Educate Yo Self

I wanted to share some really awesome youtube channels/websites/blogs/books I have come across over the past 2 years that have not only helped me clear my skin but have had a huge impact on my thinking and my lifestyle and I highly recommend all of them to you if you are struggling with the same issues or just need to adjust your life to a healthier way of living or thinking. They have some really helpful videos even just about new yoga poses or some really great recipes. 

The first one, I really really swear by. http://www.epicbeautyguide.com/ she also has a youtube channel which you can find if you look up epic beauty guide.

I actually downloaded the book she had written about holistic skincare and lifestyle. She has cleared up her acne mainly by her diet and some all natural skincare routines. Her dietary information is extremely informative. I learned a ton about nutrition that I really thought I knew but didn’t actually know the accuracy or the truth about a few things. She also talks about the zones of the face that your acne has resided and what it means in the body. It makes it a lot easier to treat when you know the underlying cause and dermatologists and other doctors don’t usually ever get to the root of the problem they just topically treat it or they medicate you with antibiotics and other harmful medications, that in turn actually wind up causing more harm on the body and on your skin. She also has a youtube channel as well as a blog.

The Second one I want to tell you about is High on Health. http://www.highonhealth.org/

Fran also has a youtube channel and a book. I have no read her book because it has a ton of the same information from what I have heard about it as Stephanie from epic beauty so I decided to stick with one set of info. Sometimes when we oversaturate ourselves with too many things dealing with the same issue we actually become overwhelmed, confused and wind up over treating or hurting ourselves by shocking our bodies with too much of something or not enough of something else. So it’s important to take all information with a grain of salt. Find out what is best for you and what works best with your body. Fran uses a few methods that aren’t 100% holistic. She does use antibiotics on occasion. It’s all up to you and what you are comfortable with.  I really love all of her videos and her accent makes them even more interesting and fun to listen to J

The third one I have the most connection to for my own lifestyle. I find that a lot of her principles as far as caring for her skin and her diet and her lifestyle, exercise and even the books she reads and the way she thinks about the world, are very similar to my own beliefs. I love her videos and her blogs.  I hope you find them as great as I do. You can find her blog/website at http://www.thelovevitamin.com/

Her youtube channel and videos are also listed on her site I believe. She swears by Manuka Honey as do I, and I just tried my clay mask by Plantogen with a little Manuka oil and apple cider vinegar, followed by a Manuka honey mask with cinnamon and my skin feels so soft and not dehydrated at all which is a nice change since it’s been flakey and dry this winter. I find it is the hardest to control my acne when my skin is dry because when our skin is dry our body thinks that it needs to produce more oil, which actually causes an overcompensation of oil, clogging your pores and leaving your skin a slippery, bumpy mess. So the manuka keeps my skin in check, I don’t really need too much moisturizer after it either which is nice, because I don’t always like to use moisturizer. It is extremely important that you wear it though, especially if you have acne prone, oily skin for those exact reasons I listed above. If you dry out your skin, you are actually creating more of a problem. Just make sure the moisturizer isn’t packed full of synthetic ingredients, preservatives or pore clogging oils etc…  

An etsy site that I absolutely adore, even just to browse through is skin apotheke. I use the ubtan face scrub. It has neem, turmeric, Ashwagandha root.  There are a lot of homemade all natural organic serums, lotions, scrubs etc… They are really great and I love the packaging. 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Zria?page=1

enjoy :)

Manuka Honey!

I would consider Manuka Honey a miracle product. Actually, it's not even a product it's a food but one of the best findings I could have come across, thanks to the Plantogen Sales Rep at my school. As soon as she saw my skin, she couldn't wait to get her hands on me. I was skeptical, as I usually am with my skin because I have tried every single thing under the sun to get my cystic acne under control. It has been a nightmare. An extremely expensive trial and error process as well as emotionally draining. But I have her to thank times a million. Immediately after the first application I saw a dramatic difference. The inflammation, and redness had gone down by 50% and I was ecstatic.

Manuka Honey is not the typical honey you would find in a supermarket. It's actually not even from a bee. It's from a manuka honey bush that are usually found in australia or new zealand.  It has antibiotic and inflammatory properties that have actually healed extreme cases of decay and fungus that people have had on their skin, from surgeries, healing wounds etc.. Which is why I like to think of it as a miracle. It unfortunately is the most expensive honey you will ever come across, but each honey pot has a different percentage of active ingredients. Obviously, the higher the percentage the better the results, but every bottle is different so be sure to read the labels. 

Manuka Honey is not the only miracle I want to tell you about. The plantogen line is amazing! The combination of both plantogen and manuka honey has literally changed the entire course of my skin. I don't have a single cyst on my skin. All the inflammation and bumps are completely gone and now the scar and hyper-pigmentation is the next battle. But I would never be up to this point if it weren't for both of these products.

My routine is pretty simple. I use the plantogen combination/oily skin cleanser with my clarisonic mia at night. Then I usually follow it up with the Plantogen geothermal mask, after that has dried I gently wash it off and follow it with the manuka honey. I scoop out a very little bit, about a half of a teaspoon. A little goes a long way and this stuff weighs heavy on your pocket so make sure you keep a light hand. I apply that to a dry face in a thin layer covering all the areas that need it the most. The geothermal mask draws all the impurities to the surface and the manuka honey kills the bacteria and takes down the inflammation. The team of the two works amazing! After I wash the manuka off (about 30-40 mins later) I apply the vitamin c serum to a dry face and then the combination skin lotion both from Plantogen. I have been using this routine for about 5 months mixed with salicylic acid peels and glycolic acid peels and I see a huge improvement. If nothing else, purchase the manuka honey. It will be the best money you have ever spent. And since you try everything else under the sun to clear up your skin, why not try one that actually is proven to work and is all natural and pure.

Good luck :)