TIPS FOR GLOWING (NOT OILY) SKIN!

Warm weather is here, which we love as Canadians! But sometimes we want the glow, not the oil.  Oily skin can be caused by a number of factors: genetics, diet, stress, and climate being a few. There are some steps we can take with our skincare routine, our lifestyle, and our diet to help calm and balance the skin, as well as promote a healthy glow. Let’s get to it!

Skincare Routine:

• If you are someone that struggles with oily skin, do not skip your morning cleanse. Make sure you are using a truly natural product  (free from the chemicals that strip your skin of so much oil that it in turn, produces more). We love our Crystal Facial Cleansing bar for cleaning up the pores and the skin’s surface - without feeling tight and dry.
• Exfoliate! Oily skin is especially prone to dead skin cell build up, blackheads, and clogged pores. Gentle exfoliation allows you to take control of this, by saying goodbye to those babies on a daily basis. This allows your beautiful skin to show its true self, and really shine:)
• Oil cleanse: Based on the principle of ‘like dissolves like’, this helps regulate the skin and controls oil production which helps reduce and get rid of acne.  Oil cleansing really does bind to the ‘bad oils’ on your skin, gently lifting them away, which over time balances your skin without clogging your pores! I love to do this with our calendula healing oil, or Triple Threat on a nightly basis with our organic cotton knit cloth. This is a great, short video showing you how. This will not cause you to break out guys and gals!
• Do not skip the moisture! Moisturize morning and night with a chemical free product that will benefit your skin. Serums are a great way to lightly moisturize the skin, just make sure you are choosing one with lightweight oils. Anything too heavy will feel too rich and greasy for the skin. Plant based oils I love: rose hip, jojoba, apricot, evening primrose, sunflower, grapeseed, calendula, neem, sea buckthorn.      *TIP: when using oil as a moisturizer, apply it to the skin when it is still damp, this allows it to penetrate and do its magic. Applying oils while the skin is still dry, causes it to sit on top- creating a gross look:(
• Mask it out - once or twice a week, apply a gentle mask (with activated charcoal would be amazing) to help pull out extra oil, unclog pores, and clean up any breakouts. Mix with a gentle herbal tea, fresh water or honey , let it sit for 10 minutes, and rinse off.
• Toner: these rockstar products help balance oil production and further empty the pores.  They are also great at bringing back the skin's natural PH balance after cleansing.

Lifestyle:

• change your pillowcases  twice a week
• be mindful of your phone / hands resting on your face
• wear sunscreen! And a hat to keep the sun away if you can
• be mindful of the kinds of makeup you are wearing, and the ingredients that are hiding in them. They could be causing your skin to struggle
• dry brush your skin at least 3-5 times a week to increase circulation and encourage your body to eliminate toxins and excess hormones.

Nutrition:

Avoid: unhealthy rancid oils that cause inflammation, too much sugar, dairy, corn, soy, foods with a high glycemic index (GI) and a high glycemic load (GL), too much caffeine + alcohol these create many skin imbalances

Say yes to: Protein first thing in the morning to balance blood sugar levels, lots of healthy greens to create an alkaline skin environment and balance oils, walnuts, salmon, organic eggs, ground flaxseed, whole grains like quinoa and wild rice to bind to toxins and carry them out, fresh water 2-3 litres please!

DIY Mask:

For either of these masks, you can 1 TSP of activated charcoal if you need some extra help.  You could also sprinkle in organic ground turmeric. Great liquids to use to create these masks would be aloe juice, calming herbal teas with burdock root, chamomile, or holy basil, adding organic goats milk, or just straight up purified water.

1. Take 1 TBSP of bentonite clay, 1 teaspoon of apricot kernel oil. Mix until thick paste. Apply for 10 minutes and rinse off.
2. Use 2 TBSP of fuller’s earth with your choice of liquid.  Add a few drops of lemon juice which helps alkalize the skin. If you feel the mixture is still thick then try adding some warm water to make it spreadable. You can add a tablespoon of milk to prevent over-dryness.