"So, what do you use on your face?"

This is the question everyone keeps asking and I am more than happy to answer.

But first, here's the back story. I've had acne since 6th grade (yep, that's 14 years). People kept saying, "Oh, you'll outgrow it." Here I am, 24, and...nope, still haven't outgrown it.  Don't get me wrong; it has gotten better since middle/high school days, but that doesn't make me any less tired of it. I am fed up.

Last year in December, I saw a doctor at my school's health center and she determined that the problem was probably internal, so she prescribed me some antibiotics, Doxycyclin to be exact. These worked like a charm. Within days, I was blemish-free. Seriously. I took them for a few months. I was clear-faced and happy! But then reality hit. "I can't be on antibiotics for the rest of my life! There has to be some other way. This cannot be the end-all, be-all. I mean, taking antibiotics for the rest of my life can't be healthy, right?!"

On my last visit to the doctor, she said my face looked pretty good (and I agree that it did), but she instructed that I still keep a bottle of the antibiotics around to take sporadically "if I needed them." So, that's what I did. However, I am pretty sure my body built up an immunity to them (scary!) because my last round had absolutely no effect. This put me on my research rampage. I wanted to know any and everything that other people did to clear up their acne, but here's the thing. I wanted to use things that I am familiar with, things that are natural. Who knows what the heck some of these acne meds are doing to the insides of our bodies! Could it affect my organs? Cause cancer? Or even worse (in my opinion), affect my fertility!? (I wanna be a mom! Not now, but one day...after I'm married)

After many hours of reading and video-watching, here's what I've come up with that seems to be working for me (at least for now). I am not blemish-free, but my skin feels softer, cleaner, and my acne scars are fading away. I'd say it's a pretty good system. I also haven't worn make-up for the past 4 days in order to let my skin breathe and repair on its own without the stress of rubbing random chemicals on and off of it each day.

Here are the 3 ingredients I have been using on my face for the past week now. Only these 3. Nothing else.

 I got the 2 bottles on the end from the Dollar Tree. 

1. HONEY: I wash my face with Raw Organic Wildflower Honey (Whole Foods, $5.99) each morning. According to a fellow blogger, Crunchy Betty, it is important that the honey says "raw" or "pure." I encourage you to check out her blog. I am taking her honey challenge. 
• Directions: I simply dip my 2 fingers in, scoop out about 1/2 teaspoon of it and rub it in for about 2 minutes all over my face, even my eyebrows, sometimes my lips 'cause it tastes good! I leave it on for however long I feel (but 3-5 minutes will suffice). Sometimes, I take a bath with it on or watch an episode of 7th Heaven (love that show!). Then, I just wash it off with warm water. Once it's all off, I splash with cold water to close my pores. Also, I let my skin air dry to avoid putting any traces of bacteria back on my face that could be living on a towel.
• Results: Since using honey, I have seen a reduction in blemishes. My faces feels so clean afterwards and I think it is making my skin glow. 
2. OLIVE OIL: Once my face air dries, I moisturize with 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil (You can find this anywhere; Walmart or any grocery store). It is important that it is 100% extra virgin to insure there's no other junk in it.  I started off using it day and night, but have switched to just night time for now. 
• Directions: I squeeze about a dime-sized amount into the palm of my hand, dab it around my face (forehead, nose, cheeks, chin) and rub it in for a few minutes. Surprisingly, it absorbs into the skin really well. 
• Results: Since using the olive oil, I have seen a dramatic reduction in my acne scarring (in just one week!) and strangely, my usually super-oily skin is less oily! I love it so much that I use it every night as an all-over body moisturizer. My knees and elbows are softer than ever. No more ashiness! 
3. BAKING SODA: I use Arm & Hammer baking soda every 2-3 nights as an exfoliator to slough off the dead skin, which promotes cell renewal. 
• Directions: I squeeze about a teaspoon of it into my palm, then let a few drops of water from the faucet drip into it to form a thick paste. I scrub my face with it for a minute or so. Then, I rinse it off with warm (not hot) water and then cold to close my pores. Then, I moisturize with olive oil, of course! 
• Results: My skin feels super clean and smooth after using this and it really gets the blackheads too! 

I have been doing this for about 5 days pretty religiously and wearing no make-up because I don't want any interferences. I really want to see if this works. I think it will take time for my face to fully adjust so I'm giving it time. In the mean time, I am loving how my face feels. Tonight, I went to a friend's jewelry party and felt pretty confident wearing absolutely no make-up. Yes, I still have visible zits, but my skin overall looks healthier and smoother. That's my story thus far. I will let y'all know how it goes! At this point, I'll be honest and say I'm afraid to post "before" and "after" pics because I am insecure about how my "before" pictures look. We'll see how I feel next week. 

Thank you for all of your encouragement thus far on my journey! It means a lot to me. Happy natural living =)