HEALTH

Meet Rachel, college student, yoga teacher and Instagram foodie (follow her at @collegecravings!). Like most of us, she's dealt with acne...and not once, but twice. If you're struggling with pesky pimples, too, Rachel's sharing her top tips for clear skin below...

I think we can all agree that acne is the absolute worst. Not only did it take a toll on my confidence but it could also be extremely painful. After trying almost every “solution” out there, I can finally say that I’m acne free. Since clearing my acne for the second time, I’ve made it my mission to share my experience and what allowed me to get the clear, glowing skin that I now enjoy :). What I learned along the way is that there is not a one solution fits all. I did a *lot* of experimentation and found that a combination of efforts helped clear my skin. 

1. Look at what you're eating. 
Sugar, dairy and gluten have all been found to create inflammation in the body. When getting rid of acne, you want to be getting rid of inflammation. Try cutting out each of these food groups one at a time and track results over the course of a month. It doesn’t have to feel like you’re giving something up, either. Visit Pinterest and Instagram for recipe inspo. My favorite replacements include: almond milk hot chocolate (sweetened with stevia), Japanese baked sweet potatoes and lentil pasta.

2. Use neem oil.
Most people haven't heard of this magical skin saver. Rich in fatty acids and Vitamin E, neem oil removes bacteria from the skin’s surface, soothes irritation and inflammation, and boosts collagen production. In other words, neem oil reduces acne and heals acne scarring. Whenever I have a blemish, I add either a drop of neem oil to it or I spot treat it with a neem clay mask product and within an hour, I see improvement.

3. Add fresh greens to every meal.
Where do I begin with the benefits of fresh greens?! Greens (especially dark leafy greens) are packed full of nutrients and help curb cravings. I always feel better when I challenge myself to incorporate greens into each meal because it forces me to create meals with whole foods and helps me deal with my major sweet tooth.

4. Practice self-love.
The side effects from having acne led me to manifest a lot of stress and anger in my body. In order to de-stress and create a healthy environment for my body to thrive, I began practicing self-love. I did this by creating a relaxing routine each night. Having me-time allowed me to rejuvenate and helped me stay on track with my goals. My current routine includes lighting a candle or turning on my essential oil diffuser, making a cup of peppermint tea, putting a neem clay face mask on and relaxing in bed.

What are your breakout-busting tricks? Share below!

We want to hear from you! Send us your weirdest body questions here (seriously, we'll answer anything!) and it just might get featured.

by Rachel Graham | 2/24/2019