ALL YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT HEALTHY SKIN CARE
Raise your hand if you’ve heard that our skin is the largest organ of our bodies? (true and so cool) And now raise your hand if you want glowy, healthy skin?? (both my hands are raised like super high) Our outward health is in direct relation to our inward health, and it’s no exception when it comes to our skin. When we approach our skin care, what we put in our bodies is key. I’ll walk you through some of the best things we can do for healthy, glowing skin.
ELIMINATING INFLAMMATORY FOODS
No surprise that our gut health plays a role in our skin health (cuz duh our gut health plays a role in errrythang). So, if you want to treat your skin right start by treating your gut microbiome right. Studies show that our gut bacteria directly affect our skin bacteria, which means that an imbalance in our gut can show up as an imbalance in our skin, aka dry skin or acne. Foods such as dairy, gluten, sugar, and processed foods cause an inflammatory response in most people’s guts, triggering our immune system. Inflammation can encourage acne. What you’ll want to do is limit processed foods and incorporate foods that fight inflammation. Also note that depending on your body’s individuality, you may be prone to foods such as diary and gluten, or other food allergies/intolerances, causing inflammation. Great examples of anti-inflammatory foods are dark cherries, turmeric (sprinkle on or in most anything but be sure to also incorporate a pinch of black pepper as this greatly increases absorption in our bodies), broccoli, berries, green tea, fatty fish like salmon, spinach, walnuts, chia seeds, avocados…
HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE!
Water is essential for our cells to function at their best, including our skin cells. A lack of adequate water could result in dry skin. Tip: the best time to apply moisturizer is right after showering to lock in the extra water.
AVOID HORMONE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS
In today’s world, we’re pretty much bombarded by hormone disrupting chemicals. Some things are unavoidable, like the air we breathe or the soil we grow our food in, but some things we can control. Buying organic produce whenever possible will limit your amount of pesticide exposure (washing your produce before consuming is a good idea too). There are loads of hormone disrupting chemicals in cleaning and beauty products, so using cleaner brands or making your own is a much safer choice.
HEALTHY FATS
Our skin cells are surrounded by 2 layers of fat, which are key to plump, healthy looking skin. By incorporating more healthy fats into our diet, we support those healthy plump skin cells and help eliminate acne, smooth out wrinkles, and decrease inflammation. Examples of healthy fats include: walnuts, chia seeds, avocados, coconut oil, collagen (from supplements, bone broth, or foods like chicken on the bone), salmon or other oily fish, eggs, olive oil, and cheese. I personally am a huge fan of avocado toast, homemade cacao and peanut butter cups (made with coconut oil), salmon salads with walnuts, and coconut milk yogurt chia seed pudding. I also take a daily omega 3 supplement. YUM
BONUS:
Homemade face wash! Since I was in middle school, I’ve struggled with acne. I have tried just about every over the counter face wash, cream, and spot treatment out there (and even crazy weird things like sleeping with a tab of toothpaste on breakouts). I can tell you that NO other product has worked as well as when I started using my own homemade face wash. Here’s the recipe:
3/4 cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon activated charcoal
15 drops tea tree essential oil
8 drops lavender essential oil
8 drops geranium essential oil
I have to confess, I usually just eyeball it when it comes to my face wash! So do what works for you. If you want it a little grittier, use more baking soda. If you’re not a fan of activated charcoal, leave it out! Customize it for what you need. ALSO bonus bonus!! I use neat tea tree oil on pesky breakouts and have never had anything work so great for me.