Grow and Glow in 2023 / Ways to Improve Your Skin From the Inside-Out

With the new year just around the corner, it's the perfect time to hit 'reset' and start noting down some achievable goals that you want to reach in 2023.

Achieving or maintaining healthy skin may be one of your goals and this comes from an holistic approach - it's not just about what products you use, but your diet and environmental factors too.

We've compiled a list of minor things you can do to help improve your skin from the inside out and we've had help from our friend and naturopath, Tara Hansen from The Conscious Naturopath.

Women need between 8-10 hours of sleep a night, and here's why...

Thanks to our hormones, women, as a guide need between 8-10 hours of sleep per night to feel refreshed. This is because our hormones can have a rather large impact on the quality of our sleep. For example, during certain stages of our menstrual cycle, we can become less sensitive to melatonin (our sleepy hormone), which can make it harder for us to fall asleep and stay asleep!

Women in the second half of their cycle are also less sensitive to Melatonin, our natural sleep-inducing hormone. A great way to remedy this is to avoid blue light (phones & television) in the hour leading up to bed and bring in a red light to increase the release our body’s production of melatonin.  - Womenshealth.com.au 

OK, but why is sleep important for your skin?

Next stop, HYDRATION STATION...

Ok, we're sure many of you will be aware of how important is to hydrate for MANY reasons, including overall skin health! 

Tara, from The Concious Naturopath says, dehydration can have so many health implications, from skin breakouts, poor digestion, decreased liver function and more! Just by increasing your water intake, you can resolve many issues you may be experiencing.

The recommended amount of water can be highly dependent on the person and their lifestyle,
yet on average I would suggest 2.5L per day for women and 2.7L for men. If exercising or
working in an environment where you are sweating, this should be increased.
Herbal tea is also included in this intake. If you hate water or just cannot seem to get enough,
start with some sugar free cordial or some lemon in it. Our main priority is to get your fluids
up, start small and aim to reach the above recommendation.

Foods your skin (and body) will love!

With the expert help of Tara from The Conscious Naturopath, we've compiled a list of skin-lovin' foods that will help contribute to beautiful, glowing skin.

As scientists learn more about diet and the body, it’s increasingly clear that what you eat can significantly affect the health and aging of your skin. - Healthline.com 

• Avocado 
• Walnuts
• Brocolli
• Sunflower Seeds
• Flaxseeds
• Chia Seeds
• Edamame
• Orange
• Grapefruit
• Lemon
• Lime
• Chocolate (yes, you read right!) Chocolate (especially dark chocolate) contains antioxidants and can help protect against aging and sun damage

FOODS/DRINKS TO AVOID: 

Opt for eating 80% nutrient dense foods with 20% discretionary foods.
When in a flare-up or to avoid breakouts/irritation I would recommend avoiding:

• High sugar and highly processed foods.
• Dairy and gluten have been shown to increase inflammation

Skin supplements to promote healthier skin

• Zinc
• Vitamin C
• Essential fatty acids (omega 3)
• Selenium
• Vitamin A
• Vit c
• Vitamin D
• Therapeutic level of Antioxidants
• Strain specific probiotics.

You should always seek professional advice before purchasing supplements as they
may not be suitable for your specific condition - Tara (The Conscious Naturopath)

Skincare Selfcare

What you put on your skin is the final (and one very important) step in your holistic skincare approach. Using products that don't compliment your skin type or products that have harsh ingredients in them, can cause more harm than good.

We've created a range of skincare from plant-based ingredients that are natural, eco-friendly, certified vegan and cruelty-free, to nourish your skin and leave it feeling and looking healthy.

Skincare shouldn't be overly complicated. Everyone's skin is different, so it's important that you find the right products to compliment your skin type.

We have a large range to suit mature, sensitive, acne-prone skin and more.

If you're looking to update or renew your skincare routine, we highly recommend taking our Skincare Quiz below!

Looking for more diet/lifestyle tips? 

Tara Hansen (The Conscious Naturopath) has extensive knowledge in her field. With a Bachelors of Health Science in Naturopathy and a graduate from Endeavour College of Natural Health, Tara can provide you with actionable, take-home and realistic treatment plan, alongside possible neutraceuticals and/or herbal prescriptions to help your body get back to alignment and it's healthy state. 

To find out more, click here.

 A MESSAGE FROM TARA:

Have you ever been unwell and just can't seem to figure out why? Have you got an ongoing, niggling health issue that never goes away? This is what a Naturopath assists with!
I can support you with all your healthcare needs; I guess you could call me your own private investigator for your health because I spend time getting to know everything I can about you, your health concerns, your past health history, family health history, what you eat, drink and your
lifestyle (work, supports, stress). I use all this information to set goals and develop an individualised treatment plan that's just for you, tailored to help your individual concerns.

I support patients using nutritional, and herbal medicine alongside the use of functional and pathology testing.

The benefits of seeing me is that you know exactly what you are getting
when it comes to knowledge and credibility. Seeing a qualified healthcare professional also removes the chances of buying a vitamin, supplement, or herbal product online that may cause you more harm than good.

Let's get to the root cause together, of why you feel the way you do.
Let's make the changes you need to regain your healthy self.
Don't put up with feeling average any longer.

You deserve to be the best version of yourself that you can possibly be.