Going back to the 70s nature
I’ve been on a bit of a journey. I like to call it my hippy journey. After all, aren’t the 70s back with a vengeance with flares, suede and fringed clothing in every shop window? Although I do think a better description of the journey would be a road back to all things natural.
I used to find it cute when people talked of DIYing their beauty products or ingesting things from Health Food stores. Cute, but not for me. Until I started to become aware of the negative effect of our environment on our health. The first time I truly got this, was when I decided to take my severe acne into my own hands. I had been to the doctor’s, to several dermatologists, on several courses of antibiotics, and applied numerous creams and balms. During the treatments, my skin improved, there is no doubt about that. But as soon as the treatments came to an end, my skin would flare up just as sore, red, and unsightly as before – sometimes worse. So the first thing I looked at was my diet.
FOOD
I never believed that what I ate affected my skin’s condition. I believed I had acne and that was just as much part of who I am as the fact I was tall and skinny. Upon reflection, maybe my love of Nutella trumped my desire for clear skin… But I got to age 22 and thought it was time to try something other than chemicals and creams. And so my journey on the Healthy Skin Diet began. It was 8 weeks of detoxifying my digestive system, of eating alkaline foods, avoiding all dairy/caffeine/alcohol and taking Zinc supplements. It worked. Beautifully. My scars were less obvious, I had a glow that wasn’t because of stubborn sebum and I only had occasional breakouts that lasted a day or two. I’d highly recommend it to anyone with any skin condition (there is a chapter for each specific condition in Karen Fischer’s book)
But guess what? A few months down the line, I had reverted back to multiple cups of coffee, daily dairy and wine. And, surprise, surprise, my acne got worse. It was still better than it had been before the diet but definitely much worse than at the end of the 8 weeks. I’d worked hard for eight weeks then let it go to waste. And so I realise that this was going to be a life long commitment to being more aware of what I was eating and finding a balance that worked for me, and for my skin. I have one coffee a day, and I have wine for celebrations, and I enjoy cheese and crackers for Friday supper. But I also drink lots of Green Water, eat more alkaline foods than ever, and go fresh and when possible organic instead of processed. I guess I’ve learned to listen to my body, to know its needs and to actively look after it. I’ll share some simple but yummy recipes with you soon! Now, what about what I put ON my skin?
BEAUTY PRODUCTS
I had learned a lot about what I was putting IN my body but not paid much attention to what I put ON it. I had tried the most expensive facial cleansers, creams and masks and the cheapest ones too. Nothing ever seemed to work well with my skin long term. I think I was really struck with how what we put on our skin affects us inside when I was looking up treatments for sore muscles (the joys of being engaged to a hockey player!). The most common result was a salt bath for reduced inflammation and replenished magnesium. And it got me thinking. And googling. How does the salt do it? Well yes, the skin absorbs it. I’ll say that again: our skin absorbs it. Into our systems, into our bodies. So what else is my skin absorbing?! I started looking at the labels on all my beauty products – shampoo, conditioner, body wash, moisturiser, make-up remover, etc. For the most part, I’d recognise the word ‘aqua’ (water! yay! my body loves water) and not one single other word. I’d like to think I am not too badly educated when it comes to the English language (four years of university studies on it should at least have taught me more than basics) but I was baffled. I started looking into all these words.
“Placental Extract, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, 1,3-butadiene, Ethylene Oxide, Parabens, 1,4-dioxane, Triclosan, Phthalates…”. They sound scary and they are scary. These chemicals found in beauty products are linked to early puberty in girls, a risk factor for later-life breast cancer, some act as weak estrogens, others affect the body’s hormone systems especially thyroid hormones, some contribute to bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents, others have been identified in biopsy samples from breast tumors, some are even linked to miscarriage and reduced fertility in men and women. And we are spreading this all over our skin because they also smell like (artificial) coconut or (fake) patchouli!
No. Thank. You. If what I put on my skin has an effect on what is inside my body, it is time to pay more attention to labels. And for DIY beauty. I love making my own products now: from charcoal face masks to honey shampoo, I love knowing where all the ingredients have come from. I know they are pure/raw/unprocessed, I know they are ethically sourced, and I can tailor them to my skin and hair’s needs. And I promise you this: it’s not a hassle and it’s not expensive.
Take care of YOU
If cutting out chemicals and going back to nature with my beauty products and if listening to my body’s needs to feed it right make me a hippy… Let me just grab my floral maxi dress. Like I said before it’s all about balance, it’s about you, it’s about your body and your skin, it’s about your mental well-being. Do what works for you, but always do what takes care of you.
Posts soon to follow with skin clarifying recipes and DIY beauty products!
isabellewilkie 