Welcome to week 5 of our Skin Detox Challenge.
Following on from last week are you feeling a little more fearless? Is your skin in good health? By now, there will be a few people who have started to notice a difference in the quality of your skin. Perhaps you are getting the odd person saying that you look different or maybe your make-up is sitting better, or you’re feeling confident to go out make-up free.
I want to hear it all and would love you to let me know how you are coming along.
The reason your skin is changing appearance (and it’s turning heads!) is because you are feeding the organisms in your skin with good bacteria. The Manuka honey in our products is excellent at helping your skin build up these levels. This ensures you have a healthier skin microbiome. Here’s everything you need to know about how to maximise good skin bacteria.
This week we’d like to focus on your skin’s microbiome, and would like you to follow these six steps to repair your skin:
Step one – Ditch the antibacterial products
90% of what we put on our skin absorbs into our system. It’s why antibacterial hand sanitizers and antibacterial soaps present problems for our skin. Many skin problems from acne through to eczema are caused by a bacteria imbalance in the skin microbiome. In short, there are more ‘bad guys’ than good, and it overloads the organism. The bottom line is that our skin could benefit from us dropping all antibacterial and harsh synthetic skin products.
Step two – Get dirty or go outdoors
Soil is great for our skin microbiome so why not get a little dirty in the garden this weekend? In this modern world, we need to rethink what being dirty means. Spending time outdoors camping, playing sport and gardening are all great ways to get natural exposure to a variety of soil-based organisms that are beneficial for our skin.
Step three – Change your laundry routine
Through laundering our clothes, regardless of washing powder, we often share some of our microbiota with people living in the same home. Natural fibres, such as cotton and nylon, will hold a more natural balance of bacteria, whilst synthetic fibres harbour bacteria outside of the balance of the normal eco-system. If someone in your home has skin issues it is worth washing their clothes separately in a gentle, natural washing powder/soap and drying the clothes in the sun to reduce and balance the bacteria naturally.
Step four – Sweat it out
Another really great way to maximise your new healthier, skin microbiome is to get moving or sit in a hot sauna. Not only is exercise or a sauna good for your skin because it pumps up the blood flow and helps with circulation, sweating profusely can also make your skin healthier. Sweat is a prebiotic that contributes to healthy skin bacteria.
Step five – Add prebiotics to your skin
Our skin microbiome needs us to feed it with prebiotics. One way to feed the skin topically is to use natural Manuka honey-based skincare products. Manuka honey encourages the growth of good bacteria on our skin and helps to manage bad bacteria. It is also a natural humectant, which means it traps in moisture and helps to eliminate water loss from the skin.
Step six – Eat more onions and leeks
Another good way to feed the skin microbiome is to eat prebiotic-rich foods, such as onions and leeks. These vegetables are from the allium family and contain lots of prebiotic fibre that feeds the good bacteria in both your skin and your gut. Or if you’re feeling a little bolder, you could add a spoonful of Manuka honey to your favourite dairy-free yoghurt.
Top Tips
1. If you are using alcohol and synthetic based alcogels as an antibacterial on your hands then remember to keep your hands out of your mouth and off your face. As a way to help grow good bacteria on the skin on your hands, spray our Prepare Spray On Brightening Lotion (toner) rich in Manuka oil, regularly to help balance your microbiome and deeply hydrate your hands – Bonus is the high Vitamin C will also inhibit and decrease age-spots.
2. TIP – I have for some years now used soap berries for my washing, I take a handful and put in a recycled jam jar and cover with boiling water – a jelly will form on the top and I use this for stain removal. After using your soap berries, you can put the shells on your pot plants to protect them and hold in moisture, they also look great. Our clothes have never been so clean it’s great for our skin and great for the planet! https://www.thatredhouse.com.au/ (There are many NZ sites and stores selling soap berries).
2 Small carrots chopped
1 Cup chopped pineapple
1 Orange, peel removed and chopped
½ Teaspoon ground turmeric / or fresh if you prefer
1 Glass of your favourite fruit kombucha or simple carbonated water
I Cup frozen mango
Put everything into your blender, blend until smooth and ready to serve.
Top tip: It is also fun also to put into cocktail glasses serve with a little grated orange and a slice of orange on the side of the glass.
NB – If you are not Vegan and you can eat honey – then adding one tablespoon of Manuka honey especially if you are unwell, is a great option.
As a recap, our four essentials are: Remove Gentle Facial Cleanser, Prepare Spray on Brightening Lotion (toner), AM Day Serum and PM Night Cream.
Step 1:
Remove Gentle Facial Cleanser – Rich in Manuka Honey & Avocado Oil
When it comes to our Remove Gentle Facial Cleanser, a little goes a long way.
- Simply squeeze out a bit the size of an almond, add a drop or two of warm water.
- Warm by rubbing the cleanser in your hands.
- Apply cleanser to the face neck and decollete. (safe to use around the eye & lip area)
- Gently massage the cleanser around the area being cleansed.
- Use a clean warm flannel to compress the skin and then remove the cleanser.
- I recommend repeating the above step, if you’ve been wearing make-up.
Mindful removal
I sometimes also add a little lemon juice or lemon oil to my warm water. If you have a busy life, then those couple of minutes of mindfulness practicing ‘slow beauty’ really makes a difference to your life.
Step 2:
Prepare Spray On Brightening Lotion (toner) HERO PRODUCT – Rich in Manuka Honey & Kiwifruit – Antibacterial
- Either spray directly onto your face or spray a little into clean hands.
- Gently pat into your face, neck, decollete, avoiding the eye area.
- Leave the skin to dry and then apply your favorite moisturizer.
Hydrate well
Our Prepare Brightening Spray On Lotion (toner) helps to tone, tighten and even out the skin.
If you have very dry skin on your arms and legs, then you can use the brightening lotion to spray, rub in and feel soft and hydrated.
Step 3:
AM Day Serum – Rich in Manuka Honey Moisturizer & Ponga Fern Seed (Apply after cleansing and toning). You only need a small amount as it will spread easily and will deliciously soak into your skin
- Dot the moisturizer over the area to be treated.
- As it warms to your skin, gently rub in.
PM Night Cream – Rich in Manuka Honey and Bee Venom Moisturizer (Apply after cleansing and toning). This is a thick moisturizer designed for night-time replenishment.
- Dot, night cream on your face, neck and decollete.
- As it warms to your skin gently massage in, allowing your skin to repair and regenerate whilst you sleep.
Suitable for all skin types
Our Manuka honey moisturizers are suitable for all skin types, focused on strengthening the skin natural barrier function.
Tracy Ahern
This is not a solo mission, I’m here to help!
I’m here to give you advice on how to mix up our skinfood offering to best suit you. Be assured, that after four weeks your skin should be accustomed to natural products, settled and problem free.
If you have problem skin or a skin issue, I would love you to fill in our skin consultancy form and I will send you a product recommendation.
Our skin whilst we are all effectively the same, does have its own unique personality just like we do.
About our skin…
Our skin is an organ and is as important as our heart or lungs. Our bodies are so clever and aim to repair damage as it happens. However, we rely on being healthy to support our skin and other organs as nature intended. Having healthy skin can be compared to going to the gym. We need to establish healthy habits and daily routines to get the results we desire.
Our skin is the largest organ in our body, performing many vital tasks; it provides a barrier to infection, pathogenic threats and harmful pollution. Despite this, our skin nutrition can often be overlooked and our good intentions to cleanse and fight bad bacteria can go amiss.
Our skin is a microclimate of ‘good bacteria’ necessary to regulate our skin, fight infection and retain moisture. However, with the increasing use of synthetics, preservatives, parabens and sulphates in traditional skincare, our skin’s natural healing and pH balancing abilities can be dramatically decreased, as good bacteria are stripped, and moisture levels depleted.
