Welcome back!

I am often asked about my skin.  I can’t describe to you the ear to ear grin that spreads across my face each and every single time I am asked about it.  The reason for the huge, cheesy smile? A year ago, I had terrible skin.  As a 29 year old woman, I had been battling acne over a period of about 5 years that grew worse each year. Not only did I have acne, I had skin so oily it would give you high cholesterol just looking at it.  Yes, it was that bad.
So what changed in a year?  Well, I made two major changes.  One: after two years of dermatology visits I decided to go on Accutane for six months.  Two (and more importantly): I adopted a healthier, more natural personal care routine.  This included my hair and skin.  For my skin I adopted a routine of easy, affordable tactics, primarily because the money I was spending on the Accutane treatments left my pockets rather bare. Fortunately, with the state of today’s economy this inexpensive routine is still coming in to be quite helpful.
Allow me to share with you the five quick, easy, and inexpensive elements I introduced to my skin care regimen.

• Aloe – juice, gel, or straight from the plant, the healing properties of aloe are unmatched.  To apply, simply rub over face with cotton ball after washing.  Do not wash off, let it dry.  Once dry, continue with normal makeup routine. Aloe is easy to find in most grocery stores that have a health food section or a vitamin store, such as GNC. (cost: $3-$10 depending on where purchased)
• Jojoba oil – this liquid wax produced from the jojoba seed is as close to sebum (the skin’s natural oil) as naturally possible.  For people with normal to dry skin, this is a great alternative to a moisturizer.  I apply at night after washing and applying aloe to my skin to seal in the moisture.  Jojoba oil can be found in most vitamin stores. (Cost: approximately $7) By the way, jojoba is an excellent makeup remover too!
• Vitamin E – is an anti-oxidant, which equates to aiding in new skin cells regeneration.  This is excellent for improving scarred skin. I added this to my regime by way of an oral supplement, but it can also be applied topically alone or in a moisturizer. Finding Vitamin E will vary depending on oral, or topical.  Any place you can buy vitamins will be a good starting point. (Cost: between $5 – $15)
• Bentonite clay – this clay from volcanic ash, soaks impurities out of pores.  This is easy to find if you read the labels of products in the drug stores.  Oil of Olay makes a great mask that has loads of it: Daily Facials Intensive Mask (Cost – $6-10)
• Water – hydration is key! Eight glasses a day is the bare minimum. Drink as much as you can stand.  I was not (and still am not) a fan of water, it’s boring!  I used to add flavored water packets to make it enjoyable.  Unfortunately, those alter the properties of water, making it no longer H2O; I noticed the difference when I drank just plain water and forced myself to stick with it.  Water can be found anywhere. Drink up! (Cost: $ free)

That’s it; that’s all there is to it.  Five elements that are quick to apply, easy to work it in, painless in application, and most importantly inexpensive to your everyday routine.  What natural elements do you use in your skin care regime that lend you’re your fabulous, glowing skin?