Holistic Skincare
How to approach skincare from a holistic lens
Holistic skincare means nourishing the skin from the inside out. To do this, let me briefly explain the anatomy of your largest organ. Your skin is made up of 3 main layers:
The epidermis - acts as the outermost protective layer protecting the body from UV rays, pathogens (like bacteria), chemicals, and radiation.
The dermis - located deep to the epidermis, this layer contains connective tissue, hair follicles, blood vessels, nerves, sebaceous glands, and sweat glands. This layer provides support and elasticity to your skin.
The subcutaneous layer - this layer is deep to the dermis, it consists mainly of adipose (fat) and connective tissues. This layer provides extra cushioning, insulation, temperature regulation, and connection to underlying tissues.
The role of your skin is to provide a barrier that protects you from the outer environment, allows you to sense and interact with the world around you through touch, regulates your internal temperature (via sweating), and plays a key role in your immunity, providing strong physical, chemical, and microbial barriers that protect you against pathogens.
The skin microbiome
Your skin, similar to your gut, yoni, and mouth is home to a diverse population of microbes (bacteria, fungi, mites). When you think about holistic skin care, you must think about nourishing and balancing your skin microbiome, much like how we think about nourishing our gut bugs for optimal gut health.
The skin microbiome contributes to the maintenance and integrity of your skin barrier by influencing the production of lipids, antimicrobial peptides, and other barrier components so you have a strong and resilient shield against the external world. Beneficial organisms living on the skin support skin hydration, protect against water loss, and promote skin barrier repair and resilience. Alternatively, an altered skin microbiome can be associated with skin conditions such as acne, eczema, rosacea, psoriasis, rapid aging, and contact dermatitis. For this reason, I am going to teach you how you can support and nourish your skin barrier holistically for radiant skin!
The pillars of holistic skincare:
nutrition & chronic inflammation - it is my belief that we can use food as medicine to nourish our bodies and support optimal physiological function. When it comes to skincare, we can implement nutrition to reduce long-term inflammation, which could be contributing to skin inflammation and imbalances, and focus on incorporating certain nutrients that support the skin barrier and function.
If nutrition is where you want to start, I recommend looking into the anti-inflammatory, paleo, or whole30 diets. I am not suggesting that you follow a specific diet especially since in my experience, dieting can create restrictive patterns that lead you to crave more of what you’ve given up. Rather, these are keywords to use when you are looking for more information/recipes about what and how to eat (after you’ve searched @naturaliwellness on Instagram of course;)). I found these keywords helpful in finding nourishing healthy recipes when I was learning how to cook for myself & heal my gut. These are whole food-based eating patterns that prioritize the consumption of less processed foods and more whole foods - which is what your skin needs to thrive.
**My tip: if you want something nourishing for dinner, type in “Paleo dinner” on Pinterest or Google and make whatever looks good to you. Please listen to your intuition, your body, and always, always, ALWAYS choose nourishment over restriction, especially if you are healing.
The other key element when eating to support skin health is food sensitivities. Sometimes food sensitivities increase when there is gut inflammation or chronic inflammation. The more you eat foods your body is sensitive to, the more inflammation you create which can contribute to more skin and gut inflammation - it is a vicious cycle. The good news is, if it is a food sensitivity, you might not have to avoid this food forever. When you work on healing the gut, the barrier becomes stronger and you can tolerate more foods - yay gut health!
The key skin-supporting nutrients and sources
hydration - proper hydration is crucial for retaining skin moisture and supporting the skin barrier. Staying hydrated also supports your detox pathways and your gut health!
water with a squeeze of orange or lemon and a pinch of sea salt can provide extra electrolytes. I also have tried the brand Pique’s BT Fountain- it is formulated with skin-supporting nutrients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid as well as electrolytes and minerals to support cellular function and water absorption -linking it here so you can find it, although it is not 100% necessary and won’t make or break your skin health.
zinc - zinc plays a role in the synthesis of collagen which helps maintain a strong skin barrier and helps repair wounds which is crucial when the skin is healing
grass-fed meat, poultry, shellfish, legumes, and seeds like pumpkin and hemp seeds
vitamin D - contributes to the production of proteins and lipids that are essential to skin barrier function, hydration, and protection against pathogens
mushrooms, beef liver, cod oil, egg yolks, fatty fish
omega 3 fatty acids - these fats can help reduce inflammation, maintain the integrity of the skin barrier, and support hydration.
fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, chia seeds, flax seeds, walnuts
vitamin A - helps with cell turnover, the production of new skin cells, and can help regulate sebum production
squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, kale, beef liver, tomatoes, whole milk
vitamin C - also a key nutrient in collagen synthesis which contributes to skin elasticity and strengthens this skin barrier.
kiwi, strawberries, oranges, lemons, red bell peppers
vitamin E - an antioxidant that protects the skin from oxidative damage (internal from inflammation or external from environmental toxins like pollution).
almonds, sunflower seeds, avocado, spinach, broccoli, collard greens, peanuts
vitamin B3 - also known as niacinamide, can support the synthesis of ceramides, a lipid naturally present in the skin that helps retain moisture, it also has anti-inflammatory properties.
mushrooms, peanuts, fish, grass-fed meat, poultry, bananas, brown rice
probiotics - probiotics support the optimal functioning of the gut, which you will learn later, is integral to the health of your skin
Keifer, kimchi, yogurt, sauerkraut, low sugar kombucha, miso, supplements
antioxidants - when it comes to skin health antioxidants help neutralize free radicals that can cause cellular damage and reduce inflammation
think deep colorful foods: berries, pomegranates, green tea, legumes, nuts and seeds, turmeric, ginger, dark chocolate (low sugar)
collagen - collagen provides structure and strength to our skin, surprisingly, it is not what gives skin its elasticity, that is the job of another protein, elastin
bone broth, chicken, fish, herbal medicine: Gotu Kola (can stimulate collagen synthesis)
I’ve tried to keep up with the research about whether or not collagen supplements are worth the $ and actually have an effect on your body’s synthesis of collagen. I believe that if you have enough protein in your diet (providing the amino acid building blocks of collagen) as well as enough vitamin C and zinc (both needed for the synthesis of collagen), then you shouldn’t need a collagen supplement.
Following an eating pattern that focuses on whole foods will provide you with all of these skin-loving nutrients. The key is to incorporate a diverse and balanced amount of these foods at every meal to support the healing and integrity of your skin and try to avoid foods that you know trigger inflammation.
sleep and lifestyle practices - when we sleep our bodies heal and our skin gets a chance to repair itself on a deeper level. Having a healthy sleep routine will not only support skin healing at night, but can reduce stress throughout the day, improve gut health, immunity, mood, brain function, memory, and lead to reduced cravings for high-carb (high-sugar) foods - the type of food that often feeds inflammation.
stress management & emotional health - stress can exacerbate many inflammatory skin conditions such as acne, rosacea, eczema, and psoriasis. Stress hormones break down collagen and elastin and interfere with many of the processes needed to build and maintain a strong skin barrier. Emotional health is strongly correlated with rosacea. Practices that help reduce stress and promote a general sense of well being such as journaling, meditating, listening to music, movement, being with a healthy community, co-regulation, art, being creative, dancing, cold exposure therapy, exercise, yoga, breathwork (pick one, pick a few) can help you get into a calm state, which is where you need to be to heal your skin.
gut health - the foundation of everything is gut health, how well you digest, absorb, and assimilate the nutrients you consume affects EVERYTHING from your skin to your brain. Many times GI inflammation manifests in the skin as acne, rosacea, and psoriasis. Gut dysbiosis, an imbalance of the gut microbiome, can lead to systemic inflammation and immune dysfunction that can contribute to skin conditions. Impaired immune function due to inflammation in the gut impairs the body’s natural healing processes, remember the immune system needs to be engaged adequately for healing to take place. GI inflammation may cause conditions like leaky gut which can lead to improper digestion and absorption of nutrients, which is why even with an optimized diet and the right supplements, you may not see any changes.
Healing the gut often consists of removing things that are causing inflammation such as food sensitivities, alcohol, coffee, processed foods, etc., supporting the integrity and healing of the GI lining, and then repopulating with good bacteria (probiotics) and the right nutrients - more on all of this soon :)
hormone balance - hormone signaling pathways affect sebum production, inflammation, and skin cell turnover associated with many skin conditions, especially acne. In my experience, I found that my hormones came back into balance once I took care of my gut health and managed my stress.
topical skincare - this one is intentionally last on the list because, while I think it is important for skin health, the above pillars are the foundation of good skin and I think of topical products as having a supportive role. My motto for skincare, after years of experimenting on my very sensitive skin is: Less is more. The beauty industry likes to sell you an idea of what perfect skin looks like and markets products to help you achieve that look when now you know, it is so much more than that. Skincare (emphasis on the care), is about supporting the skin microbiome, nourishing it, and encouraging it to find balance. I always suggest using non-toxic skincare products on your skin to reduce inflammation and exposure to chemicals and endocrine disruptors. When it comes to choosing products, try to pick ones with labels that you can read every ingredient. Credo, The Detox Market, Shop Good, Herban Wellness, and Honor Earth Apothecary are my favorite places to purchase skincare products from.
On my face, I use:
A gentle cleanser: Milk cleanse gentle wash- this bottle lasts me a long time plus it’s very gentle yet cleansing on my skin - my sensitive skin loves
A hydrosol - hydrosols are so lovely, it’s the water byproduct of making essential oils, they’re gentle, calming, and nourishing. I use before my oil to help the oil absorb into my skin, a trick I learned from my friend & favorite witchy herbalist. I rotate between rose, chamomile, and calendula, each one has slightly different healing properties.
& A single origin oil: Evening primrose - my skin loves this oil, it’s anti-inflammatory & gentle, so it’s suitable for many skin types, especially sensitive ones. It’s rich in gamma-linolenic acid which helps replenish moisture, retain hydration, and support the skin’s barrier function.
Extras:
Liver and acne - there is a strong correlation between liver, hormones, stress, and acne. Taking care of your liver so that it can properly metabolize nutrients and hormones is instrumental in correcting skin imbalances. The liver comes out of balance from stress, inflammatory processed foods, excess caffeine, alcohol, drugs, and anger. If these things are consistently present in your daily life, then it would be wise to consider focusing on strengthening this particular pillar.
an Eastern perspective - according to Traditional Chinese medicine, the skin reflects the health of the lungs. When there is an imbalance of heat and dampness in the lungs it is reflected in the skin. Redness can be associated with heat from the stomach, liver, or blood. Oily or oozing skin conditions can be associated with an accumulation of dampness in some organs. Dryness may be associated with qi stagnation, yin deficiency, or blood deficiency. If you resonate with this, you can go see a TCM practitioner who can help bring your body into balance with diet, acupuncture, herbs, and movement.
Body care - similar to skincare, keep body care very simple. Practices like dry brushing or using a gentle chemical exfoliating wash can help assist the process of skin cell turnover. For this I like Kosas with some exfoliating gloves - it helps keratosis pilaris or the chicken skin people can get on the back of their arms. As far as moisture goes, I like to use an herbal-infused jojoba oil (infused with gotu kola, calendula, and lavender).
Shower soaps: Kosas AHA and enzyme exfoliating body wash, Bathing Culture body wash or Babo Botanicals sensitive skin wash
Moisturizers: Herban Wellness Jojoba Oil, Osea body oil
If you ever want to chat skincare, I am here for it, it’s one of my favorite topics so slide into my DMs. I’ve been through a lot with my skin from having sensitive rosacea skin to getting perioral dermatitis and much more, always happy to chat skincare lifestyle tips & products :)
Thanks for reading & take good care 🤍