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This is for all you ladies out there. Whether you struggle with acne, dry, oily, or aging skin, the one thing that I DO know is that radiant, clear healthy skin comes from the inside out. There is no faking it. Your skin is a reflection of what is happening on the inside. Your skin is a reflection of your overall health and nutrition. And I’m here to share with you 6 secrets that I have learned for glowing, healthy skin.
1. Diet Matters for healthy skin:
Like I said before, beauty comes from the inside out. What you put into your body affects EVERY cell, tissue, organ, and system. This includes your skin. Eating good quality, clean foods is essential for healthy skin. Toxins is genetically modified (GMO) foods, foods sprayed with pesticides and herbicides, and processed foods leave toxic build up in your body. This build up can lead to many health issues including rashes, blemishes, eczema, acne, rosacea, psoriasis, dry skin, and wrinkles.
Eating a diet rich in unprocessed, whole foods will guarantee that your body gets all the nutrients and minerals necessary for beautiful skin. Concentrating on seasonal, fresh fruits and vegetables as well as clean, good quality meats and eggs from grass fed and pastured sources is key. Let’s take a look at how specific nutrients affect the skin:
Vitamin C plays a vital role in the synthesis of collagen, which makes up 70% of skin. Collagen is the protein responsible for making your skin supple. Foods high in Vitamin C are citrus fruits, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, brussel sprouts and cucumber.
Vitamin A helps to rebuild tissue and to smooth out rough skin. Good sources of Vitamin A are eggs, leafy greens, carrots, pumpkins, liver, and fermented cod liver oil.
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant which helps to reduce free radicals in your body. Free radicals are the primary cause of aging in skin. Foods high in Vitamin E are olives, sunflower seeds, , almonds, and leafy greens.
Zinc has been shown in studies to significantly improve acne and wound healing. The best, most absorbable sources of zinc are organs such as kidney and liver, red meat such as beef and lamb, and seafood such as oysters, scallops, and other shellfish.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids have been shown to reduce inflammation in the body, to reduce the occurrence of acne and psoriasis, and to promote smoother, younger-looking skin. Good sources of Omega-3’s are cold water fatty fish (such as sardines, salmon, mackerel, tuna, anchovies, and black cod), grass fed beef, chia seeds, walnuts, broccoli, and spinach.
2. Oil Cleansing:
Most soaps and facial cleansers leave your skin stripped of it’s natural oils, and your skin is left trying to repair itself continually. What I recommend for clean, beautiful, healthy skin is to cleanse with oil. Yes, oil! I’ve been doing this for a couple of months now and cannot tell you how soft and smooth my skin feels. This method is recommended for all skin types, even oily skin. The basic idea is that oil dissolves oil. You are cleaning and balancing your skin in a way that leaves it nourished and supported instead of stripped and depleted. And don’t worry, oil cleansing WILL NOT create more acne or blemishes. Read more about Oil Cleansing.
3. Use face oils:
I made the switch from lotions to face oils a couple of years ago, and I will NEVER go back. Oils are what the skin needs to stay healthy and balanced. Most commercial face creams are loaded with waxes, water, and chemicals that have nothing to to with radiant, glowing skin. There are actually very few oils in facial creams. And they can create a layer of build up on your skin that interferes with your skin’s natural regeneration cycle.
Face oils, on the other hand, absorb easily into the skin. This is because oils are lipophilic which means they love fat. They are natural, chemical free, and rich with vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids.
But what about acne prone skin? Facial oils are great for this type of skin. Oils do NOT cause acne. It is recommended to use a lighter oil and to add essential oil specific to acne and inflammation. My teenage daughter uses jojoba oil with lavender, geranium, and carrot essential oil.
And for dry, maturing skin like mine, I recommend using richer oils and essential oils specific for skin repair and regeneration. I currently use a blend of jojoba oil and olive oil mixed with rose hip seed oil, geranium, and carrot seed oil. See recipe HERE for my DIY Hydrating Facial Oil. I can’t tell how much I love this stuff! Don’t want to make you own? Check out my favorite clean face oils HERE.
There are many essential oils that are helpful for reducing the appearance of aging. I have a FREE 10 Day E-Course of Essential Oil Basics that cover Essential Oils and Skincare. Learn more HERE.
To learn more about oils for specific skin types, go HERE.
4. Exfoliate:
Exfoliating is a process where you gently scrub your skin to remove dead skin cells to reveal healthy, glowing skin. It’s the dead skin cells that give skin that dull lifeless appearance. It is recommended to exfoliate one to three times a week. Please remember to be gentle. Being rough can goes more harm than good. And you can make all natural exfoliants at home without spending tons of money. My favorite recipe is the Kiwi, Sugar, and Vitamin E Facial Scrub from Lleaon’s Anti-aging Beauty Secrets.
Kiwi is rich in Vitamin C, Coconut Sugar is a wonderful exfoliator and Vitamin E nourishes and moisturizes. Take one Kiwifruit and blend it to make a smooth paste. Now mix 1 Tbsp. Coconut or Palm Sugar and one Vitamin E Gel caplet. Apply it to your face and rinse off after a few minutes. Gently scrub while rinsing off. Voila! Your skin is already glowing. Do this once a week to get glowing, wrinkle free skin.
For acne prone skin, I also recommend using a charcoal soap bar. Charcoal draws out impurities and oils from the skin, leaving it smoother, cleaner, and healthier-looking. Be sure to choose one that is not too drying. You can see my favorite Charcoal Bar HERE.
5. Manage your stress:
You have all heard the saying that “her worries showed up on her face.” It’s true. Stress will affect the look of your skin. It affect everything about you. So, what are you doing to manage your stress? Here are a few simple tips:
- Take a look at your life and eliminate any unnecessary stresses. Make the lifestyle changes that you need to be happy. Only you can do this. You have one life, so make it a happy one.
- Get enough sleep. Did you know that you will die from lack of sleep before you die from starvation? Lack of proper sleep will not only make you grumpy, it will affect your metabolism as well. Having a depleted metabolism can lead to digestive issues, weight gain, sleep issues, mood swings, blood sugar crashes, and dull skin. Read more HERE about nourishing your metabolism.
- Move your body. Regular, moderate exercise does wonders for you. It lowers blood pressure, helps with weight loss, balances blood sugars, improves your mood, reduces stress, and just plain makes you feel better about yourself!
6. Elimination:
Having a healthy digestion and elimination cycle is critical to healthy skin. Like I said before, your skin is a reflection of what is going on inside of your body. If we are not properly eliminating waste from our body, there will be a build up inside. Your poop is the main avenue for detox in your body. It’s the bacteria and toxins left after you have absorbed what you need from your food. Being backed up will cause these toxins and wastes to be reabsorbed. Who wants this CRAP circulating in their body?
General rule: Make sure that you are pooping at least once a day. And this means a good, solid poop. No rabbit droppings here. (sorry, gotta be real here!) This ensures that your digestive and elimination systems are functioning properly. Undigested foods and toxic build up will show up on your skin. Rashes, acne, psoriasis, eczema and rosacea have all been linked to improper digestion and elimination.
Things not flowing like they should? Read more HERE on how to deal with constipation.
Feel like your body could use a little help detoxifying? Read more HERE about starting a gentle detox.
NOTE: And remember that what you put on your skin matters. There is very little regulation in the beauty industry, and many commercial beauty products have chemicals in them that are harmful to human health. Check out my favorite safe/clean skincare HERE.
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Do you have any awesome tips for radiant skin? I’d love to hear them. Please share in the comments.
Sources:
- http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/vitamins-minerals/4-essential-vitamins-for-great-skin.html
- http://chriskresser.com/nutrition-for-healthy-skin-part-2
- http://chriskresser.com/nutrition-for-healthy-skin-part-1
Photo credit: depositphotos.com / Gladkov
Great info Katja! I would love to try the kiwi scrub and oil cleansing…been battling the dry skin lately with the dry weather. Great reminders too, about how our skins is reflecting what is going on inside of our bodies…thanks!
I keep reading about the down side of getting little sleep. I have been on a real food diet for 6 years. I am doing everything “right” and still have trouble getting sleep at night. I have an early bed-time and a routine but wake in the middle of the night and am up for a couple hours often. It is not always that way but will be that way for a month and then I’ll get good sleep for a while. This lack of sleep is providing stress because I feel like I should be getting more but can’t seem to.
I have been through the same thing, and still struggle with wake ups when I have too much going on. It’s a stress hormone thing. Cortisol peaks around 4am so if you have too much, it will wake you up. I wrote about it here—-> https://www.savorylotus.com/just-chill-reducing-cortisol-levels-for-better-sleep/ and here—–> https://www.savorylotus.com/my-30-day-just-sleep-challenge/
You sound like me, I’ve been a life long insomniac despite doing every thing right, it was so frustrating and no one could help me. A few months ago someone told me about magnesium and I started taking it and it has changed my life, now I fall asleep immediately and sleep all night. I’d look into it if I were you.
Yes, magnesium is awesome. I take MagCalm at night before sleep. It definitely helps. It is also good to keep the bowels regular, an added bonus. The biggest thing that has helped me is the nourish my adrenals. My functional medicine doctor tested my adrenals and put me on supplements to balance out my cortisol levels. Has done wonders for my sleep.
I have been washing my face with coconut oil or just plain water for almost a year. I love washing with oil, oh my, my skin is so soft and balanced! By nature I’ve had oily skin all my whole life; TONS of sopping oil oozing from my pores- what a mess. Now my skin is perfect! ps: It takes a week or so to balance out, so don’t worry, it will happen and when it does you will thank the Gods for the answer!
thanks for sharing! So glad that your skin is so healthy. I love oil cleansing! My skin is so soft when I do it.
What about dark spots? Does washing w oil help dark spots?
Some really great tips right here. 🙂 I find the 5th tips especially interesting, since a lot of people doesn’t pay enough attention to stress when it comes to maintaining a healthy skin.
Really great natural beauty tips; thanks so much.
Great write up! I would love to try the kiwi scrub and oil cleansing…been battling the dry skin lately with the dry weather. Great reminders too, about how our skins is reflecting what is going on inside of our bodies…thanks!