Welcome to Grounded Wellness, your go to podcast for
simplified and trusted information on how to live a
more non-toxic and holistic life.
We're your hosts. I'm Bethany McDaniel, founder of
Primarily Pure biohacking enthusiast and mom of three.
And I'm Courtney O'Connor, holistic esthetician with over
15 years experience in the healing power of touch and
holistic skin care rituals. Let's dig in.
Good morning. Welcome back to the Grounded
Wellness podcast with Primarily Pure.
I'm Courtney, Primarily Pure's in house holistic esthetician,
and I am passionate about transforming the skin through
non-toxic products, holistic practices and healing touch.
I've been a licensed esthetician for over 15 years, a part of the
Primary PURE team for almost 8, and I've had the privilege of
training extensively with professional experts in this
industry across the country. And I am so grateful to play a
part in people's skin healing stories and supporting you on
your journey to healing your skin holistically.
Today is a solo episode and I am going to be answering some of
your top skin questions. Everything from how to heal
hormonal acne, some of the best foods to eat for clear skin, do
you really need to use a retinol to see results, the best
products to minimize wrinkles, and so much more.
So diving into the first question, how do you heal
hormonal acne? So hormonal acne is such a
common experience and it's also quite a complex answer.
So if you are struggling with hormonal acne, there are
definitely a few foundational and effective tips that I love
to suggest. Typically, hormonal acne is
experienced along the lower half of the face, along the jaw, the
chin, the lower cheeks, the neck, and typically hormonal
fluctuations are to blame when flare ups and acne surface in
these areas. However, we have to actually
look a little bit deeper to what is the underlying cause of these
hormonal imbalances and what is disrupting this delicate
hormonal harmony within our body.
Most often the top contributor to an endocrine system that's
out of balance is the burden of our toxic diets and
environments. So skin is actually a detox
pathway and in almost every case, especially this one, acne
is a detox response and inflammation is a result.
So my 5 foundational recommendations to healing
hormonal acne begin with taking steps to remove toxins in your
body and in your environment. This way we're able to support
the skin as a detox pathway and the drainage pathways within our
body. So the first tip for healing
hormonal acne is to swap the products that you're applying on
your skin. Because typical topical acne
fighting ingredients like salicylic acid and benzoyl
peroxide are actually known endocrine disruptors.
And not only do they disrupt this delicate hormonal harmony,
but they also disrupt your delicate microbiome, which all
contribute to that cascade of inflammation.
So instead look for ingredients like white Willow bark, which we
include in again, specific serums and this really helps to
strengthen your skin barrier, calm inflammation and support
that whole body balance. The next tip is to detox your
diet and focus on adding in more organic seasonal produce,
regeneratively raised meats, raw dairy and this will help to
bring balance back to your hormones.
Support your gut and liver health which are completely
connected to skin health and this helps to fight inflammation
internally as well. Personally, I actually gave up
gluten, refined sugar and alcohol almost eight years ago
and it radically improved my acne and since then I have never
looked back. The third tip is shifting the
products and swapping products that you're using in your
environment. So our home and our workspace
can significantly contribute to the toxic build up within our
bodies. So take inventory of the
products that you have around you in your environment, like
air fresheners, cleaning products, candles, and start
replacing your home products one at a time to support a healing
sanctuary while you're in your home, your office.
Another toxin that doesn't typically come to mind is
emotional stress. So stress increases cortisol
levels within the body, disrupting this hormonal balance
and creating a cascade of inflammation.
So focusing on detoxing stress from your body, from your mind,
doing deep breathing exercises with really focusing on your
exhale. Try free riding in the morning
with no pressure, no expectation, just to allow
feelings to surface. Spending time with people that
you love and doing things that bring you joy all helps you
really support stress levels within the body.
Lastly, lymphatic drainage is definitely a priority when it
comes to clearing out and supporting your drainage
pathways and supporting hormonal acne.
So incorporating some kind of movement every day to support
healthy lymph flow, whether it's rebounding, dry brushing, and of
course my favorites facial tools like facial gauchaw and cupping.
The next question we're going to dive even deeper into diet and
really optimizing your skin from the inside out.
So the question is, what are some of the best foods to eat
for clear skin? The first food that I recommend
is a little bit unique, but it's very beneficial for skin health.
Oysters are packed with zinc, which is a mineral and essential
nutrient that's vital for inflammation levels.
It also supports gut health, deeper sleep, all of the things
that contribute to clear skin. Green tea is a beverage that I
highly recommend, especially if you're struggling with acne.
Green tea contains a compound called EPI Gallocatechin 3
gallate, which is also referred to as EG CG, which we also have
this ingredient in our clarifying mist.
So you can get that ingredient topically, but by sipping green
tea, it helps to lower androgen levels within the body.
So lower androgen equals less acne.
It also contains polyphenols and a ton of antioxidants.
So it really helps to bolster your immune system and support
more beautiful skin from the inside out.
The third food is melons. So melons are some of my
favorite for restoring hydration within the body and within the
skin. So melons are actually the most
hydrating food you can eat. Their water content is very
similar to the makeup of the water within our own bodies.
It contains electrolytes, silica minerals and blood boosting
nutrients. So I would definitely recommend
getting in your cantaloupe, your watermelon to really nourish and
hydrate the skin from the inside out for that naturally plump,
balanced look within the skin #4 is another beverage.
It's bone broth. So this skin superfood helps to
really support and restore your gut microbiome.
It also helps to boost the immune system and it restores
collagen and hyaluronic acid production.
So this is a skin superfood that we talk about all the time at
primarily pure. Make a mug before you go to bed,
adding in some turmeric and a little black pepper for even
more anti-inflammatory benefits. And lastly, my favorite food for
skin health, which been around primarily pure.
You first sure heard us talk about and you've probably seen
our founders smoothie smoothie recipe on Instagram.
But liver is one of the best skin superfoods that you can
consume. It is so nutrient dense and
bioavailable and one of the highest contents of vitamin A.
So this is crucial for clear skin, supports our liver health
and it also contains the mineral copper, which helps with zinc
absorption. So if you're eating your oysters
and your liver, you've got this complete comprehensive clear
skin diet. So these are the five foods that
I highly recommend incorporating throughout your weekly nutrition
plan to clear up your skin from within.
Now I am turning to a hot topic question that we get asked quite
a bit. Do you need actives like retinol
to see results? The short answer no.
The longer answer is so Retinol is a vitamin A derivative, and
it's a powerful active ingredient that has made its
name known in the skin Care World for smoothing out
wrinkles, supporting cell turnover for everything from
acne to aging. While retinol is less intense
than other retinoids like tretinoin, it still comes with
the potential for side effects like redness, dryness,
irritation, inflammation, and from my perspective, anything
that compromises the skin barrier.
For the sake of benefits, I try to look for an alternative.
Even the EU thinks that retinol is a little bit risky, so
they've put regulatory limits on retinol in skin care products
and its derivatives like retinol palmitate and retinol acetates.
And they have put this regulatory limit of .3% of
retinol in skin care products. So because of this, we have
actually discovered a high performing plant based and even
pregnancy safe retinol alternative.
So you don't need retinol to see those results.
Bicucciol is a plant based alternative that's actually been
studied and it's been proven to be just as effective and even in
some cases more effective than a retinol for regenerating the
skin and all without any harsh side effects or sensitizing side
effects that a lot of people have noticed with regular
retinol use. The Bicuccio contains a natural
version of vitamin A along with bio active compounds.
So it's gentle enough for sensitive skin, yet it's going
to give you that lasting change by repairing premature aging,
protecting from glycation and inflammation in the skin.
It also helps to promote and produce collagen and elastin
production in the skin. And you can find these retinol
like results in our plumping line.
So plumping serum, cream and mask and to help support that
cell turnover and that glow, I always recommend pairing that
collection with our facial dry brush.
So that's a really gentle way to nudge along that cell turnover,
refined skin texture for a brighter tone and smoother skin,
all without any actives like retinol.
The next question, since we're on the topic of aging
gracefully, the question came through what are some of the
best products for wrinkles? So typically I feel like a lot
of the protocols that are recommended for promoting more
youthful skin contain 10 steps. They are recommended to use
actives like retinol or harsh exfoliants or invasive
injectables. And in reality, these anti aging
approaches can cause the skin to age more rapidly by stripping
the microbiome, pulling from those deeper reserves at the
dermal layer, and inhibiting the flow of vital fluids like lymph
and blood that are needed for a nourished youthful complexion.
So I like to take the approach of skinmalism when it comes to
caring for the skin and promoting a more youthful
appearance. So this really just pairs down
the products that you're that you're using with more potent,
powerful ingredients to truly see change in the skin.
So these are my four simple steps to target wrinkles and
fine lines that are forming on the skin.
So first of all, hydrated youthful skin starts with the
cleanser that you use. So I recommend swapping any
stripping surfactants or detergents and using a cleansing
oil instead. So in your nightly routine,
cleansing with an oil actually helps to purify your pores,
deeply detox, but really keep your skin microbiome and
moisture barrier intact, which is vital for supporting more
resilient and radiant skin as we get older #2 hydration is huge
for that naturally plump skin and minimizing the appearance of
wrinkles. So spritzing a facial mist is
vital for replenishing that water content.
And in our plumping mist, it contains plant hydrosols like
rose and geranium, which are full of minerals and nutrients
to support that balance skin barrier.
It also contains the vitamins A&C, which we know are very
important for supporting stronger, brighter skin. 3rd is
the plumping serum. So this contains some of the
most potent antioxidants. It also contains the Pikuchel,
which we just talked about. But the star antioxidant in this
serum is astaxanthin. And this is a red algae that's
actually been studied and proven to be 6000 times more effective
than vitamin C and 800 times stronger than Co Q10.
So you definitely want this ingredient on your skin.
If fewer fine lines and wrinkles is your goal, then to finish for
a deeper, more nutrient dense moisture and either your morning
or your evening skin care routine.
I love recommending our antioxidant Bone, so this
contains a ton of super fruits and super foods that are very
rich in concentrations of vitamins, AC and E, which are
all essential vitamins to help support that more youthful,
radiant and firm skin. So while these are my top
product recommendations for wrinkles, there is one more step
that I highly recommend to boost the efficacy of your skin care
routine. And this is finishing with the
facial tool. So facial gua sha, which many of
you are probably familiar with at this point, but it's an
ancient healing technique and a facial tool that's rooted in
traditional Chinese medicine and it's become known as the new
natural facelift, a natural alternative to Botox.
So it actually helps to re pattern the lines that have
formed on your face and helps to de puff and detoxify, helps to
define and sculpt the facial muscles.
And over time, you really start to see such a shift and a
softening with the wrinkles and the fine lines.
And you can do guacha daily, whether morning or night,
whatever works best for your schedule.
And we have a ton of tutorials on YouTube, whether you have two
minutes or 10 minutes. So as you're creating your own
skin care routine to minimize wrinkles, just keep these three
goals in mind. Number one is moisture #2 is
keeping the microbiome intact and #3 is massaged.
So these are the key foundations for supporting more youthful
skin and gracefully aging. And also just a little side note
that I love to always speak to you on this topic of aging is
that the lines that are forming on our faces are truly just
sharing the stories of our life. And I really deeply believe that
they're meant to be celebrated and not erased.
So just as an encouragement as we're nourishing and nurturing
our skin to such a healthy balanced state that we start to
look on the lines that are forming with compassion and
gratitude for where they've brought you today.
So the next question, if you're really wanting to take your skin
results to the next level, you're going to love the answer
to this next question. And this question that came
through is how do I find a holistic aesthetician to go to
and what should I look for? A professional facial offers
tools, techniques, training, and expertise that you just can't
get from Google. So it's really beautiful to
actually have a relationship with your aesthetician.
They can see your skin in real time, support you with
customized product recommendations and techniques
that you can recreate at home in your own skin care routine.
So when you invest in regular facials, you're investing in so
much more than just your skin health.
You really are supporting your nervous system, you're
supporting your stress levels and your whole overall
well-being is positively impacted.
So looking for services where there is a high factor of touch
in the treatment and of course, using non-toxic products.
So don't be afraid to even make a few phone calls, Ask what type
of products they're using, do a bit of detective work and
research what ingredients this product line incorporates in
their skin care. And then some keywords to look
for if you're doing a quick Google search are just natural
spa, washed off facial. You can even type in buckle
facial massage, which is such a trending facial technique.
But if they're doing a buckle massage, they're most likely
doing other holistic modalities as well.
You can look for organic facials, holistic aesthetician,
tons of keywords that you can just search in and hopefully
find an aesthetician near you that you can enjoy treatments
from. And of course, if you're ever in
Murrieta, please come visit us at the spot at primary Pure in
Southern California. So I have time for just one more
question. And I thought this would be a
really sweet one to end with. So this this question is, what
would you tell your 30 year old self about skin care?
So 30 was a wildly profound year for me regarding my skin
journey. I had just joined the Primarily
Pure team, which means that I had also just overhauled my
entire skin care routine to be primarily pure products.
And that's when I had made the decision to remove gluten, sugar
and alcohol from my diet. So while clear skin was my
motivation for these topical and internal changes, it actually
impacted every single part of me.
I feel like my mind got sharper, my body got stronger, and I just
felt so much more connected to myself, to others, and to the
world around me. And I'm currently 37.
So looking back to my 30 year old self, I think I would really
just want to encourage her and remind her, and for each of you
listening as well, that the decision to prioritize skin
health and really pursue this holistic approach, it creates
this ripple effect of beauty and well-being in every single part
of who you are. Our skin is connected to every
part of us. And so caring for it with
intention and compassion can actually create this catalyst to
a more abundant, connected and beautiful way of living.
And that is something that I want to invite each of you to
consider and to. Implement into your life and I'm
just so excited for you guys to feel those shifts in skin and
soul and spirit. OK, you guys, that is it for
today's episode. I'm so grateful I got to answer
some of your questions. I hope it's helpful and
inspiring and really looking forward to answering even more
questions in future episodes. So thanks for joining me on the
farm and we'll see you guys soon.