Over 500 articles and videos spanning over 10 years – full of my best tips to help you get back in control of your skin.
Feel beautiful again. No exceptions.
As promised yesterday, here is my video where you get to find out which natural products and ingredients I deem fit for my own face! Check it out below and leave a comment when you’re done! Thanks!
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ag5BQ8pQ9k
Blog author Tracy Raftl used to have severe acne — now she teaches thousands of women how to take back control of their skin through natural, holistic, and mind-body methods.
Hi friend, today we’re going to explore an effective, permanent method of acne scar removal. Called dermarolling. In which the tool you use soooorta looks like
Hey hey! Guess what? I have a pretty sweet new cleanser for you to try out if you have acne prone skin — it’s micellar
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ll probably know that I am a BIG advocate to leaving your skin alone. That means
Join over 70,000 women and download my free roadmap. You’ll learn seven things you can start doing right now to clear your skin.
Peruse more blogs by category…. or get crazy and go for the full archive! You do you!
7 things you can start doing right now to permanently put acne to bed.
43 Responses
[..YouTube..] I just want to say I love your website and youtube channel. I’ve been intrigued with going down the more holistic route and your story is so inspiring. At the end of the day it’s not just about acne is it? Conventional medicine makes it all superificial and in a way makes you only think about your skin rather than being healthy in general. Hopefully there will be a day when I can finally just let go of it all!
Thank you!!
“Conventional medicine makes it all superificial and in a way makes you only think about your skin rather than being healthy in general” <-- I like that. It's so true! Acne sucks, but it's a message from your body that something isn't right and it needs to be addressed. Conventional treatments just cover these signs up until they get worse and worse, and maybe you'll end up coming down with other health problems as a result. I know that I never would have thought about my health much if I hadn't gotten acne. It's a real wakeup call! Good luck with your journey! x
Thank you for posting this! I was so, so close in my own quest to find the right things to put on my face. I finally realized that any of the facewashes designed for acne were making the issue worse, and NOT unclogging my pores as they claim. All they really did was dry out my skin so bad it would burn or itch during the day. What you said made so much sense to me about outgrowing your acne, and making it worse by continuing to use the products as an adult. I just couldn’t understand why I could use those washes at 17 with my overly oily skin, but now at 22 (and in the winter no less) it was pretty much making my face raw.
I use an organic, mineral foundation (Faerie Organics), and only a light dusting where my worst spots are (I was nodding my head when you said you couldn’t emotionally leave the house without makeup..). I was really struggling to figure out how to get it off without over drying my already dry face… I had luck with using only water and a cotton ball, but it still didn’t feel clean. I then tried using honey, but it did leave my face VERY red afterwards. It’s a very grainy, raw honey though, so that might be why. Do you think I should continue this even though it made my face extremely red for a few hours?
I have a bottle of organic Jojoba oil already in my bathroom, but I’ve been too scared to use it on my face. I’ve read a lot of horror stories about it making people break out more, but I wonder if they just used too much on an already oily face? My inflamed acne areas are on the sides of my face, and the skin, as well as the spots themselves are so dry they flake off when I put makeup on, so I wonder if using the Jojoba oil might be a good option for me..
I have a few last questions for you (your blog has been beyond helpful to me..) What do you do about really clogged pores and comedonal acne? I have so many clogged pores on my chin and forehead, and have no idea what to do about them. I have very inflamed acne at the moment on the sides of my face (very much stress induced, and I’m working on that aspect of healing thanks to you!), so it prevented me from attempting any exfoliation at all. It just really stumps me. My forehead pores seem clogged, the skin is very flaky up there, but it will also produce a lot of oil… I just wonder how can it be clogged, dry, AND oily all at once? It’s like my skin doesn’t know if it’s coming or going!
And lastly, will a very uneven skintone (i.e. redness and blotchiness) disappear over time when your face finally begins to heal itself? Or should some effort be made to make it more even? Because I feel like even when I don’t have any inflamed acne my skin is just more red than it used to be..
I’ll be following your posts to be sure! Keep up the amazing work and sorry for such a long comment!
-Taylor..
Hi Taylor!
Yeah, combination skin can be a real pain in the ass.
I definitely don’t recommend grainy honey… that was accidentally the first honey I bought when I started using it, and yes… it’s very abrasive and it doesn’t surprise me it made your skin really raw ! Definitely need the smooth honey, it’s very gentle, and would probably be great for your skin.
You sound like you have very sensitive, temperamental skin, so I would recommend being as gentle as absolutely possible. Personally, I don’t exfoliate at all. If I have comedones, I figure that they are okay as long as they don’t become inflamed. Most of them just go away on their own, and you want to reduce the chances that you are going to irritate them into inflamed spots.
To get rid of them… I’m not entirely sure exactly. I am gettng more of them these days because probably just winter… less sunshine, less fresh food, fresh air, dark days… but I don’t let them bother me. When I had my bad breakout, not only did I have ridiculous amounts of inflamed acne, but I also had terrible clogged pores and blackheads and whiteheads. This all went away as I got healthier and my skin became very smooth and my skin tone also evened out. The more green vegetables you eat, the more this will help them. I also found that the less I washed my face and the less I exfoliated, the less pale i looked, and the less my acne stood out.
As for jojoba oil…. I think I’ll do a video on it!
Alright Taylor, thanks again! I hope this helped 🙂
Great post and nice video. Washing my face with just water scares me!!
I know! It feels psychologically wrong, but I think it’s best! It messes with your natural oils the least, and make it more resistant to bacteria! Your acid mantel on your skin, which is a slightly acidic protective barrier, get’s ruined with harsh washes. If you want to wash your face, it’s best to use something really gentle that has a PH on the slightly acidic side… like honey!
Alright, I’ll have to give it a try.
Thank you so much for the helpful reply!! It’s good to know that overall health and being gentle with the skin will reduce all the problems in one. I’m definitely going for a better diet as well at the moment. Cutting out dairy, gluten, and sugar for a while to see if it makes any difference. Thank you again!
This sounds like what I need. Honey sounds like the perfect thing for my face right now.
i’m curious, i’m a college student and I really wanna start eating better… Is there a cookbook or a diet you’d suggest? It’s kinda hard for me to just jump into this stuff..
Hi Sam!
Well, read my articles on here about healthy diet, and make sure you sign up to my free email newsletter on the right of my website there… you’ll get 5 easy dinner recipes that I really like to make and hopefully that’ll start you off. It’s hard to say what you should eat if you’re at college? I don’t know what you have access to… you eat in the college cafeteria?
woah, thanks for the speedy response! I live in an on-campus apartment, and have to cook for myself, so I can make whatever I want, IF time permits.. I’m really struggling getting off the ground with a diet and knowing what to cook for lunch / dinner when in a hurry.. as it seems like i’m always rushing around these days!
Also, I started washing my face with honey yesterday, and I feels great! I love it!
andd i’ll def sign up! thank you sooo much!
how long did it take you to actually start seeing results?
[..YouTube..] I just have a quick question – what types of makeup do you recommend/use for yourself? Do you have the same philosophy about makeup as with face wash andunnatural products, being that the chemicals in it are unsafe? I’ve been watching your videos and I am planning on trying this natural routine, but I would also like to know about your suggestions for makeup! Thank you!
Hi,
I have bad acne on my chin and also clogged pores. 🙁 I’m very interested in using more natural products because chemical ones don’t work so good for me! I also believe in eating healthier, and I do what I can but it’s so hard to be a college student and have good eating habits. (An having a tight budget…) But I really love your site. Thanks for putting up all these articles and videos and everything, you rock! 🙂 I hope I can look as pretty a you one day!
I’ve been looking into Honey as a face wash and have gone to my local health food store and found several varieties. The one I found says that it’s raw and also unpasturized, but it’s a liquid and varies from light to medium dark in color. (like these:
http://blog.ljcfyi.com/blog/2008/oct2008/rawHoney.jpg
http://www.ebeehoney.com/1lbwild.jpg
I’ve seen the one that you have (solid, light colored, https://www.newenglandnutritives.com/images/reallyraw/honey-681.jpg )
I was wondering if they work the same? Or is the liquidy one was the one you were telling us to avoid?
How do you use the solid one? warm it up or is it creamy? It looks hard/thick.
Thanks <3
Hi!
The first one probably looks the best. It doesn’t actually matter if it’s dark or light, but just that’s it’s smooth and not grainy. And often raw honey is grainy, so it needs to be creamed to make it smooth, and this is more common in the lighter varieties.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell though if it’s actually grainy or not, the first bottle of it I ever bought ended up being grainy, to my disappointment. But it’s okay, because if you get the wrong one, you can always eat it 🙂
Hello, I wanted to know what you think about all natural, organic cosmetics that I use.I personally buy from http://www.essential-care.co.uk/ and use Lemon & Tea Tree facial wash and Organic Rose moisturiser. I’m a male and my skin isn’t clear. I have few acne and comedones on my forehead and small comedones in the lip corners and around lips. I’ve been using all-natural cosmetics for over 2 years now (though I’ve been using different brands of it) and I’ve been eating healthy for over 2 years now. My diet consist of this: breakfast buckwheat porridge (without salt or oil), an hour later I eat bio yoghurt (all natural without anything). After a while I eat fruits – usually apples and oranges. Then I eat pumpkin seeds before lunch. For lunch I have pan-fried chicken (I use organic palm oil. It is rich in vitamin A and other nutrients) with vegetable broccoli, beetroots, salads, etc. Then I don’t eat or drink anythin for 2 hours. After that I eat another bio yoghurt for bacteria to do their job 😀 Then I usually eat some fruits and organic chocolate (85%, I heard that fat from cacoa is good for you and this chocolate is very low in sugar) I haven’t been chocolate for few months to check whether it was the cause of my skin problems, but it wasn’t the cause. So I’ve written all my basic diet to you. I’ve been sticking to this for several years and it didn’t make my skin flawless 🙂 I don’t eat pork or red meat, I stick to the fish and chicken 🙂 I want to know what you think about cosmetics that I huse and my diet. Thanks. xo
Hi!
Well, your diet looks really good. But I’ve said it before… diet is not the only thing! Do you have emotional issues? Do you exercise, get sunshine, sleep well, etc? There could be plenty of reasons you’re still getting acne.
I checked out your face wash and moisturizer.. the face wash is probably fine, but the moisturizer isn’t. It has coconut oil in it… which is very comedogenic (pore clogging), and I’ve also heard people having a lot of trouble with shea butter. This is why I don’t even like using ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ formulated products… their ingredients may be good and pure, but it still doesn’t mean it won’t clog your pores. And there are still so many different ingredients in it, that it only takes one ingredient to give you problems. Check out this http://www.zerozits.com/Articles/acnedetect.htm, it gives you a list of common ingredients and whether they’re clogging or irritating. It doesn’t have everything, but you can use it to check your own products. Okay?
Thanks for checking out my site by the way 🙂 I hope you stick around!
So honey doesn’t clog pores? It just seems like it would stick right in there! lol. You don’t use any other product afterwards like a toner to rinse it off? I guess it just takes some getting used to… 😛
Just to clarify, by first on you mean this one correct? http://blog.ljcfyi.com/blog/2008/oct2008/rawHoney.jpg
🙂 Thanks a lot for your input! I’m gonna try this soon.
Yep, that one. No honey doesn’t clog pores… there are certain substances that get drawn into the skin and the pores, but honey doesn’t. And no, I don’t use anything else to take it off, just water.
Honey isn’t as messy or sticky as it seems! 🙂
[..YouTube..] So, would you recommend using an actual aloe vera plant at all instead of a bought aloe vera jelly? Or would you suggest just using the bought product with chemicals?
Yes, using the gel from the actual plant is ideal, for sure. If you had a big plant on hand, definitely use that! You want the least amount of chemicals possible, but I also like a bit of convenience, so I go for the most organic store bought aloe vera I can find.
I’m back to question you some more! When using Jojoba Oil as a moisturiser, you said you apply it in the morning after washing your face (that is if you wash your face at all on that day :P), so would you only apply it once a day, as in just in the morning and not at night? I’ve probably been misled into thinking I should apply some sort of moisturiser twice a day, but I always find that, having oily skin normally, it just adds to the oilyness and I have a bit of ‘shine’ and probably more acne than usual.
Also, I do have an Aloe Vera plant, but sometimes I’m a little lazy and can’t be bothered to break off a bit and try to get the gel out, but I have been searching around, and I cannot seem to find any Aloe Vera Gels ANYWHERE! I live in Australia, so the one you use probably doesn’t exist here. I’d really like some, because it sort of dries the skin a bit and that would be more convenient for me seeing as it’s summer here, and the heat is ridiculous :P. I shall keep looking.
By the way, I made your smoothies and pumpkin soup recipe for my family, and they loved it. I’m glad they’re embracing my decision to eat healthier for the overall benefit to my skin and body. Grazie, grazie, grazie!!
Yes, I just apply the jojoba in the morning, if my skin is dry. But I wouldn’t even use it if it wasn’t winter and my skin wasn’t dry.
Try the jojoba to see if it helps your oiliness… if it doesn’t, don’t even use any moisturizer! You don’t need it, and if you stop overwashing and medicating, if you give your skin a week or so, it will start regulating itself and probably won’t be so oily. Often skin is so oily because it’s overcompensating for being dried out when washing.
Check out the Audrey Organics stuff that Ignas suggests below… it’s good stuff.
And I’m really happy you enjoyed my recipes! yay! 🙂
Yeh, I thought maybe I should apply it in the mornings because i’m coming off the BP and as you know, that dries your skin, so I do have dry skin at the moment. Hopefully it will trick my skin and allow it to produce the right amount of sebum, but who knows. I went to our local health store and tried some of the jojoba oil from a tester on my skin and it feels incredible.
I never even wash my face in the morning, because I hardly ever wear makeup, but like you, sometimes just a splash of water will do the trick.
I will check that Audrey Organics stuff out, thankyou(and Ignas:P).
You can buy Aubrey Organics aloe vera. It’s organic and it doesn’t have bad ingredients (only aloe vera, vitamin e, and grapefruit seed extract) http://www.aubrey-organics.com/ProductInfo/081.aspx I think it’s one of the best on the market
Do you use a washcloth to wash off the honey? or just splash water off with your hands?
Just my hands. Don’t ever use a washcloth on your face, it’s way, way too abrasive!
I just found your site today and I am so excited to try this natural approach to acne. I’m 24 and have dealt with acne since I was 11 and have tried pretty much everything under the sun. Furthermore, you should move to Vermont so that we can be friends because you seem awesome.
I have one question, what make-up do you use? I have pretty much always used a Neutrogena product since it has acne medication in it, but for this au natural method then I feel like I should try something new. Any suggestions?
OK I lied, I have two questions. How much of each product (honey, jojoba oil and aloe vera) do you use on your skin? I know you mentioned using very little oil, but does that mean a drop or more like a dime sized dollop? This may be splitting hairs but I am just curious since your skin is now pretty much flawless.
Thank you!
Hi Emily! I’m so happy you’ve find my site! 🙂 Thanks for the compliments.
I never used anything special… some chemical laden makeup from maybelline haha… it’s not exactly what I would recommend. I just tried to put it on individual spots instead of all over my face so that at least the healthy skin could breathe. I’ve heard mineral makeup recommended most often for acne prone folks, but I hear even that seems to break a lot of people out. I’d recommend checking http://www.makeupalley.com and reading reviews there to decide what’s a good brand.
Honey, and aloe…. you can use as much as you want. I don’t have much of a limit there…. jojoba, yeah… just use a few drops, so that it can absorb easily into your skin and isn’t sitting on top attracting dirt. I’d prefer to not even use jojoba oil if I don’t need the moisture though… I’ve stopped using it now that it’s spring and my skin is a bit more moisturized! I don’t like using anything on my face really, I’d prefer to let it breathe….. remember that it’s way, way more important what you’re doing internally!
Hey Tracy,
I am scared to try honey on my face. as silly as that sounds, I have the same :emotional attachment: to face cleansers…recently just went on proactive, read all the bad and good reviews, its been 2 weeks. It burns my face, makes it dry but I dont know if its getting rid of anything or not…how do I ween off of it and start using honey? its mostly composed of BP….please help thanks! 🙂
I know, it’s very scary to let the products go. We’re just so conditioned to feel like we need them… make sure you watch this video https://thelovevitamin.com/224/how-to-quit-benzoyl-peroxide-without-a-major-breakout/… it will answer your questions about weaning off BP (and Proactiv)!
Hello again! I was wondering if you use anything for sun protection, and if so, what? Thanks!
No not really… not on my face. A bit of sun on the face is good, and I just wear hats if I’m out for a long time. I only seldom wear sunscreen on my body, I use a natural one if I’m out at the beach or something… basically I try to avoid it because it’s mostly just a bunch of chemicals seeping into your skin. I’m going to do a video about this soon 🙂
Hi there Tracy. Just watched your video about face washing and how “Less is more” and wondered if I was cleansing my face too much …. and possibly exfoliating too much also? I cleanse my face twice a day and have oily skin.
Morning: 1/2 pump of cream cleanser in the morning to clean the super oily sides of my nose, daily overnight spot treatment or weekly glycolic cream (I seem to get a build up of bumpy little spots if I don’t use the glycolic cream at least once a week so I’ve kept it in my routine). Cleansing is followed by reapplication of spot treatment (tea tree oil) and moisturizer. No makeup.
At night: Normally I cleanse with the same cream cleanser but I’m currently trying “quick oats” to clean and massage off whatever has built up on my face through the day, followed up daily spot treat or weekly glycolic. I don’t normally moisturize at night when I’m at home but its winter at the moment and my face just feel soooooooooo dry if i don’t.
I’m a bit worried about how red/pink my face gets from cleansing with oats. I don’t think I’m allergic to oats, been eating them all my life without noticeable side effects, so I’m wondering if its just the abrasion from the fiber? If it is, then its probably not good to be doing every day right? Perhaps I should soak the quick oats longer so they are softer?
I also do a mask sometimes with manuka honey which I just spread on. My face feels yummy & good after I wash the honey off, but I don’t understand by my face gets red? The red goes away after 15mins or so, is this normal? Again, I don’t think I’m allergic to honey, I’ve been eating / drinking it all my life without noticeable side effects.
Would really appreciate your advice please =) Thank you.
Hi Jess! I do think you could probably simplify it… but… do you feel like this routine is working for you? or not? Is it just the redness after the oats that is bothering you? Oats are kind of abrasive and can definitely be irritating…. but if you soak them longer and they become soft, it should be okay. To be honest, I’m not sure what the issue is with the manuka honey :/ I haven’t actually tried manuka honey myself, because I’ve been too cheap to get around to buying it! HA. I just use regular raw honey, but I want to give Manuka a go… so this is interesting that you say it’s made your face red. What strength is it that you use? (the active number, or UMF?)
Hi Tracy, thank you so much for replying!
Yes, I believe the routine (& an improved diet) does work for me despite having to be methodical everyday. I’ve been following this routine since Nov10-ish, had a face full of red bumps and all sorts of nasties back then >.<, and just last week a couple of my colleagues remarked that my skin was looking considerably better now – and I was like yay! . The only thing new (since 2.5weeks ago) is the oats which I am experimenting in order to replace my cream cleanser coz its so darn expensive!! I will try soaking the oats longer and hope for the best 🙂 At least I’ve got my exfoliant sorted haha.
The manuka honey I’m using is UMF15+. Yeeap, definitely not the cheapest of honey, but I figure I’m in New Zealand, supposedly ground zero of manuka honey, I might as well make use of that right? lol. And I only use 15+ for the face, 5+ for drinks. And now that you mention strength … could it be that I’m leaving it on for too long (for my skin) for that strength? I leave it on for 15-20mins, just because I read / heard somewhere that that is the recommended “soak” time. Like you keep mentioning, everyone is different – perhaps for soak time too?
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts & advice. Looks like I have a couple of experiments to do 😀
Okay well if it seems like your routine is working for you, then stick with it! There’s nothing worse than switching up your products and routines all the time in pursuit of the perfect one… it will just shock your skin. Most acne comes from within anyway!
Living in London (England) I don’t think it would be good for me not to wash my face. After commuting, I have black dust in my nose, so I assumed it’s on my face also. Even if I don’t wear make-up, I want to wash that off in the evening.
If I lived in the countryside I’d probably not fuss about washing my skin that regularly, but I do think that where you live plays a part in this.
Hi Tracy,
How do you use apple cider vinegar for your face? Sorry I dont seem to have the link on my computer to watch the video.
Thanking you in advance,
I just love your website!! I check it everyday back home. I have gained back my hope to get my acne totally off my face. Going through your articles I realised that I do need to change my face wash to something natural and now I have been using red lentil powder for a week and noticing the improvement in my pore size and skin texture. No break-outs till now but the dark spots are still there which will eventually fade away. Do you suggest any natural treatment for melasma? I’ve got the patches below my chin and the dermatologist prescribed tacrolimus ointment for topical application and hydrochloroquine(anti malarial drug) tablets. I’m on it for three weeks now and the patches are reducing in size. Also, can you suggest a natural alternative which would work as a sunscreen?
Hi Sonalika,
Melasma, I’m not sure, this site might be of interest to you: http://healthylivinghowto.com/1/post/2013/03/adrenal-fatigue-melasma.html
Sunscreen, check out these articles: https://thelovevitamin.com/4000/sunscreen-and-acne-part-one/
Okay so I know I’m late writing on this blog but my question is what can I use to wash my face in place of honey. Yogurt? Iam allergic to honey and I break out in a red rash. Also after the Caveman Regimen is it just best to use water only instead of a natural cleanser? My boyfriend only washes with water and his facial skin is always perfect. Thank you.
Hi Janice,
yes, yoghurt is a pretty cool cleanser 😉 ! Oatmeal is great for sensitive skin as well. Or a natural cold pressed oil (for example jojoba, olive, almond,…): just wash your face with it, pat dry and you’re done!
Water only works quite well for most people (your boyfriend is a great example 😉 !!!). Just give it a try!
Or have a sneak peek at this article about all natural DIY cleansers I wrote for Tracy some time ago:
https://thelovevitamin.com/3477/14-natural-face-cleansing-alternatives/