For the Girl Who Knows She's Worth More Than Tretinoin: Grace's Skin Story.
Prompted by severe acne, Grace Harvey's two-year holistic healing journey, shared with quiet confidence, deepened her faith, inspired radical lifestyle changes, and renewed her understanding of stewarding her body.
When Grace Harvey describes her wellness journey, she speaks with a quiet confidence formed in fire. Newly married and two years into holistic healing, Grace shares how a season of severe acne led her toward deeper faith, radical lifestyle shifts, and a renewed understanding of what it means to steward the body God created.
RTK: Grace, how did all of this begin?
Grace: I had mild teenage acne—so mild that when I looked for photos recently, I couldn’t even find any. But when you’re 16, even a few pimples feel huge. My mom took me to the dermatologist, and I was immediately put on topical retinoids and antibiotics. No one mentioned lifestyle, food, or root causes. That began seven years of medicated skin.
Withdrawal, Breakouts, and Breaking Point
RTK: What happened when you stopped?
Grace: The first few weeks were mild… then everything exploded. Cystic acne across my chin, forehead—places I’d never broken out. In hindsight, it was withdrawal mixed with all the root causes that medication had masked for years.
It stripped me of confidence. But God met me there. He reminded me that He cares about the internal more than the external. It was humbling, sanctifying, refining.
A New Faith—and a New Perspective
When Grace became a Christian, her approach to health began shifting. Through a friend, she met Bethany McDaniel, founder of Primally Pure, and eventually began assisting her.
Grace: Bethany lived so differently—no microwave, different foods, non-toxic products. I’d never thought critically about what went into my body before. Working for her opened my eyes to a whole new way of living.
One day she posted about the dangers of long-term tretinoin. I was on it—and I trusted her. So I stopped cold turkey.
“That’s really where my story begins—stopping the medication and realizing my skin had never truly been healed.”
A 30-Day Experiment That Became a Lifestyle
As Grace’s skin worsened, Bethany gently stepped in.
Grace: She said, “Let’s go deeper.” First she suggested removing gluten, dairy, and refined sugar. Then she called back and said, “Let’s make it a full experiment—clean diet, clean products, supplements, and non-toxic home changes.” Primally Pure even sponsored it.
It didn’t take 30 days. It took months.
“I didn’t see progress until month three or four. Healing required discipline, patience, and hope I didn’t always feel.”
“I now understand in a real, biological way that I am uniquely made. My body reacts differently than others’, and that’s not a flaw—it's design. Stewarding my body means caring for it the way God created my body to operate.”
Her Advice for Women Coming Off Skincare Medications
Don’t quit cold turkey.
Wean slowly while supporting your body internally.
Start with an acne elimination diet:
Gluten
Dairy
Refined sugar
Seed oils
Eggs
Remove all for four weeks—then reintroduce slowly. This alone moves the needle for many women.
Remember: every woman is unique.
There is no single root cause.
Learning to Ask Better Questions
RTK: You mentioned literacy—what questions should women ask?
Grace:
“What’s in this?”
Food, skincare, shampoo, makeup. Ingredient literacy changed my life.
“How does my body react?”
Your friend’s “safe” product may not be safe for you.
“Am I being intentional—or just convenient?”
So much of our culture trains us not to think.
What’s My Why?
Before we ended, Grace shared a final piece of wisdom:
Grace: Be prayerful—about food, products, clothing, everything. Convenience is not the goal. Stewardship is. My website is called Beat the Culture because we’re called to live differently from the world. This journey taught me what that looks like in the everyday decisions.
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