Putting Your Best Face Forward!

I have had trouble skin for as long as I can remember and I can honestly say that it has only been in the last two years that I have finally created a routine that keeps my face clear. (I do still get the occasional zit) Although I know that not everyone has such problematic skin I though I would share with you the things that have helped me and that I wished I knew a long time ago.

Identify correct skin type-First I have to say that since I was 15 years old I was told I have oily skin. What I didn’t know at the time is that I actually had very dry skin that became oily due to the harsh face washes I was using. Your body is great at trying to protect itself and when skin gets irritated it can actually start to produce more oil to help create a barrier against the irritant. I switched to a more gentle face wash and my skin started on the road to recovery. I noticed one of the best ways to determine your skin type is to see how it feels in the morning and after you wash your face. Dry skin might feel tight after you wash it.

The ingredient list- Another thing that I noticed is when I eat clean, my face looks clean. Our skin can reflect what we put into our bodies and a high sugar or high processed food diet can definitely lead to acne or dull skin. If your anything like me you may benefit from eating clean for a while to see if it has any impact on your skin. The best part is that even if it doesn’t make a big impact on your skin you will feel better either way. Another thing to take into consideration is what you put on your skin. What you put on your skin does get absorbed into your body so it is important to make sure that you are not working hard to eat clean only to put harmful things into your body via skin. I think I saw the most difference when I changed all the products I was using to products that were more clean and gentle on the skin. Some of the things I use are found in my kitchen, coconut oil being one of them. I struggled with this concept for a long time however it also makes sense. Your scalp produces oil and if you have ever dyed your hair then you really know the importance that oil plays in protecting your hair and skin. Your face also needs some oil to protect the skin and help it to stay hydrated. I know people who use olive oil. I personal love coconut oil due to its antibacterial properties. I use it as a spot treatment and occasionally use a small amount as my moisturizer. It is true that an access can clog pores so I am just careful on how much I use. If you are curious about the products that I use check out our most loved products section where I will list the products I use.

Protection- I also found that sunscreen is very important. Now I was not much of a believer before but I have noticed that even in the winter my skin looks better when I protect is with some SPF. I have a foundation that has it in already so I just have to remember to put it on ever morning.

Water-As I had mentioned in the earlier article “Water Water” https://twitter.com/insidethenout/status/438131052515561472 how much you drink does have an impact on our skin. It is needed to help hydrate and flush out toxins.

Stress- Also just wanted to touch on stress again. At least for me high stress levels are still the one thing that will cause acne to pop up. It is important to always try to find things that work for you to help calm you down and relax. https://twitter.com/insidethenout/status/436590962949632000

Taking care of your skin will help give you that healthy glow and help you to stay looking young. It is important to remember that everyone has a different skin type and what might work for me might not work for you. Have patients with yourself to find a routine that works for you and of course keep checking back here every week to read about other articles on creating a healthy and more beautiful mind and body. http://mad.ly/signups/102194/join

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Coconut Joy!

It’s quite possible I speak for many of us when I say that we all love something that has multiple purposes and benefits all in one product. Is this true for you? Would you like to have something to use as a cooking oil at low or high heat safely? A little something to add to your coffee first thing in the morning to give it a boost of good fats for your brain and body to jump-start the day with? What about something you can use for your skin as a lotion or even an aftershave? I can keep going but I have a feeling you may be getting the point now. If you have answered yes to any of these questions you may be at risk for loving coconut oil! Please be advised that its healthy fats MCT’s (medium chain triglycerides) and other polyphenols and vitamins may help moisturize your skin, maintain healthy cholesterol levels, aid in weight loss, improve dental quality and bone strength, aid in proper digestion, nourish your hair and have antimicrobial, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. If you do not wish to have so many health benefits by incorporating one thing into your daily routine I recommend you STOP reading this article now!

 

For those of you brave enough to keep reading on I would like to welcome to you the wonderful world of coconut oil. Maybe you already use it for cooking or skin care but never really used coconut oil to maximize its benefits in your life. First I want to get into the nitty-gritty and explore what is in coconut oil that makes it so amazing. Then I will go through a few ways I use it and some extras uses that may work for you. Let’s get started!

First of all coconut oil is an oil, it contains all kinds of good fats your body needs to function properly. These fats include:

• Saturated fatty acids: Most are medium chain triglycerides that are easily assimilated by the body such as lauric acid, capric acid, caprylic acid, myristic and palmitic acids.

• Polyunsaturated fatty acids: Linoleic acid.

• Monounsaturated fatty acids: Oleic acid.

• Polyphenols: Gallic acid.

Along with all these good fats are Vitamin E and K as well as minerals such as Iron.

It is easy to go on and on but I would like to share with you one of my favorite ways to get coconut oil in my diet and that is in my morning coffee! Starting the day off with a fresh cup of coffee, coconut oil, organic grass-fed butter and my favorite protein powder helps me power through my mornings! Here is why it works. The coffee for many known reasons helps boost energy and metabolism as well as stimulate digestion. The grass-fed butter, and I stress grass-fed because the cows that provided that milk for your butter fed on the nutrients they need to be healthy therefore producing the best quality dairy containing all of its vital nutrients such as CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) which has many benefits itself including weight loss. For a good article regarding grass-fed products and benefits of CLA follow this link: CLA Benefits. The coconut oil, its brain boosting, cholesterol maintaining, blood pressure leveling, candida killing, heart healing, blood sugar balancing, digestion benefiting effects are great to break the fast of sleep. Finally I use a whey protein powder free from hormones and artificial ingredients (my favorite is chocolate) to support muscle growth and keep me full and energized. You can see why I like to start my day off this way!

Some other amazing things you can use coconut oil are as follows:

• To replace other cooking oil as coconut oil can be used for high heat cooking, contains fewer calories compared to other oils, and it’s fat is easily converted into energy!

• Spread it on your toast in the morning for an extra boost!

• Use it on your skin as a moisturizer, it has antibacterial properties which those with skin conditions such as acne can benefit from.

• Use it in your hair and on your scalp, coconut oil can help strengthen your hair, add shine, make it softer and help relieve dry scalp to stomp out itching and flaking as well as improve growth.

• Use it when you practice oil pulling methods.

• Use it as a carrier oil for massage.

• Use it in your homemade deodorants, it’s antifungal, antimicrobial properties will help kill odor causing bacteria.

• Apply it to your psoriasis to relieve itching and reduce redness.

• For weight loss simply get 2-3 tablespoons of coconut oil in your diet daily. Your liver converts the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil into energy and increases your metabolic rate. Add it to your morning coffee, your afternoon smoothie or add it as a topping on your popcorn.

TIP: Add coconut oil into your daily routine a little at a time. You can start with 1 tablespoon daily and increase it by 1 tablespoon at a time.

 

When shopping for coconut oil you may see labels read: refined, virgin, extra virgin, unrefined, natural, organic, or fractionated. Here are a few quick buying tips:

• Internal use- I always go for the organic unrefined extra virgin coconut oil if I plan to use it internally.

• Topical use- Such as hair and skin I prefer organic unrefined extra virgin coconut oil. The least amount of processing the better, I want it to contain all of the natural goodness that mother nature worked so hard to put into the coconut!

So really with all of it’s wonderful benefits the only limitation is your imagination! If you already use coconut oil please share some of the ways you use it. If you just started using it after this article give us some feedback as to how you used it and what you thought of it.

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ACV

One of the first things we wanted to write about is one of our most favorite things, and our overall go to. That is the one and only apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar or ACV is a fermented product that has a pH of 5. This is good to aid in detoxifying the body as well as bringing your body into balance. A balance in your ph can help skin, hair, nails, digestion, and the list goes on. Think about your body as a pool. If the chemical levels in the pool are too high or too low problems can arise. The same goes for the ph in your body. Since it is a fermented food it also contains good bacteria that your body really needs for good digestion. These things make it very versatile. People have also used ACV for a number of reasons. It can be used with cold water after your shampoo to add volume and shine to your hair, used topically to heal warts, brushed onto teeth to help remove stains, lose weight, and even said to kill lice and keep fleas away. You can take a straight tablespoon of ACV a day, add it to salads with your favorite olive oil, or my personal favorite is to add it in a warm drink. We take a tablespoon of ACV, lemon juice to taste, about a ½ a tablespoon of honey, and 8 oz of hot water. We drink this daily especially if we start to get the sniffles. Our favorite is Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar. It is organic, unfiltered (so it can keep all the great antioxidants) raw, and contains the “Mother” vinegar, which contains naturally occurring protein enzyme molecules, which gives it all the great health benefits. Click the link below to learn more about this product.

http://www.bragg.com

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