Skin that Shines with Vitality
Our skin is considered our largest organ. It breathes in nutrients, expels toxins, and is a good general indicator of the health of the body. Does your skin shine with vitality? Or are you feeling a bit like a prune? The very first and least expensive remedy to improve skin health is to drink more water. Hydration is key to plumping up the collagen in your skin and to flushing away toxins.
While we are talking about toxins consider this: the average woman uses 12 personal care products daily exposing herself to 168 chemicals. The average person has 420 harmful chemicals in their body. We need to think about what we put on our skin and how it is affecting our overall health. Every better choice we make, does make a difference.
I feel so blessed to have found the Wild Carrot company to carry in my store. Owned by a mother and daughter team in Oregon. They grow or wildcraft herbs and create wonderful personal care products with – get this – NO Chemicals! These CLEAN products include: facial cleansers, toners, serums and moisturizers – body lotions, oils, and butters – shampoo bars and healing salves. Come in, read the ingredients, and try one of our many samples.
Other nutrients that improve hydration are collagen, hyaluronic acid, tallow balm, and oils. Were you on the low fat/no fat diet for years? It takes a toll on the skin. We need to ingest good fats, such as olive, coconut, and avocado oil. Another oil popular in supplements and skin care products is Sea Buckthorn Oil, with Omega 7, particularly good for moistening the mucous membranes of the body.
Oxidation from the sun puts a burden on the skin, we need all the antioxidants we can get to help combat the damage. Herbs like green tea and rose hips or vitamin E oil are a great help. Wild Carrot’s Wildflower Prairie Body Oil and Olivella’s Body Oil are two that I like to indulge myself with as an oil massage after my shower. Eat more antioxidants, think fruit and veggies! To help repair the skin, eat plenty of protein and add nutritive herbs: horsetail, oat straw, calendula, lavender, red raspberry leaf, and rose petals.
Vulnerary or wound healing herbs are good to have quickly available too. My favorite is traumaplant comfrey cream from Terry Naturally. Comfrey makes your cells multiply so you heal quickly. St John’s Wort is especially good for support of nerve pain. Lavender and plantain excel for first aid. Yarrow to stop bleeding. Two others which I use often are calendula – nutritive and anti-microbial, and marshmallow, which is anti-inflammatory. Chickweed is excellent for bug bites or itching. I use neem oil on nasty spots that I want to go away, irritated moles, skin tags, or eczema. I harvest and dry many of these herbs during the summer months and make oil or salve to use all winter long.
It is possible to have vibrant healthy skin at any age! We just have to work at it more as we get older. The key is to incorporate these herbal oils into our daily routine! Start by making the better choice – ditch the chemical laden creams and opt for CLEAN products instead. Reduce the toxic load and add more antioxidants into your life. Eat protein, fruits, veggies, and drink plenty of water. Try drinking a daily nutritious tea. Use good quality CLEAN herbal creams, serums, salves on your body. Someone said and I agree, “If you can’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin!”
I was inspired by the most beautiful older woman I have ever known, a customer, she told me her secret – she slathers on her homemade calendula oil every day. I want to be like her when I grow up.
Make Your Own Calendula Oil
In a pint jar place 1/3 cup of dried calendula and 1 cup of olive oil. Seal with lid. Place into a small crock pot with ½ inch of water in the bottom. Cook on low heat overnight. Cool. Strain. Place into a pretty bottle for daily use as a body oil.