HOW TO GET HEALTHY HAIR, SKIN AND NAILS FROM WITHIN

HOW TO GET

HEALTHY HAIR, SKIN AND NAILS FROM WITHIN

Your skin is your body’s largest organ and it’s also your fastest growing organ, which means cell turnover is happening all the time. So, having beautiful hair, skin, and nails is more than just just about looking good, it’s a symbol of your whole-body health.

To keep your hair shiny, your skin glowing, and your nails long and strong, there are a few things you can do.

Due to the influence of the gut-skin axis, there is a strong connection between what you eat and skin issues. The Western diet is full of inflammatory foods including sugar, dairy, and refined cooking oils and carbs, which have all been associated with an increased prevalence of acne.

Include lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, plant-based proteins (like beans and nuts), fatty fish, and fresh herbs and spices in your diet. Vitamin K-rich leafy greens like spinach and kale, broccoli and cabbage, cherries, raspberries, and blackberries all help fight inflammation and can help heal skin issues.

Gut infections can also play a role in the appearance and condition of your skin. Candida overgrowth can be at the root of your eczema, dandruff, nail fungus, and other skin issues. The yeast cells are able to permeate your gut lining, causing your gut to become leaky and allowing toxins, microbes, and yes,

yeast, to escape your gut and travel throughout your bloodstream. Once in your bloodstream, Candida can colonize other areas of your body, including your skin. So, start off with a probiotic to help restore balance to your gut.

Your liver, kidneys, and lungs are your body’s major detoxifying organs, so when these become overburdened, toxins begin to ooze out of your skin as a way to flush them out of your body. This can cause all sorts of blemishes and skin-related issues, so you’ll want to make sure your detoxification pathways are functioning as optimally as possible to keep your skin from working overtime.

In addition to drinking water, there are other ways you can help eliminate the build-up of toxins in your body. Eating detoxifying foods can help, including artichokes, beets, broccoli, grapefruit and spinach.

Hydration is so important for healthy, supple skin, as all of your body’s cells, including your skin cells, are made up of water and therefore require plenty of hydration to function properly. Without enough water, your skin will become dry, flaky, and wrinkly. Water is also necessary for the detoxification process, helping to flush toxins from your body.

Unfortunately, you lose water quickly throughout the day and any water you drink goes to all your other organs first, before reaching the skin. To keep your skin well-hydrated, be sure you’re drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day, and if you’re very active or outside in hot weather you’ll need to drink even more.

Lastly, try switching to non-toxic body products. Anything you put on your skin–lotions, cosmetics, deodorants, cleansers, etc.–can be hiding hundreds of undisclosed chemical compounds that irritate and inflame your skin. And because your skin is so porous, these toxins can easily penetrate your bloodstream and circulate throughout your body, wreaking havoc on more than just your skin.

These lifestyle tips go beyond skin-deep, so you can feel confident knowing that you are nourishing your body, both inside and out. And by taking control of your health, you will get the added bonus of beautiful hair, skin, and nails so you can look as young as you feel.