When I was in high school, my skin was whack. I was always broken out and the products that I used to combat the acne left my skin dried out and flakey. Not a good look.
This continued into college, a time when I thought I would magically acquire amazing skin and become the beautiful butterfly just waiting to emerge (still waiting on that one.) Obviously, that didn't happen. I felt like I had outgrown acne and to have it still causing problems was embarrassing.
I tried everything. Proactiv (which I'm convinced is Dawn and water mixed up in a bottle and marketed at exorbitant prices), some really harsh stuff I got from the derm that killed the zits but left my skin dry, red, and sensitive, even antibiotics. They would all work for a month or so, and then the cystic acne would come back, sometimes worse.
I started to do some research. The chemicals they put in all that anti-acne stuff may take care of your zits, but it wreaks havoc on the rest of your skin as well. And sometimes, like in my case, the acne becomes immune to the active ingredients and comes back worse than before. The best way to combat problem skin is with natural products and a healthy lifestyle.
For about a year now, I've been largely acne free, and I haven't had to drop huge amounts on designer skin products.
Instead, I use natural honey, baking soda, and coconut oil.
