Skincare Saturday: Skintervention + Primal Pit Paste Giveaway!

In honor of reaching 4,000 Facebook likes, we’re continuing our giveaway extravaganza! Thank you to everyone in the Skintervention social media community for your continued support. We look forward to many more skin care adventures!

If you haven’t found us on Facebook yet, head on over and give us a like. It’s the best way to stay in-the-know on all things Skintervention-related. You’ll find all our current giveaways, skin and body care DIY recipes, all-natural home cleaning solutions, real food recipes, and random tidbits.

We have some exciting Skintervention Guide announcements coming next year, so stay tuned.

What are we giving away this week? A copy of the Skintervention Guide (for you or gift to a friend), and $75 Primal Pit Paste gift certificate.

We are big supporters of Primal Pit Paste. What you put on your pits matters. Why? Because what you put on your body is absorbed into your body. We’ve all heard the controversy surrounding traditional deodorants and anti-perspirants and their ingredients, like aluminum. Parabens found in conventional deodorants have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and found in breast cancer tumors.

What is a safe alternative? Primal Pit Paste!

From the Primal Pit Paste website: “Our mission at Primal Pit Paste is to provide you with a truly natural and organic deodorant that not only works but is actually good for you!”

That’s exactly what they have done! They have created a safe alternative that is paraben-free and aluminum-free. All of their products are handcrafted from organic and natural ingredients – organic coconut oil, organic shea butter, aluminum-free baking soda, organic essential oils, and arrowroot powder. Heck, you could eat the stuff (although we do not recommend that!)

Our pals at Primal Paste just announced some exciting new products! In addition to the wildly popular Pit Paste, they now offer Go Primal Pucker Paste, Go Primal PoPo Powder, and Go Primal Body Whip. We support Primal Pit Paste and highly recommend their products!

Here’s your chance to win!

Enter via the widget below for your chance to win a copy of the Skintervention Guide (Valued at $37) & $75 Primal Pit Paste gift certificate. Winner will be randomly selected and announced on Friday, December 13.
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Thank you for your participation!

Liz & Amanda

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Skincare Saturday: Skintervention + Primal Life Organics Giveaway!

In honor of reaching 4,000 Facebook likes, we’re continuing our giveaway extravaganza! Thank you to everyone in the Skintervention social media community for your continued support. We look forward to many more skin care adventures!

If you haven’t found us on Facebook yet, head on over and give us a like. It’s the best way to stay in-the-know on all things Skintervention-related. You’ll find all our current giveaways, skin and body care DIY recipes, all-natural home cleaning solutions, real food recipes, and random tidbits.

We have some exciting Skintervention Guide announcements coming next year, so stay tuned.

What are we giving away this week? A copy of the Skintervention Guide (for you or gift to a friend), and $50 Primal Life Organics gift certificate.

Trina Felber, Owner and Creator of Primal Life Organics, has a unique knowledge of natural oils and the way our body uses and metabolizes everything from nutrients to toxins, which means she’s able to create products that specially target certain conditions.

Primal Life Organics’ commitment to you is to use only fresh, natural ingredients that compliment your paleo/primal lifestyle. All of their products are organic, paleo, and gluten-free.

In addition to PLO’s already extensive online selections, they just launched an all new makeup line!

If you haven’t checked out Primal Colors Makeup yet, you should. We highly recommend it!

Here’s your chance to win!

Enter via the widget below for your chance to win a copy of the Skintervention Guide (Valued at $37) & $50 Primal Life Organics gift certificate. Winner will be randomly selected and announced on Friday, December 6.
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Thank you for your participation!

Liz & Amanda

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Skincare Saturday: Skintervention + Summer Sky Organics Giveaway!

In honor of reaching 4,000 Facebook likes, we’re continuing our giveaway extravaganza! Thank you to everyone in the Skintervention social media community for your continued support. We look forward to many more skin care adventures!

If you haven’t found us on Facebook yet, head on over and give us a like. It’s the best way to stay in-the-know on all things Skintervention-related. You’ll find all our current giveaways, skin and body care DIY recipes, all-natural home cleaning solutions, real food recipes, and random tidbits.

We have some exciting Skintervention Guide announcements coming next year, so stay tuned.

What are we giving away this week? A copy of the Skintervention Guide (for you or gift to a friend), and a $50 Summer Sky Organics gift certificate.

Jamie, a licensed Esthetician, started Summer Sky Organics when her son was diagnosed with a rare genetic skin disorder called Lamellar Ichthyosis. She made it her top priority to create more natural skin care products that her son and others could enjoy.

Summer Sky Organics’ mission is driven with a passion to provide the very best safe and effective organic skin care for all ages and all skin types. All of their products are free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates, synthetic frangrances and fillers, and tricolosan. They source only the finest quality, ethically harvested organic ingredients, that are never tested on animals.

They offer a wide-range of products, including baby balms, anti-aging serum, cleansing bars, face care, body care, and a product line exclusively for men. There’s something for everyone!

Here’s your chance to win!

Enter via the widget below for your chance to win a copy of the Skintervention Guide (Valued at $37) & $50 Summer Sky Organics gift certificate. Winner will be randomly selected and announced on Friday, November 29.
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Thank you for your participation!

Liz & Amanda

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Skincare Saturday: Skintervention + Real Skin Products Giveaway!

This week was a BIG week for us! We hit 4,000 Facebook likes! Thank you to everyone in the Skintervention social media community for your continued support. We look forward to many more skin-care adventures!

If you haven’t found us on Facebook yet, head on over and give us a like. It’s the best way to stay in-the-know on all things Skintervention-related. You’ll find all our current giveaways, skin and body care DIY recipes, all-natural home cleaning solutions, real food recipes, and random tidbits.

We have some exciting Skintervention Guide announcements coming up, so stay tuned!

In honor of such an exciting milestone, we’re kicking off this Saturday with a giveaway! This will be one of many giveaways to come on the blog, where we will be featuring some of our favorite Skintervervention-approved goodies.

What are we giving away? A copy of the Skintervention Guide (for you or gift to a friend), and a $40 Real Skin Products gift certificate.

Not familiar with Real? Their motto: “Real food for real skin. If you wouldn’t put it in your body, you shouldn’t put it on your body.”

Co-founders, Sarah & Pete, set out to create an all-natural line of skin-care products including: face & body balm, body scrub, and perfume. If you haven’t checked out this up-and-coming beauty brand yet, you should. We highly recommend it!

Enter via the widget below for your chance to win a copy of the Skintervention Guide (Valued at $37) & $40 Real Skin Products gift certificate. Winner will be randomly selected and announced on Friday, November 22.
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Thank you for your participation!

Liz & Amanda

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Skincare Saturday: Q&A – Lewis Labs Brewer’s Yeast

This week on Skincare Saturday we’re featuring our second Q&A session with the Skintervention Team – Liz & Amanda.

We got some great questions from our Facebook followers for our new Skincare Saturday Q&A feature, and we’re answering your questions right here on the blog!  We’ll be adding some of our other FAQs to the mix to bring you even more skin care help.

For more in-depth information on each topic, be sure to check out the Skintervention Guide.

Today’s Q: My question and concern is that Lewis Labs Brewer’s Yeast is not readily available and is changing. Can you recommend an alternative? Or should I buy what I can find of the old product and replace with the new when it comes out?

Skincare Saturday: What Living Abroad Can Teach You About Skin Care

This is a guest post from our friend Sunny, who blogs over at The Sun Always Shines. She has decided to share her skin care experiences while studying abroad. You will hear more from her in the future.

We love that Sunny has found balance in her quest for a happy life and healthy skin. How she’s found that balance may surprise you! Enjoy Sunny’s post…

A few months ago, I used an elimination diet to discover that I had Fructose Malabsorption. Eating a low-fructose diet, and eliminating a few other problem fruits/ veggies, finally gave me the (mostly) clear skin I’d been craving for years, as described here.

And then I moved to Germany.

For my Master’s Degree, I am living for a semester each in Germany and Poland, and spending the summer in China. There are many articles on how to handle your skin care routine and keep your diet intact while traveling, so I thought I was prepared. I even made a list of problem foods and translated it as I don’t speak any of the local languages. But I’ve learned that moving is different than traveling – and any preconceived notion of how I thought I was going to spend my days here went right out the window.

Since then I have developed some strategies regarding caring for my skin when The Plan changes. Living in a foreign country is great for illuminating things you didn’t realize before. These things are serving me well now, but I will carry them with me beyond this trip. I hope they will help you, too.

#1: Try New Things

I’m talking radical changes. I was getting caught up in the “tweaking” and “hacking” cycle that, in someone like me with anxiety and OCD, can lead to more obsessing than do-gooding. But I ended up in a rut with really nothing left to try, and eating nothing but meat, fat, and spinach.

What really got to me here was the cheese. I stayed away from cheese and other dairy at home in the States, a fairly easy feat. In Germany, though, literally two perimeter walls of the grocery store are dedicated to dairy. Glorious, full fat, high quality dairy. I decided to have some delicious European cheese when I first got here, and I seemed to do okay with it. I kept it in, and to this day I have cheese with almost every meal. Not only has this drastic change been tolerated, it seems my digestion is actually better with this addition. Don’t be opposed to trying something completely new!

Liz’s note: as discussed in the Skintervention Guide, the RIGHT dairy makes all the difference! Full-fat and high-quality dairy can be awesomely nutritious.

#2: Change Your Priorities

I was always chasing clear skin (those last five pimples …). Everything I’ve done – Paleo, crunchy skin care, reducing stress, etc – has been to clear up my skin. I was very strict on myself to get to this goal.

But something amazing is happening here. I have new priorities now; bonding with my fellow students over a drink (only the highest quality Vodka – the Polish students won’t allow me anything else!), traveling Europe, trying new cheeses (and chocolate, though it seems I handle small amounts of milk chocolate better than dark. Trying New Things!), and studying. While I was busy on these things, my skin cleared up better than before. There are a lot less blackheads, that’s for sure. Obsessing less has actually made it better.

Liz’s note: less stress, more happy enjoyment – a recipe for better skin!

This is essentially the message I want to give to you. Sure, there are foods I won’t eat, and I put a lot of energy into avoiding them. But I’ve given up control on my diet being perfect because it can’t be. Between stress, school, traveling, foreign languages and environments and cultures, I will never have total control over my skin. And, it turns out, giving up that control has been pretty good to me.

Sunny

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Skincare Saturday: My top 3 strategies for healthy skin

Today’s Skincare Saturday is re-posted from an email-exclusive newsletter from Liz’s personal blog. Enjoy!

When it comes to healthy skin, I’m ALWAYS learning. Moreover, I’m ALWAYS experimenting to see what works and what doesn’t.

Not gonna lie: sometimes the results are disastrous. Sometimes, however, they’re fantastic. These are a few of those strategies that have yielded FANTASTIC results – for minimum investment.

I usually have a few healthy skin favorites that I’m incorporating on the regular, in addition to the core, foundational goodies. Sometimes, these change, but right now I’ve got some new skin-care staples I want to share.

As always, the foundation for healthy skin is good nutrition and well-managed digestion. I talk about this LOTS in the Skintervention Guide.

So here’s what I’m loving right now. If you have anything to add, tweet me or post it to the Facebook page!

Strategy #1: Dry Brushing

So far, I’ve found nothing more powerful in enhancing my skin’s glow than dry brushing. It’s becoming one of our favorites in the Skintervention community – we even devoted a whole Skincare Saturday post to this topic, so be sure to check that out.

Dry brushing isn’t just exfoliating. It can’t be done in the shower, as the effects aren’t the same (I know this from experience). It’s really a circulation booster, and I’ve found it not just invigorating, but also health-promoting.

Dry brushing daily for just a few minutes is an amazing way to start the day. And while I don’t dry brush my face, it definitely impacts the skin of my mug. Observe my before-and-after:

Just kidding.

Strategy #2: Do LESS.

Too often, we think we have to do MORE to have better skin. This is absolutely not true. It’s one of the reasons I don’t recommend exfoliation for everyone – for some, it’s too harsh and can hurt your skin.

You don’t have to have eighteen different routines conducted every waking hour, on the hour, to care for your skin. The less you can manage to do, the more your skin can go about the business of HEALING and becoming less sensitive and angry.

These days, I just do a quick wipe-down to cleanse in the morning. (I like using a Norwex cloth, purchased through an associate’s online Norwex store, as the embedded silver keeps it from harboring any wonky bacteria, but any microfiber cloth will do) When I’m not wearing makeup, this is often the entirety of my cleansing routine in the evening as well. While I still do the oil cleansing method several times per week, I find that at this point in my journey, I can do even LESS when it comes to cleansing. I dab on some oil-based moisturizer (often from Primal Life Organics) and I’m good to go.

It sounds scary, I know – and sometimes your skin has to actually ADJUST to doing less. It’s often used to such a frequent pressure, manipulation and abuse – even with “natural” skin care routines – that it continues to respond as if it’s being ambushed. This will pass.

Hat tip to the Skintervention Guide reader who shared her water-only routine for this realization.

Strategy #3: SLEEP, dammit!

Sleeping when it’s dark, and getting ENOUGH sleep, is key.

I KNOW how difficult this one is. We are all so busy, and life (and the new season of Vampire Diaries) keeps us up late. But the proper sleep is a HUGE bugger to getting healthier skin. I see it way, way too often – even in myself.

It’s not always possible to get great sleep during normal nighttime hours, and sometimes we have to work pretty hard at it. While I DEFINITELY don’t advocate stressing about sleep management (stress is another bugger to healthy skin), I do recommend being proactive. If you’re a shift worker, check out Nom Nom Paleo’s post about strategizing sleep.

Have an earlier dinner, and record your favorite nighttime TV shows to watch early the following morning so you can wind down with the sun. Keep the lights low as the sun goes down. Whatever you like to do at night, see if you can do it as the sun comes up instead.

THIS DOESN”T HAVE TO BE ALL-OR-NOTHING! ONE night per week of proper, good sleep is better than NO nights per week. You can feel GREAT about a single evening’s sleep hygiene! (I’m so happy I got to work in the phrase “sleep hygiene.”) Don’t get caught up in feeling like if you can’t do it 100% of the time, you can’t do it at all.

That goes for ALL of these strategies. Just do your best, when you can. Over time, everything becomes easier! Patience and persistence are the keys.

All right – now it’s your turn! What are your tried-and-true, natural strategies for better skin? Let me know on the Facebook page!

Thanks for reading!

Liz

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Skincare Saturday: Skintervention Q&A!

This week on Skincare Saturday we decided to kick off our first (of many!) Q&A sessions with the Skintervention Team – Liz & Amanda.

We got some great questions from our Facebook followers for our new Skincare Saturday Q&A feature, and we’re answering your questions right here on the blog!  We’ll be adding some of our other FAQs to the mix to bring you even more skin care help.

For more in-depth information on each topic, be sure to check out the Skintervention Guide.

Today’s Q: How can I help minimize dark under-eye circles and puffiness?

This is a great question! There are a few reasons people often have a hard time dealing with under-eye circles and puffiness. First off, we often think they’re manifestations of the exact same problem – we think that being over-tired or stressed causes our under-eye area to puff up and/or take on a dark cast. While this is partially true – being tired can lead to these issues – it’s not the whole story. (In fact, being tired is often just another downstream consequence of the true underlying problem!)

Second, we often think that topical strategies will solve the problem – we cover under-eye circles with makeup and use cool compresses to tame puffiness. But while these strategies offer temporary relief, they don’t address the root of the problem!

Dark under-eye circles, in reality, usually signal something different than what your under-eye puffiness tells you. Dark under-eye circles are usually a result of extreme stress resulting in digestive problems, and as a corollary, immune system disturbance or what Nutritional Therapists call “allergic tension.” This simply means that your body is stressed, and your immune system may be working in over-drive. The best way to approach under-eye circles is with digestive support and gut healing as outlined in The Skintervention Guide (surprise! It’s not just concealer that does the job!), which will help heal your gut – where allergic tension first rears its ugly head. And, of course, you need a diet rich in skin-loving nutrients and free of common allergens like wheat, corn, and soy. You may also want to determine any other potential food allergies.

Dark circles can also occur as a result of the aging process, as skin becomes more delicate and transparent. You absolutely can help correct this with great nutrition, focusing specifically on including gelatin-rich broths and vitamin C-rich items like lemon juice – try our ginger-lemon morning tonic.

Under-eye puffiness can manifest as a result of poor circulation or poor bodily elimination processes – most often, traditional Chinese medicine views under-eye puffiness as an imbalance in the kidneys. If the body is over-burdened with processing the stressful by-products of a poor diet, stress, or unidentified food allergies, this may affect your kidneys, your liver, and your gall bladder significantly, and this will become apparent on the outside. (If you have excessive mucus production or feel you’re always clearing your throat, or that you must breathe out of your mouth often, this is you!)

One of the first outer approaches I like, in addition to a nutrient-rich diet free of allergens and full of digestive support, is the practice of dry brushing and facial lymph massage.

Finally, I (Liz) have begun to learn a bit about a concept called mechanobiology from reading the insights of the incredible Katy Bowman. (This does not imply her endorsement of this blog, but I do encourage all to learn from her site!) I now believe that appropriate motion and movement in daily life is critical to our cells’ ability to heal and accept good nutrition. I believe, more than ever, that how we move can impact the health of our skin and our outward glow. This doesn’t mean hammering your body with a workout (this can cause more stress); it means natural movement done naturally. Play! Dance. (Seriously – put on a nerdy song and dance around.) Walk and observe the world around you. The “loads” (Katy’s term) you create on your cells through motion can change how your cells function, and this can certainly impact the skin.

Don’t be overwhelmed! As with anything, change can be taken in small bites. Check out the Skintervention Guide for lots more guidance!

Thanks for reading!

Liz

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Skin Care Gummies!

Looking for a healthy alternative to your favorite gummy treats? Look no further, we’ve got you covered.

In true Skintervention fashion, we added a fun twist on a nourishing favorite to bring you… skin care gummies! What makes these treats so healthy? You guessed it: gelatin.

The Skintervention Guide isn’t just about what you put on your skin. It’s about healing your skin from the inside out. This starts with super-foods, which includes grass-fed gelatin. The health benefits of gelatin from humanely raised animals are seemingly endless. Not only that, but this collagen-boosting super-food powerhouse is excellent for your skin, hair, and nails.

Here’s a quick and easy recipe for Skintervention-approved skin care gummies!

Skin Care Gelatin Gummies

Ingredients:

•  3 cups  filtered water (or a mix of filtered water and fruit juice or fruit puree yielding 3 cups)
• 3 bags/servings Rooibos-based tea* or tea blend
• 6 tablespoons grass-fed gelatin*
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, cut into large chunks for easy removal or pureed to be left in the liquid
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (or juice of 2 lemons). I use this lemon juicer*
• 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (optional sweetener)

Directions:

1. Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a saucepan.
2. Turn off heat, and add ginger & 3x tea bags to the saucepan (make sure the tea is in bags or a strainer for easy removal).
3. Steep for at least 7 minutes.
4. Remove the tea bags and ginger chunks (or leave the ginger if it’s well-pureed). Biting down on a chunk of ginger can be intense, so use your discretion!
5. Put the ginger-infused tea back over medium-low heat, almost to boiling, and slowly add gelatin, a little at a time, whisking (or using a stick blender*, like I did) all the while. Note: Some of the gelatin will clump, but most will dissolve.
6. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Stir.
7. Taste the liquid prior to pouring into the mold to assess the sweetness. (Gelatin is forgiving, so it’s ok if you add a little more than 3 cups water).
8. Pour the liquid into a baking dish and refrigerate for an hour to allow it to set.
9. Enjoy!

These skin healing gelatin treats are meant to be a nourishing indulgence, so make something that’s sweet enough for you to enjoy yet not so sweet that you’re overdoing it! Use your judgment. Just because you’re on a real food diet doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in something that’s sweet enough to give your taste buds a treat.

A special thanks goes out to a few of our Paleo pals – Food Lovers’ Primal Palate and Balanced Bites – for inspiring a skin care twist on a nourishing favorite.

Got a favorite gelatin recipe? Share it on our Facebook page!

Thanks for reading!

Liz

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Skincare Saturday: Dry Brushing – what’s all the hype about?

I’m sure by now you’ve all heard of dry brushing, but have you tried it yet?

Not only is it a simple and effective way to gently massage and exfoliate your body, but there are many health benefits associated with dry brushing as well. The Skintervention Guide discusses dry brushing in the Body & Skin Care section, but we still get a lot of questions about dry brushing, so we compiled a special post to help answer some FAQs.

What is dry brushing?

Dry brushing focuses on daily rejuvenation and renewal at the cellular level by working to stimulate circulation – a key way we keep healthy lymph flow. Most of us don’t move as much as our ancestors did, so any means by which we can keep our circulation stimulated is fabulous!

Healthy circulation can have down-stream benefits from improved immunity to a healthier skin glow.

Why should you dry brush?

There are many benefits of dry brushing:

- Gently removes dead skin cells

- Stimulates new cell growth

- Enhances blood circulation

- Reduces the appearance of cellulite (be patient – this takes time, and the effect is greatly enhanced by the nutrition and digestive tips in the Skintervention Guide!)

- Stimulation from dry-brushing tightens the skin to reduce the signs of premature aging

Additional benefits of improved circulation:

- Aids in digestion

- Improves kidney function

- Eliminates toxins

What’s the proper technique?

Always brush from the outer extremities (hands, feet) toward the heart. Begin at your feet and use upward strokes in a circular motion. Then gently dry brush from your fingers to your torso and upwards on the torso. Your skin may look slightly pink when you’re done. That’s normal, as circulation in your body is increasing.

What brush should you use?

There are many options available. You can find them at most health food stores. Choose one that says it’s specifically for dry body brushing. You’ll want to choose a natural-bristle (not synthetic) brush. This Kingsley brush* is affordable and excellent for beginner dry-brushers. Experienced dry-brushers often work their way up to a firmer-bristled brush, like the Bernard Jensen* brush.

How often should you brush?

We recommend a daily dry brush – morning or night. You can even do it twice a day. It’s best done before a warm shower. (Remember, dry brushing brushes are NOT made for wet use, so don’t try to save time by brushing in the shower!)

How long should it take?

It should take 5-10 minutes to dry brush your entire body.

How should you clean your brush?

To clean your brush, spritz with a probiotic cleanser or use a solution of water and tea tree oil.*

Are you a fan of dry body brushing? What other questions do you have? Join the conversation on our Facebook page!

Thanks for reading – here’s to another fun-filled week of skin care adventures!

Amanda

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