Natural Skincare: What You Need to Know

What is beautiful skin?

The media and internet constantly flood us with images--most of it Photoshopped--of what is ideal beauty. It's almost always youthful, wrinkle-free, clear skin, and radiant. All good and mostly attainable goals believe it or not. We don't all have personal hair stylists and makeup artists following us around.

But the cosmetic industry likes to make it look like they have the answer in their product, the "magic" that will bring us "the look."

It's truth time. WE have the magic... all of us. Forget all the ads and commercials you've seen. Real beauty is a holistic integration of nutrition, topical and lifestyle. It doesn't come in a bottle.

Let's first look at our largest organ... our skin.

Given a balanced system -- every organ in the body can take care of itself. Your body is designed to maintain stasis. If you cut yourself it will begin the process of healing--without our interference. Even if you re-injure the same cut or pick over the wound, your body will start to "fix" it. Its designed to do that. But.. the more you contribute to injury the longer it takes to heal, and the harder it is for your body to create the balance it needs.

Our skin is our body armor. It guards the underlying muscles, bones and internal organs. It's our first line of defense for resisting bacteria, viruses and pollutants so it plays a major role in immunity. It's protects against internal water loss or gain. Other functions are temperature regulation, insulation, vitamin D synthesis. It's also filled with glands that provide its own hydration. Isn't that an amazing organ? When we pollute our body with toxins, externally or internally, we are contributing to what I call "chronic injury".

Be selective about the products you use on your skin.

Synthetic ingredients can cause imbalance. Our skin can absorb up to 60% of anything that we put on it. Look at the ingredients of the creams and lotions you use. Look for products with ingredients you can pronounce and recognize.

Skin hydration is important. But first, know that your skin is naturally designed to do that.

You have sebaceous glands that produce a substance called sebum that hydrates the skin.

If you have dry, scaly skin, try using a natural emollient product, one that has olive or other vegetable oils in it.

Emollients form a protective layer of moisture right above the skin's surface.

Consult with a dermatologist if you have any serious skin condition or anything you feel concerned about on your skin.

But also be selective about the doctor you choose. Try to find a doctor that works holistically and can guide you towards natural skin care products and not just "medicine" when a transition is appropriate for your situation. Obviously, if you are dealing with deeply serious situation, like cancer, follow your doctor's protocol. But investigate into natural and complementary products that can help create the balance your body needs.

Nutrition is one of the most important factors in skincare.

What do you eat? Remember that your skin, like all your other organs, depends on nutrients to function properly. The healthier you eat, the better the whole body system functions. I'm a big advocate of eating organic vegetables and fruit, and organic free-range hormone-free and antibiotic-free animal products. Stay away from processed foods as much as possible. If you're budget can't afford the entire grocery list to be organic, try to add as much as you can afford. The more you can avoid toxins from the inside and outside, the better your skin and whole body health. Again do your best to follow these basic guidelines:

Eat organic and non-GMO vegetables and fruit as much as possible.

(if you're an omnivore) Eat organic, free-range, hormone-free, antibiotic-free animal products, and (with fish) wild caught.

Drink at least 8 cups of water a day

Lifestyle is also very important especially the older you get.

What are your daily habits? Consuming alcohol and smoking cigarettes on a regular basis age you more quickly. If you want your skin to look better... ask yourself this:

How do you treat yourself everyday? Examine: habitual:

Thoughts: negative or positive
Stress management
Consumption (eating, drinking, etc)

Do you exercise? Or is there any physical activity like walking your dog that you enjoy? Enjoyment is very important. There's nothing more life-enhancing than true joy and happiness. Remember THOUGHTS can be toxic too and habitual toxic thoughts can be more poisonous than smoking, drinking and eating fried foods 24/7.

So let's get going on your good skin care routines.

Learn more by taking my free email course:
http://www.whollyskincare.com

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