Tag: skin health

#betterskin Challenge – Final Update 

by Jen Standing, posted in skin health

Hi guys!

Last we left off on the #betterskin Challenge – week 4 – I really didn’t feel like I was where I wanted to be. You know why?

Because good skin isn’t made overnight or errrr, even in 4 weeks! It takes time, diligence – perseverance! But the patience pays off, I promise you!


So here we are, week 6. But woah woah woah… let’s rewind it for a minute and talk about the changes I’ve implemented over the past few weeks in an effort to help my skin…

  1. Drinking more water
  2. Supplementing with Stress Care
  3. Adding dandelion root tea (daily)
  4. Adding a homemade face scrub to my beauty routine (2 x a week)
  5. Upping my dietary fats (daily)
  6. And keeping it all up for 6 weeks!

 

I know it can be hard to tell, but I can feel the difference in my skin. It is much, much less dry. My skin tone is brighter and I have a more even skin tone. I am proud of the changes that I’ve made to my routine, especially drinking more water and just practicing some extra acts of self care, like drinking tea and doing my homemade face scrub!

What I learned from doing this challenge is that there really is no secret to good skin. And like most of the rewards in this world, it is earned – not given! That means I can’t give up the great changes I’ve made and expect great results – I need to keep up with my routine.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

So what am I gonna keep – and what’s getting kicked? Well – I wouldn’t say I’m kicking anything – but I am going to make a couple of adjustments. I love a good homemade face scrub, but if I can find a great natural one at the health food store, I’ll make the swap. It saves me time, which is precious to me, and I’ll also get to feel like I’m pampering myself more.

I’m also going to switch up my nightly tea – I love dandelion root, but I think Holy Basil and Chamomile are also great options that help to regulate cortisol levels as opposed to focusing on the liver detoxification route.

I believe the same thing I did when I started this challenge – that great skin is made mostly from the inside out! If you want better skin, start with your nutrition – and make the tweaks necessary along the way for you to reach your goal.

Thanks for following along!

Find me on Instagram here

IMG_7348

#betterskin Challenge – Week 1

by Jen Standing, posted in natural remedies, personal, skin health

You know those New Years Resolutions that you seem to make every year, yet somehow they never make it on the to-do list? Me too. Working on improving my skin has been a reoccurring goal for me – yet I’ve never attempted it with any sort of plan or focus.

But today, that’s all gonna change. Today, I’m ready.

That’s right: My skin is a dehydrated, picked over, oily/dry combo of a mess – and with all due respect to myself – I’m ready to do something about it!

In fairness to myself, my skin is not the worst it’s ever been. In my teenage days I had acne that absolutely ravaged my face. Although that has subsided, I still get blemishes and breakouts on my face, neck, and shoulders.

I get comments all the time on social media about how my skin is perfect – trust me, it’s not! Makeup, contour, and natural lighting go a long ways. But we all know it’s what’s underneath that really matters, and I’m ready for truly healthy skin. Not skin that just looks healthy. And true to my values, I will be basing this mostly on healing my skin with nutrients that work from the inside out – with a few fun exceptions.

Today begins the  #betterskin challenge, and here’s how it’s mapped out: each week I am going to introduce two new strategies to help improve my skin. I’ll tell you what they are, and later update you on how they worked. I’m going to build upon the two I start this week by adding two more next week, etc etc, until we get to the end of 4 weeks.

Ready?

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

So here’s my starting point. I have blemishes, blotchy tone, and puffy eyelids. It’s hard to tell, but my skin is also extremely dry – especially this time of year and on towards winter.

Week 1 Strategies:

Drink more water. Yes, I dragged you all the way through this post to tell you I’m going to implement the most boring strategy ever. Sorry! But the importance of healthy skin and water cannot be undervalued. I’m also horrible (yes, even as a wellness professional) at staying on top of my water intake.

I downloaded an app called “Daily Water” to help me out with this. I love having a visual cue as a reminder of where I’m at for water intake, and this app also allows you to set reminders. I did cruise other apps, but some counted drinking beverages such as coffee towards your daily water intake (ummmm, I wish).  Just know that there are options, but this one is free, simple, and I’m going to use it.

Untitled design (1).png

Secondly, when it comes to skin it is really important to keep your stress levels under control. Cortisol is a powerful hormone, and it effects other hormones, and this can lead to serious breakouts. So I’ve decided to add a new supplement to my regime, which is Himalaya Stress Care. The main ingredient is ashwagandha, but there are other stress supportive ingredients in the formula as well. I’ll be taking a daily dose to help me regulate cortisol levels and keep breakouts under control.

IMG_0054

 

I’ll be updating on this series every Friday, so meet me here next Friday for the week 2 post and updates on how week 1 went!

#betterskin , here I come!

IMG_7348