Winter Remedies for Beautiful Skin

Hay House Radio Episode Recap

  • Episode Name: “Winter Remedies for Beautiful Skin”
  • Live Broadcast: January 15, 2019 at 12:00 pm Pacific Time
Episode Replays: Tuesdays at 9:00 pm Pacific Time / 12:00 am Eastern Time, Saturdays at 2:00 pm Pacific Time / 5:00 pm Eastern Time, Sundays at 4:00 pm Pacific Time / 7:00 pm Eastern Time

Episode Summary Re-cap

Do you have dry, aging, or acne-prone skin? Have you been wondering how to choose clean, healthy products that don’t clog your pores? Many women mistakenly think natural oils, like coconut oil, are great for the skin, but they can dehydrate you over time! Joining Heather is Louise Hay’s former esthetician and holistic skin health expert, who will reveal skincare secrets for healthy, beautiful, youthful skin.

Special Guest: Christina Wilson

Christina is a Licensed Esthetician, practicing for nearly 20 years and was Louise Hay’s skincare expert. She has helped thousands of people improve the health of their skin, including overcoming acne, rosacea and pigmentation problems, and creating age management protocols.

Most estheticians categorize their clients based on skin type—oily, dry or combination skin—without considering many other factors that affect skin function. Christina is unique because she recognizes that each person is different and therefore, needs a full skin evaluation. Her skincare protocols and products are tailored to an individual’s specific needs.

In addition to her training as an esthetician, Christina learned three critical success factors about natural, healthy skin care: (1) Hydration is 9/10 of the game for healthy skin, (2) Improving the function of skin is as important as improving its appearance, and (3) Natural, toxin-free products make all the difference.

Based on her years of successful experience, Christina created her own skincare analysis and education system called “Skin Integration Therapy,” a process designed to tailor each person’s skincare to their unique needs with the goal of teaching them to sit comfortably in their own skin.

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Skin Issues, A Worldwide Epidemic?

Acne, rosacea, dry and maturing skin are some of the top concerns people have about skincare. More than 90 percent of world population is affected by acne, considered a “skin disease,” at some point in their life. Acne was reported 8th in the list of most prevalent worldwide diseases in 2010, affecting 645 million people globally.

In 2018 Researchers from the National Rosacea Society reported that the number of people suffering from rosacea globally is estimated to be 415 million.

A 2007 study by the International Society of Dermatology found that 44.5% of Americans felt they had sensitive skin, which would indicate that skin issues are pretty high on a lot of people’s list of concerns!

Let’s talk about some common skincare mistakes and how to resolve them with Christina Wilson of Awaken Your Skin.

Christina tells us that skin, your largest organ, is an inside and outside job when it comes to your health routines. Your skin has natural, protective oils and it needs hydration as well as protection. Most people, she says, fall short in the hydration department – not just internally, but topically as well. To get to the bottom of what’s really happening is not always easy, but totally worth it.

Top 7 Skincare Mistakes and Fixes

#1 – Not Fixing The Root Cause

I get it. We all want the quick fix. The simple solution. Someone to tell us what to do, so that the problems will all be over yesterday. However, nature –and your body– doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes, part of the journey of healing is just that…a journey. When you realize that the average person encounters over 123 toxic chemicals in personal care products before leaving for work each day, it’s no surprise that your body might need time to recover from that onslaught.

Symptoms are your body’s language and while they may feel like a nuisance, they are actually an invitation to make changes. The invitation is not always clear, in fact, it’s often a mystery to find out what’s at the root of a symptom. I always like to invite people to go inside and ask your body what it needs as the first step. If you get confused, going to a good expert “detective” is a great way to find out what’s going on.

The first time I encountered a skincare problem, rosacea, I was 30 years old. It was troubling, but I was able to manage it for the most part. This was one of the minor symptoms, one of many more major symptoms, that scared me into making major changes in my life and health. I started eating better and I threw out my personal care products with chemicals. Within a few months, my skin looked incredible and had completely cleared up! In this case, the rosacea was most likely due to the liver and gallbladder problems I was having.

Ten years later, when I found myself in a confusing skin situation – with skin that looked a little shiny, felt desert-dry, and started breaking out in bumps – I was even more confused. I was already eating a clean, healthy diet. That’s when Louise Hay introduced me to her skincare expert, Christina Wilson.

Without Christina’s expertise, I wouldn’t have known I was improperly cleansing my skin, dehydrating it, and clogging my pores with sesame oil, something I thought was good because it was all natural. It took me six months and more bumps (full of detoxing sesame oil) to clear it all up and heal my skin.

Christina says it can take some people longer, especially if they aren’t eating a liver and gallbladder supporting diet.

The key point here is that your skin is the largest detox organ of your body and will often give you signs when something is amiss. If you are willing to be patient with yourself and get to the root cause, you can resolve the real issue, rather than suppressing it and potentially causing more damage. This can take time as you try things on your own or work with a practitioner who is willing to tailor a solution for your specific situation.

To help you on your search for the root cause, Christina says most skincare issues are related to:

  • Hormone imbalance (including birth control or coming off birth control and detoxing)
  • Liver issues
  • Gut problems, including intestinal imbalances,
  • Using personal care products with parabens and chemicals (see number 5 below)
  • Dehydration (see numbers 3 and 6 below)
  • Consuming dairy, sugar, and gluten (see number 6 below)

#2 – Drying Out Acne

The first modality used in conventional acne care is to dry out the acne. Unfortunately, the drying action creates overall skin dehydration, which starts a vicious cycle. When your skin is dehydrated, it tries to create more oil, which results in shiny skin. People with acne will often react by trying to dry it out even more or becoming moisture-phobic.

Drying is, therefore, not the best solution. Getting to the root cause becomes incredibly important here.

Some of the big contributors to acne are:

  • Eating dairy and/or gluten
  • Parabens in your personal care products
  • Using the wrong cleanser
  • Hormone imbalances

An example of a balancing product Christina likes for acne is Acne & Blemish Infusion by Source Vital.

#3 – Using Oil To Moisturize Skin

I’m raising my hand on falling for this common mistake! Christina tells us that oil has many benefits, including nutrients and protection for the skin. However, their main detractor is that they cut your skin off from hydration. “They act as a kind of shellac,” Christina says.

Over time, your pores can become clogged and dehydrated. You may feel like you need more and more oil. Your skin may appear shiny. Or you may find your skin wrinkling and aging more than you’d expect.

The solution is to cleanse properly (see #4) and choose a hydrating lotion instead. Unfortunately, lotions are not as completely pure as oils, like jojoba, coconut, sesame, and other pure organic oils. While you may end up compromising on some ingredients, the hydration is worth it for the overall function of your skin.

Choosing a lotion is not just about reading the label (see tips in #5). It’s also about experimenting with your skin or working with an esthetician who can track how the lotion is affecting your pores and overall hydration.

While we all want a one-size-fits-all solution, the truth is, this is different for everyone. However, Christina has done extensive testing on clean brands of lotion.

Here are some of the products Christina has found positively supports hydration for many people:

  • SkinFit brand serums and lotions
  • Kimberly Sayer Anti-Oxidant Daily Moisturizing Cream and Ultra Light Facial Moisturizer
  • Source Vital Clear creams and serums
  • Osmosis Quench, Immerse and Refresh AM Eyes
You can learn more by visiting her product site.

Notes on Hydrating Lotions from Christina Wilson of Awaken Your Skin

Creams are more helpful than oil for hydration. Here are some things to consider:

  • Hyaluronic acid in a product usually good for just about everyone since it is a molecular structure that holds its own weight in water. It’s a very good way of getting hydration from the inside and from the outside.
  • If you’re 35 years old and younger, it’s easier to stay with a lighter weight cream. At Awaken Your Skin, I include the ones I’ve tested successfully, like: Moisture Cream, Clear Skin Cream, Quench, Sensitive Lotion, and Ultra-Light Moisturizing SPF30, none of which will clog your pores.
  • Clients with acne usually find the Sensitive Lotion or the Hydra Clear Serum helpful in beginning to bring balance back to their oil secretion.
  • If you’re 35 or older, you may find you need to transition to heavier products, like serums and Osmosis Immerse.
  • For dry skin, some good choices are: Restore, Elite Platinum Cream, Elite Diamond Cream, and Anti-Oxidant Moisturizer SPF 30.

I do phone and Skype consultations, which includes 1 hour on the phone for an intake, samples mailed to you, and 30-minute follow up to see if I have chosen well and if something is not working then there can be more samples till we find the one that fits YOU!

#4 – Not Cleansing Properly

It’s important to have a cleanser that squeegees oil out of your skin. More importantly, your cleanser should never leave a residue, like many conventional soaps and facial cleansers. You can find non-residue-forming cleansers at Awaken Your Skin. If you use a cleanser and either don’t fully rinse it off or it leaves a residue, imagine what happens when you put oil or lotion over the residue? It’s a recipe for pore-clogging. Use this same guideline for body cleansers!

#5 – Buying Personal Care Products With Parabens And Chemicals

According to the Environmental Working Group, “personal care products contain carcinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins, endocrine disruptors, plasticizers, degreasers, and surfactants. They are the chemical industry in a bottle.”

Christina has seen the biggest problems coming from parabens in skincare products. Look on the labels before buying and avoid products with methylparaben, or any word with “ethyl,” “butyl,” “methyl,” and “propyl.”

Parabens are a byproduct of the petrochemical industry and hormone disruptors (which can contribute to acne). They also degrade the beneficial products (active ingredients) in your skincare products, making them less effective.

To find out more about toxins in your personal care products, check out Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database.  

After remembering a bad experience with a Bioré® strip as a teenager, Louise Hay and I decided to create an all-natural recipe for removing nose blackheads. This recipe comes from our book, The Bone Broth Secret.

#6 – Ignoring What You Put Into Your Body

Christina and I wholeheartedly agree that what you put into your body is incredibly important for the health of your skin. What are some key tips for healthy skin nutrition?

  • Water – drink at least 8 glasses of water daily. Some people need more or less than others, based on a variety of factors. Water supports every organ and function of your body.
  • Minerals – The World Health Organization has reported mineral deficiency as a worldwide health issue. Minerals help your body stay hydrated and support hormone balance, among many other wonderful health benefits (like reduced stress!). My clients have benefitted from adding Anderson’s Sea MD to water. Anderson’s Sea MD is a wide base of liquid minerals. You can start with 2 drops in a cup of water and follow your body’s guidance to building up to 1 dropperful spread out across all of your cups of water for the day.
  • Bone broth – Bone broth is rich in collagen and hyaluronic acid, important nutrients for healthy skin, healthy hair and a healthy gut and immune system. Both Christina and I have noticed that bone broth is more effective than powders (like bone broth powder and collagen peptides) for hydrated, beautiful, youthful skin.Some of my clients have benefitted from consuming both bone broth and collagen peptides together. One cup of bone broth and one scoop collagen peptides can be very supportive.

    Here’s a Healthy Skin and Hair Elixir Recipe from The Bone Broth Secret.

    For more great bone broth recipes, skin-healing elixirs and delicious main dishes and desserts, get your copy of The Bone Broth Secret!

    If you’re ready to start making your own bone broth and want to keep it really simple, consider a slow cooker

#7 – Following Trends Instead Of Tailoring To Your Unique Needs

Christina remembers when acids became popular in the 80s. The advertisers promised miraculous results and acid was in just about everything. But when Christina tried to use a lotion with acid, it burned her skin. If you have sensitive skin, you’ve probably had similar results to products that are all the rage.

Using products that damage your skin could damage skin function over time, causing many of the symptoms you’re most concerned about.

The challenge with finding the right skincare is that your body chemistry might not work with every product. Be willing to try things out or work with an esthetician who gives you samples and checks to see the results before buying a full-sized product.

What about Hair and Body Care?

The same rules that apply to your face applies to your body and hair! While each of these areas may have different needs, remember that your skin needs to be able to detox properly.

Look for shampoos and body cleansers that are free of parabens and chemicals. And if you do hot oil treatments on your hair, be sure to cleanse your scalp properly to remove the oil buildup.

In some cases of hair falling out, the root cause could be some if the hydration, product or dietary issues mentioned above. Or, it could be that your scalp pores are clogged. If you combine that with blow drying, hot irons or curlers, hairsprays or tight hairstyles (like tight buns, braids or ponytails), your scalp could suffer, causing hair to fall out.

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Terah Kathryn CollinsTune in Next Week

Tune in next week to 21st Century Medicine Woman, when I am joined by best-selling Feng shui author and teacher, Terah Kathryn Collins. Chinese medicine has many answers for naturally going with the flow of the winter season to boost your mood. Learn some easy room-by-room changes you can make to feel better fast!

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As a coach, writer and recovered former executive, I understand the challenges of creating a balanced, healthy lifestyle when over-scheduled. In my journey to radiant health, I created a whole health system of eating, exercise, renewal and recharging -- a roadmap toward health & vitality. I empower clients to create their own whole health systems, in their own unique ways. I have seen amazing results in working with my clients!