Skin Care, Products, and Health
Your skin is the largest body organ and has the amazing ability to absorb substances into the body. However, this means it also absorbs toxic substances if you expose yourself to them.
Enter – most skin care products.
You should actually be thinking of skin a bit like your mouth – if you put it on your skin, you should be able to eat it! Your skin is literally a living microbiome/ecosystem so you wouldn’t want to rub a bunch of toxic chemicals on it now, would you?
The Sun and Vitamin D
First and foremost, we want to debunk the myth that getting sun on your skin will automatically damage it. It won’t – as long as you aren’t burning yourself and you’re keeping it moderate, it’s actually a great way to keep your skin healthy. THE UBB radiation from the sun’s rays gets absorbed by the skin and then converted to Vitamin D in the body. This is important for collagen production (which is very important for skin health), immune health, bone health, and fertility!
Avoid Harsh Chemicals in your Skin Care Products
Look out for parabens, sodium sulfate, DHT & BHT, and fragrances. These chemicals are known endocrine disruptors – meaning they can wreak havoc on your hormones and immune health. They are poorly regulated so not all ingredients may be listed so you could be irritating your skin with a chemical not even listed on the product. They also can irritate the skin causing a carcinogenic effect over time, which will lead to damaged skin.
Safe and Natural Products to Use:
Aloe Vera: This plant is naturally rich in many of the vitamins that promote healthy collagen production which leads to less wrinkles over time. It also has antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects, so if you have an irritated patch of skin, rash, bug bite, etc. – this is a great product to use!
Oregano Oil: This has similar effects of Aloe Vera – it has antiviral properties, killing off any “bad” bacteria while simultaneously allowing the good bacteria on the skin to thrive.
Coconut Oil: Coconut oil hydrates the skin and contains Vitamins E and A which can help slow down the look of aging and prevent free-radical damage from sun burn.
Collagen (from bone broth or quality collagen protein powder sources): Collagen is one of the most abundant proteins in your body (however, it is not a complete protein source). It is a major component of the body’s ligaments and connective tissues, therefore, it is a major component for health skin. Collagen helps hydrate the skin, keeps it “elastic”, and limits wrinkles with aging. Low collagen production in the body will lead to dry skin and abnormal amounts of wrinkles with age.
Lemon: Lemon is rich in Vitamin C and has detoxifying properties in it. Lemon can rejuvenate the skin, help treat skin blemishes, and aid in treating various skin disorders.
There are also some good face “serums” out there that have a blend of good ingredients you can use for your face care routine. A few that we like are: Kion Face Serum, Mad Happie Face Wash, Alitura Naturals products.
