A few thoughts on skin & beauty
Skin & Beauty
I have been passionate about skin health and holistic beauty for ever. I can remember doing face masks in middle school and have been playing with makeup since I was probably too young to play with makeup (but I am pretty good at eyeliner because of it, lol). In high school and college, I would read books on what to eat to improve skin health and became fascinated about what the human body was capable of. This eventually led me to TCM, my true love. In TCM we can see beauty and aesthetics as a byproduct of a healthy, balanced mind, body, spirit.
My approach to skin and beauty is ever evolving. I love the concept of beauty and skin health coming from the inside out- I actually find that to be so much easier than obsessing over topicals- I like to think that topicals do about 10-20% of the work, whereas lifestyle is 80%.
I have dealt with breakouts my whole life, but they are well managed now due to my lifestyle and approach to beauty. I really do lead with diet and lifestyle to manage overall health and stress levels. An acne/skin friendly diet looks different for everyone, this does not always mean going gluten free, dairy free, etc- some people do just fine with high quality dairy in their diet after healing their gut.
A few things that I find helpful for skin health, acne, graceful aging:
Managing glucose levels - The Glucose Goddess is an amazing resource for this.
High quality, whole foods diet- we shop mainly at the co-op and recently started ordering food from TC Farm which is pastured based organic farm in MN. We try to focus on organic, local when possible, pasture raised, grass fed, etc, all from trusted sources. Better for us, better for the earth, better for our gorgeous home state of MN. The co-op does an amazing job of doing a lot of the work for you here. TC Farm is also an amazing resource, I highly recommend checking them out. Northstar Bison is also awesome. Our dairy at home is mostly Kalona SuperNatural.
Managing stress levels- this is hard. Life can be incredibly stressful and unexpected stressors come up that are out of our control. I think about trying to make myself as resilient to stress as possible. I do this by: prioritizing sleep (I am very strict about sleep, I am just not the best version of myself if I don’t get enough sleep), walks outside, a lot of time with loved ones, and I really try to prioritize time to do nothing, or just things that I want to do like read.
A word on beauty supplements- I am extremely skeptical about anything marketed as a beauty supplement. There is so much out there with gorgeous marketing that is just not what it claims to be and you basically have to be a scientist to figure that out. It’s so frustrating. Finding brands that you actually trust or finding sources that you actually trust to lead you to good brands is key (i.e: not a celebrity supplement brand and I would be skeptical about any wellness influencer who does not have a degree in a health or wellness related field telling you to buy an expensive supplement). Some are really good, others are not. I swear by Root & Bones products- the owner and creator of Root & Bones is an acupuncturist and herbalist- someone you should be taking your wellness advice from! She is a wealth of knowledge. I swear by her collagen and take it daily. To me, any of her products would be classified as beauty herbal tonics because anything that makes your insides feel better, is going to make your outsides look better. I will do another post on herbs and beauty supplements in general, because there is a lot to say.
Grace and a dose of reality. Grace for my breakouts- I know that I am breakout prone, and its one of the first things to show up for me when I am out of my routine or stress is higher, that’s ok. I have ways I can manage it and it’s really not the end of the world. A dose of reality for the fact that I am getting older, we all are, and that is a privilege. I will continue to look older and that’s a gift as well. I am constantly looking for older female role models who can help expand me on this concept- I think we need more of that.
The topic of topicals is another post as well because its so different for everyone- but a few brands that I am excited about/interested in: Living Libations, Marie Veronique, Cosmedix, Environ. Noy skincare is an awesome resource on instagram for holistic living and skincare!
Of course, regular gua sha/facial massage, cosmetic acupuncture, microneedling- the best! All wonderful graceful aging tools. I do all of these things very regularly (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly- depending on the modality) and I swear by them all.
None of this content is sponsored! Just a few things that I love. Of course, because I feel so passionately about Root & Bones' products, you can now buy them through Azalea’s website or at the clinic. But you should check our her instagram and website- she has so many more products than what I offer and amazing information to share.
What are your thoughts? Do you have a fascination with skin health and beauty too? What works for you? Its so different for everyone and we all have different concerns!
As always, thank you for being here :) I hope something amazing happens to you today.
*The information contained on this website/page is for educational purposes only and is not intended to provide a diagnosis or substitute for medical, nutritional or acupuncture advice or treatment. Any reference to or mention of any particular diagnoses or dysfunctions is intended for informational purposes only and not an attempt to diagnose your particular problems. You should always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medicine or nutritional, herbal, or homeopathic supplement, or adopting any treatment for a health problem.
