine. The hot lemon water re-hydrates you and cleanses your liver. The GGS is full of minerals, enzymes, fiber, and it's easy on your digestive system. I've never liked traditional breakfast foods, so this was easy for me to implement into my daily routine.
I also made it a habit to drink lots of water throughout the day, because water is essential to skin health. I learned to drink room temperature water because icy beverages, especially with meals, slow digestion and make your body work harder, since it must warm it up.
The next big change I made was probably the most controversial, but it was the best thing I could have done for my skin and overall health. I gave up dairy. I started drinking coconut and almond milk and incorporating them into smoothies and other recipes. Giving up milk was easy because I've never liked the taste anyway.
You may be wondering why I believe dairy is so harmful to our bodies. The dairy industry has worked very hard to ensure you believe milk is vital to the health of our bones, but this is not true. "There is a lot of phosphorus in dairy products, and it binds to the calcium in our digestive tract and makes most of the calcium impossible to absorb." (p.104 from TBDS).
In the section called There Is Nothing Beautiful About Dairy, I learned a lot about how damaging dairy is to our bodies. It's acidic, mucus-forming, and not compatible with our digestive systems. "Dairy products begin to wreak havoc on our bodies as soon as they are ingested, so our bodies then try desperately to get rid of them in different ways, such as in the form of phlegm, mucus, or pimples." (p. 102 from TBDS). Since my goal was to improve my skin, this is the part that really motivated me to stop consuming dairy.
I'm actually shocked to be writing this right now, because not too long ago, I heard milk is harmful to humans and thought that was a ridiculous notion. But once I actually researched it on my own, the evidence was overwhelming. I won't deny milk has calcium, because it obviously does. But it's designed to make cows big and strong, not humans. You can get plenty of calcium from plant foods such as cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, and spinach. I get plenty of calcium every day in my GGS, without the harmful side effects that come from dairy.
I also began to decrease my animal protein consumption. This was very gradual as well because I had been told my whole life I need meat, but this was all in my head. I remember the first day I tried a vegetarian lunch. I felt so light and energetic, because all my energy wasn't being sucked by my system trying to digest such a heavy food. Now, the only meat I consume is the venison my husband provides. I eat a very small amount, with greens or veggies first, only at dinner, about twice a month. The less meat I eat, the less I feel I need.
As I got deeper into the program, the better I felt and the better my skin looked. I had less oil on my scalp and face, and my ruddy complexion was greatly improved. I started making Beauty Detox recipes and following the easy tips for better digestion. My favorites are eating light to heavy, which means you eat fruit on an empty stomach because it digests fastest, then vegetables, then starches or protein. I also follow proper food combinations because, for example, combining starch and protein in the same meal makes our digestive systems work extremely hard. "We immediately get tired after eating because all our energy is going right into our bellies." (p.43 from TBDS).
The hardest thing for me has been to decrease my sugar intake. I've always loved desserts, but I knew if I wanted my skin to improve, I'd have to cut back. The easiest way for me to achieve this has been to not buy sweets anymore. If they aren't in my home, I can't eat them. I do have some dairy- free dark chocolate I let myself snack on, and I make the desserts from the Beauty Detox books, but I've been trying really hard to not overeat sweets. I've also cut back on gluten, since it's also been known to contribute to acne.
The state of our digestive systems is directly correlated with the appearance of our skin. When we cleanse out toxins regularly, our skin will be clear. All the foods in the Beauty Detox program are meant to help with detoxing our systems. Last year, I finally took the next step and invested in a product called Detoxy. It's a magnesium oxygen supplement that helps cleanse the body of waste in a gentle way. I promise, I'm not getting paid for this. I'm simply sharing how much I love this product because I noticed that when I started using it, my skin got even clearer. A few months ago, I also started taking Kimberly Snyder's soil based probiotics, and noticed my skin got even better. Probiotics are very important for clear skin and overall health because they create healthy gut bacteria.
I'd also like to mention some other practical tips that can help reduce the risk of breakouts:
1. Keep your pillow cases clean.
I wash my sheets every week and switch out the pillow cases every few days so I'm keeping clean fabric on my face while I sleep.
2. Wash your hands.
Never touch your face unless you've just washed your hands. Whether you're washing your face or applying makeup, make sure you're not spreading more dirt and oil into your pores.
3. Use clean towels.
Another item that comes in frequent contact with our faces is towels. I always make sure to use a fresh towel everyday.
4. Keep the phone away.
Never touch your phone to your skin. This is another sneaky source that can spread acne.
5. Ditch hair products.
I used to sleep with product in my hair every night. But I realized this could have been causing breakouts on my cheeks. I recently stopped using hair products altogether and noticed the breakouts have greatly reduced. Most hair products on the market today are full of chemicals anyway, so now I just soak my hair in coconut oil once a week. Since I don't need to wash it everyday, I pull it up and away from my face when I sleep so any oil won't spread.
I'm still on this journey. As I mentioned before, I'm sharing my experience so if you are struggling with this awful condition, you can cut through all the BS and get to the root of your problems. I'm not saying everyone's story will look like mine. You may have other issues going on with your body. But in general, I believe most people's skin would clear up if they followed the Beauty Detox program. My skin isn't perfect, but as I get deeper into this lifestyle and continue to perfect my diet, my skin has continued to improve. I hope this has inspired you to improve your diet, your health, and therefore your life.
Please leave a comment if you have any questions or if you'd like to share your experiences with me. I'd encourage you to read the books for yourself to get more in depth with the concepts I've described. Click here to price them on Amazon. You can buy Detoxy and KS Probiotics here.
Have you tried her digestive enzymes?
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