It’s another spring week of beautiful warm weather here in Northern California! I hope many of you are getting outside to garden, landscape, move your body for much needed exercise and relax and savor the calmer, less hurried moments in your front or backyard.
With the global pandemic events and more time spent at home, I started getting back into a fun hobby that I used to enjoy many years ago. Back when I was in my 20’s, I used to make homemade natural skin care products – facial scrubs, masks, lotions, salves, lip balms, foot scrubs, hair conditioners and more. I would use recipes I found in herbal books and modify as needed. I loved doing things like that! The creativity, care and peaceful time brought me so much joy. Many of these products I would give to family members and friends. And recently, I revisited that favorite pastime and it was still just as enjoyable!
What have you started doing that you enjoy during this unusually extended time at home?
Check out this YouTube video on how to make an All Natural Facial Scrub using ingredients from your kitchen, local health food or natural food markets and your yard or property. The video, ingredient list and instructions can be found on my YouTube channel, Instagram and Facebook Business Page. Be sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, follow the Instagram page and like/follow the Facebook business page!
One of the reasons that I chose to start using natural skin care ingredients (and later commercially produced natural skin care products) around that time in my life is that I struggled with severe cystic acne around my chin and jawline that lasted for 1-2 years. It was awful and devastating and emotionally painful to look in the mirror and face people every day! It brought me to tears countless times. I tried every product out there from expensive department store brands to lesser expensive drug store brands with little to no resolution.
After doing quite a bit of research into the cause of acne (and a few years later going back to Naturopathic Medical School at Bastyr University in Washington state), I learned that severe acne is often caused by hormonal imbalances, excess hormones like testosterone and DHEA, insufficient progesterone, food allergies and intolerances (especially dairy!), excess sugar and other refined carbohydrates, IBS, chronic stress and more. At that time in my life, I had all of the above and it was the perfect storm!
After discovering and applying natural, safer, anti-inflammatory, balancing skin care ingredients on my face over weeks and months, changing to a healthier diet and reducing my stress, the acne, the scarring, the gut health symptoms eventually healed! It took a while with diligent efforts, but the body finally regained a better balance.
An important fact that many people don’t know is that nearly all chronic skin issues are related to gastro-intestinal (GI) inflammation, food allergies, hormone imbalances and in some cases chronic stress and certain prescription and over the counter medications.
Interested in getting comprehensive functional testing for food allergies, reproductive, thyroid and adrenal hormones, GI inflammation and gut microbiome evaluation or anything else that’s affecting your health and healing?
Please feel welcome to reach out to schedule a phone or telemedicine appointment with me to discuss your conditions and symptoms that you need help with.
Click here to schedule your appointment
Please note new business phone #: (916) 542-1820
Eat healthy, get outdoors to enjoy the sunshine, connect with humans when you can (the immune system loves all of this!!) and please stay in touch.
Dr. Kristi