This week’s Skincare Saturday at my Skintervention Guide Blog was all about wool dryer balls. You should read it!

The post Skincare Saturday: Got Balls? (Wool dryer balls, that is!) appeared first on Cave Girl Eats.

(For the uninitiated, that has nothing to do with a Poop Pageant. It’s all about quitting conventional shampoo!)

I’ve been No Pooing for awhile now, and continue to be totally in love with this simple, cheap solution. Yet it doesn’t work for everyone, and over time I’ve landed on a few main reasons why.

I wrote about it at my other home, the Skintervention Guide blog. Have a look – click here or on the image below!

The post Why isn’t No Poo working for you? appeared first on Cave Girl Eats.

This week’s post was all about my FAVORITE detergent alternative…soap nuts (I use Naturoli)! And with a label like this…

…we should all be lookin’ for an alternative! Yep, not only should we be thinking about what’s in the products we use directly on our skin in the form of cleansers, toners and lotions, but we should ALSO be thinking about what goes IN to what goes IN to what goes ON our skin. (Uhm…what?)

Just read it. I promise, it all makes perfect sense.

Click here or on the photo to read more!

To get future Skincare Saturdays delivered directly to your inbox, click here.

The post Are you NUTS? (soap nuts, that is!) appeared first on Cave Girl Eats.

Important note: parts of that story were exaggerated by the press. Other parts…were not.

Now, picture how awesome that story was. Because I’m about to tell you about something that’s even MORE awesome.

Don’t believe it? Then you haven’t tried Neem oil.

Neem has become one of my absolute skin care favorites, whether for acne, eczema, psoriasis, dandruff, or anti-aging. I wrote about it for Skincare Saturdays at the Skintervention Guide blog. Click on the photo below to check it out!

The post Skincare Saturday: what do you know about Neem? appeared first on Cave Girl Eats.

Check out the goods by clicking on the picture below (and yes, those ARE my feet)!

The post Skincare Saturday: BEWARE of these Pedicure Pitfalls! appeared first on Cave Girl Eats.

What I’m sayin’ is: I updated the Skintervention Guide blog. (Don’t worry! You don’t have to buy my stuff own the guide to read the SG blog!)

Since the entire “Skintervention” concept grew out of my crunchy body care obsession, I know folks are interested in the hippie goods over here too. So here’s the latest – hop on over and check out this easy homemade toner for sensitive skin!

The post Easy homemade toner for sensitive skin. appeared first on Cave Girl Eats.

{Bigstock Image}

The post Skin Care Beverage: Ginger-Lemon Morning Tonic appeared first on Cave Girl Eats.

(Does YOUR rock have cable? I’m looking for a provider who can affix a satellite dish without destroying my cave paintings.)

While it’s probably hard to miss – I’ve been yapping about it all over the CGE facebook page  (“Like” me! “Like” me!) – I realized I never made an official announcement here, at the home of my fabulous external monologue.

So here it is – the OFFICIAL announcement – in prose!

I wrote down everything I know about nourishing the skin,
from the inside-out and the outside-in!

It’s The Skintervention Guide!

After several years of constant body care self-experimentation and obsessive research within my Nutritional Therapy practice, as well as exhaustive work with my clients to heal their own acne, eczema, and troubled skin (testimonials here), I finally felt ready to put everything I know about healthy, healing, non-toxic body and skin care in one place.

The Skintervention Guide is about setting the foundation for healthy skin through nutrition and super-foods, supported digestion, AND a body care routine FREE of toxins and unnecessary chemicals.

Unlike this blog, my facebook page, the Balanced Bites Podcast I co-host, and the NEW Skin Guide facebook environment, the Skintervention Guide IS a paid-access product. I created it to serve as a comprehensive, affordable substitute for one-on-one consultation. There is LOTS of information available on this site for FREE, and don’t worry – I’m not withholding anything! I’ll continue to answer your body care questions here.

HOWEVER, there ARE limits to the questions I can answer individually – especially for those who need comprehensive, individualized help! If that’s you, this guide is the answer.

• It’s over 200 pages of guidance on nutrition for the skin, digestive health, and topical strategies for healing and beautifying the skin.
• A special Guest Expert gives detailed information on powerful oils and combinations for skin concerns!
• Part One is devoted to nutrition, super-foods, and nutrients that are critical to skin health.
• Part Two is devoted to healing and strengthening digestion, organ-by-organ, to make sure good nutrition gets where it needs to go.
• Part Three is full of topical strategies for natural, non-toxic, EFFECTIVE body care that ranges from hair to face to nails, teeth, makeup, intimate care and even home care. I tackle eczema, dry skin, acne, psoriasis and more. You get three levels of possibilities – from most affordable to most luxurious, so there’s something for everyone.
• It’s a DIGITAL-ONLY PRODUCT, which is great for several reasons: your purchase also comes with lifetime updates, access to a PRIVATE online resource guide, AND easy recipes to get you started if you’re new to natural, Paleo skincare!
• A portion of sales go directly to TWO non-profits: the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund AND Breast Oasis!

Click here to learn more, or to buy now!

THANK YOU for your support – without your encouragement,
I never would have put this together!

The post Did I mention…I wrote a Skin Care Guide? appeared first on Cave Girl Eats.

“…love is a great beautifier.”

And how true that is! (I love love.)

Yet I can’t help but think that if Louisa May Alcott knew what I know, she would have said something different. Something more like:

“…things that smell like dead fish in an old gym sock are great beautifiers.” 

Seriously. I’ve got three products to prove it.

All right, I’m exaggerating a bit. These products don’t really smell like the fitness center on a fishing boat. But they DO reflect the whole, natural, skin-loving, living ingredients they’re derived from. And sometimes natural ingredients smell…natural.

And not everything in nature smells like rosebuds. Here’s the deal: our skin is a living, breathing thing. The more alive, robust, and natural our skin care is, the better our skin responds to it. I learned this the hard way: in my fight against acne, eczema and dry skin, I relied on synthetics, “fragranced” drugstore junk, and other products that were, for all intents and purposes, dead. Not surprisingly, they didn’t work. What my skin truly craved was something ALIVE. (I devote a large chunk of my Skintervention Guide to this topic.)

I found that, while natural, holistic remedies that smell good are perfectly helpful, some MAJOR power lies in natural products with a MAJOR nose.

And these remedies definitely pack a wallop. I absolutely LOVE them. I’ve even grown to like their signature smells.

Stinky Skin Care Product 1: Green Pasture Beauty Balm with Fermented Cod Liver Oil.

Fermented Cod Liver Oil may smell funky, but it’s the absolute BEST nutritional tool when it comes to healing the skin from the inside-out (another topic I tackle in my guide). It’s no surprise, then, that it’s also a topical powerhouse. Unrefined Cod Liver Oil was traditionally used in the treatment of burns, but argh! That smell!

Green Pasture has combined their FCLO (the ONLY FCLO I recommend) with shea butter, butter oil (yes, butter oil – it’s amazing for your face), coconut oil, and cranberry essential oil to make an only slightly off-smelling skin care work of absolute genius. My friends Hayley and Diane are absolutely obsessed with the stuff – as am I.

Smells like…A clean, buttery fish tank…in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner. (*joke)
Feels like…A smooth, intensive moisturizing treatment.
Helps with…I’ve heard reports of this balm helping with eczema, rosacea, dry skin, skin tone and redness.

Stinky Skin Care Product 2: Vintage Tradition Tallow Balm

Tallow is one of the oldest, most traditional natural skin care products out there. (We talk about eating “nose to tail” – but what we get from our properly-raised animals doesn’t stop at food!) Components of Tallow match components of the human skin – the skin recognizes this in a way that surprised even me. This balm doesn’t REALLY stink, but the smell is certainly unique.

The catch: your tallow must be from grass-fed/pastured/naturally raised cows. Vintage Tradition has made an amazing tallow balm that also includes organic Olive oil – another one of my go-to skin care oils.

Smells like…A slightly musty picnic in a barn.
Feels like…A smooth, intensive moisturizing treatment.
Helps with…I’ve heard reports of this balm helping with diaper rash, eczema, and dry skin.

Stinky Skin Care Product 3: 100 Percent Pure Purifying Seaweed Facial Masque

While this masque has a few extra ingredients – dermatology darlings like a Vitamin C component and Alpha-lipoic Acid – it’s based around some majorly nutrient-dense skin-nutrition: kelp, bladderwrack, and french green clay. Masques are an absolute skin care favorite of mine, as is the amazing nutrition (for body AND skin) that we find in the sea.

Despite the fact that I’m as unfamiliar with seafood as a Kansas girl SHOULD be (Mermaids. Chesticles. Just HOW FAR did that sushi have to travel to get to the Midwest?) I try to incorporate seafood and sea vegetables into my diet – and my skincare routine – as much as possible. The peppermint in this masque adds a nice touch, but it’s still got that anosmatic twinge.

Smells like…An algae bloom (which isn’t as lovely as it sounds).
Feels like…A tight and intense skin treatment.
Helps with…Skin “detox” (a fancy term for “pore cleansing”), skin texture and tone. Masques like this also give nutrients to the skin.
Does not help with…my jar-opening skills.

I generally blend up most masques with Apple Cider Vinegar (for tightening and toning) or Calendula hydrosol (for a more soothing treatment). While I wait for it to dry, I enjoy a cup of my favorite skin-care tea!

Cheers!

Want MORE Skincare tips and tricks? Curious about how nutrition
and good digestion can help skin heal?
Check out my Skintervention Guide!

The post Stinky Skin Care: three (stinky) remedies that WORK appeared first on Cave Girl Eats.

For the Skintervention Guide, click here.

For all my (FREE!) body care posts, click here.

Did you know? I assault the world weekly with my “external monologue” (which, coincidentally, is no different from my internal monologue) … and, of course, talk nutrition along with New York Times best-selling author Diane Sanfilippo of Balanced Bites! It all happens on the Balanced Bites Podcast.

Episode #67: The Beauty-cast! Acne, dark circles, & Paleo skincare

UPCOMING EVENTS: The Balanced Bites Workshop with Diane & Liz!

Saturday, January 19, 2013 | Los Angeles, CA
9am-5pm at DogTown CrossFit
Click here to register.

Sunday, January 20, 2013 | San Diego, CA
9am-5pm at CrossFit Elysium
Click here to register.

NEW! Sunday, March 9, 2013 | Washington, DC
9am-5pm at CrossFit Metro Center
Click here to register.

Remember that all events are open to the public, you do not need to belong to the hosting gym to attend!

Opening chat: Liz’s New Year’s Resolution

Topics:

#1 Time to embrace a natural skin care regime? [12:20]
#2 Rosacea, inside and outside approches, what’s best? [21:30]
#3 Dark under eye circles, anything to be done? [30:48]
# 4 When all else fails, how to handle persistent acne? [38:00]
# 5 Gluten in beauty products? [49:40]

LINKS:

Primal Life Organics skincare
Click here to download this episode as an MP3.

The episodes are currently available in iTunes, Stitcher & Blog Talk Radio.

Remember – If you’re enjoying these podcasts, please leave us a review in iTunes. Thanks!

1. Time to embrace a natural skin care regimen?

Stephie Says,

Firstly, absolutely love your podcasts! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and wisdom in such an informative and entertaining way.

My question is regarding acne. I didn’t have acne much growing up but for the past 4 years, it has been pretty constant in my life. Spots appear, clear up, couple of days of good skin, new spots appear…and the cycle continues. It is not debilitating, but it definitely indicates to me that something is not quite right. I have been paleo now for about 6 months. Prior to this, I was eating pretty much in line with paleo principles but was consuming a lot of dairy and not nearly enough of the good fats. When I ditched the dairy 6 months ago, my acne cleared up radically. But I also lost weight and lost my period (have always been lean so losing weight not wanted). About 3 months ago, I decided to try the autoimmune protocol and get supplement recommendations to sort of some long standing digestive distress and try and gain weight (and get my period back). Introduced supplements included biotics beta-plus (no gall bladder), biotics hydro-zyme (digestion), and biotics cytozyme-ad (suspect some adrenal issues). I also started taking apple cider vinegar before each meal to assist with digestion. Digestion improved (still have issues from time to time—fast system!) and gained lost weight, but strangely, acne came back with a vengeance. At the same time I had also introduced ghee. I removed for a week but acne persisted so I added it back in to ensure a variety of fats.

I am at a bit of a loss with what to try next. I have had my hormones checked and have low T3, estrogen and testosterone (which I am addressing with some additional supplements–see below). I wonder if the acne has something do to with hormonal changes that that occur with healthy weight gain? Perhaps it is still some lingering gut issue and inflammation and I just need to persist with gut healing protocol? Maybe it is time to embrace a natural skin care regime. Any thoughts or recommendations that you ladies may have would be most appreciated.

Strict paleo and autoimmune protocol. Variety of grass fed meats and wild fish (beef, chicken, salmon, hake, sardines, chicken livers), cooked vegetables (carrots, spaghetti & summer squash, celery), fats (coconut oil, ghee) and approx. 1/2 banana per day. Coconut flakes for treat. Bone booth. Approx. protein 25%, carbs 10%, fat 65. Calories adequate for weight gain (initially) and now weight maintenance.

Supplements: Primal probiotics, magnesium, iron. Biotics beta-plus, biotics hydro-zyme, biotics cytozyme-ad. More recently, biotics thyrostim, dhea (10mg) and cyctozyme-F (to support low T3 and estrogen levels).

Run 4x per week (40 mins) and “lift heavy” in gym 2x per week.

Sleep: Generally good. 7-8 hours per night. Often wake at 5am and am wide awake. Very tired in evening.

the second question for me would be….let’s map what has changed since this started. Stephie gives us a few ideas of what MIGHT have changed, and the overall lifestyle change, but often there’s something or another that ends up sticking out like a sore thumb when we really dig. I’d say, to start, Pull the banana and replace with a different starch. See what happens.

Finally, yes – it’s definitely time to embrace a natural skin care regimen. If you want to leave the mixology up to someone else, I can’t recommend the Primal Life Organics Banished line enough; I’ve also got an entire world of nutritional, digestive, and topical advice in the skin care guide that will be out at the beginning of January! If you want to sign up for an alert when that comes out, go to CaveGirlEats.com and sign up for email updates.

2. Rosacea, inside and outside approches, what’s best?

Eden says,

Hi Diane and Liz, I have a question about rosacea. I’ve experienced mild yet constant redness in my cheeks for as long as I can remember. I also flush extremely easily, which can be caused by anything from temperature to spicy foods to emotion or discomfort. Apparently this combination of symptoms is classified as subtype one rosacea. My skin is quite fair and sensitive but otherwise clear – I’ve never had issues with blemishes or acne. The only other skin ailment that I’ve experienced is occasional eczema, but this has been a non-issue since I stopped eating dairy.

I’m wondering if there is anything I could or should be doing to keep my skin healthy and potentially reverse any rosacea symptoms, for example following an autoimmune paleo protocol? Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated! Thank you both for all the wonderful work you do.

I’m 23, female, about 5’4″ and 130lbs, and I’ve been paleo for seven months now, and I’m quite strict paleo (only two “cheat meals” – even though I hate that phrase – since I started). The majority of my meals consist of eggs, ground meat (chicken, beef, camel, kangaroo, lamb) or fish (salmon, tilapia, sardines) and veggies (usually some combination of kale, broccoli, mushrooms, cauliflour, carrots, peas) with some avocado or coconut oil. I’ve been trying to keep my fruit intake under control (1-2 pieces/servings per day), only because I’ve had issues with my blood sugar in the past. I drink 2-3 cups of green tea per day, and am guilty of not quite drinking enough water (about 1 litre per day). Sleep is a priority for me, always a minimum of 7 hours, occasionally up to 9 per night. I do Crossfit style workouts 3-4 times per week and when I’m lucky, yoga once per week. I have an active job, so I get to move and walk a lot during the day. In terms of supplements, I used to take a lot of fish oil but I’ve been moving away from these after listening to your podcast. As I live in rainy Vancouver, I also take 5000IU of vitamin D per day.

We talked about rosacea in a previous podcast, it’s an inflammatory skin condition which can worsen over time, and its triggered by extremes: extreme stress, extreme heat or cold, any extreme you can think of including extremes of personality. Now, a good Paleo-style diet with an emphasis on nutrients – the fat-soluble vitamins we find in fermented cod liver oil, organ meats, butter oil, seafood; and the minerals we find in homemade bone broth, can be really powerful. Digestive healing is important, but I have to say – if the norm is some kind of heightened activity or stress, as in you’re constantly active and such, it may be hard to heal digestion to satisfaction because, in effect, you’ll be fighting a losing battle. So stress management and reduction is key – even if you don’t FEEL stressed as in you don’t feel dragged out or over-taxed, recognizing activity that puts a load on the body and mind, like an active job or a busy life, is pretty key. I actually haven’t seen a lot of improvement with clients using D supplements, that goes for other skin issues as well, but actual sun exposure during appropriate times of the year seems to be helpful. Topically, I think I said this in the last podcast, there’s the clo balm from green pastures I’ve seen good results with; there’s tamanu oil, there’s the calendula hydrosol from mountain rose herbs. Even using digestive teas topically, ones that contain licorice or marshmallow root can be helpful. And I’d actually look at subbing out green tea for a red rooibos tea, which is a great skin-care tea. I do think there are varied tweaks that need to be made depending on what each person is dealing with most prominently, and I do try to tackle that in the guide – which, I don’t know if I ever announced it, is called the Skintervention guide.

3. Dark under eye circles, anything to be done?

Nathan says,

I’ve been eating the Paleo way for around 8 months now and I generally look and feel good, however there is an issue that my lifestyle changes have not cleared up. For about 3 years now, I have had dark under eye circles that never seem to go away despite recommendations from a holistic practitioner which included various topical creams and supplements like Aller-DMG – a formulation to reduce respiratory problems and nasal congestion associated with under eye circles as well as reducing histamine levels.

It is often thought that dairy and wheat cause the dark circles, particularly in children (called “allergy shiners”, however I have eliminated all dairy (except grass-fed butter) and grains are no longer part of my typical diet. I typically eat a Green smoothie for breakfast with a banana, spinach and raspberries. For lunch it’s either bone-broth soup with pumpkin, carrot and garlic or an egg salad. Dinner is either chicken or salmon with roasted vegetables or salad. I’m now looking into FODMAPS as I’m also having some digestive issues and plan on aiding that with Aloe vera juice. I also take a soil based probiotic supplement, Vitamin D and FCLO Butter blend. (I’m pretty sure you know what that is haha!)

I get a good 8-9 hours of quality sleep, drink plenty of fluids and do light yoga-based exercise. I’m 21 years old and of a healthy weight. The only external skincare I use is a splash of water once a day. I had a food allergy test carried out by a hair sample around 1 year ago to find I was allergic to dust mite, various trees and some foods which I have now included back into my diet: Beef, Cinnamon and coconut. I also show nutrition deficiencies; Copper, vitamin C, Ellagic acid, Ligans and betaine.

4. When all else fails, how to handle persistent acne?

After going off of the Pill for multiple reasons (mainly not wanting to ingest synthetic hormones after 10+ years of doing so) my acne has worsened exponentially- it is ALL around my mouth/chin- YUCK! I’ve had acne probably for at least 10 years as well, and before going off the pill had switched to Yaz to alleviate acne specifically-which worked moderately well. Now, I’m in a constant battle with it. I know Liz and others recommend removing dairy and nuts from my diet- which I am currently trying (but haven’t previously)- but I’m 26 and need some relief now! Is this a hormone problem or a diet problem?

I’ve researched Liz’s website extensively and have tried the OCM, ACV, and other natural remedies. I really don’t want to go back to the dermatologist to get some weird topical product.
Any additional advice?

Also what do you recommend to use as spot treatment? Anything specific to reduce redness?
THANKS !I eat mostly paleo, work out 3x week and take evening primrose oil (for acne), biotin and 2 brazil nuts daily for selenium. I take the FCLO daily as well.

5. Gluten in beauty products?

Bec says,

Hi Liz and Diane, This question is concerning body care. I was just wondering how bad gluten in body products (such as shampoos and conditioners) is? Can it be absorbed into the skin or cause an immune response somehow? Thanks!

Thanks for listening!
Liz & Diane

The post Podcast Episode #67: The Beauty-cast! Acne, dark circles, & Paleo skincare appeared first on Cave Girl Eats.