Tips For Skin Health
As I have been working away at launching my face oil, I thought it was time to finally write a blog post about skincare- such an essential topic in health that I am very passionate about. Many people pay hundreds and thousands of dollars on their skin routine with the aim of having healthy looking skin. I personally like to simplify it, getting back to nature and tapping into the benefits that lie therein. Here are my two main approaches when it comes to healthy skin:
1) External Skincare
When it comes to what I put on my skin, I try to keep it as close to the earth as possible. The importance of getting back to nature and getting away from toxic ingredients is definitely growing in popularity. And with good reason. The skincare industry is flooded with harmful toxic ingredients. I won’t list them all here, but these links provide useful lists of various chemicals to avoid in skincare:
I don't want you to read this and leave with anxiety around the danger of the skincare industry. That is an unhealthy state to be in and I am here to encourage health! What I do hope you can take away from this is greater mindfulness around your skincare routines- pay attention to what you are putting on your body by reading ingredient lists and choosing safe options.
There are many skincare companies that are recognizing this need and coming out with clean and safe skincare products, thank goodness! For me personally, I make many of my own products. This way I can control WHAT I am putting on my skin and the QUALITY of the ingredients I use. For anyone interested, I have collated a list of what I use for my DIY skincare products at the end of this blog post.
2) Skincare From Within
I believe what I put INSIDE by body is equally, if not more important for skin health as what I put on my skin. I nourish from within. Here are some specific dietary choices I make for my skin:
A) I don't shy away from healthy fats. In fact I welcome them! Avocado, coconut, healthy oils, nuts and nut butters. These contribute to having healthy, glowing skin.
B) I avoid toxic processed foods and too much sugar. For me personally, they decrease the health of my skin and cause acne breakouts.
C) Nourish through nutrition! I incorporate collagen rich foods (such as bone broth) and foods high in antioxidants and vitamins. Protein is also vital for healthy skin. I am not a big meat lover (except for making bone broth), therefore I get a lot of my protein from a variety of foods high in amino acids, such as nuts, legumes and quinoa. I also eat eggs and regularly add hemp seeds to my food as they hold all nine essential amino acids to form a complete protein source.
D) Gut health has a direct impact on my skin health. I went through a time (post antibiotics) when my gut was unhealthy and my skin reacted. I got acne. I lost my skins glow. It looked tired and supple. As i restored my gut, my skin health restored too. Acne went away. The glow returned. Elasticity increased. I have seen first hand that the healthier my gut is, the healthier my skin is! For information on how I maintain gut health you can read these previous blog posts I wrote:
My Personal DIY Skincare
For anyone interested in starting to make their own skin products, here are the main things I make.
Face and body cleanser. This one I make using a combination of about 3 parts oat flour to 1 part almond meal and 1 part flax meal (that I sift with a fine sieve to remove any scratchier husky parts). Sometimes I add a little hemp powder too. Next I mix in some essential oils for a relaxing aromatherapy scent as well as skin soothing and nourishing benefits. I use a few drops each of lavender, chamomile and geranium essential oil. Also, if you have drier skin you can add more almond meal to the cleanser to make it more moisturizing.
This cleanser is in a powder form. To use, I mix a small amount of this powder in the palm of my hand with water to form a paste, then scrub it over my face and rinse. If you find it hard to rub over your skin it may not be wet enough- just wet your hands and then try again. It is a little messier than a regular cleanser but my skin absolutely loves it.
Deodorant (I melt down beeswax, shea butter and coconut oil, then mix in baking soda, arrowroot and essential oils (peppermint, lemon and tea tree). Once it cools and sets its ready to use.
Body Butter for my dry skin. I make this with cocoa butter, shea butter, apricot kernel oil and essential oils.
Face masks: There is an endless amount of combinations I use for different face masks, but here’s some ideas:
Mash ½ banana with a teaspoon of manuka honey (or another raw honey)
Avocado (Yes, just mashed avocado straight on the face)!
Bentonite or kaolin clay powder that I mix with water to make a paste
Scoby. That’s right- that ugly alien looking thing that grows when my kombucha brews actually makes an amazing face mask. It has a similar effect to a an expensive fruit peel. I break the scoby up and lay the pieces over my face to cover my skin (a towel wrapped around my head is needed to catch the drips). I will say this- its not the most relaxing face mask, but boy is it effective at getting my skin to glow!
Matcha green tea powder mixed with honey and plain yoghurt.
Finally, I use witch hazel as a toner and then finish off with my face oil.
So, as I get ready to finish this blog post and shut down my computer, remember that healthy skincare is a combination of what you put inside you as well as the quality of what you put on your skin. Pay attention to ingredients. Get back to nature. Nourish your skin.
I'd love to hear any tips you use for healthy skincare or feel free to send me a message with any questions!
Keep striving towards health. Whole health.