My daily skin care routine is water, sunlight, and, most importantly, a good diet. My practices may surprise some: where is the moisturizer? toner? not even sunscreen? Although I still use homemade holistic products for the occasional dry skin or blemish (products you can learn about later in this post), this simplified daily routine has given me years of clear skin.

During the pandemic, one of the hobbies I picked up was skincare, a decision influenced by countless ads and social media. As my closet accumulated with almost $100 worth of various skincare products, I began to notice my skin, previously relatively unblemished, gradually develop large pimples and resulting scars. After further product testing, I decided to just give my skin a break. Miraculously, my skin cleared up, oil production was stabilizing, and breakouts were less unpredictable. As a result, I became hyperaware of what was actually affecting my skin: my diet.

Many skin care products are like modern medicine in that they eliminate the symptoms rather than addressing the root cause. Ayurvedic principles state that skin, hair, and nails are the body’s biggest indicators of health, so in erasing these indicators, one cannot know whether anything is wrong with their body until it manifests into something much worse. Eliminating skin care products therefore revealed what factors, specifically foods, were harming my body. For example, a food intolerance would appear as a red patch on my cheek while excess sugar or fried food would result in a whitehead. As I began to eliminate these aggravating foods, my skin reduced in its breakouts and even began to heal its past scars. While having to see the effects of my diet displayed on my face was frustrating at first, I was grateful my health issues were appearing early in their development and had a traceable cause, rather than secretly developing into something I could not reverse.

It is important to note, though, that even if one were to eat perfectly and maintain a healthy lifestyle, occasional skin problems are still bound to occur due to our environment. Not to mention, our skin is oftentimes still working on purging out toxins from the years past. However, these skin problems are much smaller and easier to handle. In these cases, I developed a makeshift “holistic skincare routine”.

Spot Treatment

Pimples are essentially inflammation of the skin, resulting from your immune system fighting off an invading toxin. Therefore, anti-inflammatory ingredients are the best quick remedy for pimples. My ingredient of choice is tea tree oil, but there are countless more options including, but not limited to, rosemary oil, peppermint oil, and turmeric. I simply swipe some tea tree off the edge of the bottle and dab it on my pimple. For first time users, I definitely recommend diluting it with another skin safe oil (i.e. coconut, jojoba) and applying. Using these ingredients will be slower than your typical spot treatments, but they still reduce the risk of scarring and unknown side effects. Moreover, you are tackling the root cause of your breakouts thus preventing future reoccurrences.

Moisturizer

As I eliminated face washes and moisturizers that were meant to stabilize my oil production, I noticed that my skin could take care of its oil levels on its own. Resultingly, I found that I no longer needed any daily moisturizer. During colder months or other times where I have dry skin, I use natural alternatives such as oil and shea butter. I alternate between jojoba and almond oil, taking one to two tablespoons in my palm, rubbing it on my face, and removing any excess with a wet towel. Shea butter is much thicker than oil, so I typically take a pea size amount, rub it between my fingers, and rub it over dry spots when I am in a rush.

Scar Healing

Vitamin E has antioxidant properties, meaning it helps destroy destructive molecules called free radicals. These molecules form due to environmental pollutants, our diet, and the daily wear-and-tear on our skin. In doing so, vitamin E protects the skin’s barrier and supports the scar healing process. Again, one application of a vitamin E will not clear up scars the next day, but daily application over an extended period of time will definitely benefit your skin.

Our skin is our body’s biggest organ, most susceptible to damage and therefore increasingly crucial to protect. It is very easy to get caught up in the slew of skincare products with unrealistic promises; however, healing your skin starts not with external application but from within! A holistic skincare routine can simply help start your natural healing process and heal any past damage. I hope this post can inspire you to simplify your skincare routine and be more aware of how much your diet is affecting your skin’s and overall body’s health.