Did you know that your skin is one of the largest organs of the body? Besides acting as a waterproof, insulating shield, guarding the body against extremes of temperature, damaging sunlight, and harmful chemicals, it also helps prevent infection and manufactures vitamin D for converting calcium into healthy bones and much more. More reasons to make sure you are taking really good care of your skin. Let’s have a look at some ways to do that.
Toxic Skin Care
I am a big proponent of not only looking at what you put into your body but also what you put ON your body. You may not realize it, but your favorite skin care products can be significantly full of harmful ingredients, toxins, and chemicals. In fact, most store-bought, commercially produced beauty products that claim to erase wrinkles and make your skin glow, are packed with toxic chemicals, artificial colors, fragrances, preservatives and stabilizers that can easily be absorbed through the skin’s pores, potentially causing a range of negative long-term health effects.
Skin Care Chemicals
When you read the list here, you know you’ve seen these synthetic chemicals in your skin care products. Most are skin irritants, skin penetrators, endocrine disruptors and may also cause cancer.
If you struggle with itching, redness, dryness, fine lines and other problems that come from sensitive or aging skin…here’s the shocking fact. Your skin problems could be CAUSED by what you’re using to fix the problem!
That’s right. That’s because the toxic ingredients in many topical skin products are often the culprits.
Here are the 10 main ones you should strive to avoid as much as possible:
1. Parabens
Widely used preservatives that prevent the growth of bacteria, mold, and yeast in cosmetic products. Parabens possess estrogen-mimicking properties that are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. These chemicals are absorbed through the skin and have been identified in biopsy samples from breast tumors.
2. Synthetic Colors
If your product labels say FD&C or D&C with a color and number, it means these colors come from petroleum or coal tar. These are also suspected to be carcinogens, skin irritants and linked to ADHD in children.
3. Fragrance or Parfum
This term was created to protect the “secret formulas” of companies that produce the fancy smelling perfumes, colognes, shampoos, conditioners, body washes, and moisturizers. Basically, that formula is likely to be full of many, many chemicals that are hazardous to your health.
4. Phthalates
A group of chemicals used in hundreds of products to increase the flexibility and softness of plastics. They are known to be endocrine disruptors and have been linked to increased risk of breast cancer, early breast development in girls, and reproductive birth defects in males and females.
5. Triclosan
You antibacterial soap is likely to contain this widely used antimicrobial chemical that’s a known endocrine disruptor — especially thyroid and reproductive hormones, and a skin irritant. Triclosan can also be found in toothpaste and deodorants.
6. Sodium lauryl sulfate/ Sodium laureth sulfate
This surfactant can be found in more than 90 percent of personal care and cleaning products that “foam up” when used and are known to be skin, lung, and eye irritants. These combinations can lead to a host of other issues like kidney and respiratory issues.
7. Formaldehyde-releasing Preservatives
This preservative is used in many cosmetic products to help prevent bacteria growth, yet it has been linked to occupational related nasal and nasopharyngeal cancers, allergic skin reactions and it may also be harmful to the immune system.
8. Toluene
This chemical derived from petroleum or coal tar sources appears on labels as benzene, toluol, phenylmethane, methylbenzene. These can affect your respiratory system, cause nausea and irritate your skin. Toluene has also been linked to immune system toxicity.
9. Propylene Glycol (PEG compound)
Commonly used as a skin conditioning agent, this ingredient is classified as a skin irritant and penetrator, so it is known to cause dermatitis, hives and other skin sensitivities.
10. Sunscreen Chemicals
While these absorb ultraviolet light, they are endocrine disruptors and are believed to be easily absorbed into the body. They may also cause cellular damage and cancer. Common names are benzophenone, PABA, avobenzone, homosalate, and ethoxycinnmate.
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Natural Skin Care
The good news is that there’s still plenty of natural ways to make your skin − and your even hair, teeth or nails − look their best without needing to buy expensive and harmful commercial products. Basically, the closer to nature the natural skin product is, the better.
6 Great Ingredients for Natural Skin Care
There are more natural skin care products available now than ever, and their long list of benefits go beyond great looking skin. Start making over your beauty routine by trying these 6 natural skin care products:
1. Coconut Oil
Strengthens underlying epidermal tissue, softens wrinkles, removing dead skin cells, protecting us from sunburns, and contains antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antioxidant properties. Research even shows that coconut oil can help fight chronic skin diseases characterized by defects in the epidermal barrier function and cutaneous inflammation, including atopic dermatitis (AD).
2. Tea Tree Oil
Has been used for hundreds of years to fight breakouts, redness, and inflammation on the skin. Tea tree oil acts as a natural anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antimicrobial and anti-fungal — its phytochemicals make it one of the most versatile and popular natural skin care essential oils there is.
3. Apple Cider Vinegar
Can help to kill pathogens (like bacteria), clear skin problems caused by gut issues, cleanse the skin, help stop acne, and provide antifungal properties.
4. Raw Honey
One of the best natural sources of nutrients, enzymes, vitamins and skin-boosting acids that can reduce breakouts, provide moisturizing properties, encourage wound healing, fight allergies or rashes, and helps to reduce scars.
5. Sea Salt
Loaded with minerals and nutrients like magnesium, calcium, sodium, and potassium and contains anti-inflammatory properties to soothe skin and calm breakouts, remove dead skin cells and irritation, balance oil production, and helps dry skin to retain moisture levels.
6. Aloe Vera
Provides antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that can improve the healing process of injured skin as well as promote better skin texture. You can easily take an aloe vera leaf and squeeze a tiny amount of the gel and apply it directly on the area of the skin being treated. Or you can take this Aloe/200x™ supplement which includes the nourishing aloe extract. Aloe vera contains over 75 active nutrients including amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. This product also provides polysaccharides which is effective in leaving skin supple and smooth.
Best Acne Treatment
Acne can be a sign that the liver is not processing toxins as well as possible and some of them are literally being pushed out through your skin. Also, a clogged liver cannot adequately neutralize hormones, which get recycled back into circulation and may cause havoc on your skin.
I believe a good place to start treating acne is from the inside out by undergoing a comprehensive detox program along with:
- Avoiding bread, pasta, rice, sugar, and foods that contain flour which are all common acne culprits.
- Making sure you have bowel movements daily. If your intestines are not eliminating wastes effectively toxins will be allowed to recirculate through your body
- Giving up dairy products, most of which have hormones that can speed up aging and cause a whole host of other skin problems including acne, rosacea, and rashes.
- Getting enough zinc in your diet to help reduce inflammation and minimize acne breakouts. Zinc also positively influences hormones that are most likely to promote acne flare-ups.
A favorite supplement that provides comprehensive support for the internal healing process and treatment of acne is called Acnutrol™. This skin-supportive supplement includes nutrients such as zinc, copper, selenium, chromium, niacin, biotin, vitamin B6, and the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, & E., In addition, it contains two other nutrients called pantothenic acid and carnitine, which regulate the balance of oils in the skin, provides anti-inflammatory benefits and are necessary for cellular repair.
10 Best Foods that are Good for Your Skin
Getting and keeping radiant, soft skin can happen if you watch what you eat and is especially true since certain foods can age skin. Use the following foods to enrich your skin from the inside out and see the results with beautiful skin you can flaunt.
1. Avocados
This fruit is rich in antioxidants such as Vitamin E, loaded with healthy fats (monounsaturated), and are good for your body and skin.
2. Wild Fish
Look for the smaller fish such as wild caught salmon, mackerel, sardines and anchovies which boast healthy fats that can lead to radiant skin. Omega-3 fatty acids in these fish can combat inflammation and fight cancer. People with dry skin, crackling skin who take omega-fatty acids by food or fish oil supplements have reported remarkable improvements in their dry or flaky skin problems.
3. Flaxseeds
Similar to fish oil, flaxseed oil and seeds are excellent sources of good fats. It’s easy to incorporate flaxseed into your diet. Simply spoon the oil onto hot cereal, vegetables, or salad, one to three teaspoons a day. Or you can purchase ground flaxseed and add two or more tablespoons to your salad, yogurt or smoothies.
4. Colorful Fruits and Veggies
All fruits and veggies help you get enough minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants to ward off free radical damage and fight other signs of aging. I recommend my patients eat a “rainbow diet” that aims to include six or more servings of colorful vegetables and 2 or more servings of fruit a day.
5. Collagen
Collagen protein found in grass-fed beef, organic poultry, and all kinds of nuts are some of the best foods for glowing skin because they deliver ample amounts of amino acids that boost collagen production. Collagen is a vital protein that improves your skin’s structure and elasticity and supports beautiful skin, hair and nails.
6. Kale
Just one cup of kale has twice the daily recommended dose of Vitamin A and Vitamin C, both of which are essential for blasting the oxidative, damaging effects of the sun.
7. Dark Chocolate
Chocolate is derived from cacao beans and is rich in antioxidants called flavanols, which may plump and hydrate skin, protect it from UV damage, and boost circulation for a healthy glow.
8. Berries
Berries contain anthocyanin which is responsible for the vivid jewel tones of blue, red and purple found in blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, blackberries, and raspberries and works to protect the skin from free radical damage, premature aging, and wrinkles.
9. Broccoli
Sulfur-containing vegetables provide strength and elasticity to the skin (hair and nails too!). Sulfur-rich foods help your body to detoxify and the better your body is able to detoxify, the better your skin will look! Foods like broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy, broccoli, collards, asparagus, arugula, and Brussels sprouts are all good sources of sulfur. See my article on the 12 Foods that Cleanse and Detoxifying.
10. Raw nuts – pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds are additional sources of sulfur that are excellent for the skin. Nuts such as almonds and walnuts are rich in vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids. These nutrients help fight free radicals, prevent premature aging and keep the skin hydrated longer. Eating more nuts will lead to smoother skin as well as stronger hair, nails, and bones.
Vitamins for Healthy Skin
Your skin is intimately connected to your whole-body health. By taking control of your health, you will get the added bonus of beautiful skin, hair and nails so you can feel your best! Here are some supplement suggestions to help nourish your body both inside and out.
Collagen
Support gorgeous skin, hair, and nails with collagen protein. If you want glowing looking skin, reduced fine lines and wrinkles, healthy skin hydration and elasticity, then look no further than collagen. This nutrient is the real deal and studies show the many benefits of supplementing with collagen. As an added bonus, collagen works to give your whole body the support it needs, not just your skin. It also strengthens joints and leads to a healthier gut. Whole Body Collagen can easily be added to shakes, smoothies, and other foods and beverages, making it a convenient way to ensure adequate intake of collagen’s unique amino acids.
Omega-3s
As mentioned earlier, omega-3s can be helpful in maintaining youthful and supple skin as they reduce inflammation and prevent signs of aging such as wrinkles and saggy skin. My go-to omega-3 supplement is OmegAvail™ Ultra. This omega-3 supplement is a high potency omega-3 product, providing 600 mg EPA and 400 mg DHA in each two softgel servings. The digestive aid lipase is included to help prevent any fishy aftertaste, known as ‘repeat,’ that sometimes occurs with fish oil supplements. Most important, this supplement is of the highest quality and free of heavy metals, pesticides, solvents, PCBs and other contaminants.
Curcumin (Turmeric)
Similarly, curcumin (turmeric) can help reduce inflammation and free radical damage which can distress the appearance of your skin. Studies have shown that curcumin may also be beneficial for collagen production and add luster to the skin. Here’s one of my favorite curcumin products called Curcum-Evail®. This supplement has the highest bioavailable curcuminoid formulation, containing a unique combination of three bioactive, health-promoting curcuminoids: curcumin, bisdemethoxy curcumin, and demethoxy curcumin, along with turmeric oil. These three curcuminoids are the strongest, most protective and best-researched constituents of the turmeric root.
Radiant Skin is all about balance
The secret to healthy skin is balance. That includes a balanced diet, nutritional supplements, lifestyle, and habits. There are simple steps you can take to achieve that radiant glow and amazing flawless beautiful skin.
Still concerned about skin issues? Perhaps one or more areas of your health goals are out of balance. CONTACT ME TODAY and let me help support you in not just achieving healthy, vibrant skin but also a healthy vibrant body and mind overall.
Such amazing tips, I love these sort of posts because there is always something new to learn in beauty and knowing the tips & tricks can make life so much easier.
Hi Selena,
I am happy you like this article and thanks for the positive feedback. Please keep me posted on how you do with these beauty tips and continue to share your experience with our other readers. Stay beautiful!
WOW! This article really useful for me. I confused for choosing the natural skin care information what would be the best for everything. But review this article my confusion has cleared. Thanks a lot for sharing such an informative article about 10 Foods for Skin and Natural Skin Care and I’m sure most people can take notes from this article. One thing most people lack experience while aware of skin care. Well, this post will give me much good ideas for healthy skin care. Thanks Angela and keep it up…….
Hi Alicia, thanks for sharing your positive feedback!
My skin always gets dry during the winter, so thanks for these skin care tips. I like your point about using vitamin supplements to help your skin. I’ll try to get more vitamins in my diet to see if it helps.
I am happy to hear these tips are helpful for you. In addition to supplements, it is also beneficial to include good fats in your diet like olive oil, ghee, avocados, and raw nuts, wild caught fish and more. Beautiful skin not only what you put on it but is an inside job too!
Thanks a lot for sharing, Angela! You summed up the essentials of natural skin care very well! And thanks for the info about turmeric, I was surprised to see it’s also good for the skin, too.
Another natural skin care product that works wonders is evening primrose oil. Many of my patients at a pharmacy had a positive experience with products that contain it. It has potent anti-inflammatory properties and acts as a natural substitute for corticosteroids.
I’d also like to add that proper hydration from the inside — by drinking more water — is essential for healthy, glowing skin.
Thanks again and keep it up!
Hi Alex,
Glad you enjoyed my article. I appreciate the positive feedback and your additional suggestions. Best!