I was recently reminded of how important homecare is for our skin. I started doing a holistic homecare program (meant to support the new face lifting massage treatment I’ll be offering soon at Rich Earth) that includes face yoga, facial massage, facial lymphatic drainage and posture exercises to be done regularly at home.

Within a few weeks of practicing, the puffy eyes I would normally wake up with in the fall were reduced. I also noticed better tone and color to my skin. I have sleep deeply when I’ve done the facial massage and face yoga before going to bed at night. I’ve loved doing the lymphatic drainage and posture exercises in the morning. Doing them all has felt really good.

I also noticed…

better tone and color to my skin. I sleep deeply when I do the facial massage before going to bed at night.

I already do facial exercises and use the home microcurrent device, and both definitely provide visible benefits. But, leveling up with face yoga, face massage and facial manual lymphatic drainage has been so surprisingly lovely. It has felt great and has boosted my skin.

The program I’m following (called The Holistic Beauty Kit) is meant to help keep your skin in great shape between facials/skin care treatments at Rich Earth. (It will definitely be awesome to do in between the face lift massage treatment that is coming soon to Rich Earth.) But it is also truly helpful just to do on its own.

If you want to do this program, you can learn more about it and purchase it here

(use the code MARNA for a discount if you’d like):

click

(Quick note: I never promote other programs/affiliates, etc., as I think we are all bombarded by too much stuff as it is, but I do genuinely like this holistic homecare program and think it has benefits for us all. For those of us that like to have just one, complete, easy-to-follow program collected in one place, this program works especially well. It includes not only good videos for face yoga, manual lymphatic drainage, facial massage and posture exercises, but also provides good info on hormone balance for skin health, nutrition for skin health, stress reduction for skin health, as well as breathwork and meditations for skin health.)

Regardless of if you follow this program or find your own resources for holistic homecare (I’m listing some alternative options below), doing holistic homecare regularly will have a positive impact on you and your skin. You will feel better and your skin will look better. It’s a win all around.

Holistic Homecare~

So…what can we do at home to create good skin from the inside out? How do we keep our skin looking really good between facials?

First! Follow your best AM and PM skin care routine consistently.

This is your foundation. All beautiful skin blooms from here…

A solid a.m. and p.m. skin care routine provides countless, far-reaching benefits…

I can hear your future skin thanking you for having the wisdom to encourage your most gorgeous skin both now as well as for the years to come.

Second! Facial Massage, Facial Lymphatic Drainage, Facial Exercises and Face Yoga~

These practices are my absolute favorites to do at home. They feel great, reduce tension in your face, improve your skin tone and color by improving circulation to your skin, and can even reduce puffiness and improve your skin’s firmness and health by supporting lymphatic flow. There is nothing to lose here, and much to gain. Find a few options you love and do them regularly…

Manual Lymphatic Drainage~

(click and scroll down for options) click
(click for 7-minute facial lymphatic drainage plus supportive stretches) click
(click for daily manual lymphatic drainage routine) click

Facial Exercises~

(click and scroll down for options) click
(click for Pilates option) click

Facial Massage~

(click for Qigong facial massage option) click

(click for traditional facial massage option) click

Face Yoga~

(click for face yoga option) click

(click for face yoga option plus a little whole body yoga) click

(click for face yoga option with narrative explanations) click

They feel great…

…reduce tension in your face, improve your skin tone and color, and can even improve your skin’s firmness.

Third! Exercises for Good Posture~

A straight and flexible spine, and shoulders that are relaxed and open (not rounded forward, and not hunched up near our ears) actually helps our face to age really well. Our neck and jawline benefit tremendously from good posture. (A slumped posture encourages neck wrinkles and double chins. Eek.) Yoga and Pilates are known for creating tall, upright postures with flexible, fluid movements, but other forms of exercise can help us, too. Find the exercises you love and do them often. It makes a huge difference in your whole body, especially your face.

A few options…

Back: click
Neck: click
Shoulders: click
Arms and Back: click
Whole Body Pilates Stretch: click
Ballet for Posture Correction: click
How to Achieve Ballet Posture: click

Our neck and jawline

benefit tremendously from good posture.

Fourth! Breathing~

Breathing well (easeful, full, deep, belly inhales and exhales) is supremely wonderful for moving oxygen and nutrition through our bodies and to our skin. If we breathe deeply and easefully often, our skin will look brighter, healthier, and even smoother (as relaxing, deep breathing releases the chronic tension that can cause lines and wrinkles, as well as helps to move oxygen and nutrition to our skin through improved circulation). Breathing exercises and meditation encourage deep, relaxed breathing, and also helps us to feel calmer. Your whole body will love this and so will your skin. Find a breathing exercise or meditation you like, and do it regularly.

click and scroll down for many breathing exercise and meditation options: click
five minute calming breathwork: click
seven minute nerve reset: click
30 minute deep nervous system regulation: click
ten minute guided meditation for stress relief: click

Our skin

will look brighter, healthier, and even smoother.

Fifth! Nutrition~

Nutrient-rich plant foods, eaten on the daily, improve our skin. (There is no doubt about this.)

Our skin thrives with a variety of foods that are chock-full of vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients. This ensures we are getting ample antioxidants (which fight aging damage) and the nutrition our skin requires to continually repair, rejuvenate and replenish itself naturally. Vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, silica, amino acids, essential fatty acids and all healthy fats, fiber and protein are examples of what our skin needs and loves.

Here is a Big Yes List…

fresh greens
fresh veggies
squash
whole fruits
fresh herbs
nuts
seeds
legumes
whole grains

*More info on which foods make our skin thrive here: (click)

Tiny No List…

The only foods that are universally bad for everyone’s skin are…

refined white sugar
refined white flour
foods that are “blackened” (cooked at such high temperatures the food becomes charred) which causes free radicals to be released, which increases and hastens aging damage in our skin).

*To be clear, we can get away with eating these foods occasionally, but eating any of them on the regular with start to negatively impact our skin.

These recipes are full of skin supporting nutrition (the Yes List!):

Beyond this, what works best for your digestion and your body is the best diet for you! What fills you with energy and makes you feel good? What leaves you feeling tired or bloated or even makes your skin breakout, or puffy, or dull? Some of us do great with beans and wholegrains, and others of us do not, for example. Some of us do fine with gluten, while others of us do not do fine with gluten at all. It can vary a bit for all of us. If you are not sure what the best diet for you is, seeing a good ND or acupuncturist (or other qualified healthcare practitioner that provides nutrition guidance) can help you figure it out. Supporting your skin with good food is never, ever about deprivation. It is about nourishing yourself with the foods that leave you feeling balanced and energized and your skin looking vibrant and alive.

Nourish yourself

with the foods that leave you feeling balanced and energized and your skin looking vibrant and alive.

Sixth! Hydrate. Sleep. Keep Calm. Carry On.

Tips on how to do this (click and scroll down):

Implement all of these practices in your own time, on your schedule. Worthwhile, meaningful changes often take hold gradually. Let this journey be a joy, not a burden. May these practices leave you feeling really good, and your skin bright and glowing.

Let this journey be a joy,

not a burden.

“I adore you for being yourself.”

~ Henry Miller

A spark of every fire we seek is already within us.”

~Kamand Kojouri

xoxo marna

Blog written by Marna Herrington with Rich Earth Organic Skin Care Studio
Blog copy editing and polishing provided by Karen-Eileen Gordon (MsGordonLovesWriting@gmail.com)

This blog is not intended to take the place of in-person consultations with qualified skin care and health care practitioners. This blog is for the purpose of education and fun only.

All images and text in this blog are under the legal ownership of Rich Earth Organic Skin Care Studio or are unambiguously in the public domain. Permission is not granted for this text or these images to be copied and used out of the context of this blog, or for commercial purposes. If any part of the text is quoted in an article or other blog for educational purposes, a hyperlink to this page must be included.

Your best skin…starting from the inside