So, I have decided to take a leap of faith and do what my intuition was trying to tell me all long. When I was younger I never had troublesome acne until I went on birth control at age 18. Since then, I'm 28 now, I have had cystic acne and very inflammed skin. I always knew I had very sensitive skin so using all those harsh chemical face products you see out in the market today continued to make my face worse. I have found an new all natural face regimen that has truly worked for me and even went off my birth control to see if that would help any which it did tremendously! I was desperate to try anything without harming myself in anyway. These are the key things that have helped improve my acne almost completely:

1. Most importantly, I only wash my face with soap ONCE a day. There is this misconception out there that we should clean clean our face with soap twice a day when this actually makes your face more vulnerable and susceptible to being affected by bacteria, environmental pollutants, etc. If you think about it, the more you wash your face per day you could potentially be stripping all the necessary oils that help protect your face from harmful chemicals and bacteria. Washing my face with soap once a day has improve the quality of my skin immensely. I cannot stress this step in clearing acne enough!

2. In the morning, I rinse my face off with warm water and then cold water. Apply moisturizer. Then put on my make-up for the day. In the evening, I wash my face with my special bar soap. Then apply toner with a cotton ball. Lastly, I apply my moisturizer. Later, I will list my products I use and homemade moisturizers I make.

3. Going off my birth control was a godsend (weird right because they say being on birth control helps, well not for me). I always knew while being on the pill that my hormones were all kinds of jacked up. I am frustrated that my doctor never gave me a hormone test before putting me on the pill. Apparently, my estrogen levels are extremely high to begin with! I have been off the pill for 3 months now and along with my natural face regimen my cystic acne has completely disappeared! I may get a couple small pimples around the time of the month, but that's it! I've been so shocked and almost in disbelief that my acne is actually going away.

4. I NEVER EVER put any kind of chemical, paraben, or any ingredient that can be harmful on my face. I use only all natural ingredients including oils, aloe (my fave), clay, honey, oatmeal, and other natural ingredients. If it's not made from our beloved Mother Earth then I don't use it! Simple products are always the best.

5. Drinking tons of water each day. I always make sure I have a water bottle with me at all times.

6. One of the hardest things for me, since I'm borderline OCD, is not picking at my face. This is so important not to mess with underground zits. Now, on occassion I will get a whitehead that I can't stand looking at. So, I will steam my face (usually at night) with an almost hot washcloth to let the pimple pop on its own. Then I wash my face, tone, and moisturize afterwards.

7. In the past, when I got underground, painful, cystic acne I would ice the area on and off for about 15 minutes each day for a few days. Usually, it will help soothe the inflammation from the zit and eventually smooth out.

8. Sweating. Working out has really helped my body rid the toxins by sweating them out. This is such an important part of keeping your skin healthy. When you're done working out (I do mine at night) make sure to wash your face afterwards.

9. Applying a mask at least a couple times per week. I will apply my mask for 20 minutes and then rinse off. Then, I will follow up with my evening routine of washing my face with bar soap, tone, and moisturize.

10. Diet. I have really tried hard not to eat fried foods, soda, and other processed foods. I usually cook throughout the week, so homemade dishes are the best, because you know what ingredients are in them! Simple is always better. I buy local meat too, which I think has helped my body and skin feel better. I encourage everyone to buy locally raised meat!

Gentle cleanser - all natural extra virgin olive oil, oatmeal, tea tree oil, and emu oil bar soap from my local health store.

Toner - all natural rose water, chamomile oil, and geranium oil bought from [Removed] - it's really cheap and lasts for a long time. Love this and how great it smells!

Moisturizers - I make a homemade concoction of pure, organic aloe vera and vitamin e oil iu 28,000 - I apply this at night. The aloe acts like a retinol and is very healing.

I use an all natural moisturizer called Fundamental Lotion found [Removed] in the morning and a few dabs of vitamin e oil iu 28,000 over it to seal the deal.

Masks - I use a homemade concoction of local, organic honey and baking soda. I leave it on for 15-20 minutes and then rinse off. I use a pink clay mask from [Removed] that is also very cheap and lasts for a long time! I also make a homemade oil cleansing mask which includes pure, organic sunflower oil and tea tree oil - I use this when my face is super dry, and will massage into my face for 5 or so minutes. After using warm water to clean off most of the oil (best in the shower) then I will follow up with my evening routine of cleansing with bar soap, tone, and moisturize. I don't use all these masks every week. Depending on how my face is doing, I will pick accordingly. Such as, feeling like my face is breaking out I will use clay or honey mask and if my face is super dry I will do my oil cleansing mask.

I hope my all natural regimen helps you all. It will take time for your face to get used to using no chemicals and going off birth control. Essentially, your face will thank you for not poisoning it with unnecessary chemicals! Nothing else has helped my face and I am so thankful I took this leap of faith to heal my adult acne! And remember, stay consistent and you will see results! Be patient! Best wishes to my fellow acne sufferers, it's not an easy road, but it is attainable. Stay positive that there IS a face regimen that will work for you, it's just waiting for you to find it! SMILE.