I'm still following a vegan diet and things are going fine. I haven't noticed any huge differences from it yet. I'm trying to eat more vegetables that I wouldn't eat. Usually if I eat something that I don't like enough then I'll start liking it. Right now I'm working on celery and cucumbers. I also plan to try some bean recipes soon. I've found quite a few vegan bean recipes on pinterest that look really good.

I'm liking my soapwort root liquid as a facial cleanser, but I still feel like it clogs me a little. I think it might be because there seems to be some debris or dirt on the soapwort before I boil it in a liquid. Soapwort works as a cleanser because it has the natural surfactant saponin in it. I was reading that saponin is a glycoside, and so I looked up other glycosides. Interestingly stevia is also a glycoside. I went out and got some pure stevia powder today and just washed my face with it. It actually removes oil quite well so I think I might continue using it and see how it goes. I like that it's a lot more pure than the soapwort root I'm using right now.

I mentioned above that my routine is at a bare minimum. I'd really like to start using makeup again, though. I just ordered some samples of epic mineral beauty loose powder foundation and blush, and I'm hoping they won't clog my skin. They're mica free, titanium dioxide free, and rice based so I'm hopeful.

So I did not try the epic mineral beauty foundation. Instead I tried Meow cosmetics foundation which contains mica, titanium dioxide and iron oxides. The foundation looked really nice on and it felt really good, but I think it irritated me or broke me out because after wearing it twice I had a few spots. I think I might actually have a problem with titanium dioxide which is occlusive. I ordered some new samples to try that don't contain mica, titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide (which can also be occlusive). I ordered a foundation sample from coastal classic creations which contains kaolinite, corn starch, and iron oxides. I also ordered a sample from Maia's Mineral Galaxy which contains iron oxides, arrowroot powder, and kaolinite.

Other than the few spots from the mineral makeup, my skin is looking pretty good. This is the clearest I've been since taking accutane. I still have pesky sebaceous filament on my nose and chin, though, and I'm still experimenting with acids to improve those.

The vegan diet is still going good. My skin is much less oily and so is my upper body and hair. I also feel like I have less body odor (under my arms). I'm pleased so far and am going to continue with it.

So I bought a Olay Pro-x brush to use on my face after I cleanse with stevia. I read that some people found it helps with sebaceous filaments so I thought it couldn't hurt to try for just $30. So far I'm liking it. It makes my face feel smooth, and I think it might be helping a bit with the sebaceous filaments on my nose. It has only been a few days, though, so I'll update more on this after I've used it for a longer period of time.

My mineral makeup samples from Maia's Mineral galaxy also came in the mail. I haven't tried it on my face yet, but I did sample it on the back of my hand. I was expecting it to feel very dry, but it actually felt nice and smooth. It also looks like it will have decent coverage. I'll also update more about this after I've tried it on my face.

The vegan diet is still making my skin so much less oily. It actually feels great. This is the least oily I've been since the effects of accutane wore off.

My samples from Coastal Classic Creations arrived today. Unfortunately, I'm not impressed with any of them. The foundation feels so dry and it looks like it's not going to provide any coverage at all. I also ordered some blush samples, and they were just as disappointing. Two of the colors that looked cool and pink on the website look purple in person, and the last color is so light and sheer it doesn't show up on my fair skin. I'm going to order some beet root powder and try that out as blush instead. At least it won't be purple

I ordered the beet root powder, but it hasn't come yet. I haven't tried out any of the makeup on my whole face yet because I have some perioral dermatits going on and I want to let it calm down. I used to be able to use petroleum based products on my lips with no problem, but now they give me POD. I used some aquaphor on my lips the other night because they were SO chapped, and nothing works quite as well, and now I have a little outbreak.

I started cleansing with distilled water to see if makes any difference in my clogs, but so far it hasn't. It's only been 3 days, though, so I'll update about this later. I also ordered salicin to try cleansing my skin with. Salicin is a glycoside like stevia and the saponins in soapwort and soapnuts so it should clean just as well. It's also a relative of salicylic acid so I'm hoping it might help with my clogs a bit. I plan to mix it with water to about 15%.

I also am looking more into salicylic acid and mandelic acid products. I want topicals with minimal ingredients since so many things clog me. I'm looking at GOW beta exfo tonic right now and Diana Yvonne's salicylic acids since they both only contain water, alcohol, and salicylic acid. I was also able to find a seller on ebay that offers a mandelic acid peel with just water, mandelic acid, and malic acid. The seller is in the UK, though, and I'm not sure yet if I'm willing to pay the shipping.

My skin is slightly more oily than the last time I updated. I'm not sure why this is, but I suspect it might be due to me increasing my workouts a bit. My skin always gets more oily the more I workout. I'd like to try juicing to see if it helps more with the oily skin. I'm thinking about buying myself a masticating juicer as a college graduation gift lol.

I've also been thinking about taking vitamin C powder instead of the usual vitamin C chewables I take since they contain sugar.

I haven't noticed any difference in my skin from washing with distilled water so I'm back to using regular tap water. Using distilled water was sort of a hassle anyway. In the future I might look into getting a shower filter, though.

So I went to Arizona for a few days and some of my clogs started to clear up. I don't think the water caused the difference since I already experimented with distilled water and noticed no change. The only think I did differently was use different wash cloths and pillows. So this made me think that maybe I have an issue with the detergent I wash my things with. The detergent I use does have ingredients in it that would clog me, and if it is not completely rinsed away by the washing machine I guess it could be a problem. So to test this out I'm going to stop using wash cloths for a bit and just try using my face brush instead.

I also got the salicin in the mail and tried washing with it tonight. It does clean off oil just like the stevia, soap nuts, and soapwort root, but it needs to be used at almost 100% to do that so it's not really affordable.

After I came back from Arizona my face really started to clog up for some reason, and I got frustrated and stopped using the face brushes and went back to a more traditional cleanser (simple refreshing gel wash). I've never used this face wash before, but it has minimal ingredients and so far my skin seems to be looking a bit better. Clogs are still here and I think I'm going to try salicylic peels for them.

I'm still eating a vegan diet. I read an article recently about how a small amount of fat is needed for nutrient absorption and so I started eating some nuts or some avocado with my meals and it has made my skin less oily.

Hopefully I'll be getting a juicer soon.

Simple face wash started clogging me up so I stopped using it. Now I'm trying Mario Badescu Botanical Facial Gel. It doesn't lather and it has minimal ingredients so I'm hoping it doesn't clog me.

On a more positive note, Maia's Mineral Galaxy foundation is great. It looks really natural and last pretty well throughout the day. I think I'll be ordering a full size.

All traditional cleansers always turn out awful for me. The MB botanical gel started clogging me up. It's a shame because it smells and feel so good. I'm trying oil cleansing again. I've used meadowfoam oil in the past and wasn't a huge fan. This time I'm trying sunflower oil.

Cleansing with the sunflower oil is working pretty well so far. It doesn't make my face more oily or red and irritated looking like the oils I tired in the past did. The clogs in my face are slowly dislodging themselves and my skin is starting to look better. The clogs around my nose and chin are still stubborn, but they also look a bit better. I've also started using Diana Yvonne 2% salicylic acid. It seems to make the tone of my skin look better, but I'm not sure if it's strong enough to dislodge my stubborn blackheads. I might need a stronger percent of salicylic acid to do that.

The oil cleansing is still clearing out my pores. I just applied a 10% salicylic acid peel and it barely stings. I guess my skin is pretty strong.

Sunflower oil was clogging me so I've been experimenting with different oils. Safflower and hemp oil also clogged me. I'm trying grape seed oil right now.

I tried grape seed oil and it was alright. It still clogged me a bit. After trying grape seed oil I tried watermelon seed oil and I'm really loving it. So many of my clogs are gone and the tone and texture of my skin is looking so much better. I actually think this is the best my skin has looked since the accutane started to wear off.

I've also still been experimenting with mineral makeup. The Meow Cosmetics clog me. I'm not sure if it's the mica or the titanium dioxide in it. Maia's Mineral makeup does not clog me, but it does not offer a lot of coverage. I'm now going to try Epic Mineral makeup, but I am concerned that the zinc oxide in it might clog me. We will see.

I also finally got my juicer and I have been juicing carrots and oranges this week. I'm planning to start juicing other things this week like beets, celery, and spinach.

Overall, my skin is looking good right now and I'm feeling hopeful that it's going to improve more.

So a lot has changed since the last time I updated. My skin went a little crazy and got very oily and started to break out a lot more. The only real explanation I can come up with is that I missed a few birth control pills last month and wound up getting my period twice. My skin has been causing me a lot of anxiety lately so I decided to make a derm appointment. I was prescribed tazorac before my appointment over the phone, but it just made my skin super oily. Today was my derm appointment and I think it went ok. My derm told me that some people do get very oily from retinoids and can't use them for that reason. She suggested I try retin a micro to see if it had the same effect as the tazorac. She also prescribed me some aczone to try and a new birth control pill (ortho cyclen). She told me to give these new things a chance and if they don't work we'll talk about accutane again. I'm reaching a frustration level with my skin where I almost just want the accutane so I don't have to deal with this right now.

So a lot has changed since the last time I updated. My skin went a little crazy and got very oily and started to break out a lot more. The only real explanation I can come up with is that I missed a few birth control pills last month and wound up getting my period twice. My skin has been causing me a lot of anxiety lately so I decided to make a derm appointment. I was prescribed tazorac before my appointment over the phone, but it just made my skin super oily. Today was my derm appointment and I think it went ok. My derm told me that some people do get very oily from retinoids and can't use them for that reason. She suggested I try retin a micro to see if it had the same effect as the tazorac. She also prescribed me some aczone to try and a new birth control pill (ortho cyclen). She told me to give these new things a chance and if they don't work we'll talk about accutane again. I'm reaching a frustration level with my skin where I almost just want the accutane so I don't have to deal with this right now.

If non inflammatory acne is your issue, retin a micro may be a good bet. I never got benefit from aczone though some say it helps with inflamnation. Please keep us posted and good luck!

So a lot has changed since the last time I updated. My skin went a little crazy and got very oily and started to break out a lot more. The only real explanation I can come up with is that I missed a few birth control pills last month and wound up getting my period twice. My skin has been causing me a lot of anxiety lately so I decided to make a derm appointment. I was prescribed tazorac before my appointment over the phone, but it just made my skin super oily. Today was my derm appointment and I think it went ok. My derm told me that some people do get very oily from retinoids and can't use them for that reason. She suggested I try retin a micro to see if it had the same effect as the tazorac. She also prescribed me some aczone to try and a new birth control pill (ortho cyclen). She told me to give these new things a chance and if they don't work we'll talk about accutane again. I'm reaching a frustration level with my skin where I almost just want the accutane so I don't have to deal with this right now.

If non inflammatory acne is your issue, retin a micro may be a good bet. I never got benefit from aczone though some say it helps with inflamnation. Please keep us posted and good luck!

I never had any luck from aczone in the past either so I'm not sure I'll fill that prescription since it's $100. I might just use up the samples my derm gave me and see if they help at all. Inflammatory acne is my issue, but I'm nervous the retin a micro will make me oily like the taz did. I seem to have that issue with all the retinoids I've tried so far. I'll definitely keep updating! Thanks 🙂

I don't think my skin likes any retinoids It became very oily after using the retin-a micro too. This upsets me because if I take accutane again it would be nice to have some sort of product to use as maintenance afterward. I guess that product won't be a retinoid, though. I'm sort of holding out hope for a new topical anti-androgen that will be coming out in the next few years called cb-03-01. It sounds like it would work great for me since anti-androgens like spiro clear me. Sprio makes my hair fall out, though. I just can't win lol...

I don't think my skin likes any retinoids It became very oily after using the retin-a micro too. This upsets me because if I take accutane again it would be nice to have some sort of product to use as maintenance afterward. I guess that product won't be a retinoid, though. I'm sort of holding out hope for a new topical anti-androgen that will be coming out in the next few years called cb-03-01. It sounds like it would work great for me since anti-androgens like spiro clear me. Sprio makes my hair fall out, though. I just can't win lol...

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Just because it makes you oily doesn't mean it will break you out/won't clear you up. You have to give it time to work.

What was your acne like before spiro. Did/Do you have PCOS? Did you experience a IB? My derm seems like she wants to prescribe it but i don't think my acne is hormonal in the true sense of the word, even though i am breaking out mostly around my mouth/chin area. I'm just afraid of making it ten times worse.

Any ideas?

I don't think my skin likes any retinoids It became very oily after using the retin-a micro too. This upsets me because if I take accutane again it would be nice to have some sort of product to use as maintenance afterward. I guess that product won't be a retinoid, though. I'm sort of holding out hope for a new topical anti-androgen that will be coming out in the next few years called cb-03-01. It sounds like it would work great for me since anti-androgens like spiro clear me. Sprio makes my hair fall out, though. I just can't win lol...

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Just because it makes you oily doesn't mean it will break you out/won't clear you up. You have to give it time to work.

What was your acne like before spiro. Did/Do you have PCOS? Did you experience a IB? My derm seems like she wants to prescribe it but i don't think my acne is hormonal in the true sense of the word, even though i am breaking out mostly around my mouth/chin area. I'm just afraid of making it ten times worse.

Any ideas?

So I wrote a response to this a few days ago and I guess it never posted...

The oil from the retinoids is really really uncomfortable. Oil bothers me more than acne, and feeling like I have to blot every 30 minutes because of retinoids is just not ok with me.

I took spiro before I took accutane. My acne was really bad. I had cysts, whiteheads, and blackheads. It was all over my face and never correlated with certain times of the month. I have been told I have pcos because my testosterone is high and I have quite a few other symptoms. I think I did have a small initial breakout, but it was nothing horrible. If I didn't lose my hair on spiro I would take it forever because besides accutane it was the only thing that completely cleared me. My skin was oil free and I didn't have a single spot, not even a blackhead. If I were you I'd try it. I think it's a great drug.

I'm no longer using any topicals on my skin. I'm just washing my face with Neutrogena Anti-Blemish Anti-Wrinkle Cleanser which contains glycolic acid and salicylic acid. I have not done any blood work for accutane yet because I am going to try to attack my acne from a hormonal angle before I try accutane again. As I have said before, spiro, yaz, and yasmin worked great for me in the past, but made my hair fall out. I am now going to try another anti-androgen birth control pill called belara which does not contain the same active ingredient as yasmin and yaz so I'm hopeful it will not make my hair fall out. I'll be starting that in two weeks when I finish my current pack of birth control. I'm also trying really hard not to pick at my skin. I'm considering getting acrylic nails put on to see if it will help.