I am no purist but I am pure in the belief that effective skin care must contain predominantly plant-based ingredients.

This is why:
Plants breathe in what we breathe out, and we breathe in what plants breathe out. This is the circle of life (photosynthesis).

Look at it this way:
Open a bag of baby carrots, put them in a Tupperware container, then stick it in the frig. In the next day or so, what do you see? The inside of the top of the container is dripping with condensation and the carrots look, dry, cracked and whitish. Right?

Our skin gets most of its moisture from the air. We seal moisture out by using non-plant based and chemical products (large molecules). Our skin then pulls moisture from inside the body, just like in the carrot example.

I always decline the paraffin dip when getting a pedicure for this very reason. My feet feel wonderfully soft and moisturized right after the dip, but later they are dryer than ever and look similar to the baby carrots.

Plant based ingredients have small molecules that can penetrate and enable our body to complete the circle of life.

There is no scientific evidence that such chemicals support more than a brief cosmetic change in the skin and there is proof that these substances clog the pores, and block the restoration of healthy balanced skin.

“What goes onto our skin goes into our body”.

Our skin is our largest organ and is a living organism. It is in constant communication with the environment and vulnerable to the effects of everything we encounter in our daily life. Unfortunately most personal care ingredients were approve by the FDA long ago when it was believed that the skin was a protective shield to the out side world.

We now know that whatever we put on our bodies go into our bloodstream.  This is evident by nicotine and hormone replacement patches.

Most women apply a minimum of 12 personal care products daily, body wash, hair sprays, deodorant, make up, skincare…Altogether we apply more than 100 chemicals to our bodies daily.

Many if not most cosmetic and personal care product companies have ingredients that contain phthalates which are  found in synthetic fragrance and nail polishes. These are known to disrupt the hormone system, and are a factor in reproductive diseases and breast caner.

Sadly the list of harmful ingredients in your personal care produces is long and we continue to use them daily. Are the short term results now, worth the risk of the ugly consequences later?

Nourishing the skin with topical ingredients is important, but in addition it is essential that you feed your skin nourishing food and drink. The following are for nutritional optimization of skin function:

1)As much as possible, remove all processed foods from your diet.

2)Eat foods that are natural and whole, such as whole grains, fresh or frozen vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, and so forth.

3)Get 8 plus hours of sleep per night.

4)Drink plenty of water: 8 glasses a day are recommended.

5)Do not fry foods or barbecue them for long periods of time.

6)Use alcohol only in moderation: one drink a day, for example. Wine is best for the resveratrol content, a powerful antioxidant that may help prevent heart disease by increasing levels of “good” cholesterol and protecting against artery damage

7)Eat foods that are high in antioxidants, foods that are highly colored, (cantaloupe, spinach, berries), along with cauliflower, cabbage, and sprouts.

8)Remove sugar and saturated fats. If one needs a sweetener, use a natural sweetener like stevia.

9)Take a good multivitamin with an added antioxidant formula, like mixed carotenes, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and zinc. Add the Vitamin A the “skin vitamin”, also a multi-mineral. These provide even more intensive protection against damaging free radicals. The increased cellular energy helps the skin repair, renew, and revitalize itself.

photograph by: chelsea millunchick