If you’re following me on Instagram or Snapchat, you may have seen my stories this week where I showed the difference in my skin health between now and two years ago. After sharing those photos, I received so many messages asking what products I’ve used, how I got rid of my acne, and what my routine is now.
Like I said on my stories, my skin drastically improved when I started taking care of the inside of my body. The photos I shared were from when I was 16 and 17 years old—the same time period where I had just started driving and making my own money. I loved going out to eat, especially fast food because my parents cooked at home a lot and really didn’t feed us too much fast or processed food growing up. With my own money and car, the first thing I wanted to do was go out and eat at places like Taco Bell or McDonald’s because I could. I started eating a TON of processed food and my body quickly began to react in multiple ways, including acne. Beyond that, when you’re 16, 17, 18, or even 19 years old, you’re still growing. Our bodies aren’t fully matured and for that reason our hormones will fluctuate and acne is unavoidable for some of us. I still get breakouts from time to time and I have to remind myself that I’m young and that no matter how many nice products I use or how well I’m feeding myself, some evolution will just take time. If you’re young, or are helping someone who is young with their skin, please remember this before you get exasperated or discouraged about your skin. This time of our lives is temporary!
That being said, I think there are certain ways you can absolutely set yourself up for success when it comes to skin health from the inside out. For me, these are major keys:
1. No Processed Foods
I’ve shared about what my diet is these days, which is really just whole foods. To be specific, I eat a lot of protein-rich foods (organic meats), healthy starches like rice, sweet potato, corn tortillas, etc., and tons of fruits and vegetables. It seems simple but the chemicals and hidden oils in processed food are hormone disruptors that can seriously mess with your skin health. I used to view eating healthy as something I “had” to do, and that processed foods were a “treat” or a “cheat day” but my mindset around it has totally shifted. Consuming chemicals no longer feels like a “treat” and I don’t want to “cheat” if it means hurting my body. I have found delicious, non-chemical alternatives to all my classic favorites like soda and candy, and when I do want to eat refined sugar, I make sure I’m not taking a bunch of seed oils or carcinogens in with it.
2. Supplements to Promote Gut Health
Another huge turning point for me has been taking care of my gut. The term “gut” doesn’t just mean your stomach. It’s your entire gastrointestinal tract (GI) and it is basically your whole digestive system. It’s incredibly important to take care of your gut and make sure you have enough good bacteria within it to effectively break down and use the nutrients you’re ingesting with your food. I take a probiotic from Garden of Life which helps promote the growth of good bacteria within the GI, and I also take apple cider vinegar because it helps balance pH and is a natural probiotic as well. Beyond that, I take beef organ supplements from Heart & Soil, which have made a HUGE difference in my skin as well. Many of these products are linked on my Amazon storefront.
3. Cycle Tracking & Support
I have talked about this before on my blog, but I really try to track my cycle and eat the foods that my body needs during each phase. I still follow the information shared by Nourish with Tillie and eat foods that support the functions my body is carrying out throughout my cycle, and I try to pick forms of movement that best support it as well. I find that paying attention to my cycle has really helped balance my hormones and led to less hormone related breakouts! I also drink Organic Healthy Cycle Raspberry Leaf Tea religiously and think it helps me stay at a stable level even when my body is dealing with the influx of hormones that comes with my menstrual phase.
4. Outside-In
Now that we’ve covered all the things I do to help my skin from the inside, let’s get into the out. The same standards for my food apply to my skincare products, and I don’t use anything with harsh chemicals or hormone disruptors. I love the apps Yuka and Seed Oil Scout. I use them to scan products and since they list all the ingredients, I can see which ones might be harmful, and I don’t use anything with hormone disruptors in it. Lately I am loving Osea Malibu and Ela Skin Co because they both have clean ingredients that really work for my skin. Switching to these lines has really helped my skin feel more consistently clear and healthy!
It may seem overly simple, but you have to remember that your body needs things like water, sunlight, and nutrients to thrive. Treating my body more kindly has in turn, made my body more kind to me! I hope that you remember breakouts are sometimes inevitable, and that skin health is a journey, not a destination. It will take time, but learning how to nourish your body along the way is a skill you will use for life! <3
