Category Archives: Natural Living

Hormonal Acne Update

Hormonal Acne UpdateI haven’t written about my acne in a long time so I thought it was time for an update–particularly as I’ve experienced major skin changes over the past year. If you’re unfamiliar with my acne history, I recommend reading this post from last year to catch up.

Pregnancy = Amazing Skin for Me

So I’ve figured out the solution to my persistent acne: get pregnant! During my pregnancy this last year, my skin was the best it’s been since I was thirteen. I’m not entirely sure when I started to see improvements–I spent my first trimester feeling sick to my stomach 24/7 and thus was not paying much attention to things like my appearance–but sometime in my fourth month or so I suddenly realized that I was getting fewer breakouts than normal. Things just got better and better over the next few months, and through the end of my pregnancy and at least the first month postpartum my skin looked fantastic.

But Unfortunately Improvement Seems to Be Short Lived

I’m now three and half months postpartum, and I’ve been very disheartened to find that my skin issues have been creeping back over the past couple of months. I’m again getting regular, persistent breakouts around my mouth and chin–still nothing approaching what my skin was like before I went on GAPS, but bothersome enough that I’m back to being unhappy about my appearence. I was so hoping that pregnancy would have a lasting impact on my skin, but apparently the improvement was only temporary.

I did also get my period back at only 7 weeks postpartum, which seems absurdly early given that I’m exclusively breastfeeding. I have been encouraged that at least the two periods I’ve had so far have been almost pain-free. I’ve always had debilitating painful periods, so I am really, really hoping that things at least stay good in this area

Moving Forward

The fact that my acne disappeared during pregnancy makes me pretty convinced that I was right to believe that my acne is related to hormonal imbalance. (I’m certainly no expert, but it seems like acne that disappears during pregnancy has got to be hormonal, right?) While it’s nice to have my theory confirmed, that doesn’t really help in terms of what I should actually do about getting it to go away for good.

So far my only plan is to finish reading Lauren Geersten’s e-book Quit PMS, which is all about curing hormonal imbalance with real food and other natural treatments. I started reading the book back when it came out in July, but then got derailed by pregnancy complications before I got a chance to finish it. Lauren healed her own hormonal imbalance using the techniques outlined in her e-book, so I’m hopeful that it will help me try out some new approaches for treating my acne.

What about you–do you have any stories of healing hormonal acne? I’d welcome your suggestions, since my big solution is not all that practical long-term. 🙂

Easy DIY Honey Face Wash (Only 1 Ingredient!)

Honey Face Wash

Are you looking for a safe and natural face wash that’s good for your skin and isn’t ridiculously expensive? You should try my honey face wash. I’ve been washing my face with honey for more than three years now, and I LOVE it. It’s easy, inexpensive, and totally natural.

There are a lot of different ways to wash your face with honey–today I’ll share what works for me.

Why Wash Your Face with Honey?

First off, though, you might be wondering why you’d even want to wash your face with honey. Perhaps the number one reason is what honey isn’t–it’s not a harsh commercial cleanser full of toxic chemicals that you don’t want your body absorbing.

Make Your Own Natural Body Care Products with DIY Organic Beauty! (Plus 20% Off Coupon!)

Since becoming more interested in natural health a few years ago, I’ve had a lot of fun making my own body care products. There’s something very rewarding about mixing up your own toothpaste, deodorant, hair gel, or shampoo. What I have not enjoyed, however, is actually finding the recipes for all of these body care products.  Sometimes the sheer amount of information on the Internet is overwhelming—and I never know what recipe is likely to actually work.

That’s why I’m so happy to tell that there’s a new excellent resource in the world of natural body care: DIY Organic Beauty from Heather Dessinger (a.k.a.…

How to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease with Coconut Oil

As if coconut oil didn’t offer enough health benefits, at the recent Wise Traditions Conference I learned another reason to include plenty of coconut products in your diet. According to Dr. Bruce Fife, leading coconut expert, coconut oil can prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Turns out this isn’t super recent news, but I, for one, had never encountered it before. As someone with a family history of dementia (possibly caused by Alzheimer’s disease), I have to say that I am enormously excited about this new development.

Coconut Oil May Also Reverse Already Present Alzheimer’s Disease

Dr. Fife also asserted that coconut oil can reverse Alzheimer’s symptoms in someone who has already developed the disease.…

How I Came to Love My Hair: Natural Hair Care with the Curly Girl Method

Up until a few months ago, I really disliked my hair. While I’d always coveted straight, sleek hair, I was stuck with puffy, frizzy hair. Since my early teens I mostly wore it pulled back in a high or half ponytail, which worked pretty well, but it wasn’t exactly the glamorous look that I sometimes wanted. Occasionally I would use my hair straightener to get sleek, straight hair, but it always took a lot of time and I just don’t like spending a lot of time on my hair. So for the most part I just lived with my puffy, frizzy hair.…