When it comes to personal products, everyone is different. The same goes for food. Everyone reacts differently to certain things we eat. One of the things that led to the inception of Iremia was the need to create a skincare product that made sense for my own skin.
After many years, I finally realized that my diet was directly connected to the health of my skin. I started taking notes and tracking what I was putting into my body - kind of like a food journal. If you’re suspicious that your diet is causing irritation and breakouts, then start tracking what you are consuming. There are a lot of great articles that talk about food and inflammation, just like this one from Well & Good.
For me, the ‘trigger foods’ were sugar, MSG, gluten, diary and eggs. If I ate any of these trigger foods, my face would turn red, burns, and I would even get headaches. Coffee and alcohol were also culprits that contributed to facial redness. I started an elimination 'diet' just to give my system a break. What a change! I experienced more energy and less facial redness overall.
Enjoying what you love is also important (I have started drinking coffee again on occasion), but being aware of what you eat and how it's affecting you is the key to understanding what your triggers are. It’s all about maintaining a healthy, balanced diet in the end.
If you can, avoid processed foods that take a toll on your body. Think about it this way, if what you’re eating isn’t good for the inside of your body, it’s likely not good for the outside. Your skin will retaliate!
There are also specific vitamins and fatty acids that you can focus on which are essential for optimal skin health, like Omega's. What I love about Iremia’s Restorative Facial Oil is that it contains rosehip and sunflower oil, all which have omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids. These fatty acids help regenerate damaged skin. You can also get omega 3 fatty acids from avocados, kale, spinach, and high fat fish. Omega 6 fatty acids are found in nuts like pistachios, and pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. And you can get omega 9 from olives, extra virgin olive oil, and also in nuts and avocados.
OurSoothing Lotion contains shea butter, which is a great source of vitamins A, E, and F, preventing inflammation and assisting collagen production, strengthening your skin. You can get vitamin A from carrots and kale; vitamin E from sweet potato and spinach; and vitamin F is another way of saying essential fatty acid.
Upon a close review of Iremia’s ingredients lists, you’ll discover many of the ingredients I’ve included in our formula can be found in your kitchen and your garden. I’ve handpicked natural ingredients such as shea butter, Manuka honey, cocoa butter, beeswax, and avocado.
It’s also important to remember that what you’re eating isn’t the only thing impacting the health of your skin. Did you know that acne conditions are hereditary? If you have acne-prone skin, there’s a good chance your parents or grandparents had similar skin conditions.
The first step to taking care of your skin is using a natural product, then you have to find a way to lead a healthy, stress-free, balanced lifestyle with good nutritional habits. Stress has just as much of an impact on your skin as your diet, and your stress can be caused by a poor diet! Everything’s connected.
What does a stress-free, balanced lifestyle look like? I explore that next month!
xo,
Elaine
