Hey friends 🙂

The following is an interview with the lovely Vita of the website Vita Lives Free.

This is one in a series of short interviews with peeps who have cleared their skin naturally & holistically to find out what worked for them and what didn’t!

These are posted every other week, and if you have cleared your skin naturally and want to fill out your own interview to be featured on The Love Vitamin, then just click here!

What was your experience with acne? How many years did you have it and how did it make you feel?

I had it from the age of 16 until a couple of years ago, so I struggled for 12 years!

When I was a teenager, my social life totally depended on my skin: if I has having a good skin day, I was happy to go out with my friends. If I was having a bad skin day, I didn’t want to face anyone.

I also stopped going to friends for sleepovers because I didn’t want them to see me without makeup. I was the only one struggling with my skin, so that didn’t make it easier either.

Things got much easier when I met my husband at the age of 21. He gave me so much self-confidence and I never felt self-conscious about my skin around him.

Slowly, I taught myself to love myself just the way I am and stopped wearing makeup, which was a huge step towards healthier skin.

What kinds of things did you try prior to holistic healing that didn’t work?

I tried a hundred things, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I could have bought a good car with all the money I spent on products, makeup and treatments throughout those years.

I tried glycolic acid peels, salicylic acid, acne.org regime, antibiotic creams, and many other things that I listed in this blogpost.

Most of them worked for a couple of weeks, and then made my skin much worse than before. Some of them were obvious failures straight away.

All in all, my skin was getting more dehydrated and spotty with each passing year, so I guess all those products were doing more harm than good.

The only two products that I completely drew a line at were oral antibiotics and Accutane. I really didn’t want to mess up my body any more than it already was.

How did you discover that acne could be treated holistically?

I went to the best dermatologist in the country who told me I had Acne Vulgaris, and that I would have it all my life: there was no cure. He also said that food didn’t have any influence on the skin whatsoever.

So guess what I did? I went home and ate like crazy for the next couple of weeks.

Of course, my skin had the worst breakout ever, and I realized that there is much more to acne than doctors would like to admit.

I started reading a lot of articles and blogs online: The Love Vitamin was one of the first ones I stumbled upon and I’ve stuck to it throughout my journey to clear skin.

What were the specific things that made the biggest difference to your skin? What worked for you?

The biggest difference was ditching all the chemical products and switching to the Oil Cleansing Method and rose water. Avoiding tap water helped immensely, too.

I stopped wearing makeup, and got myself some mineral makeup for the days when being made up was absolutely essential.

Of course, all of the above wouldn’t have made that much of a difference if I hadn’t changed my diet. I used to live on sugar, pizza, bread and pasta.

I first stopped eating sugar, then ditched white flour and processed foods. My final step was embracing the Paleo lifestyle, which mostly cleared up my skin, but caused a few other health issues.

I’ve since modified my diet to include white rice and potatoes, but I still think grains (especially gluten containing grains), improperly prepared legumes, conventional pasteurized cow dairy, and excess fructose (even from fruit) are problematic for those with skin issues.

Even the best skincare routine isn’t going to help if we aren’t nourishing our body with the right foods.

Were there any obstacles? Things you found difficult about the whole process?

It was difficult to create a routine that worked. I tried the OCM three times until I managed to make it work. The only way to learn is through trial and error.

Patience is very important. It’s easy to get discouraged and write off something really good for you without even giving it a proper chance. I remember, after my first failure with the OCM, it took me a year to try it again.

I kept saying to everyone that oils don’t work for my skin and that I was allergic to anything natural, but deep down inside I felt that it was the only way forward. I just needed to find the right way.

It’s been difficult to always eat healthfully, especially around times like Christmas and Easter.

But seeing the effect it had on me on the following days was the best motivation: I saw anything from spots to low energy and moodiness. Finding out that my sister had Celiac Disease and I was on the verge of Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance was the last kick to finally give up gluten completely.

All the obstacles are nothing compared to having a chance to achieve clear skin. Getting to know your body really well, listening to it, and being patient will take you very far.

How did you feel once your skin cleared up?

It felt like a miracle. It was very gradual and very slow, so by the time my skin cleared up, I was already used to the idea.

It was amazing being able to face the world without makeup and not to feel self-conscious.

Not feeling pain and itchiness all day long was great, too. Smiling used to make my face really tight and uncomfortable before but it didn’t hurt anymore.

My skin clearing up definitely gave me lots more self-confidence, and I finally plucked up the courage to start a blog and YouTube channel. It’s something I always wanted to do but my skin was always stopping me.

I know, it’s not right to let your skin stop you from anything, but I really didn’t feel comfortable to face the world. If somebody had said anything about my skin, I would have died.

My skin isn’t perfect, I still get pimples occasionally but it’s healthy most of the time. After getting 20-30 new spots every day for years, 1 or 2 around my period really don’t bother me too much.

The health of our skin is also very closely related to our overall health and emotional health. I believe that’s because they all depend on gut health.

So when my skin improved, everything else improved at the same time. My digestion was better, I lost weight, I felt stronger than ever. The body is a system, and, if we find a way to fix the root cause of acne, many other things in our bodies will improve at the same time.

It’s totally worth it!

Bio: Vita lives on a subtropical island with her husband and 5 rescued fur kids. She blogs about setting herself free from health issues, acne, excess weight, food cravings, emotional baggage, etc.

She’s been there just like everyone else, but she’s managed to set herself free and build herself a simple life full of joy – now it’s your turn, and she’s here to help! Visit her blog here: Vita Lives Free.