Take the Plunge

Let me paint this picture for you: You have set up your towel in the sand and decide to head towards the water. You take that first daring step off your towel not quite sure what to expect. The sand is scorching hot between your toes but it feels nice for a moment and you sink your toes further into it. You close your eyes and angle your face up towards the sun hoping to leave looking beautiful and sun-kissed. You pause for a moment and take it all in. You let out a sigh because the ocean makes you feel both at peace and exhilarated. But before you realize what's happening that same sand that felt like heaven a moment before has now become unbearably HOT like lava beneath your feet. As you make your journey further down the beach, you begin tip toeing, then sprinting like a gazelle, but clumsy and awkward more like a toddler taking his first steps, down the beach towards the beautiful blue water and crashing waves. Then you finally reach that cool, wet sand before the water begins and you feel instant relief, you will not die from hot lava sand this day! Success! You cautiously walk towards the water and gingerly dip in your big toe hoping it's not too cold. But of course it is and you've once again come face to face with a metaphorical death. Once that wave of foamy water washes ashore and hits your legs you instantaneously become an icicle. But the water is beautiful so you grit your teeth and continue to stand where the water is meeting the shore and two worlds are becoming one. You walk a little bit further out and now your calves are slightly wet. You start thinking "I could get use to this, it actually feels kind of nice" then you relax a little bit. Again, you sink your toes into the cool, moist sand and look up to the sky. You begin to take everything in and try to ignore your freezing feet, the world is beautiful! But while you are day dreaming a big wave comes on shore and crashes right into you. You stumble and and lose your balance, again like a clumsy toddler. You're now on the ground, trying to make sure that all of your unmentionables are still in place under your tiny little swimsuit. You wonder why the HELL anyone wears so little to the beach, yourself included. It suddenly all seems like madness. You stumble away from the water with a look of defeat on your face but pause and glance back at it before you make the long trek back through the lava sand to your towel. The water may have conquered you this time, but next time will be a different story. I hope you enjoyed that! I swear there's a point to it.

So it's summer time now and it's hot outside! You know what the heat make me want to do? It makes me want to tan, and go to the beach, and go swimming. I'll take just the tanning and swimming part also. Pools, water holes, lakes, etc will do, I'm not that picky although I'd be a liar if I didn't say that I love the beach! I'm sure a lot of you have had experiences like the one I described above. it happens often. We want something, but never fully commit to it, then the process of attaining it doesn't turn out to be what we expected, and so we give up or we never actually try at all. Or for some people the prospect of the entire process is too much so they just stay on their towel and watch as others do or get that they want for themselves. I have been talking to so many wonderful people recently who tell me that they want to make changes in their life.

I think it is so awesome that so many people in this world want to do better for themselves and it inspires me every day! Maybe you want to lose weight, eat healthier, change careers, clear your skin or whatever it may be that you feel needs some assistance or change in your life today today. And reaching out to someone, vocalizing the desire to change is an awesome first step! But more often than not, recently I feel that so many people are hesitant to actually take the plunge and start changing things for themselves. Now, I'm by no means saying that I expect everyone to change everything about themselves right away, BUT I just think we could all take a second to reevaluate the reasons that we give for WHY you're willing to hold back from achieving what you truly desire. I am here to help, support, and guide people. I have seriously met so many AMAZING people through being a coach and I love every second of it, I really really do. But I also find myself getting frustrated at times because I can't do all the work for you. There comes a time when you have to do your part!

We're all human, myself included and I get that life is scary. I mean hell I have let fear hold me back so many times in the past, and every decision we make defines our life's course. I can clearly see how some fear driven decisions from my younger years shaped things in my present future. I may have had a ballet career earlier if I hadn't been afraid. Now you can also push through fear and make crappy decisions like taking jobs that you end up hating (raises hand) but that's all part of the process. I now know something that I never ever ever want to do ever again in my life. Progress right? You gotta take the positive out of every situation. At least make an effort to learn from it and do differently the next time! I just want to share some quotes with you today that REALLY resonated with me when I heard them, and I hope they can help you to be a little more fearless today and push through whatever it is that you're letting hold you back from your DREAMS! Whatever those dreams may be :)

Then there was this one quote I heard years ago which I can't seem to find online that said something to the effect of: when the prospecting of doing something makes you nervous, use that as a signal that you NEED to do it!

I think that's a great way to push through fear. So if doing something like performing or even just talking to someone I don't know very well or putting myself out there in someway, makes me nervous then I'm like okay. I need to challenge and push myself to do this! I hope some of these will help you to do the same with whatever you're trying to push through today! I fully realize that this post is very random but I just had these thoughts on my mind so I wanted to put them down on virtual paper. Please don't let fear hold you back from living your own life. It is yours and yours only, to do with that you choose. No one else can live your life for you so make sure that you're living it for yourself!

Remember that story from the beginning of this post? Now imagine if our character had instead decided that from the second they stepped off the towel, they were just going to run and jump into the water? I bet you they would've had a much better experience with the whole thing. They would've skipped the whole lava sand process, they would've gotten used to the water after jumping in, and I bet they would've spent time actually playing in and enjoying themselves instead of all the other crap that went along with their hesitation, including the unfulfilling concept of defeat. They would've walked back to their towel soaking wet, with a huge smile on their face feeling entirely content because they not only faced their fear, but they had a blast in the process. My point is that yes caution can be important in certain instances. But sometimes you just need to jump in with both feet! Take a plunge! Enjoy your life! Just freaking DO IT and you will reap the benefits! Waiting, and hemming, and hawing when your gut is telling you to just do it can hold you back and delay your life. You may stumble, you may fail, and you may fall, or in this instance you may get bitten by a shark. But at least you tried. At least you LIVED. Be honest with yourself about what your reason for holding back on WHATEVER is today and make sure it's in alignment with what you TRULY want out of your life. DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU REALLY WANT? Sit down and start writing. You might be surprised what comes out.

That's all for today folks, enjoy the rest of June as I doubt Ill post again before July rolls around but hey, maybe right!? And as always please email me if you want or need any guidance! thepaleoballerina@gmail.com But also please understand that it may take me a few days to get back to you due to the large volume of emails I get, OR I might get back to you on the same day! It just depends :)

xoxo Harmony

Monthly Au Natural Beauty Tip

Above picture credit goes to Henry Ovideo.

You see my back in the picture up there? I'm proud to say that this is the first summer in a long ass time that I WANT TO EXPOSE MY BACK. Which is a good thing because low back cuts are so adorable and you can find them all over the place right now. Plus when you're a skinny flat chested girl, the low back is a much cuter look then a low front. Just throwing that out there!

Do you suffer from body acne or BACNE in any way? Acne on your back, chest, arms, neck, or even stomach? If you do then I feel your pain, and it is SO EMBARRASSING! Well today I'm going to give you a natural beauty tip to fix that! Doing ballet and working out a lot means that I end up sweating A LOT. But I gave up using standard soaps on my body over a year ago and I will never turn back. At first it seemed kind of weird, I'll fully admit that, and I felt like I wasn't really getting clean. But ridding my life of any and all chemicals had to include my body wash and all skincare. I also switched to natural deodorant which I'll post about another month, and like I said no more body wash!! I bought a body brush for dry brushing and I still have it but honestly I never really got into the whole practice of dry brushing. I'd always technically want to do it right before I shower which is usually right after I workout meaning that I'm all sweaty... I think brushing your own sweat into your skin sounds like the perfect recipe for a breakout. But that's just me. I could be entirely wrong but as far as I know your skin is supposed to be dry when you DRY brush! So while I haven't given up on it and I fully trust in the benefits of the practice, I can't personally vouch for it.

I actually came upon this topical bacne remedy I'm sharing with you today by accident. Of course what you eat and your hormonal health is going to mostly be the basis of body acne and acne in general but topically there are things you can do to help the situation! Acne on your body sucks! And since summer is here it's time to bare it all again. Whenever the weather warms up I start to worry about having to show my back, arms, and chest because of the acne I'm prone to in those areas. Ironically besides a few pimples here and there it has not even crossed my mind this summer! So what's the secret you ask?? TAKE BATHS. Not just any baths but I have a specific formula for your bath that with consistence and patience should bring you beautiful results. Yay right!? You ready for this?

Moving on to the AU NATURAL BEAUTY TIP OF THE MONTH!

Acne Killing Bath Soak

I first started soaking in this bath mixture every night to heal my blistered ballet feet and sore muscles when I got back into dancing. This bath is great for all that and detoxing too but I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed that my body acne was clearing up as well! You will literally want to do this soak every night. Like I said I don't "wash" my body anymore but I try to do this soak every night to keep my skin clear which is especially important during the summer months but really year round. If you happen to be in a rush and don't have time for a bath one day, I have a quick acne killing shower solution posted below as well. But first on to the bath instructions! Step number 1 is to make a "bath bomb" by putting baking soda in your tub and pouring apple cider vinegar over it. It will foam and be glorious. I usually use about 2 heaping TBS of each, sometimes more if I'm feeling crazy. Don't use the nice braggs brand of ACV here, just get any standard cheap ACV from the grocery store! Next you'll want to throw in at least a cup of epsom salts and also some standard sea salt. In fact if you don't have the baking soda/ACV on hand for your bath bomb, you can just give yourself a nice hot salts bath every night and you should see some drastic improvement with your skin! Draw the bath with water pretty much as hot as you can tolerate and soak in it for AT LEAST 20 minutes. I like to take a book in the bath, light candles, add some essential oils for relaxing smells, and sit for an hour or more sometimes! Sit back, get comfy, and relax! I also recommend buying a bath pillow and a bath table or stand of sorts.The longer you soak the better so don't be shy! There are so many amazing things you're soaking up while just sitting. Now for some more information on each of these ingredients.

EPSOM SALT

You can find epsom salt pretty much anywhere. I'm personally not picky about the quality but I know that some people are. I think many people have taken epsom salt baths for one reason or another throughout their lives but I'll list some fun facts according to saltworks.us about why soaking in an epsom salt bath is amazing for you!

• Eases stress and relaxes the body-Stress drains the body of magnesium and increases levels of adrenaline. When dissolved in warm water, Epsom salt is absorbed through the skin and replenishes the level of magnesium in the body. The magnesium helps to produce serotonin, a mood-elevating chemical within the brain that creates a feeling of calm and relaxation. Research shows that magnesium also increases energy and stamina by encouraging the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy packets made in the cells. Experts believe that bathing with Epsom salt at least three times a week helps you to look better, feel better and gain more energy. Magnesium ions also relax and reduce irritability by lowering the effects of adrenaline. They create a relaxed feeling, improve sleep and concentration, and help muscles and nerves to function properly.
• Relieves pain and muscle cramps- An Epsom salt bath is known to ease pain and relieve inflammation, making it beneficial in the treatment of sore muscles, bronchial asthma and migraine headaches. In addition, it has been known to heal cuts and reduce soreness from childbirth. Mix a thick paste of Epsom salt with hot water and apply to get soothing comfort. It softens skin and will even neutralize foot odor.
• Helps muscles and nerves function properly-Studies show that Epsom salt can help regulate electrolytes in your body, ensuring proper functioning of the muscles, nerves and enzymes. Magnesium is also known to be critical in the proper use of calcium, which serves as a main conductor of the electric impulses in your body.
• Helps prevent hardening of arteries and blood clots-Epsom salt is believed to improve heart health and help prevent heart disease and strokes by improving blood circulation, protecting the elasticity of arteries, preventing blood clots and reducing the risk of sudden heart attack deaths.
• Makes insulin more effective-Proper magnesium and sulfate levels increase the effectiveness of insulin in the body, and can help to lower the risk or severity of diabetes. *AHEM IF YOU HAVE PCOS THIS SHOULD BE REASON ENOUGH TO TRY THIS OUT*
• Eliminates toxins from the body-The sulfates in Epsom salt help flush toxins and heavy metals from the cells, easing muscle pain and helping the body to eliminate harmful substances. Your skin is a highly porous membrane and adding the right minerals to your bathwater triggers a process called reverse osmosis, which actually pulls salt out of your body, and harmful toxins along with it.
• It can also help with - Athlete’s Foot, Remove splinters, Treat toenail fungus, Soothe sprains and bruises, Ease discomfort of Gout

There are actually about a million more uses for epsom salt but here I'm focusing on it's benefits and how that pertains to this beauty tip. As you can see there are so many reasons to go buy some epsom salt right now! And there's really no excuse not to take an epsom salt bath. Plus it's even cheap. I <3 this stuff! Okay moving on...

SEA SALT

Have you ever noticed that while away at the beach your skin looks beautiful? Of course that's partially because of the relaxing carefree environment, the exfoliation of the sand, and the sun BUT a huge factor is the ocean water AKA sea salt water. As in water with salt from the sea. Yeah. I'm sorry I don't know why I'm being so awkward today, let's learn more about why this stuff is great from healthbenefitsofwater.com!

• Sea salt helps the body remove toxins and by-products of metabolism through the lymph system. – This is important because it helps eliminate fluid that is trapped around the ankles, thighs and knees.
• Immersing in warm salted water brings relaxation to the muscles and the entire body.
• Seawater and mineral mud are known for anti-aging, anti-wrinkles, deep cleansing and whitening effect. Circulation is accelerated as is the process of natural skin regeneration. The result is healthy skin that is silky soft. * In the ancient Greece, saltwater bathing was regarded by numerous physicians, including Hippocrates, as a therapy for chronic inflammatory skin conditions (ACNE, PSORIASIS, ECZEMA).
• Dead Sea salt has proven healing properties due to its high concentrations of sodium chlorides, calcium, sodium and potassium. It is considered to be extremely efficient for the treatment of different skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema, as well as for alleviating joint or arthritis pain.
• Taking a sea salt bath is often the solution for treating many health discomforts. Whether done by the sea, or in the peace of your own bathroom, bathing in salt water is effective in eliminating toxins, relaxing and rejuvenating the skin, while balancing the body’s energies.
• A study on the mental changes caused by Thalassotherapy also showed positive psychological effects.
• Brine waters are also believed to help certain children’s diseases, including respiratory infections and enuresis (involuntary urination).

So as you can see, sea salt is pretty bad ass! I see no reason not to add it to your bathtub or shower scrub (you'll see the details on the shower scrub below)!

BAKING SODA & ACV BATH BOMB

Okay while these two ingredients separately have benefits, I'm putting them together because we're looking at them as a unit. Now if you happen to only have one of these on hand that's no problem, throw it in the bath, it won't hurt that's for sure! Let's look at the benefits of adding this awesome bath bomb to your tub from marksdailyapple.com everydayhealth.com and medhealth.net.

• A lukewarm (36 ºC) bath full of carbonated water boosted the performance of competitive swimmers when taken before a workout. Subsequent lactic acid threshold was higher, heart rate took longer to become elevated, and muscles were more efficient after a carbonated bath. Swimmers who took a regular bath at the same temperature enjoyed none of the same benefits.
• Using apple cider vinegar externally helps promote blood circulation in the skin and can prevent bacteria and regulate pH levels
• The malic acid in apple cider vinegar makes it antibacterial, and the amino acids help balance hydration in the skin to calm irritation.
• Apple cider vinegar makes hair soft and shiny because it removes shampoo residue
• Use baking soda to detoxify and alkalize your body. It is natural, safe and inexpensive. People who eat a Western-style diet consisting of sugar, red meat, cheese and other refined foods have a high acid consumption, which baking soda baths can neutralize. You can also detox your body from alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and medications.
• Use baking soda with your sitz bath to relieve pain from hemorrhoids, vaginal yeast infection, anal fissure, and other discomforts in the genital or buttock area.
• Baking soda soothes irritated skin, relieves itching and reduces burning sensation.Baking soda is a good substitute for commercial products used for bathing. It does not contain fragrances and chemicals, it is colorless and odorless, and it does not leave residues in the bath tub. It makes bath water alkaline and leaves the skin feeling silky.

Speaking specifically of Mark's Daily Apple and his amazing website, he has a great article that everyone should read about improving your bath HERE. Remember to make the bath as hot as possible and get your detox on! There are about a million other options for baths out there but I say if all else fails at least take a bath with one or more of these ingredients in it! If you're only going to use only one of them though make sure you put in 1-4 cups of whichever ingredient you so choose. If you're using all 4 them they can be used in the smaller amounts described above in my experience.

One last important note and as promised above - instructions for the busy body! If you don't have time for a bath after a workout or whenever it is that you personally bathe, at least rinse off with warm water. I sometimes take 1/2 cup of epsom salt into the shower and give myself a rub down of sorts. I wet my skin then LIGHTLY scrub the epsom salts on. OR I fill the rest of the cup of salt with water and pour/rub that into my skin. Either method I use, I let the salt sit and soak in for a few minutes - this stings a lot of the time - then I rinse it all off and voila! A quick solution for not being able to accommodate for bath time but still needing to get clean and not be grimy. Rinsing off is good too. Don't hate on the rinse off game.

Okay well my brain is a little fried and all kinds of kooky tonight in case you haven't noticed from this scatterbrained post, but I HAD to make sure that I actually got this tip out there this month! I am not a very good/consistent blog owner. I promise I'll try to be better. But seriously in the mean time find me on Facebook and like my page! Friend me on there too, I love connecting and talking with people! Find me on Instagram and follow me! I post on those platforms ALL THE TIME and I can be very wordy over there which I think is why I hesitate to write a lot of blog posts. I already put myself out there in a big public way every day. Sometimes the response is great and other times it's very 'meh'. But I'll say it time and time again that I'm humbled and amazed by the following I've gained. I really never thought that things would even take off as much as they have right now but here I am and I thank each and everyone of you for your part in this journey.

Let me know if you try the baths, how you like em and how your skin reacts! You can always email me especially if you have skincare/wellness issues you'd like some guidance with at thepaleoballerina@gmail.com.

May you be BACNE FREE this summer! Woohoo!!

xoxo-Harmony

The Face That Launched a Thousand Ships

Hopefully most of you know where my title line is from but for those of you who don't, it is famous line in Greek Mythology about the Trojan war. The "face" is referring to the ever beautiful Helen of Troy. She left Sparta and it's king for another man in Troy, and by doing so she started a war among love struck men. If you want more info then watch the movie Troy; it's historically inaccurate but it has both Orlando Bloom and Brad Pitt so by watching it you're still winning at life while kind of educating yourself. Or you could google it or read a book, but I still say just watch Troy... Because hotness. Okay now that I have sufficiently "cited my source" I'm going to move on to the actual content of this post and let me just start by saying...Wow.

I mean really wow. I am SO impressed/shocked/elated/surprised/excited by the response I got on Instagram of my acne progress picture. The outpouring of support and kind words has been amazing and I am really truly so grateful for them. I'm going try as much as possible not to get too far off track on this post because I have a purpose. I want to expand what I posted on Instagram and talk about my skin journey in hopes of educating and hopefully helping some people! Hence the name of this blog post. Oh and that picture... They're the "Heroes of Troy" apparently. Imagine them as Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom... Okay sorry, now moving on...

Because trying to get rid of acne is a Battle (like the Trojan War) and my face (not for it's beauty but for it's skin) has "sailed a thousand ships" in that it has hopefully inspired many of you to keep going in your own battles against problematic skin and never give up! You CAN heal your skin naturally! Plus my skin has been waging this war for a very loong time. Without my health and the knowledge I've gathered I would be losing miserably. But instead I am hashtag winning. Yes you read that right, #winning.

Many of you have already asked questions on Instagram and I am hoping that with this post I can answer many of them so I don't have to type the same answer repeatedly on my cellphone where I am prone to many typos and consequently frequently confusing answers. I want to mention that I am not an expert or a professional in this subject. All I know is from hours upon hours of research (don't worry I won't include any of that here) that I have done and my own personal experiences so please do keep that in mind!

PAUSE

Can I be a complete NERD and fan girl for a second!? I am just so excited that freaking Liz Wolfe (realfoodliz.com) author of Eat the Yolks and the Purely Primal Skincare Guide (formerly Skintervention guide - and possibly the best purchase I ever made) reposted my picture and said that I INSPIRED HER! How freaking amazing is that!? I mean to have someone you so genuinely admire and look up to say that you inspire them is just really life affirming and fulfilling. I really am elated and HONORED and HUMBLED by this. I really truly am. Okay fan girling complete.

UNPAUSE

I have had acne for what feels like my entire life. This isn't 100% accurate but I remember getting my first pimples when I was around 11 years old. Ever since then it has been an identity that I have worn and I suspect no matter how clear my skin is I will wear that identity for the rest of my life. Plus I have scars... SO there's that. I was living in Korea at the time and honestly I didn't think too much of it. But when I moved to America at the ripe age of 13 and realized that no one else had the skin problems I did I began to become self conscious about it. So began my attempt to get rid of my acne. I started my first "3 step acne system" I don't even remember the name that consisted of a face wash, toner, and lotion of some sort. That did me no good and did not last long - maybe a couple months at best.

I heard or read somewhere else to just use a specific bar of soap so I did that and it didn't help, shocker I know. Then I moved on to good ol Proactive which helped a bit for a few months (by this time I was around 14-15 and at the peak of feeling like crap about myself) but here's where things really took a turn for the worse... I got contact dermatitis mostly on my forehead and T zone but it was really all over my face. For those of you who don't know what this is, it's like poison ivy but you don't get it from a plant, rather it's from touching your face in any way shape of form. It was itchy, scaly(it looked like snake skin peeling from my face), there was pus and it was a disgusting, and super uncomfortable mess. I went to the doctor and was put on steroids and other medications with antibiotics that made me dizzy and ill throughout the day. Which didn't bode very well for my 12 hour days (as a junior in private ballet school I had school for 5 hours then ballet for 4 hours 5 days a week and 3 hours of ballet on Saturdays... I had Sundays free to catch up on homework). But I got through it and was back to washing my face with a very mild bar of soap.

From there my mom and I decided to attempt the whole "natural" thing. We bought witch hazel as my toner, and I don't even remember what brand the random cleanser we found at the health food store was. When that didn't work we went to a dermatologist who prescribed me tetracycline (another antibiotic) for my skin plus Tazorac to put on topically. We called her within a few weeks to say it was all making my skin worse and I wasn't feeling well and she said I just needed to continue with it and give it time. Yeah okay I had a bad feeling about it so we stopped it right after that and never went back to her. From there over the next years I proceeded to try at least 7 more (that I can remember) different acne treatment "kits" or "complete systems" including some "natural" options. Oh and a round of 10 microdermabrasion sessions. None. Of. Them. Worked. I read a book on acne that told me my diet had nothing to do with it that it was purely my sebaceous glands clogging and there was no particular reason for it beyond being UNLUCKY.

I have asked myself countless times throughout this life: WHY do I have acne? Why am I a person who has to struggle with this when for so many people it's a thought that never even crosses their mind? Most people get a singular pimple and complain about being "broken out". Not even.

Anyway, after high school I went to a new dermatologist and was put on the pill. Yippie!! I was so excited because I had heard that it clears up your skin! And along with being on the pill I was given Duac and again the Tazorac plus a few other topical treatments. For the first time possibly since I was 11 years old I had clear skin. It felt like a miracle. I could go outside without makeup on and not die of sheer and utter shame. I finally felt like I was like everyone else. Ya for conforming to "normalcy". Granted my face hurt and peeled 24/7 because it was so dried out and I inexplicably lost a bunch of weight but still I was happy, I thought it was over. I thought I had won the acne battle. "Silly girl trix are for kids!"

Then I lost my health insurance coverage because my new job didn't offer benefits. This meant bye bye BCP and Duac. I was off the pill for about a year and during that time I started putting on weight (over 10 lbs) and got my beautiful full fledged acne back (this includes acne on my chest, back and arms btw). I got back on the pill in 2011 after being off for about one year, but didn't experience the same magical effect as last time. Instead I kept gaining weight (another 10 pounds to equal a total of 20-25lbs weight gain total) and my acne wasn't going away but I was "okay" with it. I told myself: This is just my life. I have acne and that's it. I'm the size of a "normal" person now, I'm just not ballet thin anymore. I'm doing fine.

But I ate and felt terrible all the time. I was genuinely eating mutiple full sized candy bars every day, all sorts of fast food, fried food, really anything and everything. I've always been a thin person so I never worried much about that. But in January 2013 I was sick of feeling and getting sick. I felt disgusting and despite not actually being very large in size, I felt huge for my frame. I did the master cleanse and dropped a good 13 lbs and kept it off. I felt amazing. AND the entire time on the cleanse I did not break out once. True story. When I started reintroducing foods I decided to leave dairy as a food group out all together. I started eating what I thought was "healthy" as in whole grains, gluten free, brown rice, meats and veggies (I've always loved meat) and no dairy what so ever. I also got laser treatment for my acne with chemical peels every 2 weeks and was using Obagi skincare. My skin was looking pretty good for a little while there but I was never breakout free. In order to do more detoxing (and wanting my skin to be a little better) I did the master cleanse again in July 2013. I broke out the entire time I was cleansing, and I lost more weight than I wanted to - I was not happy. My sister in law had told me about this paleo thing and I researched it while cleansing. I discovered Elana's Pantry and realized that I could eat bread made with almond flour while doing paleo. UHM OKAY SIGN ME UP! I've been Paleo ever since  - August 2013. My skin wasn't terrible at this point but it wasn't good either.

I wanted to get even healthier - plus I wanted to be fertile for the sake of being able to have children when I wanted to - so I got off the pill in November 2013 (the same year) which is when everything changed. I started really having acne again. I closed out 2013 with my first round of all paleo holidays and started 2014 with a face and body full of acne. I also purchased a yearly unlimited bikram yoga package and I was still using the Obagi at this point because I felt it had worked in the past. But really I didn't understand why I was breaking out again when I was eating so well and doing bikram more often than ever. I was working 2 jobs, teaching ballet in the evenings and working a desk job during the day. I started in a new job in April of 2014 and revved up my yoga. My skin was getting worse and worse. I bought the Purely Primal Skincare Guide (formerly Skintervention guide) and began to read my tail off. I also started listening to the Balanced Bites Podcast and getting myself further and further immersed in the world that is the paleo community. There is just so much to learn and know! Anyway, I did a 30 day bikram challenge around May/June (the 12th picture below) which is when my skin was at it's WORST EVER. Like in my entire life, my skin has never been this bad. Okay the contact dermatitis may have been worse but that was different... Here's what I was doing at this time:

1. Oil Cleansing (OCM) with coconut oil, using ACV/water as a toner, using baking soda/water paste on occasion to exfoliate, Beauty Balm from Green Pastures to moisturize, and occasional Aztec clay mask.

2. 'No poo'ing on my hair

3. Bikram at least 3-5 times a week including some advanced classes.

4. Supplementing on and off with Vitex, Maca, Fermented Cod Liver Oil/Butter Oil Blend( FCLO/BO), Milk Thistle, and l-glutamine.

5. Eating pretty standard paleo without specific modifications.

Okay so that all sounds pretty good right? SO what freaking gives!? This went on and was a process for months mind you. While I thought that I was doing pretty great for myself I also found out that my acne is strongly driven by hormones, specifically testosterone. For a female I have some crazy high testosterone levels (tested by my OB/GYN and confirmed again this year with the Naturopath). There is a lot more to that whole situation but I'm not going to go into that here. SO what did I change to start seeing results despite being crazy discouraged? Well here are just a few things that I believe contributed to my overall success:

1. I switched to doing the OCM with Grapeseed Oil. Such a simple change but made a huge difference for me!

2. I stopped 'no poo'ing. It was stressing me out that my hair looked like crap 24/7. I tried to make it work for months but it just wasn't for me. Instead I use JustNaturals Shampoo.

3. I stopped working my second job, started dancing again and almost entirely stopped going to bikram. I think this is a huge one. I was pushing myself so hard in class and it was not good for me. I still love bikram yoga, don't get me wrong but I had to take a step back for my health.

4. I started consistently taking a double dose of FCLO/BO (2tsp instead of 1tsp) ironically because I felt like I was getting sick and read to take a double dose for that but saw improvement in my skin! I reduced my l-glutamine to 1/2tsp of powder in water daily and decided to scrap everything else.

5. I did multiple 21dsd's which helped my sugar (helping regulate insulin) addiction and began trying to get nutrients as much as possible. Sardines, gelatin, offal, fermented foods, and the list goes on. Most recently I did AIP in January and saw my Naturopath who gave me great insight into what was going on with my body.

6. TIME. I swear this seems all tied up into a pretty little bow by this post but man has it been a PROCESS! The body takes time to heal. I'm still working to heal my body. Everything takes time and patience and forgiving, and understanding, and persistence and determination. Repeat after me: "I know I am doing my very best and my very best is good enough."

By the time I went to the Naturopath (or Functional Medicine Doctor) in January 2015 my skin was already really doing well but I still knew that my hormones were out of whack. We did both blood and genetic testing that gave me a wealth of information about ME in early February. The genetic testing specifically was super informative as it showed what medications and supplements I do well with based on my genes. For instance I found out that my body functions optimally with high amounts of Omega 3's. I've been eating a can of sardines a day minimum pretty much since then. I learned a lot of other things too and I am taking a bunch of supplements with his guidance for the next few months to try and fix my hormonal imbalances. Then I'll have my blood drawn again and we will reevaluate. It's still a process but I have been genuinely amazed with the fast results. Knowing what your gene's respond to took so much of the guess work out of what to try.

ANYWAY, this post is way too long and I just want to reiterate that you need to look at every freaking aspect of your life when you're looking at something as complex as a skin issue. And please research and educate yourself as much as possible! Very rarely is there a quick, simple, or easy fix to these problems but the answer is there - you just have to find it! Once you get yourself balanced you have to do your damn best to maintain it and continue to make changes as your body's needs change. Keep that in mind. Your body today is not the same as it was yesterday and it's not the same as it will be tomorrow. We are constantly changing for better or for worse. If you're going through a struggle, please don't be discouraged, and feel free to ask me any questions you have! And just please believe that YOU CAN HEAL YOURSELF NATURALLY! Be patient with yourself. Be forgiving of yourself. And above all else, LOVE yourself. You can do this with perseverance and persistence. Now time for pictures...

The pictures below are all of the same side of my face (obviously) over the course of multiple months starting probably in March or April of 2014 until February 2015. They are unattractive and unflattering. But I hope they give you a visual and I hope they give you hope. None of them are retouched or edited in any way. I'm not wearing any makeup in any of them either as I'm sure you can tell. Now truth time - I totally started slacking with the progress pics as my face started improving... It jumps from: you can tell it's getting better to now in February when it's looking great (I had just woken up in the picture so just pay attention to my skin please haha). I also took a lot of progress pics WITH makeup on but that's not a fair comparison next to these pictures. I apologize for that but regardless here we are! Oh and that last picture is from January BEFORE I saw the Naturopath to show you that I achieved this on my own prior to his help and intervention. I originally took the picture to show my puppy sleeping on my butt again but hopefully you get the idea!

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And now.....

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xoxo - Harmony