Jennifer Thompson

There is a multi-million dollar industry out there right now just waiting for you to buy more products, book more laser treatments, dermabrasions, rejuvenations and whatever other latest trend they develop in an effort to stop the process of aging and give you more youthful, healthy looking skin. What they forgot to mention, however, is that healthy skin starts on the inside. There is no amount of cream, ointment, gel, powder or tincture that can give you nice skin.

If you know my personal story of having had a terrible skin rash for over 2.5 years, you know that I speak from experience! During that time, I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would ever get a compliment on my skin again. Now, I have people telling me that my skin is beautiful all the time! Do you want to know my secret? Living natural, whole & pure! It’s that easy! I avoid food additives and eat as natural a diet as possible. The only thing I put on my skin is pure, raw, organic, virgin cold-pressed coconut oil. From my perspective, if you can’t eat it, then you shouldn’t be putting it on your skin!

We have to remember that the skin is an organ, and in fact it is the largest organ in the entire body. It is also an eliminative organ, meaning it assists the body in detoxification by pushing out toxins directly through the cells and membrane of the skin. If you do not have a natural, healthy glow, it means that your body inside is overloaded with toxins. Nothing that you try on the outside will give you long-term positive results as long as you continue to hold on to too much toxicity inside.

When you do a cleanse, you are giving all of your organs a chance to rest, re-balance and rebuild. Any type of cleanse or detox will naturally help the skin.

There are some additional things that you can also do to help your skin do it’s job.

1. Wear more natural fibers in your choice of clothing.

Natural fibers such as cotton, hemp, silk, linen, bamboo and tencel all help the skin to breathe. Artificial materials such as nylon, lycra and polyester tend to be much more harsh on the skin because the skin is not able to breathe properly. Wearing these restrictive garments for too long can trap sweat and other surface debris, leading to breakouts, rashes and other skin disruptions.

In addition to the clothes you wear, you also need to be mindful of the sheets you sleep on and the pillowcases you use. Try to switch to cotton or silk for all your bed linens – it is much healthier for your skin!

2. Practice Dry Skin Brushing.

Dry Skin Brushing is something you can do every day as a quick and easy way to open up the pores of the skin, allowing the skin the breathe better and naturally brushing off toxins and surface debris. Be sure to use a natural bristle brush, not a nylon brush! You can usually find a natural dry skin brush at your local health food shop.

Use your Dry Skin Brush every day for about 5-7 minutes before you go into the shower (i.e. when your skin is dry). Always brush towards the heart. Dry skin brushing is also excellent for lymphatic circulation and is a good over-all natural detoxifier.

3. Regular Sauna or Steams

Essentially, the body eliminates most toxins naturally by sweating. Sweating speeds up the release of acids and toxins directly through the skin. Try to get into a routine of doing a steam sauna or a far-infrared sauna 2-3 times per week.

This will greatly assist your body’s detoxification process and is also a very good natural stress reliever!