Creekside Garden

The fact that I am even writing this is an answered prayer of a discouraged 15 year old girl. After struggling with acne through high school, college, getting married, and two babies – I am overjoyed to share what has helped my skin heal. My goal is to at least encourage one person who suffers from acne and give them hope that healing is possible.

I don’t want to dwell on how hard it is to have acne, but I do want you to know that I have been there. Embarrassed walking into a room full of people, doubting my beauty, the pain of inflamed and broken skin, crying into my pillow at night. Acne can be incredibly distressing in so many ways. When my husband and I were first dating we sat down to dinner with his family and a pimple spontaneously erupted on my face, oozing blood and pus at the dinner table. His little sister, who was six at the time, loudly asked “what’s that on your face?” I wanted to fall through the floor and disappear.

Acne is hard, but it does not have to define you. You are more than your skin and appearance. Sometimes I had to force the embarrassment from my mind and instead focused on how to communicate better with people, how to be kinder, how to take it on the chin when embarrassing moments happened. Use your struggles to build character. If all you think about is your face, your face is what people will see. Distract them by being joyful, kind, compassionate, caring, or funny. Let your inner person outshine your physical flaws, and I promise you, they will not remember how bad your skin is.

Regardless of how you handle living with acne, you clicked on this blog post to find the secret potion. The key to healing. Social media is full of videos about how to heal acne and achieve clear skin. If you have clicked on those videos and been disappointed to find that the creator is simply selling a cream or spent a zillion dollars in supplements and treatments that are out of your budget – I have been there. Desperate for answers, but limited by money and time. Today I will link products that have helped me, but I want to encourage you to find what works for your body. I don’t believe in a magic potion that heals all ailments, if there was one I would have found it by now. The secret is to move the dial one step at a time in the right direction.

Scrubs, creams, antibiotics, prescriptions, supplements, oils, home remedies, tears, prayer. The smell of Proactive lingers in my nose to this day. You name the “cure”, I have tried it. Because I know what doesn’t work and likely you know too. Keep reading to learn the changes that made a difference for me.

With full transparency, I still have hormonal breakouts (thank you PCOS). My skin is not clear 100% of the time, but it is 90% better than it used to be. Unfortunately I still have some scarring too and I will never have perfect skin, but now I know how to take care of my face and prevent it from getting worse.

Diet: You Are What You Eat

“Taste and see the Lord is good!” Psalm 34:8

The #1 change I made that helped my skin heal was how I ate. I didn’t go ON a diet, I simply learned how to make little shifts to help my body feel better. I want to write an entire post about everything I have learned about nutrition the past 2-3 years, but for now I will list the biggest changes.

My philosophy about nutrition is based on scripture: “For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.” – 1 Timothy 4:4

In the Garden of Eden, God gave us fruits and vegetables. After the flood we were given meat and throughout scripture there are references to bread, grain, water, honey, milk, and more. This boils down to a whole food approach to nutrition.

Meat, Dairy, Eggs, Grain, Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs, Honey.

You might be thinking a lot of different things right now, I don’t have the space to go in depth here. (Aren’t those foods INFLAMMATORY? What about that shirtless dude on Instagram who said xyz is killing us?) I simply believe that the entire picture of God given food is there for us to eat and enjoy. Within this framework there are a few practices I hold to:

• Prioritizing protein. I try to build every meal around protein and it has helped me feel so much better than when I mostly ate carbs. Especially animal based protein.
• Eating more fruits and vegetables.
• Balancing meals. Every meal has protein, vegetables/fruit, fats, and a carb.
• Eliminate processed food in our home, including man made oils, preservatives, dyes, and added sugar. If you are what you eat, then eating junk food will only produce junk in your body.
• Eat enough! Eating more calories of high-quality, nutritious food has helped me feel so much better. Your body works hard to take care of you, giving it the fuel it needs will help your skin heal and your body function better.

Simplify. Eat ingredients. Cook from scratch. Cut down on sugar.

Trust me, it will change your life.

Skincare – Gentleness is a Fruit of the Spirit

As a young teenager, I would use the scrub from Proactive and try to scrape my face clean, followed by a caustic toner and benzyl peroxide cream to “treat” my irritated face. The harsh chemicals felt like something was happening. The frustration I felt on the inside I would take out on my skin until that was all red and angry. Thankfully, I no longer feel like I need to burn my face off to help it heal.

Instead here are three steps of my skincare that made a difference.

Step One: Simplify

“Taking care of your skin is more important than covering it up.” – Janelle Monáe

When I was twenty-one in college, newly married, and suffering from the worst breakout of my life I went back to the basics and did three things that changed my skin. I switched from harsh chemicals to a gentle cleanser, I started using a moisturizer for the first time in my life, and I threw out half my makeup. Best of all, it cost me around $30 total. Pennies compared to other routines I had tried. I will link the products that helped me (not affiliate), but you can use any gentle cleanser or acne safe moisturizer that is in your budget.

1. Gentle cleanser
2. Moisturizer
3. Stop using makeup to cover blemishes

I learned that gently caring for my skin was more beneficial than attacking it. I needed a cleanser to remove the grime from my day that didn’t strip my skin of natural oils or irritate my zits. Living in Wyoming at the time meant I was always out in the fierce wind that whipped moisture right out of my face and left it dried up like a corpse. My skin was screaming for a simple moisturizer so it could heal and balance itself out. Lastly, throwing away my foundation, concealer, and powders made a massive difference. They only introduced bacteria, clogged pores, and irritated my skin. In the weeks after I threw out the makeup, all the acne on my forehead went away.

These basic changes made a big difference overall, but I still had hormonal acne. My entire face was over 50% better, which is a massive victory after living with severe acne for over a decade.

Step Two: Take Care Of Your Hormones

“Healthy skin is a reflection of overall wellness.” — Dr. Murad

After I had my first baby, I began learning about toxic products and chemicals causing hormone disruption. I became aware of what I was using in my house, around my baby, and on my body. Starting down the path to become a “crunchy” Mom, I swapped out my deodorant for aluminum free and began shopping for less toxic products to use. I wanted to replace the cleanser and moisturizer that had saved my face with less ingredients. This led me to start using jojoba oil, castor oil, and the Reparative Serum from Toups & Co. Their serum changed my life and the ingredients are FLAWLESS. I am not going to claim that it cures my acne, but overnight it dramatically reduces redness and my skin looks amazing when I use it regularly. My face recovers faster from breakouts and it also feels luxurious packaged up in a pretty little bottle. I am extremely cheap and when my first one ran out I discovered I didn’t want to live without it, so I ordered a second bottle. That alone should tell you everything you need to know.

I love jojoba oil because my skin soaks it up like a sponge and never feels sticky or gross. It is extremely gentle and works on my babies’ dry skin in the winter when I’m too lazy to make tallow balm.

Castor oil is a miracle worker with anti-inflammatory properties and promotes healing, however it is thick and can be sticky. I like to use it alongside my Reparative Serum at night because it carries products deep into the skin.

Today my routine looks like:

AM: Wash with water, moisturize with jojoba oil, and a very basic makeup routine (mascara, eyeliner, and if I’m feeling fancy, eye shadow).

PM: Wash with water OR oil cleanse (around 2x a week) with jojoba oil and castor oil. Apply a thin layer of Reparative Serum. Moisturize with whatever oil I feel like my face needs that night.

This routine cost around $130 upfront with castor oil at $20, jojoba oil at $10, and the serum at $98. However, one bottle of the serum lasts me a year. I bought the castor oil 15 months ago and barely have gone through a quarter of the bottle. The jojoba oil lasts 6 months, but I also use it on my kids. So in the long run, I probably spend less with my nontoxic routine than I did with the drug store products. Although I prefer more natural options, I still would not hesitate to use the drugstore products if that is what fits my budget best.

Taking care of my hormones (through diet, lifestyle, and minimizing toxins) has helped reduce my acne even more. Yes I still breakout, but in between those breakouts my face has a real chance to heal and I know how to support it for faster healing.

Step Three: Consistency

“Beautiful skin requires commitment, not a miracle.” – Erin Heatherton

I heard someone say once, “The magic is in the motion not the potion.” Choosing what products to buy or ingredients to invest in is half the battle, having the discipline to do it everyday is where the real change happens. When you hit a wall and get frustrated with your skin, try using the products you have consistently before going out and looking for the next great potion to cure all your woes. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but nothing good is easy.

Good skin requires discipline.

I am the first to admit that I am not a disciplined person, and after having two babies I don’t always take the time for myself. Especially after Cason was born, simply getting an opportunity to take a shower and wash my hair is sometimes difficult. Thankfully it’s not a failure or a character flaw, it just means my skin looks worse until I get back on track and take care of it. Having grace for yourself in your current season is important too. Just don’t expect products you buy to change your skin if you never open them up and use them.

Lifestyle: Sunshine, Cleanliness, and Wellness

I want to end this article with encouragement to stop looking in the mirror with a microscope. Your skin is simply the billboard telling you what is going on inside your body. The more you take care of your entire being the better your skin will look and the better you will feel. Obsessing over every bump and red spot will not make it go away faster.

Here are some easy lifestyle shifts to improve overall health. These are basically bullet points listing topics that people have written entire books about. Use my list as a starting point, listen to your intuition, and make tiny changes where you can. Even just picking one will make a difference in your life. These have all been things that have helped me along my journey.

Hydration: Focus on drinking water instead of all the other beverages that spike your blood sugar. You don’t need to drink a gallon a day, but make a point to drink more water more often and your body will thank you for it.

Gut health: Eat enough fiber and fermented foods, avoid antibiotics and highly processed “food”.

Exercise: Sweat helps the body detox. Exercise improves your self image, boosts confidence, and lifts your mood. You don’t need to be a runner or a gym junkie to make a difference. Go for a walk. Follow a 15 minute YouTube workout. Stretch. Dance. Swim. Bike. Anything to move your body is an absolute win.

Sunshine: Personally I LOVE the sun and don’t worry about sunscreen unless I am on water or in intense sun for a long period of time. Know your personal limit and sensitivity, but you don’t need to fear the sun. What about skin cancer? Use common sense. Don’t burn yourself over and over again. In my personal opinion, a true tan feels healthy. Sunlight boosts vitamin D, fights depression, improves sleep, and so much more. I’m more scared of depression, a messed up circadian rhythm, looking like a ghost, and low vitamin D than I am of skin cancer.

Supplements: If you are new to taking care of yourself a high quality multivitamin could be a smart move. Testing for deficiencies would be wise if you have concerns and the resources to do so. I do want to caution against taking a lot of supplements without the support of a qualified nutritionist or medical provider, just because something is “natural” doesn’t mean it is safe. I have seen people overdose on vitamins and cause more serious problems (I had a piano teacher who died from overdosing on zinc). I also know some supplements can cause breakouts. Everything in moderation. I found that the best supplement is eating nutrient dense foods on a regular basis. We eat multiple times a day anyway, why not focus on fueling our body with everything it needs?

Cleanliness: Having higher standards of cleanliness will improve your skin and self image. Being clean makes everything in life better. Washing bed sheets and towels once a week. Showering regularly. Brush your teeth. Tidy your space. Make your bed. These things sound basic, but it’s the basic things that make the biggest difference. Just because you have acne does not make you a dirty person, but being a dirty person will certainly not improve your acne.

Mental Health: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22. If acne is causing you emotional and mental turmoil, I can relate. It’s not easy to face the world unable to hide imperfections. It is important to remember that your value is not based on skin or physical appearance, God loves you and has a plan for your life no matter what you look like. It just so happens that we live in a sinful world and acne is a part of it. Focus on what is true, read your Bible, pray about what is weighing on your heart. There are so many things to help with your mental health, but the two I have found most helpful are #1 my walk with the Lord and #2 limiting social media. Taking Instagram off my phone and only logging onto Facebook a few times a week has helped quiet my mind, which in turn keeps me more grounded and less anxious or envious.

The Reciepts

February 2022 – I started to be more intentional taking care of my skin. It had gotten so painful.

December 2023 – Most of my face was clear except for severely painful patches on my chin and along my jawline. This is after I overhauled my diet and before I switched to more natural products.

June 2025 – Today! SO much improvement.

Conclusion

To summarize how I changed my skin for the better:

1. Diet makes the biggest difference.
2. Skincare should be simple, clean, and used consistently.
3. Overall wellness affects your skin and there are a million tiny changes to improve your life and health.

My hope in writing this is to encourage someone looking for answers. I hope my experience can help you in some way. Please share with someone you know struggling with acne.