If you've been breaking out for years, have tried every cleanser, serum, and spot treatment out there, and still can't figure out why your skin won't clear, this episode is going to be the conversation you didn't know you needed. Leah sits down with Kayleigh Christina, certified holistic nutritionist and co-founder of ClearStem Skincare, who went from cystic acne so severe she stopped leaving the house to completely clear skin in two months, once she identified the 12 triggers no doctor had ever talked to her about. What they cover is not what you're going to hear at the dermatologist's office.

In this episode:

• Why "clean" skincare does not mean acne-safe, and how ingredients like beef tallow, shea butter, coconut oil, algae extracts, and avocado oil are some of the most notorious pore-cloggers you can put on your face, even though they're non-toxic
• What physically happens inside your pore when a pore-clogging ingredient gets stuck, why coconut oil turns into a waxy ball that has nowhere to go, and why clearing those clogs is what actually makes your pores look smaller
• Why your hair conditioner might be the reason you can't clear your skin, and where to look if it's the culprit: your hairline, the side of your face you sleep on, the back of your neck, and your back
• How randomly taking "hormone-balancing" supplements like Vitex and He Shou Wu without running labs can directly worsen your acne by disrupting the very hormones you were trying to support
• Why B12, vitamin D, and zinc show up in so many supplements, multivitamins, and "immune-boosting" beverages at levels that can spike testosterone and trigger androgenic acne, often without you even realizing you're taking that much
• The real reason food and beverage companies dump cheap, non-bioavailable forms of zinc and biotin into their products, and what to look for instead so you're not creating a toxic overload while thinking you're doing something good for your body
• How compromised gut health connects directly to jawline and neck breakouts through albumin protein from egg whites building up in the lymph system, and why food triggers are different for everyone depending on what's going on internally
• What mandelic acid actually does inside the pore, why it's effective for both active acne and aging at the same time, and how to build a simple four-product routine that heals your skin without stripping it
• How ClearStem's acne lab test screens over 86 blood markers, including heavy metals, liver and kidney function, parasites, and cell hydration, to find what conventional labs and standard doctor visits keep missing

Your skin is not broken. There are real, identifiable reasons your breakouts keep coming back, and most of them have nothing to do with how well you're washing your face. This episode gives you a completely different way to look at acne so you can stop spinning your wheels and start actually getting clear.

Use code LEAHB to save 15% at ClearStem Skincare: clearstem.com

Find Kayleigh Christina: Website: clearstem.com Pore Clogging Ingredients Checker: clearstem.com/free-checker Instagram: @clearstem_skincare and @kayleighchristina

Leah's Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

I'm Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you'll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a long-term pharmaceutical prescription.

Let's connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/
Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/
Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/
Email: [email protected]

The recommendations presented in this podcast are not a substitute for medical advice from a qualified doctor. Before making any changes to your diet and lifestyle, please consult with your healthcare provider.