I'm super excited to be talking about one of my favorite topics today: healing acne through nutrition and natural skincare.

I am going to start off with some actionable steps you can take if you are already eating a paleo/real food diet and still suffering from painful acne or other skin problems.

Make sure to stay until the end when I talk about my favorite non-toxic skincare products for acne- free skin!

You guys know I’m all about food and lifestyle changes first and foremost. But, if you’re like I was a few years ago and already eating a nutrient dense diet-but still have acne, there are a few things I would recommend trying:

1. Heal your gut

Leaky gut is at the root cause of nearly every health symptom imaginable, and I find that repairing the gut lining is one of the quickest ways to improve a variety of skin related conditions – specifically acne. Some of my favorite gut-healing nutrients include L-glutamine, collagen peptides, plenty of nutrient rich bone broth, and DGL, and aloe vera.

2. Get off the treadmill

The unfortunate truth is, if you have hormonal acne and you continue to do intense workouts in the form of running, cross fit, cycling, or anything that elicits a stress response in the body – this is likely to be a key player in the formation of your acne.

Intense exercise leads to heightened levels of stress in the body, causing increased cortisol output and insulin production. For women especially, this can also throw off the delicate balance of progesterone to estrogen – amplifying testosterone levels and causing increased oil production, clogged pores, and – acne.

3. Make sure you’re digesting your food

If levels of stomach acid or HCL are inadequate, not only can this cause digestive distress like acid reflux and bloating, but the kidneys and liver can become overburdened from the digestive stressed placed on them and respond by eliminating toxins via the bodies largest organ system: the skin.

Make sure to chew your food well, eliminate food sensitivities, and support your stomach acid with things like apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or betaine HCL for more powerful help.

4. Zinc supplementation

Zinc is an amazing skin-healing mineral that most of us are deficient in, despite eating a good diet. Zinc has been shown to lower chronic levels of inflammation and prevent acne-causing bacteria on the skin to become painful and inflamed. It also helps reduce the bacteria on the surface of the skin that causes acne, reduces keratin production that leads to clogged pores, and balances hormones by keeping levels of acne-causing testosterone in check. I recommend experimenting with zinc supplementation in the form of zinc picolinate for around 3 months or so (This made a huge difference in my post- pill acne)

Get my free e-book on healing acne NATURALLY!

5. Lastly - change up your skincare routine (this is where Beautycounter comes in!)

I’m willing to bet that if you have acne, you’ve already tried nearly every product on the market, just like I did years ago. As a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, I tried so hard to make the oil cleansing method work for me, but all it did was create a mess of my bathroom and make my skin look greasy. When I finally learned about Beautycounter, a company that aims to remove harmful toxins and chemicals from their skincare products (without compromising performance), I was sold.

Now i’m a pretty much a Beautycounter whore; because their products are not only something I can feel good about using because of their non-toxic ingredient list (see their "never" list below), but because they still have that Sephora or BirchBox-quality feel to them.

When I first started using Beautycounter, there were 3 products that improved my adult acne better than ANYTHING else I’ve ever tried. Seriously.

Charcoal Bar

Draws out impurities from the skin without over-drying. I cleanse with this bar morning and night (lasts FOREVER)

Charcoal Mask

I use this mask 1x a week for a spa grade facial and 2-3x a week as a spot treatment.

Balancing Face Oil

for moisturizer (I know what you’re thinking, oil on acne?!? But hear me out- Beautycounter specifically formulated this oil for acne prone skin, to moisturize and balance out levels of skin sebum and actually reduce excess oil production – how cool is that?)

If you are suffering from hormonal acne, those are the 3 I would definitely start with.

Now that i've been experimenting with different products for a while though, there are a few more new things that I absolutely love: (***Promise!! I've bought a few things that weren't my favorite, so i'm not sharing those. Only ones I adore and use daily)

Rejuvenating radiance serum:

I mix this with a few drops of the balancing oil and use morning and night to help with smoothing fine lines and wrinkles, and even out skin tone.

Tint Skin Foundation

I finally bought some makeup!!! Real talk, I am absolutely obsessed with this foundation. It is basically a tinted moisturizer with enough coverage to even out skin tone without feeling heavy or clogging pores. IT IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE FOUNDATION I'VE EVER USED. Don't believe me? Check out this article called “The products you should actually be buying from your annoying Facebook friends”. Hah. Told ya.

If you're more into makeup than acne-healing, I hear you! (Teach me!?!)

Check out some of the best sellers here:

Lastly, something that i've recently starting doing RELIGIOUSLY while traveling is:

Facial Massage

Now, you totally can do this by hand (just massage and contour your face in an upward motion) to get your lymph moving. I prefer to use a jade roller tool because it feels nice and cold on my skin. The purpose of the jade roller (and any facial massage) is to promote lymphatic drainage - so, if you've ever experienced puffiness or under-eye circles in the morning, it's due to FLUID build up under the skin that needs to be drained.

But don't worry, with some facial massage and daily lymphatic drainage you should notice an almost immediate improvement!

I HIGHLY recommend using a serum + non-pore-clogging facial oil when doing facial massage so you aren't tugging at your skin. Also: always make sure to massage in an upward motion, you never want to be pulling down (gravity does this enough!)

Here’s how to order:

Click and of the links in this post or go here: BeautyCounter.com - and each month i'm usually doing a special promo for anyone who spends over $100, so make sure to watch my daily instagram stories (or e-mail me) to stay in the know!