Chew on This: 7 Skin-Friendly Foods

If you want a smoother, clearer complexion, what you put on your plate matters as much as the products you put on your skin. Your skin is a reflection of your overall health. If you eat a healthy diet, it shows.

Nutrient-dense foods keep skin firm and make it glow. So if its smooth, balanced, radiant skin you crave, toss these items into your shopping cart on your next trip to the grocery store:

1. Green Tea (unsweetened)

Packed with in antioxidants and phytonutrients that fight pigmentation issues related to sun damage, green tea also has strong anti-inflammatory properties due to its high concentration of catechin compounds.

2. Green Leafy Veggies

Foods like kale and spinach make delish salads and they’re also great for your skin. That’s because they are high in vitamins and minerals that act as antioxidants, which keep skin calls healthy.

3. Green Beans
As long as we’re going green, let’s talk about green beans. These low-cal veggies are one of the richest sources of silicon (not to be confused with silicone), a substance that helps grow thicker hair and nails.

4. Salmon

If you’re concerned with redness, swelling, blotchiness, acne breakouts, make salmon your new best friend. It’s a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids, which add radiance and softness to your complexion, unclog pores and reduce inflammation that can cause puffy eyes. Opt for wild salmon over farm raised.

5. Snapper

Another amazing seafood for gorgeous skin, snapper is packed with Selenium, which helps promote even skin tone.

6. Walnuts & Almonds
If you don’t like salmon, you can get omega-3 fatty acids from walnuts and almonds — just crush some up and toss them on your spinach salads for a super skin-saving super meal! Plus, plant-based omega-3s, like the ones found in nuts, help seal moisture into your skin and protect it from chemicals and other toxins.

7. Yogurt
Yogurt is a natural probiotic, meaning it helps replenish the “good” bacteria in your body that keep yeast in check. What does that have to do with a great complexion? Well, controlling yeast is a key to minimizing problems like acne breakouts and eczema.

Moroccan Mineral Clay: An Ancient Secret for Beautiful Skin

In ancient times, Romans and Egyptians mined the earth beneath Morocco’s Atlas Mountains. It wasn’t gold or silver they sought, but the soil itself. They had discovered that Moroccan Lava Clay was rich in purifying minerals that made their skin look beautiful.  

Today, Moroccan Mineral Clay is used in skin treatments at upscale spas worldwide by women seeking skin that’s radiant, smooth and even toned. But you can find it closer to home, and much more affordably, in our Skin Purifying Moroccan Mineral Mask. 

Thanks to large quantities of minerals like silica, magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium and sodium, Moroccan Lava Clay is unsurpassed at helping to nourish and detoxify skin, normalize surface oils, reduce dryness, improve skin clarity and elasticity. The minerals literally draw impurities from the skin while helping to unclog pores. The result is a major improvement in the tone, clarity and texture of your skin.

In addition to Moroccan Lava Clay, our Skin Purifying Moroccan Mineral Mask also contains Pomegranate to brighten skin, glycolic acid to exfoliate, antioxidant-rich Green Tea and an ultra-hydrating blend of Pacific red seaweed and Hyaluronic Acid. It’s fragrance free, alcohol free and lanolin free, making it ideal for acne-prone or sensitive skin. To learn more, click here.

Chemical Exfoliants vs. Physical Exfoliants — Which Is Best for Your Skin?

Many dermatologists will tell you that exfoliation is the single most important skin treatment you can give yourself at home for beautiful, healthy-looking skin. Exfoliation — clearing away old cells from skin’s surface — helps with everything from dull complexion and uneven skin tone to acne and rough texture.

When it comes to exfoliation, you have two choices: chemical exfoliators and physical exfoliators.

Before going any further, let’s be clear about what we mean when we say “chemical” exfoliators. We’re not talking about some toxic tonic boiled up in a lab. We are talking about alpha hydroxyl acids (AHAs) and beta hydroxyl acids (BHAs) — which are FRUIT extracts taken from non-toxic sources like citrus fruits, apples and sugar cane. So don’t get scared off by the word “chemical.”

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, here’s the top-line 411 on your choices. Chemical exfoliators, like AHAs and BHAs, dissolve dead skin cells from skin’s surface, while physical exfoliators — like loofas or cleansers with “micro scrubbing beads” — physically move the cells off skin’s surface.

With physical exfoliators, your results depend on how hard you scrub and for how long. Since physical exfoliators like “buff puffs” and abrasive cleansers are sort of like using sand paper on your skin, you can probably see where there would be obvious disadvantages. If you’ve ever seen a friend with raw, red skin due to a bad experience with physical exfoliation, now you know why.

On the other hand, chemical exfoliators provide precise results with FAR less potential for irritation and side effects.

The reason they achieve better results is because the AHAs in skin care products like Rx for Brown Skin Absolute Radiance Intensive Exfoliating Serum are pH adjusted and buffered; as a result, they provide consistent strength from the first application to the last. And they are gentler on skin because the compounds in the fruit extract do all the work, so they do not require excessive scrubbing.

So, there you have it. The choice is yours, and now you have the information to make an informed decision!