7 Tips for Healthy Skin
Between old (lol) age, pregnancy, and postpartum - my skin care routine is something I’ve been working to PERFECT in the last couple of years. Truly, I have no time for makeup anymore, and quite enjoy the freeing feeling of it. That said, I need to do a good job with making sure my skin is healthy from the inside, out. With the help of my friends at iHerb I can get some of my fav products to achieve just that! These skin care and self care tips and tricks are sponsored by iHerb, but all opinions are my own.
A few of the staples in my house are Swisse brand: Hair, Skin & Nails, Liver Detox and Chlorophyll. Each come with their own benefits and I love them all for different skin-related reasons. When you think about a solid skincare routine, think about starting from the inside, working your way out! Swisse is one of the staple brands in my home because they have incredible standards when it comes to the quality of their products. (They have been searching for the highest-quality ingredients for over 50 years, and their dedication is something I can get behind!)
Lately, I’ve been loving shopping with iHerb. They offer over 30,000 natural products and ship quickly to over 150 countries! They have some of the best customer service in 10 different languages - available 24 hours a day, every single day, so I am pretty stoked to work with them on these skin care tips.
SO, back to skincare. I live for a routine. A routine helps build habits I can keep up with. A routine helps me remember the solid things I want to accomplish each day or each week when it comes to my skin.
Here are my favorite routines for healthy skin, to keep it cleansed, detoxed, functioning and supported. Remember that your SKIN is your largest organ, and should be treated as such! A lot of my tips might be surprising - they revolve around inside-out care, rather than lots of creams and toners.
LEMON WATER - for cleansing.
...in the morning! The best thing you can do for your body is wake it up with solid hydration and lemon for a kickstart to your digestion, first thing. Think of this as a MAJOR cleanse for your body and your skin. The more your skin is dealing with inflammation and processing the things you are eating - the more likely it is to break out.
I normally take a big 24-36 ounce bottle of water, somewhat lukewarm, and squeeze an ENTIRE lemon into it. I find lukewarm water to be much gentler with my body, and I find it does a great job of cleansing (as opposed to hot, hot water or cold, cold water). It’s also better to add lemon to lukewarm water so you don’t kill off all of the beneficial enzymes coming with it. For the perfect temp - you can brew a cup of hot water and then get a glass of cold water from your water filter, and combine.
WATER, IN GENERAL - for overall function.
Hydration, baby! We all know it’s important, but do you know why?! Water helps the maintenance and balance of body fluids. Did you know that your body is composed of 60% water? If you drink water throughout the day, you will help maintain these fluids and kidney function, as well as flush toxins, and control skin hydration (therefore making your fine lines and wrinkles less noticeable).
And if you want a complete number of ounces to drink each day, you take your weight, divide by 2 and you get the MINIMUM ounces of water you should be drinking each day! If you have coffee or alcohol, you should add an extra glass of water for each of them.
SWISSE: ULTIBOOST LIVER DETOX - for detoxing.
Another crucial part of my morning routine - treating my liver right! The liver is key to detoxification, detoxification is key to healthy skin, and because of that, I like to treat it properly! A lot of people I know, myself included, break out when eating something inflammatory (cheese, sugar, etc). Keep your digestion and liver happy, and keep your skin from getting aggravated! The Liver Detox capsule from Swisse is packed with Calcium, Iron, Artichoke extract, Milk Thistle and Turmeric - which combined - help keep a full-functioning and HAPPY liver (specifically supportive of digestion, circulation & hormone balance).
Side note: keeping certain foods IN your diet are also key to a healthy liver! I especially love garlic, beets, and fermented foods.
GREENS! - for detoxing and oxygen flow.
I always tell my clients to include a handful of greens in every meal. Spinach in your smoothie. Kale in your rice bowl. Or, even just add a greens powder in your water before you have pizza. Greens are the number one thing missing from the American diet, and they are also, in my opinion, the number one thing that can help your body do all the things - including keep your skin clear and vibrant. Greens will crowd out other foods that are not good for you, reduce inflammation, strengthen the immune system, clean the blood, improve circulation, give you energy, and deliver live enzymes. Do you know what all of these things do, in turn? Make your skin shine!
I am obsessed with chlorophyll as a way to get in more greens. Enter Swisse: Chlorophyll. It is an antioxidant, superfood, and actually called the “building block of life”. It’s found in most plants and gives them their green pigment (it also absorbs the sun’s light and turns it into carbs for the plant’s nourishment and energy.) It’s specific helpful function, for us, is rooted in the red blood cells - which carry oxygen to our tissues. Chlorophyll increases the production of red blood cells. A high red blood cell count = potentially better oxygen flow to cells. This, in turn, can help our skin look more radiant.
It has a natural minty flavor to it - so I like to add the Swisse brand to ice water with fresh squeezed lemon. 100mg of chlorophyll equals 4 cups of spinach!
SWISSE: ULTIBOOST HAIR SKIN & NAILS+ - for internal support.
This supplement by Swisse has Vitamin C, Biotin, Iron, Zinc, Silica & Milk Thistle. Vitamin C can be supportive with energy, digestion, immune system health, but also getting you some glowing skin.
With the addition of Biotin (helpful for healthy hair and nail growth!) and Iron (extremely important nutrient for healthy blood flow and circulation) - the little capsule I take every morning gets me the kickstart I need for my self-care.
FACE MASK & SCRUBS - for surface-level support.
By a small miracle, in an ideal world - I am able to do a face mask once a week and a face scrub 2-3 times a week. I keep a scrub in the shower so that it’s easy to do while I am there. The face scrub helps especially in key areas where you tend to have a lot of congestion in your pores (for me - the T zone). It helps to break that up and makes my skin feel super-soft after. I was told by a facialist to do the scrub on my entire face 2x a week, and on my T zone every other day.
Another tip for efficiency? Put your face mask on first, get your things together for your shower, and rinse it off in the shower after 10 minutes. Then use your scrub. ALSO - hot tip!!! - make sure the mask doesn’t dry completely - contrary to what you might think, when it’s totally dry, it has gone too far and is already leaching moisture from your skin! (Oh, the horror!)
I promise if you do this - you are going to feel like a queen.
MICRONEEDLING - for surface-level support.
Basically this little contraption has a ton of tiny needles which are said to stimulate collagen production and increase the absorption of skincare products. You roll it over your skin in sections about 30x (watch a video, pls). Does it hurt? I don't think so. Does my skin feel soft? Yup. (Also, make sure you wash the tool before and after with hydrogen peroxide or alcohol)
I do this 1x a week at best, and 2x a month at worst. I always notice that I need to put on 2 rounds of face serum to moisturize after this happens - because everything absorbs that much more!
Here’s what I am using: Cosmedica Skincare, Microneedling Derma Roller System
DRY BRUSHING - for surface-level support.
The action of dry brushing is great for exfoliating dry skin and unclogging pores in the process. It also helps detoxify by increasing blood circulation and promoting lymph flow and drainage. Lastly, it stimulates your nervous system, which can make you feel invigorated afterward which is a total bonus!
Keep a dry brush by your shower so it’s easy to reach for. Brush up the body in circular patterns, starting at your feet and working up to your chest - avoiding any sensitive areas. Then, shower off and moisturize after.
Here’s what I am using: EcoTools, Dry Brush
WHEN IT COMES TO PRODUCTS *ON* MY SKIN ON THE REGULAR, I KEEP IT SIMPLE!
Cleanse (gentle cleanser, morning and night)
Tone (morning and night)
Moisturize (morning and night, with an oil serum)
(Just like your mom taught you back in the day!)
Look for brands that don’t test on animals, have minimal ingredient lists, and actually have ingredients you know. There is an amazing website (ewg.org) where you can look up skincare products to see the ingredients and how safe they are for you. You can find many EWG “green” (aka, the best of the bunch) on iHerb’s website.
Here are a few winners: Mad Hippie Skin Care Products, Cream Cleanser, Mad Hippie Skin Care Products, Vitamin C Serum
Want to get these skin tools for less? Sign up with iHerb! New Customers will get a discount off their first iHerb order with no minimum purchase by clicking here. And remember, their customer service team is fan-TAS-tic, you won’t have to shop these in stores, and you will for sure SAVE money by ordering online with iHerb.
*This blog post is sponsored by iHerb, but all opinions are my own.