I've been planning to do this post a while now, but I wanted to get better results before I posted anything. Anyway, I wanted to do an overview of how I got rid of my acne and my acne scars for anyone that may be in a rut right now.


I'll talk about when I started getting acne at first. When I was in high school, I had really good skin. My skin was smooth and pore-less. I didn't do anything much with my skin. I wake up in morning, wash my face with water then just moisturize. Everything was good until I graduated. My face started breaking out like no tomorrow. I had white heads, papules, pustules - you name it. It was horrible. I tried lots of products claiming they would heal acne (i.e ProActiv, Neutrogena, Bio Oil etc.) and nothing worked. I was battling acne for about 3 years until recently I started looking into what I've been doing wrong.

1. Cleanse.
I have used a ton of scrubs, acne cleansers and so much that I can't even remember. Anything that had "Acne" on it, I tried it, lol. Some cleansers even dried the crap out of my skin, made it flake and peel like mad. It was really ugly.

My Changes?
Instead of looking for cleansers that targeted acne alone, I decided to look for cleansers that would suit my skin type instead. My skin is sensitive combination and I wanted to look for something that cleansed my skin well, yet didn't leave it dry. After going through tons trial and errors, I've found a few ones that cleansed my skin without leaving it dry, tight and didn't break me out. I use Lumene Radiant Touch Moisturizing Cream Cleanser, and thanks to Hanna, I'm also using Skin Food Aloe Vera Cream & Foaming Cleansers. It cleansed my skin pretty good and made my skin bright and smooth. Plus, no breakouts!

2. Tone.
This was always a step that a lot of people (even myself) think isn't necessary. I mean as long as you cleanse your skin well, and exfoliate once a week, there's really no need to use a toner right? Not quite.

I bought the OLAY Refreshing Toner out of curiosity. I wanted to see if there was anything left on my skin after cleansing and boy was I right! Just one swipe I saw there was some dirt still trapped in my pores. It wasn't pretty I tell you. This step to me is optional for most people, but for me, I feel that its necessary to have a toner.

3. Hydrate.
This played a major part in my skin. I realized that instead of hydrating my skin like I should, I was drying out my skin purposely. When I was breaking out and my face became extremely oily, I rarely used moisturizer because I didn't think I needed any. And when I did use a moisturizer, it wasn't even meant for the face. No matter what your skin type is, proper hydration is key.

My Changes?
I started looking into moisturizers, I was using OLAY Complete for a while and it worked fine, but it was a bit rich for me - even the Oil-Free one. Then I came across Merlot, a skin care line where its main ingredient is grape seed. To read more about this line, do visit Merlot Skincare. Grape seed is a powerful antioxidant and has anti-aging benefits. It helps protect your skin from premature aging as well as being effective in fighting acne. Its also been said that grape seed oil helps fight free radicals. I've been using it ever since and I've noticed my skin brighter and there was less oil on my face. Want to learn more about grape seed oil? Check this link from Health N Energy and Viva Woman. Also check out my review on Merlot here.

Of course a lot of you are probably wondering, "These steps are pretty basic, there has to be other things she could be doing.", right? Well, that's right. I also changed my diet.

4. DIET.
It is real hard when there's something you want to eat knowing that its bad for you and your skin. I cut down on eating fatty foods a bit. I still eat the occasional burger and the Bloomin' Onion, but I try not to eat as much as I use to. I don't drink soda as much as I use to either. I always order water or if I want something a little sweet, I get sweet tea. I rarely drink soda anymore, but if I'm with my boyfriend, sometimes I break my own rule, lol. Here's my progress after two months.

Water has also played a big part in my skin. After I started drinking more water, I noticed my skin started getting better as well. Besides drinking water, I also drink Aloe Vera Juice. A lot of you may know that Aloe Vera is great for treating cuts, burns and sunburns. It repairs internal tissue breaks, helps colds, allergies, constipation and more. Its even said to be good for acne. I drink Alove Vera juice about 1-2 times a week. You can read more about Aloe Vera at HubPages and at Viva Woman. I try to eat more vegetables and fruits like tomatoes, watermelon, spinach, apple, broccoli, etc.

5. D.I.Y REMEDIES
Last but not least, I started doing some at-home skin care. This actually played a critical part in my skin since I had so much acne - especially acne scars as you can see in the picture above. Though when doing at-home remedies, its takes a little longer to see the progress. Some may take longer than others. I was one of those people who pops their pimple - every single time. So as my older scars were healing, I kept getting new scars thanks to my itchy fingers. The one recipe that absolutely saved my life was the Nutmeg & Honey Spot Treatment. I found this recipe on Sesame's blog that Leon suggested. I don't know what I've could've done if I've never came across this recipe. So a big thanks to both Sesame and Leon! If you want to know what other ingredients I use in my skin care, you can visit the D.I.Y Beauty Section on my wordpress blog. If you would like me to write down my skin care routine, just ask and I'll try to do a post for you.

This is a most recent photo of me. I took this yesterday. Besides cropping and resizing, there has been no other editing what so ever. The only thing I have on my face is a light dusting of mineral foundation and some neutral eye makeup.

I hope that this overview was somewhat helpful. If there's anything I can help you with, don't hesitate to ask. (: