Do you hate having dry skin or reddish hues?
Well… since my last fast (7 days of only water) I changed things up a bit, and I’ve noticed my rosy cheeks whiten and my scaly skin moisten. As much as I hate to use the word moisten… (cue cringe), it’s true.
Since the fast, there are 10 things that have helped my skin to:
- reduce dryness, bringing back moisture and create smooth and supple skin
- reduce redness.
Here are 10 antidotes to dry skin and rosy cheeks…
***
Note: all the brands mentioned in this post are not sponsored, but simply brands I’ve tried and tested.
Bring Back the Moisture for Smooth and Supple Skin
With…
1. Blueberries
Good for all things, gut, health, and skin related. Blueberries are a fruit full of antioxidants, vitamin K and C. For all of these reasons, they’ve become a huge staple in my diet. They nourish, protect, and help heal the skin. Plus, they’re delicious and easy to digest!
2. Tremella
Also known as the “beauty mushroom”, Tremella is used in traditional Chinese medicine to create beauty tonics.
The polysaccharide compounds in this shroom increase the amount of moisture you can hold in your skin, increasing elasticity to help you maintain smooth and youthful skin. It also contains antioxidants that help protect and rejuvenate the skin.
It’s beau-ti-ful!
I pop 1/2 a teaspoon to a teaspoon it in my smoothies every day. It has a very subtle flavour so you could pretty-well pop it in anything, including your cooking. If you weren’t aware and wanted to know I use, it’s Teelixir.
For more on the magic of medicinal mushrooms for your skin and gut, you can listen to our Ra Chat with Millennial Nutritionist, Eliza Hedley.
3. Skin care
Not something I usually experiment with because it usually ends badly… but I finally converted away from Dermaviduals! Although they give my skin the appearance of being healthy, they didn’t help it heal.
So I started with a ‘no-risk’ starter kit with Rasara. You can trial their products for thirty days, if you don’t like them, you can get a refund. Talk about backing your product! I really love this.
Usually, if I stopped using Dermaviduals my skin will become raised, extremely dry, red and painful, but now, after using Rasara’s Pita range (largely for rosacea types) my skin isn’t volatile at all!
Here are my two favourite products so far because they’ve helped ENORMOUSLY with cooling my skin and moisturising!
Hydrating Mist
Aloe Syrum
They’ve got a skin-type test on their website, so I definitely recommend checking them out. Especially if you’re a “sensi” (sensitive) like me.
4. Water
You can’t get away from water if you want clear, beautiful and supple skin.
The reason for dry skin is largely due to chronic dehydration and this can take a long time to remedy. Therefore consistency is key.
The skin is the last organ to receive nutrients and water, so don’t give up on drinking water simply because you think you drink enough and you’re not seeing immediate results, it takes time given the rest of your body will be soaking it up first.
If you’re unsure of the quantity you should drink, you can work it out here.
After a water fast my skin always has a glow because it radically can speed up this process of hydration, but before considering that as an option, please read this.
5. Almond, Hazelnut and Walnut Nut Butter
Oh. M. Goodness! I’d been unable to properly process fats for so damn long, but after this water fast I’ve been able to double down on them. YAY!
This beautiful balance of fats is essential for young, clear looking skin because they’re sooooo hormone balancing. Plus, they satiate you, reducing the “gremlin hormone” ghrelin which often leads to overeating.
How to make your own nut butter:
- [250g] Almonds for vitamin E
- [150g] Hazelnuts for magnesium, calcium, and B and E vitamins
- [50g] Walnuts for big brains,😛 more vitamin E, and better sleep regulation
I buy organic nuts and then process them myself. With a processor or thermomix, blend all nuts together until smooth. If taking too long, add coconut oil and some beautiful sea salt.
6. Marshmallow Root
Used as a tea, marshmallow root coats the throat and the digestive tract to give an anti-inflammatory effect. I especially love it because while it helps soften the skin, it also reduces swelling. Specifically great for edema, skin conditions like eczema, dermatitis, and rosacea.
I drink it daily.
Reducing the rosy cheeks
7. Ghee
*Note: although a product of dairy, it doesn’t contain lactose or casein due to the distillation process
Ghee has been a NEW skin game-changer for me! The skin, and gut loving properties of ghee seem almost endless when you get into it, so I’ll just give you an overview.
Ghee provides the body with the right fats (lipids) to reduce inflammation, i.e., redness in the skin. From all angles and in the right qualities, these good fats reduce acne — they stop pores from being clogged, and by balancing insulin levels, assist with hormonal breakouts. Plus, it feeds our “good” gut bugs!
Ghee also helps to reduce redness, balance your complexion, promote skin healing and rejuvenation due to its abundance of vitamin A, E, and K.
P.S. If you’re gonna eat ghee, please buy organic because fat is where toxicity is (largely) stored in animals, including us.
PPS. No judgment. I was 100% plant-based for 5, almost 6, but since my health rapidly declined (not due to the diet mind you), I’ve been more open to trying different things to balance my body and clear my skin. I’m still about 99.87% plant-based, 😉 as it’s what my body likes, but your body and mind are not mine! So whether you eat animal foods or not, no judgment here! In the Ra is all about learning to listen to your body, and amplify your intuition, i.e., you do you.
8. Swedish Bitters
When I drink bitters in the morning my skin immediately cools and I become pale, instead of red. I love this so much that I put it in my water throughout the day, as well as have a teaspoon before each meal, I’m obsessed!
Generally speaking, it works so well because it aids in digestion, starting in the stomach. Rosy cheeks usually mean there is something off balance in the stomach. Due to a number of factors which can be assisted and addressed in some way with bitters.
More specifically, bitters stimulate the digestive system by triggering the vagus nerve and prepares the stomach for food. Bitters activate the gastric juices required to break down your food, and better yet, balances the acid, which also helps the lining of your stomach prevent stomach ulcers and bugs from adhering, such as h-pylori (a common bacteria responsible for rosacea).
ACV works similarly but isn’t as powerful. I tend to use ACV in my meals, like in salad dressings instead.
9. Slippery Elm
A soothing and subtle way to improve digestion.
From the throat to the intestines, slippery elm coats the digestive tract with its mucilage to help protect and heal the digestive system. This helps reduce redness in a similar way to marshmallow root — it reduces the immune response, and it acts as an anti-inflammatory.
There are studies showing its effectiveness at reducing dry-red skin and specifically psoriasis prone skin.
I slip it into my smoothies!
10. Greens
Double, no triple down on the greens
Greens are widely renowned for being a low-calorie-nutrient-mineral-antioxidant powerhouse! Great for digestion, reducing cravings, and reducing the red.
I am a bit of a green queen. I love kale, spinach, beetroot leaves, nettle and pretty well any bitter leaf I can get my hands on. Though I mostly stick to kale and spinach.
I hide them in smoothies, make salads, and I pretty well add them to any dish I can think of. PLUS, I have green powders I use when I don’t have access to the fresh stuff.
AND, whenever I can get my hands on wheatgrass, I’ll have a shot. Like bitters, it has this instant cooling effect that I can physically feel, and visually see.
***
So that’s that. 10 antidotes to dry skin and rosy cheeks! Let me know which ones resonate with you and what you’ll try!
Lots of love,
xx Jess