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.
Hello friends and welcome to Grounded Wellness.
I'm Courtney, primarily peers holistic aesthetician.
As a holistic aesthetician, I get countless questions on my
top tips for specific skin conditions and concerns.
Yet, before we can talk about the top products and protocols,
we have to go back to the basics, and the beginning of
skin health starts with the skin microbiome.
Today's episode is all about this foundational component that
often gets overlooked in the skin care industry.
Unfortunately, compromised skin sensitivities, acne, and
premature aging are all drastically increasing and I
believe that this uptick in skin issues can be linked back to a
disrupted or a depleted skin microbiome.
But the good news is that there are so many simple changes that
you can make to your routine that might also benefit your
budget that you can implement to begin to restore your microbiome
and reach your glowing skin goals.
Although I love a good facial tool or superfood skin care
product, if we don't have this foundational understanding of
how the skin has been created to function, we are missing out on
a massive piece of the skin health puzzle.
This is why I am so excited to break down what the microbiome
actually is and to offer you simple swaps that you can make
to your daily skin care habits and upgrading the routines and
rituals that you're incorporating so that you can
maintain this delicate balance for clear, glowing skin that
actually lasts and stick around till the end.
Because there are other microbiomes in the body that
also impact skin health that I'll share a couple of tips to
help you optimize those microbiomes as well.
Let's dig in. So what is the skin microbiome?
It's like this epidermal ecosystem, and it is this
complex community of trillions of living organisms that thrive
on the surface of your skin like bacteria and fungi, viruses,
microbes, and even microscopic mites.
Now, before you get grossed out, hear me out.
This ecosystem in the skin intuitively knows how to work in
harmony to block harmful bacteria and to protect the skin
from environmental factors that can contribute to damage and
inflammation in the skin. Specific bacteria strains are
normal and even necessary for optimal skin function.
So here are a few ways that a robust and balanced microbiome
benefits your skin. The first is that it reduces bad
bacteria so it helps to protect from acne causing bacteria and
pathogens that can contribute to inflammation and even illness as
your skin is the first line of immune defense for your body.
2nd is it maintains hydration, so a healthy microbiome protects
from trans epidermal water loss and it is directly linked to
your skin's hydration levels. So it helps to prevent flakiness
and dryness and signs of aging because as we know, aging is
simply drying out. Next, it regulates pH levels so
it maintains the slightly acidic pH that is necessary for your
skin to thrive. And lastly, it balances sebum
production. Healthy oil levels are vital for
maintaining moisturization and protecting your microbiome, even
in oil rich skin states. Sebum is also the food that
helps the microbiome thrive, which unfortunately, many
conventional skin care products create this disruption and
depletion of the sebum levels in the skin.
But more on that later. So this is the beauty of a
balanced microbiome. Skin is clear, calm, hydrated,
and glowing. Everything is working in harmony
to optimize the health of your skin and your Wellness within.
So the concept of soil and skin feels like a really fitting
analogy for this topic. After all, this podcast is
called Grounded Wellness and I'm recording barefoot on the soil
of our regenerative farm. O soil is the skin of the earth.
It's a living, breathing ecosystem and it's microbiome
matters and it impacts the quality of the crops that it
produces. So if you think of the
microbiome like the soil of your skin, and when this foundation
is diverse and its innate design is undisturbed and flourishing,
your skin flourishes too. But on the flip side, if your
microbiome becomes disrupted or depleted, similar to the soil,
it can create this cascade of inflammation, which is the root
cause of acne and aging and sensitivities.
So our goal is to restore and regenerate the skin from the
ground up or should I say from the microbiome up.
The parallels between taking care of our skin and taking care
of our soil are so many, and the more we strip the soil or our
skin with harmful agricultural methods or harsh skin care
protocols and products, it leads to this domino effect of even
more inflammation and damage. Our top priority in taking care
of the skin is to preserve this harmonious balance of bacteria,
microbes, and organisms to work together synergistically so that
your skin can thrive. And from there, the results that
you're hoping to see. It will be a ripple effect from
that place. I know the skin care scene can
feel very overwhelming or complicated sometimes, but I
have some really good news for you guys.
Microbiome support and repair is actually super simple.
Now, that doesn't mean that this is a quick fix.
Restoring this foundation can take time, especially depending
on the damage already done. But lasting healing and renewal
of the skin is possible with the right products, practices, and
protocols. But first, let's address what
conventional skin care recommends, which often can do
more harm than good. For this beneficial ecosystem of
your skin, unfortunately so many skin tips and routines are
detrimental to this balance and popular trends and products,
even those marketed as gentle or natural or dermatologist tested
can reduce this valuable diversity of your skin
microbiome. We have been seeing the term
sensitive skin dramatically increase over the years as over
60% of women resonate with this and claim to have sensitive
skin. So why has sensitive skin and
chronic acne and premature signs of aging become so much more
prevalent? I wonder if it could have
something to do with the fact that mainstream skin care and
professional skin treatments have been pushing excessive
chemical peels and harsh exfoliants, prescription
strength topicals, harsh home care products with chemicals,
detergent, sulfate, salicylic acid, just to name a few.
And even clinical treatments like Botox or microneedling,
which also just wrapped to the semen production in the skin,
which we know is food for these microbes and necessary for a
balanced microbiome. So all of these factors can
contribute to a compromised microbiome, leaving us with a
stripped moisture barrier, severe sensitivities, and
ongoing problematic breakouts. Over the years, we've also been
led to believe that all oil is bad.
We could also call this the squeaky clean epidemic, but that
could not be further from the truth.
We know that if we eliminate all bacteria from the surface of the
skin, it throws the microbiome completely out of whack, making
the skin much more susceptible to inflammatory skin conditions.
Often your typical skin care routine recommendations include
a sudsy foaming cleanser, drying or alcohol based toners,
abrasive or acid based exfoliants, and oil free lotions
or moisturizers. I have to mention the majority
of conventional skin care is also made with harsh chemicals
and endocrine disrupting ingredients that can aggravate
skin conditions and hinder skin healing even further like dyes
and fragrance, phthalates and PEG compounds, parabens and
heavy metals and the list goes on and on.
So if harmful products played a part in disrupting your
microbiome, then nourishing products can play a part in
restoring it before moving into simple swaps to repair your
microbiome. I just want to briefly touch on
probiotic skin care. Is it just a fad or could it
actually rebuild your microbiome and support healthy skin?
Research is still in its early stages, but topical probiotic
skin care is becoming much more prevalent as a means of
promoting this diversity and positive bacteria on the skin.
While these types of products are marketed to balance this
ecosystem of bacteria, there are various factors to consider in
their efficacy and how they're actually impacting the
microbiome. Not all probiotic skin care
products are using living viable probiotics.
Many of these products only contain fragmented or non living
probiotic extracts or prebiotics.
Without active, viable probiotics, there's not
convincing evidence that it's actually impacting your
microbiome in a positive way. So from my perspective, even if
these probiotic friendly products are supporting your
microbiome, it's not just a matter of applying these
products to see true repair and healing.
Just like restoring gut health, taking living probiotics can be
very beneficial for supporting your gut microbiome.
But there's so much more to a robust, balanced gut microbiome
than simply popping us up every morning.
It requires time and intention to upgrade your diet, your
Wellness practices, and your lifestyle habits.
And in the same way, it takes a truly holistic approach to heal
your skin from the ground up. So while I think these bacteria
friendly products can definitely offer some supportive benefits,
I just wonder if it could be a little bit more hype than it's
really holistic approach to healing your skin.
Your skin is a brilliant self healing organ that really just
needs a few gentle nudges in the right direction to restore and
to support its regeneration journey.
Instead of adding another step to a long list of products,
we're actually going to strip it back for a balanced microbiome.
So now we're going to dig into four easy swaps that you can
make in your routine to reset your skin, repair your skin
issues, and to reach your glowing skin goals #1 swap your
face wash for a cleansing oil. Rebuilding your skin microbiome
starts with this first step in your skin care routine.
Your cleanser is the number one swap that you should make to
begin to restore your microbiome.
Conventional cleansers contain a stripping ingredients like
detergents and dyes, fragrance, and even salicylic acid that can
compromise your microbiome, causing it to become more
inflamed, sensitive, or lead to early signs of aging.
Cleansing oils, on the other hand, contain this beautiful
blend of beneficial oils that actually attract excess oil and
purify the pores, melting away makeup and deeply cleansing
without stripping or over drying or even leaving it feeling extra
oily or greasy. You're just left with soft,
supple skin and a balanced microbiome #2 Swap your scrubs
for facial dry brushing. Exfoliation in the skin Care
World is often an aspect of your routine that can cause more harm
than good if it's not done with intention and care.
Excess exfoliation, forceful scrubbing and abrasive
ingredients can set the skin on high alert as it believe it's
being injured and that it hyper reacts to overcompensate for
this lack of lipids on the skin, leading to further inflammation,
excess oil production and acne. Intense exfoliating products can
feel tempting to smooth texture and to help support that
cellular turnover, but trust me, in the long run, you'll be so
glad you avoided them. So rather than scrubbing the
skin into a state of panic and overproduction of oil, gentle
forms of exfoliation can naturally nudge along the cell
renewal process while still keeping your skin's delicate
ecosystem intact. This is why facial dry brushing
is the best method of exfoliation, at least in my
holistic aesthetician opinion. Facial dry brushing lightly
stimulates the cell turnover in a graceful, gentle way, and it's
super soft. Bristles buff away buildup
without disrupting your skin microbiome, and it also
detoxifies through lymphatic drainage.
So you're getting this gorgeous glow from the inside out and the
outside in. It's gentle enough to do daily,
either as the first step in your morning skin care routine or in
your evening routine after oil cleansing #3 swap astringent
toners for facial Miss. Toning is often one of the most
overlooked or understated steps in a skin care routine, but this
is definitely a step you do not want to skip.
It's essential to rebuild water content in your skin and we know
that healthy hydration levels equals a healthy microbiome, but
many toners today are working against this function of the
skin and how it was created to thrive.
Toners can actually deplete health and hydration with really
drying ingredients like harsh alcohols.
Stripping astringents and synthetic chemicals are very
disruptive for this delicate ecosystem of the skin and this
can cause dehydrated, damaged skin and increasing inflammation
and acne causing bacteria. Instead of removing essential
nourishment with aggressive astringents or harsh acids, we
want to replenish and rebuild the skin's protective barrier.
So look for a toner with natural plant hydrosols that actually
balance oil production, boost hydration and soothe
sensitivities. Some of my absolute favorites
for skin health include neroli which is very regenerating and
very anti-inflammatory for the skin.
Rose Hydrosol is a beautifying plant with vitamins to even skin
tone and firm the skin. Lavender Hydrosol is so
antibacterial and soothing and calming to support skin healing
and Aloe para juice helps to replenish and support skin's
healing #4 swap your oil free lotion for a facial oil.
Oils are making a comeback in the beauty industry and the oil
free myth is finally being debunked.
Thankfully. The truth is, our skin needs oil
for health and homeostasis and it naturally produces sebum to
create this natural moisture and protective barrier to keep
harmful substances out and hydration in.
Oil is a positive thing, I promise.
By withholding oil from your skin with oil free products,
you're most likely stripping its own beneficial sebum production
and creating a complexion that's actually more prone to oil
production that spirals out of control.
So facial oils offer a deeply supportive, skin loving blend of
superfood ingredients that promote this lovely lipid
barrier on the skin. By incorporating whole cold
pressed plant oils, your skin is fed this full range of benefits
found within the plant. Instead of isolating a specific
ingredient or vitamin that is very common in the skin Care
World. The entire plant profile,
including vitamins and minerals, essential fatty acids and
antioxidants creates a more potent and transformative
product for every skin state, even oil rich skin states.
A few of my favorite oils for skin health include prickly pear
seed oil, which contains one of the highest plant sources of
vitamin E along with vitamin K and acne fighting minerals like
zinc. My other favorite oil is Jojoba
oil. So Jojoba oil actually has a
similar makeup to the sebum in our skin, so it's easily
recognized and received to bring balance back to the microbiome.
And organic essential oils are a beautiful way to support the
skin. They're extracted from plants
and they are so potent and powerful and their ability to
aid in healing and regeneration of the skin.
Let's quickly recap your four step microbiome repair routine.
First is you're going to ditch your sudsy traditional cleansers
for a skin loving cleansing oil. Second, you're going to swap out
your acid based scrubs or abrasive ingredients for your
facial dry brushing routine. Third, we're going to get rid of
the astringent and alcohol based toners for a more replenishing
facial mist including plant hydrosols and essential oils.
And lastly, we are done with the oil free moisturizers and we are
incorporating facial oils to deeply nourish and bring bounce
comes back to your microbiome. While our skin has been the main
microbiome focus for today, our body does also contain other
microbiomes that impact your skin.
So here are a couple of ways to support your skin health by
supporting the oral microbiome and the gut microbiome.
Your oral microbiome can actually impact skin disorders
and inflammation. So a couple of key ways to
support your oral microbiome is oil pulling, which is one of my
favorites. Just simply swishing around
coconut oil or a premade blend of carrier oils and essential
oils to deeply detoxify and balance this microbiome.
Love doing it first thing in the morning and then following up
with tongue scraping and brushing your teeth and
regularly flossing. And you want to ensure that your
oral care products are not containing stripping chemicals,
but are more naturally made to benefit that flora and bacteria
of the mouth. Remember, bacteria is not a bad
thing. We want it to thrive and we want
to support its function in the oral microbiome as well.
And of course, the gut microbiome is such a key player
in the health of your skin, and often gut imbalances can show
itself on the skin in rashes and eczema, inflammation and other
inflammatory skin conditions. So to promote flora in the gut,
you really want to prioritize a diverse diet with a lot of
variety and seasonal foods. High animal based protein diets
are also very beneficial, especially bone broth, one of my
favorite beverages for supporting the gut microbiome.
And of course, you can also add in some really high quality
supplements for your pro and prebiotics.
I hope this episode gives you a compelling reason to prioritize
your skin microbiome from a new perspective.
The most beautiful thing about our skin is that it truly is
self healing. Sometimes all it needs is just a
little nudge in the right direction and we get to come
alongside to work with it and not against it.
Thanks for joining me today on the farm to dig deeper into this
foundational piece of skin health, and we'll see you next
time on Grounded Wellness.