My Inner Shakti

finding strength in everyday things

Three Changes I’m Making for (Hopefully) Clearer Skin

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If you look back at my blog archives over the past eight years,you’ll find a countless number of posts about my experiences with acne.  Everything from what I’ve tried to combat it to the lifestyle changes I’ve implemented.

In the last year alone, I went to a dermatologist (who wanted to start me on a $500/month prescription), started birth control, and switched my entire skincare routine over to Drunk Elephant.  And while the condition of my skin has improved dramatically and the number of breakouts I get has decreased quite a bit, I still feel like there’s more I can do. I say this because I still break out every now and then, and it’s painful, and as vain as it sounds, it’s not pretty.

Before I go into the exact changes, let me address what I’ve noticed in the last 6 months or so. Every time I indulge a little (or a lot!), specifically with cheesy and sugary foods, my skin responds very negatively. For example, after our weekend in Traverse City where I drank lots of wine, ate lots of cheese, and had two desserts in one day, my skin went nuts.  The same thing happened after Thanksgiving weekend because I ate mac n’ cheese for 4 days straight.  And again after Vancouver (re: four nights straight of wine and dessert).

I’m thinking you know what two of my changes are!  If you guessed significantly reducing the amount of cheese (I don’t really consume other forms of dairy) and sugar I eat,you’re right.  Looking back, I think if I moved the needle even 80%, I’d see a huge improvement. 

My third change is implementing a sleep routine.  Of course, Mr. Kaiden may throw this off a little, but I know I can do better.  For example, instead of falling asleep on the couch, I should just go to bed.  I’m also hoping that by creating a bedtime routine, I’ll be able to fall asleep and stay asleep for most of the night.  I’ve read a lot about how sleep impacts skin health (along with everything else), so I’m putting it and myself to the test!

Those who know me well may be thinking, “But Par, you LOVE cheese and sweet stuff.  Are you really just giving it up cold turkey?”  Trust me, I’ve been toying with this exact thought for a while now.  My answer is this…for the next month, I’m giving up cow’s milk cheese and refined sugar. After that, I’m going to reevaluate how my skin looks and feels and take it from there.  To be honest, I think my days of eating multiple slices of pizza are gone, but that’s what it’s comedown to.  I can’t deal with my skin looking like it did when I was 15. 

With that being said, after this one month period, if there’s something I want to try, I will allow myself a bite or two of the good stuff.  I mean, life’s too short to totally give up the stuff you love!

So here’s the plan for the next month at least…

  1. No cow’s milk dairy
  2. No added/refined sugar (super dark chocolate a-ok!)
  3. Operation ‘get better sleep’ – put a routine in place and no handheld devices for the hour leading up to bedtime

I know lots of you are interested in these kinds of experiments because many of us struggle with adult acne.  I’ll revisit this here on the blog in a month to share my progress.  Hopefully I learn some good stuff!

WISH ME LUCK!

postpartum acne

My Postpartum Acne Journey – the Not So Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

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The postpartum period is hard.  Mentally, physically, emotionally.  Along with trying to figure out how to keep your little human alive, you’re faced with so many changes in such a short period of time.  Looking back, it all goes by so quickly, but don’t get me wrong, when you’re in the thick of it, the days feel like years.  Ha!

One of the things I dealt with almost immediately was postpartum acne.  While my skin remained fairly clear during pregnancy, specifically during my second and third trimesters,  as soon as Kaiden was born, things went haywire.  Because of how everything went down, I wasn’t immediately able to give my skin the attention it deserved.  Or at least the wash it deserved, so maybe I have a part to play in the initial flareups, but what came days and months later definitely felt more hormonal.

In the days that followed, my stress levels ebbed and flowed, my emotions were a bit all over the place, etc.  Combine that with my newfound pumping hobby, and you have a hormonal hot mess new mom who’s face looked like it did about 20 years prior.

I won’t go into every detail, but trust me when I say, my skin went from not so good, to bad, to ugly.  So much so that I refused to be in pictures with Kaiden.  I’d always want to stay behind the camera.

I tried lots of different things to control my breakouts – topical medicines/creams, dietary changes, LOTS and LOTS of water, etc.  Nothing seemed to work.  In fact, it just kept getting worse.

postpartum acne

Me.  Everyday for about seven months.

Fast forward to the end of this past January.  Vishnu sat me down (probably after I cried to him about how ugly I felt) and made me see the light – I needed to see a dermatologist.  I was so resistant to this idea because I didn’t want to be on the ‘typical’ acne drugs again.  And given that I had a horrible experience with a dermatologist in Miami, I was scared a visit (and the subsequent ‘treatment plan’) would end up making things worse.

I somewhat hesitantly made the appointment.  I wish I could say that the doctor I saw solved all my problems.  She didn’t.  She wanted me to use a cream that would cost us $500 a month along with an oral medication.  Although, she did confirm that my acne was hormonal.

I then decided to make an appointment with a NP I absolutely love at my gynecologist’s office.  We talked about my options, and after lots of discussion (with her, Vishnu, my sister, my mom, friends, etc.), I decided to go back on birth control and use OTC Differin as well.

This was not an easy decision for me by any means.  In fact, the last thing I wanted to do was go back on birth control.  What I wanted was to be able to control my hormonal acne in a more natural way.

With all of that being said, I will say that the birth control has helped immensely.  My skin, while not perfect by any means, looks 110% better.  The painful flareups are no longer present, and the overall condition of my skin is also slowly improving.  I used the Differin for about three weeks and am now only using Drunk Elephant (DE) products as my topical agents if you will.

You guys, I LOVE DE.  I’m hoping one day I can transition off of birth control and continue just with DE and have clear skin for life (a girl can dream, right!?).  But honestly, it’s a brand I’m 100% behind and can’t wait to share more in my next post.

Stay tuned…

New Skincare Products

New Skincare Products – Grape Seed Oil + Instanatural Skin Clearing Serum + Dove Bar Soap

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My last skincare post was about the new-to-me Instanatural Scar Gel and how it basically saved my face.  My acne went from plentiful and painful to occasional and short-lived.

While a few things have changed since that post, my love for the scar gel and Instanatural in general has not.  In fact, I now have another favorite product.  But before I talk more about that, let me share the backstory.

Between early-January and mid-February, my skin started breaking out again.  Not the way it did in February 2014, but more than it had in a while. No bueno!  My diet + stress levels + general environment hadn’t changed much, so I was a little confused.  Why was my skin doing this to me out of the blue?!

That’s when I decided that a change of some sort was in order.  So the experimenter in me did a bit of research and decided to change things up a little and try a few new products.

New Skincare Products

New product #1 – Dove Bar Soap for Sensitive Skin

A while back, my mom/dad’s dermatologist mentioned how he recommends Dove Bar Soap for Sensitive Skin to all of his patients and especially to those who experience acne.  When my mom told me this, I shook my head in disbelief.  I mean, how could Dove Bar Soap help with my horrendous acne?!

A year or so later, a good friend of mine mentioned Dove again and said that it really helped clear up her skin.  That’s just not for me, I thought!

Not sure what changed in February, but after doing some Googling, I decided to give it a try.  So I now I only use a bar soap to wash my face.  Who would’ve thought?!

Note – I still love the Desert Essence face wash I used for years.  

New product #2 – Grape Seed Oil (I use a different oil right now but will be getting this one next time.)

When I decided to switch to Dove Bar Soap as my face wash, I realized that while its gentle on the skin and all that, it wouldn’t be able to remove all of my makeup.  So back to Google I went, and that’s when I came across grape seed oil and how it can be used as a makeup remover.  As I read more, I came to learn that due to its non-comedogenic properties grape seed oil is great for acne prone skin.  And that got me thinking about using it as my go to moisturizer.

Anyway, I ordered a bottle, and when it came in, I got to work.  First of all, I needed to see if it worked as a makeup remover.  All I did was pour a nickle sized amount into one palm, rubbed the oil between my hands, and then massaged my face for a good minute or so.  I then took a wet washcloth and gently used that to remove the oil.  You guys!  It worked.  My washcloth was a hot mess, but my makeup came off!  I finished the routine with a little Dove Bar Soap action and was good to go!

Then I had to decide exactly how to use the oil as a moisturizer.  I decided that in the PM I would apply 2-3 drops along with a small amount of my Cerave moisturizing cream to my face.  And in the AM, I would only use one drop along with a small amount of Cerave.

New product #3 – Instanatural Skin Clearing Serum

I originally ordered this not for it’s skin clearing properties but because it claims to help with anti-aging as well.  I figured it was about time I started using something to help with that!

How does this play into your routine, Parita?  How many products do you even use?

Fair enough!  This is the first product I apply after washing my face.  Then comes the scar gel (only on my scars).  Then comes the tea tree oil (only on existing acne). And then comes the grape seed oil + moisturizer.   See, not that complicated at all! 🙂

RESULTS!

I purposely didn’t talk about how these products are working for me individually because I made all three of these changes around the same time, so it’s impossible to tell how one thing is working in isolation.

Overall, I LOVE each of these products, and the changes are in fact working (fingers crossed!).  Not only is my skin clearer but my dark spots are also fading. I read somewhere that grape seed oil can help with this issue but who knows.  And any new acne that I do get goes away within a day or two as long as I stay consistent with the routine.

An additional benefit is that my skin is a lot smoother than it has been in the past.  I know this because my makeup just glides on now…no more rough, dry patches!  My skin looks/feels consistently moisturized and “glowy” (small amounts of grape seed oil will not cause your skin to look greasy!!).

Over the years, I’ve blogged A LOT about my acne prone skin and the different products I’ve tried.  All I can say is that (for now) these products are reallyreallyreally working for me.

Tell me about any new products you’ve tried and loved recently!

No portion of this post is sponsored.  However, there are a few Amazon affiliate links included. There is no extra cost to you, but I do receive a small commission on anything you buy through my links.  Thank you for reading and supporting My Inner Shakti!

Where I Am Now

Where I Am Now

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If you’re a long time reader, you know that I like to conduct personal experiments/challenges.  Whether they’re food or fitness related or about something else entirely, I enjoy trying something new and then sharing it on MIS.

The thing is – as much as I enjoy sharing about what I learned and what the results were, I don’t normally follow up after the first update.  So today I thought I would share more about where I am now in terms of some of my more recent experiments.

Where I Am Now

No Added Sugar Challenge

A few months ago, I took on a no added sugar challenge because I wanted to reign in my sugar consumption.  It went well…not perfectly…but well.

Since the end of my challenge, I’ve noticed a difference in my cravings.  While I do still enjoy my occasional sweets, I don’t have to have something every day.  WIN!  In fact, my favorite sweet treats are still frozen grapes and dates + PB + a few chocolate chips.

Coconut Oil Experiment

I recently incorporated coconut oil into my beauty routine.  So far, I’m LOVING It.  My skin feels sooo soft!

In addition to using it as a body moisturizer, I’ve been applying it under my eyes as an anti-aging solution and on my eyebrows to help promote some hair growth.  While I can’t really report on how well the anti-aging is going, I’m happy to report that my eyebrow hairs are growing in!  It’s not super obvious, but I can truly tell a difference.  WOO HOO!

New Skincare Routine (acne related)

I blogged about my new skincare routine a month ago.  And for once, I’m happy to report that my face is still doing ok.  In fact, I just ordered more InstaNatural Scar Gel and Desert Essence face wash (and yes I order the refill size bottle!) today.

Hoping with all my might that my new routine only helps my skin get better with time…or at least not worse!

In terms of what’s next on the personal experiment front, I just started 30 day “control your reaction” challenge.  More on this soon!

Tell me about something new you’ve tried lately!

No portion of this post is sponsored.  However, there are a couple of Amazon affiliate links included.  There is no extra cost to you, but I do receive a small commission on anything you buy through my links.  Thank you for reading and supporting My Inner Shakti!

Instanatural scar gel is my clear skin secret

InstaNatural Scar Gel + My New Skincare Routine

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It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about my acne dilemmas.  And there’s a very good reason for that.  Over the past 3ish months, my acne has gone from prominent and painful to nearly nonexistent.

Yes, that’s correct!  I have (for the time being at least) cured my face of constant breakouts.  Of course, I’m still prone to the occasional pimple here and there, but it’s not a regular thing anymore!  And the pimples I do get disappear in days versus weeks.

I honestly don’t know what to attribute this wonderful and exciting development to.  My mom and Vishnu think it’s because I’ve been working on reducing my stress levels.  Personally, I think it’s due in part to that and in part to my new skincare routine. And in particular, a new product I added to my regimen – the InstaNatural Scar Gel.

Insta Natural Scar Gel

Before I tell you all about this magical potion, I have to share how I came across it.

At the end of May, Vishnu suggested I use Mederma (a scar lightener) on the scars I have on my legs from the Tough Mudder race I ran last year.   I said I would look into it but never did (oops!).  When he realized this, he took matters into his own hands and did a little research on scar gels/creams.  That’s how he came across InstaNatural.  And without telling me, he bought a bottle.

When it finally arrived in early June, I asked Vishnu if he thought I could use it on my face too.  Ultimately, I decided to give it a try (because why not?!) and started with a couple of the more prominent scars on my face.  Over time, I started applying a thin layer to my entire face.  And I kid you not when I say that it has made all the difference in the world.  Not only are my scars (both new and old) fading, but my skin is smoother and brighter than ever before.

You guys know I’ve tried everything under the sun to address my acne – I took antibiotics and used a prescription grade cream, I tried going dairy-free, I used Proactiv, and we can’t forget about my ACV fiasco.  And this is just scratching the surface.  I’ve been experimenting for YEARS!  And now, I have finally found something that is the real deal (for me)!

InstaNatural Scar Gel is made with Epidermal Growth Factor which helps speed the healing process.  It also includes green tea, moisturizers, etc.  Whatever it is, it’s truly magical!  And while the price point compared to the size of the bottle is on the higher end of the spectrum, I can vouch for the fact that the product goes a LONG way.  I’ve had the same bottle for almost four months.

The gel itself is light brown in color and has a runny but spreadable consistency that absorbs quickly into the skin. I use one full pump for my entire face.  Some reviewers say the smell is off putting, but I honestly don’t smell anything at all.

Here’s exactly how I incorporate it into my skincare routine

My New AM Skincare Routine

My New PM Skincare Routine

My PM skincare routine mirrors the above with one small change.  Instead of using the Trader Joe’s Moisturizer, I apply a nickel sized amount of the Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream for Dry/Sensitive Skin to my entire face before bed.

Clarification – I also use coconut oil every PM around my eyes, on my eyebrows, and on my lips.  

I’ve been taking pictures of my face to monitor the progress, and if I wasn’t such a wuss, I’d share them with you guys!  But trust me when I say that my skin on June 12 looks completely different than it does now.  In fact, when I went home this past weekend, my sister thought I was wearing makeup when I wasn’t!  If that’s not something, then I don’t know what is!

I’ll post an update in a few months to share how this new product and routine are going.  Fingers crossed that I don’t have to add this to my long list of acne experiment failures!

Let me know if you decide to try this scar gel.  While I can’t guarantee that it’ll be just as life changing for everyone, I do think it’s worth a try!

No portion of this post is sponsored!  However, there are a few affiliate links sprinkled throughout. Thank you for reading and supporting My Inner Shakti!

Written on Related:Skincare

Acne prone skin cartoon

Diet and Acne Update

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I’ve been meaning to write this post for a few weeks now, but for one reason or another, it just wasn’t happening.  However, an update of sorts is definitely in order as a few things have changed since my last post about My (Almost) Dairy-Free Experiment.

If you’re a regular MIS reader or you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably noticed that dairy is back in my life.  Namely in the form of yogurt and cheese.  I’m not consuming either in large quantities, but they’re part of my diet again.

Let’s start right where I left off…

Back in early January, I was seeing some positive results after not consuming dairy for a month or so.  If I remember correctly, this trend continued for another two weeks before my skin decided to go berserk again.  I honestly have no clue what went wrong. 

And it didn’t get any better.  In fact, it got worse.  I went from a few big bumps to full breakout mode in a matter of weeks.  Even still, I persisted on with my almost no dairy plan. 

Acne clipart

Right before we left for Italy, I saw a friend of mine post something on Facebook about a new line of products from the creators of Proactiv.  I texted her to learn more.  After a brief phone conversation, I signed up to try Unblemish*, a line of products designed to help acne-prone skin. 

Now, I know I’ve been harping the benefits of more natural treatments, but I felt hopeless (once again) and was ready to try something new, something a bit stronger. 

Anyway, I started using Unblemish and within a few weeks, my acne was subsiding.  I still had a few bumps, but they were less painful.  I used it for 60 days and ultimately decided to only continue with the blemish treatment (a benzoyl peroxide lotion).  This stuff isn’t cheap, and I felt that the lotion was making the biggest impact for me. 

Well, that was exactly a month ago.  I just got around to ordering more of the Unblemish treatment. 

But guess what?  In the last month, I haven’t been using any fancy products (just a little tea tree at night) or following any particular diet, and my skin is the best it’s been in a long long time.  I even ran errands the other day without makeup (this was a HUGE step for me). 

I’m totally waiting for the other shoe to drop and my face to go crazy again, but we’ll see.  I’m crossing my fingers that the “not doing much of anything” approach keeps working.  Time will tell. 

I should also mention that Vishnu thinks stress is a major contributor to my acne.  I’m what you would call a chronically stressed person but not in an obvious way.  I’ve always just thought it was part of my DNA, but Vishnu now has me convinced otherwise.  And he may be on to something.  Since the beginning of this year, I’ve been constantly stressed/worried about one thing or another.  But over the last month, particularly the last few weeks, I’ve been trying really hard to chill out.  I’ll share more on what I’ve been doing in a separate post, but overall, I think my efforts are helping.  Sure, I still get a little stressed, but I’m not holding on to it anymore.  And of course I have absolutely zero proof of this, but in the past few weeks, my face has been clearer than ever before.  So maybe Vishnu’s right.  I’m going to pay more attention to my skin during high stress times to see if it’s a factor. 

So where does that leave me?  Well, as of right now, I’m sticking to a very simple routine that includes the Soothe face wash, my Desert Essence face wash, tea tree oil, Trader Joe’s moisturizer, and Cetaphil face cream as needed.  I also plan to use the Unblemish lotion as a spot treatment (if things get bad again).  In terms of diet, I’m sticking to a vegetarian diet that includes a little dairy here and there.  And most importantly, I’m trying to be as stress free as possible!

Like I said, we’ll see what happens next month, but for now, I’ll take as much clear skin as I can get!

Clear skin clipart 
*The Unblemish face wash contains sulfur as a main ingredient.  After using it for a couple of weeks, I found out I’m allergic to sulfur…the hard way (i.e. SUPER itchy, red skin).   My friend was kind enough to send me the Sooth face wash to try. I’ve been using that for the past few weeks and love it.

Thanks for reading and happy hump day! 🙂

Acne Update: Jojoba Oil + Tea Tree Oil

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One of the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is look in the mirror and evaluate my skin.  I’m mostly looking for one thing – new acne.

Recently, I’ve been pretty happy with what I see.  For the first time in a long time, my skin is doing ok.  And it kind of freaks me out.  I’m so happy my skin is finally calming down, but I don’t want to get my hopes up.  That’s what almost 20 years of dealing with acne will do to you!

Anyways, I want to share more about what I’m attributing to this recent positive phenomenon.

The first thing is undoubtedly my dairy-free experiment.  I can’t wait to share more about how it’s going (coming soon!).  While travelling a few weeks from the end of November through the beginning of December, I didn’t stick to my goal of staying away from dairy.  It was partly circumstance and mostly my own doing!  But I’m back to it…with lots of lessons learned.

I believe the second factor that’s helping my skin is a new simplified moisturizing routine.

Before I share more, here are a few things to know:

That’s when my experiment loving self started doing some research.  Both my cousin and countless articles on the internet suggested jojoba oil as a great option for people with acne-prone skin because it’s the closest to human sebum (it tricks our skin into thinking it’s producing enough oil, balancing oil-production), it’s non-comedogenic, it’s loaded with vitamin E and other useful things, etc.

And so I thought – let me try this!

My nighttime routine consisted of 4-5 drops of jojoba oil applied to my entire face and a pea-sized amount of Tazorac applied on the affected area.  During the day, I used Trader Joe’s Nourish moisturizer and a very small amount of the Tazorac.

As the weather started to change (yes, even down here in Miami), I started getting dry patches on my skin.  This led to severe peeling, aggravated skin, and more acne.

After my trip to DC, when my skin was at it’s worst, I made the decision to stop using Tazorac cold turkey.  In it’s place, I decided to give tea tree oil another chance.  However, instead of applying it directly to my skin, which I think caused more harm than good, I now mix it in with the Jojoba oil and my daytime moisturizer.

Facial oils

So this is what my new routine looks like…

  • Daytime: one pump of Trader Joe’s Nourish moisturizer + two drops of tea tree oil mixed together and applied to the entire face (being extra careful around the eyes)
  • Nighttime: five drops of jojoba oil + three to four drops of tea tree oil mixed together and applied to the entire face (again, being extra careful around the eyes)

It’s hard to explain in words what a difference this change has made.  In a nutshell, my skin is less oily during the day, breakouts are at a minimum (and the ones that pop up every now and then go way more quickly than they ever have before), and during a time of month when things are usually super bad, my skin is calmer than ever.

Like I said, I’m kind of freaking out!

I honestly can’t say if this tweak would’ve made a huge difference had I not given up dairy, but I’m happy to report that together these changes are making a huge difference.

The one thing I’ve learned on my journey is that everyone is different.  What works for me may not work for the next person (as evident by my ACV disaster).  With that being said, I’ll share my progress over the next few months with the hope that my story may help someone else!  If anyone knows how painful (in so many ways) acne is, it’s me!

Here’s to clearer skin (fingers crossed)!

Do you suffer from acne?  What does your skincare routine look like?

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