So you’re ready to jump into clearing your skin the natural way, eh?
In fact, maybe you’ve already started.
Maybe you’ve changed your skin care routine to something gentler, or even gone caveman.
Maybe you’ve started doing yoga, or started hiking.
You’re getting more sleep.
You’re starting to feel great and maybe even seeing some improvements in your skin.
But there’s that one thing. That one thing you need to do to go all the way, but you just can’t work up the nerve to do it.
Maybe it’s changing your diet.
Maybe it’s addressing your stress & emotional demons.
Maybe it’s learning to love yourself.
Whatever it is, you are downright terrified. You are kicking and screaming, digging your heels in, and coming up with any excuse to avoid taking the plunge.
You think it’s going to be awful. You think it’s going to be the WORST thing ever.
You’re building it up in your mind until you can hardly stand it.
What do you do?
My Advice?
First of all, take a deep breath. Usually the reality is far less scary than the monster we create in our minds.
Change the way you are thinking about your mountain. I personally like to think of life and it’s challenges as one big smorgasbord of adventure, infinite possibilities of things to try, and things to learn.
Instead of telling yourself your life is over because you have to do this, just start thinking it more like an adventure. A curiosity. A new hobby. Something you’re trying. A ‘let’s try this and just see what happens’.
And to get started, you can always tell yourself that it’s not permanent. It’s not, after all.
Just trying something doesn’t mean you are signing a contract for the rest of your life. If you find that you hate the new way that you are eating, or hate your new form of stress relief, you are absolutely free to go back.
Although I would encourage you perhaps not to go back, but to find a different healthy way that actually works for you.
The thing about long term health is that it’s not supposed to suck. There’s no one way to do health “right”, but the more you love what you do, the healthier it is.
Maybe in the beginning it’s going to be hard… or maybe you’re challenging yourself to do a cleanse or something that isn’t super fun. Maybe you have to force yourself to say affirmations until they feel more natural. But that’s not permanent. That’s temporary.
When you’re looking for a permanent healthy lifestyle, it has to work for you. In the long term, the more you dislike something and feel like you are forced to do it for your health or skin, ironically, the less healthy it is.
You CAN find healthy habits that work for you, that you actually like, and that don’t feel like the biggest drag ever.
Really. I swear. Health should feel natural, perfectly in sync with you.
But you’re never going to find your jive until you jump in and try stuff. Maybe the first thing you try isn’t going to be the right thing for you. But you’ll never know until you try.
So, let’s do it babe. Let’s jump in, or take it slow if you need to. But don’t put it off any longer. Don’t let the fear own you. Clear skies are just around the corner.
Lots of love,
Tracy xo
Hey! I’ve been on the caveman regimon for a week so far and everything is getting better! But I have a few questions that I can’t find the answers to!!
1. What can I use as sunscreen on my face! I get sunburnt over the summer and tend to spend a lot of time outside. Just the though of traditional sunscreen makes me want to break out
2, how often do I change my pillow case and I also sleep on my sides meaning my face is always on my pillow! Does that cause acne
3. I’ve heard that you need to wash the front of your hair (men) or it will cause hair loss! Any information on that!!!
And I just want to say that the whole caveman thing makes sense because before I had acne I only washed my face with water in the shower and had wonderful skin but then I got a couple pimples and used everything on my skin and it’s been bad for the past 3 years!!
Another question I have is that I am ow 17and I am growing facial hair. I want to shave but I don’t know if I should on the caveman regimen!
I did research and found that coconut oil is good to shave with!
I just don’t want anymore acne
Hi Evan 🙂
Yes as Ashi says below, if you want the full meal deal caveman down-low, I have a full ebook on the subject… it’s exclusively available when you join the Naturally Clear Skin Academy. https://thelovevitamin.com/naturally-clear-skin-academy/
1. Sunscreen is tricky… I usually just wear big hats that shade my face and don’t spend over 1/2 hour in direct sun at a time, in order to avoid putting sunscreen on my face. But if I have to, I just put it on and don’t really wash it off. I use a sunscreen similar to this one: http://www.live-live.com/Live-Live-Sunscreen-with-MSM-orange-7-oz-SPF-30_p_895.html
2. I personally never ever worry about my pillow case. But some people find washing their pillow case often helps (I don’t know how often.. like once a week maybe? more often? I don’t know)
3. I’ve never heard that. I can’t conceive of how that would cause hairloss.
4. If you can go without shaving, it’s best, especially while you’re healing. If you can get an electric shaver and put it on not the lowest setting that is ideal. If you need to shave with a razor…. yes, don’t use shaving cream. Try coconut oil or something natural
Hey Evan, everything is in those lovely ebooks. Cavemen regimen is a life saver :). Period.
I just wanted to let you know i bought your books and it was very helpful! I always had a handful of spots but it got real bad this past year, when i started using products..duh.
I had a revelation when finding your site and dumped them all! My face took a while to recover, and was really dry but after a couple of months it is 90% clear! My current thing is i just like to splash some distilled water on my face every couple of days and tada! Done! Thanks Tracy!!!!
That’s awesome Jocelan! It really feels so great to be able to do less and let go and actually get more clear 🙂
Hi Tracy,
Thanks for this article. It is so true! I have gave up any harsh products to go natural in October. I decided to use oil. 2 days ago, I was in panic mode because I had a breakout on my chin, more than usual. I wanna to give up. Fears can be devastating. Now I am learning to speak to other people in hard time when I want to give up. I don’t want to abandon myself anymore.
Thanks a lot for all your articles
You’re welcome Lily 🙂 You’re right that fears can be devastating, but we can also learn that we don’t have to listen to them!
You are totally right! Thank you 🙂
Honestly, Tracy, I’ve done everything. I’ve been raised vegan all my life, and I eat a clean, consistent diet. I even did a 3 months raw diet, and my acne has persisted. I am emotionally healthy – my acne doesn’t curse me to insecurity, and I accept the growth I make – meditation, prayer, and rest included. I exercise 4x/week, I drink lots of water, take my vitamins, sleep regularly, and have tried (for months on end with each method) many different ways of cleansing my face. My acne has only increased, and has also turned cystic. I’m 17, so you could say I would grow out of it, and my Dad had bad acne when he was a teen, but he said it never got as bad as mine’s. I wish I could share some pics with you to hear your opinion. I’m considering going on Accutane – perhaps only 10mg/week? But I’m so scared of the possible side effects. I honestly do not know what to do.
Hi Alexandria… I’m really sorry to hear this! There’s a lot of things that could be going on — perhaps not eating enough food throughout the day / not keeping blood sugar stable…. and you may not want to hear this but a vegan or raw diet may not be the magic bullet for clear skin… some people do lack nutrients on a diet like that and would actually do a lot better on a more well rounded whole foods diet. Maybe you eat low fat… I don’t know? It’s hard to know exactly, I’m just throwing out ideas. You might have a food sensitivity… do you eat gluten?? You could have a big problem with gluten. Also, what are you periods like? (how often, how regular, what symptoms do you get)
Hi Tracy. Thank you for responding 🙂 I mostly eat gluten free also, and my periods are regular. Only a few cramps on the 1st and 2nd day, and afterwards, all is fine and dandy. Here’s some pics of my face, and it’s like this all over.
http://s17.postimg.org/luc9os7of/Photo_on_2_17_15_at_11_27_AM.jpg
http://s17.postimg.org/a6i7u8ijj/Photo_on_2_17_15_at_11_27_AM_2.jpg
I don’t have chest and back problems, thank God, but at this point, I’m lost. As for lost nutrients, perhaps b12? But I don’t think b12 could be causing all of this. I’ve had acne from 11 to now, and it has gotten increasingly worse, and has turned cystic. Worse thing about it – I know I have pretty skin under all of this mess.
Also, I went to a Natropath once, and she told me I had low cortisol levels, something wrong with my adrenals. I’ve been taking various types of pills for that for 5+ months, and they are still low.
I would recommend doing whatever you can to get tested…. vitamins and minerals tested… hormones tested… see for sure what’s going on underneath because I honestly can’t say … I’d just be stabbing in the dark. My hunch is to say try moving away from a vegan diet and diversifying your food, and make sure you are eating a ton, resting a ton… really really focusing on stress reduction and self love as much as possible… stay away from caffeine or anything stresses the adrenals…. (this is all to address the adrenal issue). I’m sending a ton of love though… I know how hard acne is. I totally get it… stay strong xx
Oh no! It took my comment away. I had posted some links to pictures of my skin – that’s probably why. Thank you for replying Tracy. 🙂 Anyway, I eat a mostly gluten-free diet, and my periods are regular, and I only have cramps on the first two days; afterwards, everything is fine. I went to a Natropath once, and she gave me pills for low cortisol, but that was 5+ months ago, and nothing has changed. Man, I really wish those links had stayed. Perhaps the way my acne looks could help you with more info. I could be missing b12, but again, I took b12 liquid supplements consistently for months on – no change. I eat flax seeds and chia seeds all the time – good on Omega 3’s. If you want/need to see pics, please let me know.
Tracy, can you advice on how to find a legit company/lab that does hair mineral analysis in the US? Sorry if it’s slightly off topic.
I had a hair mineral analysis done once…. google The Love Vitamin hair mineral analysis and the article will come up… I think I showed my report and it will show which lab it was. I can’t remember right now
Hi! I’m 15 and just discovered your blog… I haven’t started my period yet at all.. But I’ve been breaking out on my chin and around my lips for the past 6 months… I’ve started to not use any products at all and am just using vitamin e oil along with grape seed oil to help heal it…. Any suggestions?