For those of you that read my last post, I announced that I’m starting a skincare blog series. In this first post, I will be focusing on nutrition because I truly believe that we are what we eat. Personally, when my diet is off and I’m not treating my body right, it definitely shows in my skin. In the post below, I’ve included some tips that you can start to implement today to help achieve glowing skin without doing a complete overhaul of your diet.
- Drink more water. Keeping your body hydrated clears it of toxins more efficiently. The amount of water needed varies from person to person, but it is recommended to intake between eight to ten 8 ounce glasses a day. When your skin is hydrated, it appears more plump, fine lines become minimal, and signs of aging are diminished.
- Take a Probiotic. Â Good skin health starts in your gut. Probiotics bring healthy bacteria into your gut and plays a big role in your overall health and wellness. A healthy gut helps breakdown food, absorbs nutrition, and eliminates toxin. You can find probiotics naturally occurring in yogurt, kombucha, fermented foods, or you can take a supplement. I take this one every morning.
- Cut back on caffeine. Caffeine is very dehydrating. Try switching out your morning coffee with green tea, or going to sleep a little earlier 😉 Too much caffeine can also mess with your hormone levels, causing hormonal acne.
- Eat more fish. Omega-3’s are known to be anti-inflammatory. They can be found in walnuts, salmon, and flaxseed oil. There are a ton of benefits of consuming Omega-3’s. Some of which include protection from the sun, preventing wrinkles, and keeping your skin hydrated.
- Cut out sugar. This is probably the biggest (and hardest one) to follow because there is sugar in EVERYTHING! Sugar is a pro-inflammatory which leads to premature aging. It breaks down collagen which helps gives your skin it’s “plumpness” and springiness. Here is a great article that goes into depth about all the science behind sugar and its effects on the body.
- See an Esthetician. This one isn’t nutrition related, but in my experience, dermatologists want to treat the symptoms. When I went and saw Melody for the first time, she right away asked about my stress levels, diet, and how I was sleeping. I knew I was in the right place because she wanted to get down to the WHY my skin was giving me issues. Melody is an esthetician in Milwaukee who owns her own spa. She works with clients to help their skin look its absolute best and works with brides leading up to their wedding day to help them get that glow without much help of makeup. She’s so sweet and seriously the best! And right now she’s giving any bride who mentions this blog post 15% off their first spa service. Click here to see what services she offers and book an appointment.
- Take collagen. Collagen is the most abundant protein found in our body. it can be found in our muscles, tendons, bones, hair, skin, and digestive system. Unfortunately, as we get older, our body’s production of collagen starts to slow down. I started taking collagen a few years ago because of a knee injury caused by running. I had read that collagen was great for runners so I started adding it to my coffee in the mornings because of that. I had stoped taking it for awhile and then recently started taking it again when I learned about all the benefits it has on your skin and body overall. I love collagen and the effects its had on my skin. It has added firmness back into my skin, helped with skin cell turnover, and helped my skin look smoother. I’ve tried a few different brands, but my favorite is vital proteins. They have a ton of different collagen based products. I’ve tried almost all of their products and would recommend any of them. The most versatile of the bunch are the collagen peptides. I would just mix it into my coffee in the morning with a little bit of almond milk and honey and be on my way.
Because I love collagen so much and truly believe in the benefits it has for your skin, I’ve decided to gift ONE lucky winner with a free 20oz container of Collagen Protein Peptides from Vital Proteins!
Want a chance to win? Comment below and tell me one small change you want to make in your daily routine that will help give you healthier skin! I definitely need to get better on drinking more water! I will choose a winner on March 26th!
My Skin Journey
I became obsessed with skincare probably around sometime in college. It was the first time that my skin had ever given me any real issues (stress, bad college habits etc.)-which in turn caused me to pay more attention to it. Not knowing what to do, I switched to a harsher cleanser and saw a dermatologist who gave me a topical cream. Those worked for a little while and then I’d have to switch to a different cleanser/a different topical cream.
Breakouts along my jawline and on my cheeks was something I dealt with on and off well throughout my twenties. I just figured it was my new normal. My face wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t as clear as it used to be. It wasn’t until I decided to try out the paleo lifestyle (no grains, dairy, legumes) that my skin cleared up and stayed that way. I got compliments on my “glowing skin”. My skin looked great and I felt great.
About a year ago, my photography business really started to gain some traction, which is AMAZING and I’m incredibly grateful. But with that came stress, less sleep and poor eating habits. My skin was the worst it’s ever been. My face hurt to touch. I wouldn’t leave the house without putting on makeup. I’m pretty sure some tears were shed. I saw a dermatologist for the second time in my life. She looked at my for about two minutes, gave me a prescription for Spironolactone and sent me on my way. I started the medication right away, read reviews, learned that acne comes back after stopping the medication and decided that route wasn’t for me.
This wasn’t the worst of it.
I looked at how I was treating my body (little sleep, no plan for stress management, and bad eating habits) and knew I needed to get a handle on things. Prioritizing sleep and going back to eating mainly paleo was enough to clear up my face. In January, hubs and I completed the 21 Day Sugar Detox. On top of that, I added in rules from the two week skin cleanse I found on Lauren Conrad’s Blog.
The Rules
Allison, the author of the post, does a great job explaining the why behind the rules. So, if you have any questions about cutting something out and its affects on the body, click over to the post to read up more about that.
1. Cut out all refined sugar
2. Add leafy greens to each meal
3. Drink a glass of warm lemon water each morning
4. Make your midday snack a healthy one
5. Amp up your cilantro and parsley
6. Stay off of soy
7. Cut the coffee
8. Use only natural, non-toxic/chemical free, skincare products
9. Use a face oil 3 times a day
10. Drink half your weight in water every day
11. Don’t skimp on your healthy fats
My Experience
I thought cutting coffee out was going to be the end of me but I ended up not even really needing it. I did miss the comfort of a warm beverage in the morning, but quickly found substitute for my morning coffee-matcha green tea with coconut milk. Cutting out sugar, eating healthier and getting more sleep sleep did wonders for my energy levels. I still drink coffee, but not in the amount I was before.
One major thing I noticed in my skin was that it was a lot more hydrated and any fine lines I have on my face weren’t as visible. The esthetician I see even made a comment about how hydrated and plump my skin looks. When I did have a breakout, it did go away a lot faster than it had in the past. They used to take forever to clear up.
Before
After
I could talk about skincare all day long, so with that being said, I will be starting a skincare blog series! I’ll be sharing things relating to nutrition, things I’ve tried, products that I love and stand by, what has worked, what didn’t work etc.
I know that when I was engaged, having a clear, glowing complexion for my wedding day was really important to me, so I want to share any helpful information that I do have with future brides. When you look good, you feel good. And when you feel good you’re more confident and that shows through in photos. So stay tuned for that blog series along with some giveaways starting in March!
Straight out of camera…keepin’ things real!
