Let me start by explaining my skin history.
I have struggled with acne since I was 11 years old. That’s 21 years of skin issues. Needless to say, I got a little tired of it. I had pretty much every form of acne that exists. Baby acne, ingrown, painful zits, white heads, chest and back acne and the list goes on. I went to the same dermatologist for 21 years. Why? I have no idea, he was never any help.
In my 20’s I went through phases of clear skin. At the time I was using Burt’s Bees skin care line and I though it was the cure. I had breakouts, sure, but nothing terrible.
Fast forward to giving birth to my Daughter in 2017. Now 29 years old and I had an influx of issues afterward.
Dermatitis
Acne breakouts
The driest skin I had EVER experienced
But oily at the same time
I managed to get that all under control with in a short amount of time with Neutrogena Rapid Clear Spot Gel, a benzoyl peroxide treatment. Then I added in the face wash that was recommended (by my dermatologist). Neutrogena rapid clear, I believe, also a benzoyl treatment. These worked wonders at the time, but in the end just caused more damage than good. I continued with those two products and a burt’s bees lotion for quite some time. Breakouts here and there, nothing crazy.
Now Fast forward to 2019. Last summer. My skin wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t as clear as I would have liked. I saw all these women on instagram with beautiful glowing skin, recommending natural skin care. Specifically essential oils. So I thought. “Well what’s the worst that can happen? They make me break out if they aren’t the right fit for my skin? Let’s try it!”
After trying essential oils for a short time, my skin was absolutely disgusting. And I say disgusting because it became so over sensitized that there was a slick layer of my skin’s natural oils covering my face at all times. I could blot all day long and be a greasy mess almost instantly. I’d wake up in the morning and have this thick layer of oil that I can’t even explain. Not only was I oily, but I began breaking out in folliculitis. Tiny bumps covering my face that were itchy.
So now I’m a greasy, bumpy mess.
Pictures below:
I struggled with this skin for nearly 3 months. In the second month, I stumbled across an instagram story talking about over sensitized skin and it just clicked. “What am I doing? Obviously oils are not working for my skin. Something needs to change.” This instagram story led me to Olena Beley’s account. I was so intrigued by her way of teaching and the info she shared and I was so desperate to try anything at this point (even my old skin care routine wasn’t working.) I began reading her entire website and watching her youtube videos for product recommendations and how to use them.
That same week that I found her I purchased multiple products she mentioned. I anxiously waited for their arrival so that I could see just how true all of her advice was. I was skeptical of everything at this point.
Meanwhile, the folliculitis was at it’s worst. I researched cures for something that I could purchase locally. I came across multiple articles that mentioned Nizoral. It’s a dandruff shampoo but kills the bacteria that causes the folliculitis. I headed to my local walmart, started using it that night as a face mask. I would apply it to my entire face and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes and wash it off. This cleared the bumps 30% after the first use. I continued to use the Nizoral twice a day, morning and night, for a couple of weeks.
When my new products that Olena recommended arrived, my skin had improved, but was still oily, bumpy and itchy. Not completely better in the slightest. So I was anxious to start this new routine.
I started testing out some Bioderma face washes and the 3-step-moisture-method she created. After another week I purchased the chemical exfoliator that she mentioned and the cotton reusable pads to apply it.
3 weeks go by and I was seeing significant changes in my skin. Not only had the folliculitis diminished almost completely, but my skin was no longer over sensitized and breakouts were minimal. I also had never experienced dewy, soft, “bouncy” textured skin before. Ever.
Here are the results after just those few weeks:
There is no filter on the photo above and only concealer on my chin and around my nose to minimize some redness.
I was still getting occasional small breakouts so I decided to switch out my bioderma face wash, which was the one for more sensitive skin, to another one that seemed to work better with my skin type.
Now after all that said, here I am today, 9 months later, using the same skincare routine and loving my skin. I will get maybe one small pimple every COUPLE OF MONTHS, but it clears within a couple of days. I’ll take it! And one of the best parts is the routine is quick and inexpensive.
These products won’t work for everyone. Everyone is different. I do recommend you head to Olena’s website and youtube channel and research all of her content and find what you think may work for you. She also offers one on one routine reviews.
Here is my skin today, 9 months after starting the new products:
I am only wearing blush, and again, no filter. Just natural lighting.
Products I use:
Face Wash
Chemical Exfoliator
Reusable Cotton Pads
Skin Clarifying Mist (You can also just use water!)
Hyaluronic Acid
Moisturizer
How I apply the products:
Wash face with Bioderma face wash. I wash really well, around 60 seconds in circular motions.
Pat dry and apply the chemical exfoliator to the cotton pad and wipe all over face, avoiding eye area.
Spray the mist all over face so it feels damp. Don’t let it dry.
One pump of Hyaluronic Acid all over, avoiding eye area. Don’t let it dry.
Pea size amount of moisturizer all over.
My skin has never felt this great and I’m now 32 years old. It took a bit of experimenting with different recommendations and products and trial and error. I’m so happy.
If this can help one person, even if it’s just with folliculitis it was totally worth sharing.
3 comments
Hi Maggie ! Thank you for sharing these advices, it’s very interesting to hear about your experience. The result is just perfect !! I have a question: do you think that your better skin could also have to do with nutrition ? Did you change something in your food habits to help your skin ?
Estelle (from France, sorry for the mistakes)
In your instructions, when you say don’t let it dry, do you mean apply they next product before it dries or wipe it off instead of letting it dry?
Do you do this skincare routine morning and night?