Holistic skincare is another of 2023's cosmetic trends, and it's time to delve deeper into what exactly this means.
What does Holistic mean?
'Holistic' is the belief that the parts of a thing are interconnected and can be explained only by reference to the whole. When applied to the body and skincare, it means that our bodily systems don't function in isolation: our physical, emotional and mental states are interconnected and can influence one another. Whether or not one or more of these are in or out of balance can impact how healthy our skin is; our skins are very often a reflection of what is going on inside of us.
Therefore it stands to reason: holistic wellness can lead to better skin.
Holistic skincare is all about considering every aspect of one's lifestyle when it comes to caring for the skin. These factors include nutrition, gut health and internal health, sleep times, physical activity, stress levels, hormones, environmental factors like sun and pollution exposure, health/medical concerns, mental health, etc.
When all of these systems are in equilibrium, then our skin should naturally also feel and look healthy.
While keeping on top of all of these lifestyle factors might seem a bit overwhelming in today's stressful world, there are a couple of key ones that can greatly benefit your whole body when kept healthy and maintained: the gut, stress and sleep.
The Gut
We've spoken a lot about the skin's microbiome recently, but your gut microbiome is also important! Numerous studies have shown that the gut microbiome impacts many other major bodily functions such as the digestive system (an obvious one), obesity, development of food allergies, various diseases such as diabetes, and even heart and brain health! All of these in turn have other knock-on effects on the body. It's little wonder that a healthy gut can help with better skin, and an imbalanced gut could impact our skin health.
What to do:
The gut is all about diet! Eat better: cut down on sugar, fried foods and too much dairy, and eat more nourishing foods. Taking pre- and probiotics may also help the gut microbiome.
The Stress Effect
Stress levels are another major influencer on our skin, not to mention the rest of our body.
The stress hormone, cortisol, can impact so many things: eating habits (which in turn impact the gut), weight, sleep habits (which impact mood, energy levels, eating habits, exercise, you name it. Not to mention dark circles under the eyes and dull skin!), metabolism, and of course mental health, to name a just a few.
What to do:
Make use of adaptogens, superfoods and supplements that help with stress, herbal remedies such as teas and tinctures, sound waves, yoga and meditation, and exercise.
Sceletium is an excellent natural remedy to assist with stress and anxiety, boost energy levels and uplift the mood.
2 comments
Hi Marieta, I’m so glad you enjoy the reads!
There are a couple of really nice moisturisers in here: https://essentiallynatural.co.za/blogs/creams-lotions
Particularly the aloe daily moisturiser.
And this one can be used as an extremely gentle exfoliator: https://essentiallynatural.co.za/blogs/natural-face-care/ready-to-use-honey-face-mask
I’ll be sharing more formulas for the microbiome soon :)
Good day, I enjoy your blog and try to read as much as I can. I feel it is time to take action. My skin is very dry. I am 52 years old and in need of a good moisturizer and a fine gentle exfoliator. Can you help me with a formula and a list of ingredients? I am very aware of the skin barrier and the role the microbiome is playing in skin heath.
Thank you for all the info
Kind regards
Marieta