The other day I gave some nods and a big laugh to Vanity Panic, a post by one of my favorite bloggers, Kim Cash Tate. The vanity issue was wanting beautiful skin and, of course, Kim had to mention her hair woe. What’s a discussion about vanity if it doesn’t include hair, right? Most of us who made comments agreed that we were dealing with vanity, but we all wanted to know what the healthy balance is between lack of care and vanity. I think we need to remember that we live in a fallen world and that some things just won’t be flawless all the time. Keeping this in mind can help us not to fret over a zit and get depressed from our hair. Like anything else we care about, we have to put some diligence toward having healthy skin and hair, but obsession is idolatry.
As we work toward good health, I hope we work to heal, instead of just mask, our issues. So today I’m sharing some natural methods I use that may get to the root of your problems skin, whether you have acne, dark circles under your eyes, or oily, dry or ashen skin.
Reasons The cause of skin issues can be external or internal or both. We must be careful of what we put on and in our bodies. Watch out for bacteria that come from dirt or other pollutants, makeup and creams that can clog your pores, and processed, fried and fatty foods. As I wrote in my earlier posts, stress and dehydration can also cause skin problems. Food allergies and hormone imbalances can be factors, too.
Remedies
Know your body. Observe what triggers your skin problems. Get tested for food and allergies. You can also keep a food diary to note how your skin reacts when you eat certain foods. Don’t just do this with new foods. Include the ones you’ve always eaten because you may have never contributed a skin problem to one of your favorite foods. Once you discover your causes you can make a change.
Detoxify your body. You should make sure to cleanse your body at various intervals throughout the year—a major cleanse annually, a less stringent one quarterly, a milder one monthly, and even one weekly. You can do a juice fast, the Master Cleanse, dieter’s tea, all fruits and vegetables, whatever you believe works best for your body. We overwork our kidneys and liver, our detoxification organs, with many harsh foods we eat and they sometimes fail to flush the toxins out our bodies. A detoxification helps to flush out the lingering toxins that are seeping through our skin. As always, drink plenty of purified water to help the detoxification process and moisturize your skin.
Pamper your body. Once you get the junk out, put some good stuff on and in. I eat plenty of onions, garlic, and yellow-orange fruits and vegetables and green ones too, which are all high in antioxidants and some in beta-carotene, which clean and clear the skin. I drink dandelion root, burdock root and chamomile teas to dispel toxins from, nourish and soothe my inflamed skin. I sometimes use Witch Hazel (with low percentage or no alcohol) as an astringent, which refreshes and helps removes traces of oil and dirt.
I could say more, but I know this is a good start. I look forward to hearing how you’re doing on your healthy skin journey the natural way.
Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith
