This is a reader story by Love Vitamin fan Celestyna (submit your own reader story here)

I’m a Love Vitamin “Success Story” and I wanted to share my story with the Love Vitamin community, since I feel like a sister to you all!

Quick Background

I suffered from terrible acne starting in my teens all the way into my early 30s! Nothing helped – I went on not one, but two rounds of Accutane, and used every single harsh, chemically product on my skin that I could get my hands on.

My Skin Started Getting Better

Through the Love Vitamin (thank you SO MUCH, Tracy!) I learned about the Caveman regimen, the Paleo diet, Estroblock and how important self-esteem and stress-regulation were.

When I chilled out about myself and my skin, my acne became way more manageable. Looking back on times in my life where my stress had decreased, I actually remember my skin getting better and me being really surprised – it took the Love Vitamin to connect the dots for me!

The Caveman regimen worked amazingly well, and since I’m super lazy, I took to it like a duck to water. I was SO ready to stop spending an hour getting ready every morning and night and buying expensive stuff for my face that disappointed time and time again.

To this day, the ONLY thing I put on my skin is carefully chosen organic plant oil that I know will absorb quickly and not clog my pores, sometimes using aloe vera or a hydrosol (flower water) to help it absorb (this is a really great trick for all of you who find even the light, “dry” oils too greasy).

Estroblock Really Helped!

Honestly, it was Estroblock especially that helped my skin get to a place where, even though my diet was pretty lenient (there were burgers, pizza and cookies!), my acne was practically gone! (Since I suffered from an eating disorder, anything that deals with restricting food, ie the Paleo diet or cutting out food groups entirely, is really hard for me, so I have to look for other solutions.)

So there I was, my skin had never looked better, but there were still some small issues. For one, I still had serious scars from my past acne, and for two, my skin was still covered in comedones, or tiny, blackhead-esque bumps. Not the worst, but not the best.

After doing some research, it came to light that what was most likely causing the comedones was that my body was high in androgens (a type of hormone). High androgens make your sebum harder and more sticky, so it is much more prone to create blackheads.

I Discovered Something About the Skin’s Oil…

Unfortunately, the best way to deal with it was to cut out grains and sugar. That felt too extreme and I didn’t want to reignite my eating disorder behaviors, so I did a little more digging.

Once again through the Love Vitamin, I discovered that sebum had a natural balance of fatty acids and if it deviates from its normal texture, it means that ideal composition is off somehow. Specifically, if it gets hard and sticky, the ratio of oleic acid to linoleic acid is too high.

More research suggested that plant oils high in linoleic acid applied topically might help balance out my sebum composition. Hemp seed oil was specifically attractive, because not only did it have lots of linoleic acid, it was also highly nutritive, contained the perfect ratio of essential fatty acids, was anti-inflammatory AND had a comedogenic rating of 0 (not too many oils do!) – a zero chance of clogging pores.

I Started Putting Hemp Seed Oil on my Face

Well, I had developed the attitude that what you put inside your body when it comes to healing acne is far more important than what you put on your skin, but the logic seemed legit, so I started putting hemp seed oil on my face. And guess what? I loved it.

Not only was it working – I was getting less and less comedones – RAD! – but it felt much better than I had expected – not too greasy or weird at all! Certain oils, especially the ones high in linoleic acid, can actually be TOO drying to certain skin types – so if you’re afraid of using oil on your skin because you’ve been told to go oil-free at all costs, I would encourage you to try again, especially if your skin needs help despite trying the Caveman regimen.

I Am a Huge Advocate of the Caveman Regimen

Don’t get me wrong – as I said, I am a huge advocate of the Caveman regimen and truth be told, I can go either way – face oil or nothing, but not only am I getting older (whoa, first time I’m writing about that!), but I surf a lot – and the salt and sand can do a number on your face.

Also, I switch climates a fair amount – from lovely, lightly humid California air to the bone dry air of New Mexico. My skin can’t keep up. Post surf and in NM, it receives the oil with evident gratitude.

And it felt nice to show my skin some love again – now that I’m getting older my skin is definitely getting drier and more delicate. I have “dry skin acne” which is such a weird thing, but exists – fairly common with adult acne!

I Learned From the Love Vitamin to Love Yourself

The most important lesson I learned from the Love Vitamin is how incredibly important it is to love yourself. Self-esteem matters a great deal in clearing acne. So to me, having the type of busy-ness seeking personality that I do, taking the time to apply the oil, to show my skin love, looking at my face in the mirror, has become a little sliver of daily self-care and self-love.

It’s become a wonderful ritual that I look forward to, massaging the oil in, inhaling its vivid, living, happiness-inducing scent.

Hemp Seed Oil

That might have been the end of the story, but then this post wouldn’t be too interesting. As great as hemp seed oil was, a couple of things still bothered me – on its own, the smell it has isn’t exactly happiness inducing – at least for me.

It’s a little too food-like – it smelled nutty and well, oily. I had some yummy smelling essential oils around the house, and wondered if I could add them to the oil to make it smell more luxurious.

I went online to check. And whoa. Not only were these oils ok to put on my face (properly diluted, of course) but they were actually beneficial – full of phytonutrients, antioxidants and all sorts of curative properties.

A couple drops later, my face oil smelled amazing, and was even better for my skin! My interest in using essential oils for their skin nourishing properties was piqued.

OK, nutty smell – not too bad. But there was another problem: hemp seed oil needs to be refrigerated or it can go rancid. Let me tell you, running from the kitchen downstairs to the bathroom upstairs at six in the morning is not awesome. Also, traveling with it becomes a pain.

So I went back to the drawing board – I was hooked on facial oil by now, and I knew what I wanted. I wanted my face oil to be:

  • shelf stable,
  • non-comedogenic,
  • easily absorbable and
  • perfect for healing and restoring my skin.
  • Oh, and OBVIOUSLY of the best quality, organic and bioavailable. Zero chemicals.

I Started to Create a Skincare Line

At this point, it became a mission. I exhaustively researched carrier oils, essential oils and plant extracts used for skin care. And what I found obsessed me more than I expected.

Plants are really cool. In fact, how powerfully healing they can be defies belief. All this research led to testing and experimenting, and that was when I started getting the idea to create a skincare line.

Nothing fancy, just the essentials. Just face oil and plant waters (hydrosols) to help it absorb. Stuff that I knew worked and that I loved.

I felt like I was living in a black and white world and had just discovered a whole palette of colors – who wouldn’t want to paint? The botanical realm is beyond diverse, pretty much every single plant offering fantastic, incredibly potent curative properties.

There is a fungi out there (the Red-Belted Polypore) that can go for decades without getting blemished by any bacteria – it has powerful compounds that inhibit the growth of not only bacteria and viruses, but tumors as well!

I include a wildcrafted Red-Belted Polypore hydrosol in my Reviving Toner, because of the amazing capabilities it has to reduce inflammation and deter bacteria.

As another example, turmeric, a bright orange root used in curries, contains curcumin, an incredibly anti-inflammatory molecule.

It’s so potent that cultures that use turmeric often in their cooking present with a statistically significant reduced rate of diseases caused by inflammation, such as Alzheimer’s.

It Helps Activate Your Skin’s Free Radical Scavengers

But its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant benefits extend to topical applications as well – it helps activate your skin’s free radical scavengers and amazingly, its phytonutrients actually attract electrons, which protect skin cells from oxidative stress.

The result is more of your skin’s energy can go towards healing and repairing vs. protecting, so skin cells stay younger longer. Turmeric is included in my dream recipe, the result of the perfect facial oil quest: Resolving Facial Oil Serum.

Without Using Chemical Preservatives

I could go on, but the upshot of all my research is that I did it. I made my dream oil. I discovered a way to help stabilize sensitive oils against rancidity without using chemical preservatives.

How? I add natural antioxidants such as Rosemary and Vitamin E to the formulation and most importantly, I use Miron glass to house my products – a very special dark violet glass that is very protective against light, preserving the freshness and bioactivity of the contents much longer than any other glass, including amber).

My facial oil is more ideal for chronic acne specific needs and demands than anything else I could find in stores. It came to be through tons of research and hard work, but was also created only because of my own very intimate, very long journey with acne.

In many ways, this feels a little bit like a redemption. This is the product I wish I had found and trusted instead of Accutane and Benzol Peroxide.

All in all, it is a simple formulation created for the sole purpose of treating a wide range of acne symptoms, consisting of the best organic plant and seed oils the botanical realm has to offer for:

  • balancing and stabilizing skin,
  • regulating sebum production and texture,
  • healing scar tissue and discoloration,
  • regenerating skin cells,
  • suppressing bacteria and
  • reducing inflammation and stress.

Resolving Facial Oil Serum is truly my ideal oil, and perfect for skin that needs some major love, major gentleness, major balancing, and major repair.

I asked Tracy if I could write this post to share this oil with you. And to share that I’m starting my own skincare line, so my acne has led to a new entrepreneurial adventure – who would have thought? Maybe it will be the same for some of you!

I would love you to have some of this oil, and I want to tell you exactly what is in it, exactly how I made it and exactly how I use it, so you can try it out, if you would like.

Here are the ingredients, with a few notes on what makes them so relevant for acne sufferers and so richly beneficial:

Main oils

  • Organic, cold pressed, GRAPESEED OIL – high linoleic, non-allergenic, especially useful for skin types that are sensitive and that do not absorb oils well, non-comedogenic, regulates sebum production, comedogenic rating of 1
  • Organic, cold pressed, unrefined TAMANU OIL – one of the most powerful natural topical healing agents, reduces scarring with remarkable results. Tamanu oil contains a certain lipid called calophyllolide, which is not found in any other oils and is a very strong anti-inflammatory. Comedogenic rating of 2 (same as Jojoba)
  • Organic, cold pressed, virgin HEMP SEED OIL – one of the most nutritional oils available, high in essential omega fatty acids, non-comedogenic, very easily absorbable, regulates sebum texture, comedogenic rating of 0
  • Cold pressed, virgin, unrefined, BLACK CUMIN SEED OIL – anti-inflammatory, anti-psoriatic, anti-oxidative, natural anti-histamine, skin regenerative, high linoleic, comedogenic rating of 1

Highly concentrated beneficial extracts:

  • Curcuma Xanthorrhiza CO2 Extract – antioxidative, detoxifying, anti-carcinogenic, antimicrobial, good for healing and soothing problem skin
  • Sea Buckthorn Berry CO2 Extract – particularly useful for skin problems that require cell regeneration: burns, eczema, wounds, acne and aging, devitalized skin
  • Turmeric Root Essential Oil – very highly anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and incredibly protective for skin cells, great at reducing oxidative stress
  • Vetiver Essential Oil – anti-inflammatory, a cicatrisant agent (speeds up the eradication of scars and promotes the growth of new tissues), antiseptic, vulnerary (helps heal wounds), one of my favorite smells
  • Patchouli Essential Oil – antiphlogistic (soothes inflammation), antibacterial, astringent, cytophylactic (stimulates the generation of new cells), helps fade scars
  • Frankincense Essential Oil – anti-aging, soothing, healing, scar reducing, another yummy smell
  • Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil – highly antioxidative, purifying, anti-inflammatory
  • Palmarosa Essential Oil – hydrating, anti-bacterial, regenerative properties, smells like roses
  • Lavender Essential Oil – soothing, great for acne, regulates sebum, improves circulation
  • Rose Geranium Essential Oil – soothing, balancing, regulating, hydrating
  • Peppermint Essential Oil – astringent, invigorating, improves circulation
  • Tangerine Essential Oil – astringent, invigorating, improves circulation, exfoliates, reveals glow

Preservatives + Antioxidants:

  • Rosemary Extract – antioxidative, disinfecting, rejuvenating, cell growth stimulating
  • Vitamin C – antioxidative, natural preservative
  • Vitamin E – antioxidative, natural preservative

Are you still there? Sorry, long list – but you’ll notice it’s only plants! 🙂

Here Is How I Use My Yummy Oil

I will massage 4-8 drops of this oil into my face morning and night – it absorbs best on damp skin, like right after a shower. If you have particularly oily skin, (or sometimes, counterintuitively, really dry skin will also not absorb the oil as quickly as you’d like) the absolute best thing to do is to blend a few drops of this oil with a few drops of toner (I use my blend of hydrosols and aloe vera: Reviving Toner) or aloe vera gel on your palm, then apply it to your skin – it’ll sink right in!

Here’s another really nice thing to do as well – sometimes I use a little extra oil and give myself a nice little face massage, which helps stimulate circulation, drains puffiness, exfoliates and tones the skin. I use the Tanaka method, which is famous in Japan and amongst supermodels because it is supposed to really rejuvenate and tone the skin.

So. Long story short. I would love for you to try this oil out. I would love to answer any questions you have about plant/seed oils or about my personal acne story.

I am very honored, excited and happy to give you, my Love Vitamin tribe, a discount on my Resolving Facial Oil Serum, and the Reviving Toner, which you can buy separately or as a duo (saving a little extra), and which you can check out on my website. (Actually, the discount is good for any skincare product, but I just anticipate you being mostly interested in these two – feel free to browse and buy others, though!)

And as promised, if you place an order, I will send you the exact recipe for the formulation, so you can recreate it yourself in the future!

Get a 30% Discount off my Products in the Next 7 Days!

So for the next 7 days, if you use coupon code LOVEVITAMIN on my website, you’ll get 30% off your total order. And, I’ll include the product recipe as well!

Signing off sending all of you such deep gratitude. Thank you guys so much for reading my story, and for supporting me, both with just being part of this Love Vitamin healing journey and also with any orders you place! Sending you lots of love

Celestyna Brozek
SurfYogi,
Creator of {Skin} Organic Skincare