Toxins in skin care
Think about it:
Our skin is the FIRST line of defense against the nasty stuff in our environment. Why, then, are we putting such harmful chemicals in our skin care products??
Lotions, skin creams, oils, ointments, chapstick, lip gloss, make up, sunscreen, soap, laundry detergent (yes, it IS going directly onto your skin!), etc etc etc…
We have to be so mindful of the products that we are putting on the largest organ in our bodies! What we put ON our bodies, tends to go directly to the bloodstream…I don’t know about you, but I do NOT want cancer causing, toxic ingredients entering my bloodstream…keep that FAR away from me, actually, PLEASE AND THANK YOU!
So, what do we do?
We become our own advocates. We start researching and checking every single label on every single item that we buy and find brands that we trust (I’d say shop small….but I may be a bit biased 
) and just stick with those.
- Is there an acronym on the label? Probably hiding something and they don’t think we’re smart enough to see past it.
- If it has fragrance or parfum on the label, chances are, they’re hiding something, too. If they do have fragrance on the label, make sure they are being transparent about WHAT the fragrance comes from. (Checking with the EWG is always the safest bet).
- Parabens and phthalates are normally what they are trying to hide because they are hormone disrupting, cancer causing, harm the reproductive systems, etc.
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate is normally listed as SLS and causes allergies, skin issues, and disrupts the body’s natural skin oil balance.
- Polyethylene (PEG) causes cancer and respiratory issues.
These are just a FEW of the harmful chemicals that we find in common skin care products. They’re also found in our CHILDRENS’ skin care products! We have GOT to shop smarter and take care of our children and their futures! I also want to live long enough to see them graduate, get married, and have my grandbabies!!
I hear the excuse “I used that my whole life and I’m fine” all the time…
But are you fine, though? We have more cancers and more autism and more COPD and more auto immune diseases today than EVER before. Sure, we probably have better technology that is able to diagnose the issues than ever before… But other countries don’t have NEAR the amount of issues that we do in America…they also don’t allow most of the ingredients that we’ve got in our country either….coincidence? You can take what you want from that.
Moral of the story, we have to be aware of what we’re buying and putting on our bodies and our children’s bodies. We also need to take what we’ve always been told and research it. No more blindly following the leaders because they have proven time and time again that money is what they’re after…they don’t care about us.
Do you have a favorite skin care product? Comment it below and let us dissect the ingredient label together! This is the perfect opportunity because we are ALL here to learn!
Better than Botox is my top selling item at Living Water Natural Healing. It contains oil infused with Rose Hips which are wonderful for age spots, wrinkles, stretch marks, cellulite, etc. You can find it here.
Key notes
What your skin is telling you
Like I’ve said, your skin is your largest organ. It is the defense mechanism against the dangers of the outside world. It protects the inside of your body from everything it can.
But as I said earlier, it also gives you indications that something isn’t going so well inside your body.
Western medicine, although it is very much needed, mostly relies on treating the SYMPTOMS (if you have a rash, here’s a cream that’ll take that away), instead of looking at what the symptom could be telling us at a holistic level. We’ve gotten so used to “here’s a pill for your ill” that we’ve become lazy and unwilling to do the work that it may take to actually be HEALTHY. Instead, we just take the pill or use the cream that gives us fast relief and then we’re shocked when we get diagnosed with an untreatable disease.. if we were aware of the things that our bodies are telling us early on, we could seriously eliminate a LOT of the issues that we are seeing today!
Here are some warning signs your skin could be giving you:
Acne- this can indicate issues in the endocrine system, such as PCOS and Cushing’s Syndrome. It is typically in teenagers because it is hormone related. So you want to work on getting hormones regulated to eliminate the issue with acne.
Frown lines- no, this isn’t just a sign that we’re getting older 
. Frown lines can actually be indicators that you are dehydrated, malnourished, or chronically stressed. Cortisol (stress hormone) causes a breakdown in collagen, causing the elasticity and firmness of our skin to break down. So you want to drink tons of water, get lots of rest, eat GOOD food, and maybe practice some mindfulness exercises!
Excessive sweating- This is more than just an embarrassing “issue” that you’ve dealt with your whole life. It also indicates that you could have conditions such as diabetes, hyperthyroidism, or certain cancers. It is also very much a hormonal issue (hyperthyroidism is an indicator of that but there are also tons of studies showing that cancers are linked to hormones, as well…basically, we HAVE to get our hormones in order)
Other issues like itching, hives, etc. we know can indicate an allergic reaction to something, whether it’s something we put on our bodies or in our bodies.
This is not an all inclusive list of things that our skin can tell us, but it is a good start.
Paying attention to what our bodies are telling us and treating it at a holistic level is a giant step toward overall health and wellness! You are your own best advocate! 
3 Steps to take to improve your skin health
What are some steps that you can take to improve your skin health?
- Eat foods that are healing and not hurting your skin. Sugar, canola oil, vegetable oil, soybean oil, palm oil, etc. are harming your skin.
**Replace these oils with Avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, and cod liver oils.
**HOT TAKE: Raw butter and animal oils are amazing for you IF they are sourced from a clean and organic environment! People that have skin issues (among literally ALL other issues, but I digress…) have seen significant improvement when switching from the pasteurized, store bought milk to Raw, Grass fed cow’s milk because of the lacTASE that is in the milk. Our bodies CANNOT naturally breakdown lactose…we are ALL lactose intolerant. The pasteurization process kills off the lactAse in the milk which is what breaks down the lactOse.
Why’d we start pasteurizing milk, you ask?? Well, in the industrialization period, we started “industrializing” milk production and cows were being fed literal GARBAGE and had horrid living conditions because “who cares” as long as the guys at the top are making money…so all of the “garbage” was essentially being passed on to the general population and making them sick. Think about when a mother breastfeeds her child. She HAS to watch what she eats. Some mothers have to remove certain things from their diets altogether! So these cows are being fed horribly and instead of improving the living conditions and food they were being fed, they just heated the milk to extreme temperatures and killed off the bad bacteria…but this ALSO kills the extremely wonderful benefits that we’re supposed to be getting from our milk! Vitamins and other nutrients that are CRUCIAL not just for skin health, but our overall health, as well!
2. HEAL YOUR GUT.
Your gut is your second brain, guys. If you have a balanced gut microbiome, ALL of the systems in your body can run the way they are supposed to.
A healthy gut reduces inflammation which helps eliminate things like acne, eczema, and psoriasis.
How can you heal your gut?
It pretty much goes back to food. (I promise I won’t get back up on the soapbox from above, but it DOES apply here too……)
A. You want to eat food that is rich in fiber:
-Berries (Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)
-Vegetables (Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, asparagus, carrots, and potatoes)
-Legumes (Kidney/Black/Pinto Beans, Peas, lentils)
-Whole grains (Brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, quinoa)
-Nuts and seeds (Almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts, chia seeds, and flax seeds)
B. Take prebiotics and probiotics OR make sure you’re getting them from your foods like yogurt, fermented foods, etc.
C. Manage your stress. Learn to identify your stress triggers and signs that you’re becoming stressed and start utilizing skills like mindfulness, deep breathing, counting, something. Find something that works and then USE IT.
D. DRINK. WATER.
Again, I say….DRINK WATER!! ( I said it twice because I so desperately need to get better at this!!)
Remember that everyone is different. You have to listen to your body. If you need to keep a journal of the foods that you eat, exercises that you do, and how you feel afterwards..do it! You have to be aware of how your body reacts to things in order to know when it isn’t acting right!
If your gut is out of whack, your body will struggle to absorb the nutrients it needs from the foods you’re eating. Get your gut in check and then everything else will follow suit!
Last, but certainly NOT least of the steps toward healthier skin.
3. STOP STRESSING
Easier said than done, I know….but there are tips and, as a past mental health therapist, I do feel extra qualified to talk about this! Let me give you some tricks I’ve learned over the years:
**Mindfulness- this is the practice of being present in the here and now. I know it sounds silly but stay with me. Ways that you can practice mindfulness include:
Deep breathing and truly focusing on how your breathing sounds, what your body is doing (we want to be aware of our bodies anyways, right???), and picturing the slowing of your heart rate with each breath.
Guided meditation is a GREAT tool that you can use to practice mindfulness and calming and there are awesome videos on youtube that can help you!
Listing the things that you are grateful for in your life. Sometimes this is a hard one if you’re in the middle of a stressful situation, but it DOES work if you can get your mind to focus on the good in every situation!
Use your senses- Notice 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
Counting- Count from 1 to 10 and then back down from 10-1 slowly, while focusing on your breath.
**Exercise is a wonderful way to eliminate stress. Pilates is great for giving you a good stretch to loosen your joints and muscles while really focusing on your breathing.
**GET GOOD SLEEP…as a mom…I understand how hard this is. But it is SO important that we get good sleep.
**Aromatherapy- Using lavender is my favorite. Put it in a diffuser or just smell it straight from the bottle as you breathe deeply.
**Using a SAD (or happy light.. the names are interchangeable) light during the winter months will help with stress, as well. You can find one here.
**Cuddle with a pet-My personal favorite…love on your sweet cuddle bug and instantly feel better. This can be applied to your kids too, but sometimes (just being real, here!!) they’re the source of your stress 
Have you found any helpful tricks to help with stress that you’re willing to share with everyone?
Also….enjoy this picture of my favorite boy to eliminate any stress you have this evening. Omg I just love him 
Let’s summarize what we’ve talked about!!
-We talked about how our skin is our largest organ and is the first defense against harmful substances in the outside world.
**Most of the every day skin care products that we use on ourselves and our children contain harmful chemicals that cause hormonal imbalances and cancer. These chemicals go directly into the bloodstream!!
-We talked ingredients. When looking at the labels of items that we’re purchasing, a safe bet is to stay away from acronyms because they tend to be hiding harmful ingredients. We also want to stay away from the term “Fragrance/Parfum” because that is a blanket term for thousands of harmful chemicals.
**The EWG app is a great source to use when you need to check ingredients on something. It will give the product a grade based on transparency and ingredients used.
-Our challenge this week was to get more sunlight. I linked a SAD light to the post so that you could order that if you were interested. Early morning sunlight is so important for your skin. It gives you the vitamins you need and helps with younger looking, glowing skin. If you don’t want to buy the light, it works just as well to stand in front of the window first thing in the morning with the blinds open! Close your eyes and soak it all in!!
-We talked about the foods we eat and how they have a direct impact on our skin health. Eating processed, sugary foods will cause our skin to break out. If we’re glowing on the inside, we’re glowing on the outside.
**Western medicine tends to treat the SYMPTOM and not the root of the issue. We have to get away from “Pill for an ill” type of mentality and take charge of our own health and wellbeing. Eating right, exercising, getting sunlight, stress management, and sleeping enough will help us to live a happier, healthier life. Yes, pills are sometimes necessary, but it should NOT be our first go to!
Conclusion
It can seem next to impossible to completely eliminate toxins from our lives. My advice to you, take it slow. As you run out of your current cleaners, skin care, makeup, etc., replace it with something less toxic. I truly strive to create a community of individuals that are trying to better themselves and eliminate products that are harmful to their bodies and the bodies of their family members. We have to advocate for ourselves and DEMAND that these companies provide us with better quality and cleaner products. Our time is now and I cannot wait to have you beside me for the ride!!
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