3 Things I Drink for Prettier, Healthier Skin

Since getting full on smacked in the face with hormonal acne starting at age 13, I've had a deep interest in skincare and skin health for many years (half my life actually!). It's a topic I could truly research all day, and I always have a list of questions for my amazing esthetician. Anything that can potentially improve my skin or give me a better glow, I want to know more about and try!

A few months ago, I listened to an episode of the LadyGang podcast (one of my favs!) where they had renowned celebrity aesthetician Kate Sommerville on as their guest. I truly learned so much about skincare and wrote down everything she said. I highly highly recommend listening to the interview, which is episode 59 from January 17, 2017! Coming from a family that has always valued natural medicine, I loved that she talked about how gut health effects your skin. Ever heard the saying "you are what you eat?" It's so true. She talked about how eating clean ingredients and supplementing with a good probiotic are two of the best things you can do for your skin, and that the health of your gut (for better or for worse) will reflect in your skin. She didn't touch on all of the drinks I'm sharing today, but I just wanted to share this episode with you guys as an additional resource because I truly learned so much!

Obviously drinking boat loads of water is essential to your skin's health and your overall health, but I thought I would share three other things I drink that all show positive effects on my skin! Knowing that I want to add these into my routine also help me to drink more water - a win, win!

 I also want to disclose that I do not have perfect, gorgeous skin, and if you don't either, that's okay. It's a journey. I may never have "perfect skin," but I'm continually working to have my best skin and to always be improving it. Those of us that have had hormonal, cystic acne will have scarring, and may continue to get breakouts until the end of time (or at least it feels like we will). Maybe you're naturally oily and if you don't wear makeup you look like a little grease ball after a few hours (me!). Also, if you're super fair skinned like I am you know that every little flaw both at the surface and below the surface shows up big time.

So, don't get down on yourself if your skin isn't where you want it to be, just focus on improving your skin and your health as much as you can control and afford! Remember that there's always someone out there who would love to have your skin, even if you don't feel like it's that great.  

3 Things I Drink for Prettier, Healthier Skin...

1 | Liquid Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is vital to the photosynthesis process in plants, and is one of the nutrients found in green, leafy vegetables. It has a bunch of amazing benefits for the body, and promotes cleansing/detoxing, healing and cell renewal, and also helps with iron levels, redness, swelling, and more. Kate Sommerville and Reece Witherspoon both swear by adding this to their water daily for skin and hormone health! Fortunately, liquid chlorophyll doesn't taste bad at all, and I've actually grown to like it. I try to drink a glass every day, or at least every other day! You don't need much (I add about a teaspoon to a glass of water) and a bottle will last you quite awhile. It also comes in a dropper form, and in a mint flavor.

2 | Apple Cider Vinegar.

Yes, it's disgusting. This is not a drink I look forward to, but when I'm consistent with it, I do notice that my skin tends to stay clearer. Apple cider vinegar has been touted for decades to have a multitude of health benefits, and although not all are backed up scientifically yet, it is proven to lower blood sugar levels, improve gut health (= better skin!!), and may even help boost your metabolism and burn fat.

ACV "shots" are trendy right now, but can actually be quite harmful to your teeth and digestive tract. Because of its high acidity, ACV can erode your teeth enamel and damage your esophagus. SO, the best/healthiest way to drink it is to mix it in with a glass of water, and to use a straw! The straw will prevent it from washing all over your teeth, and the water makes it easier to digest. I also add in just a bit of Stevia or honey to make it less tart. To get these health benefits, make sure you buy raw, unfiltered ACV that has "the mother" in it! You can read more about ACV here, here and here.

3 | Green Tea

Green tea is full of antioxidants and protects your skin against free radicals, which damage your skin cells and tissue. I drink a cup of hot green tea every single morning, which kicks off my daily hydration, plumps the skin, and gives me a more subtle dose of caffeine (versus coffee). In the summertime I also like to make batches of cold-brew green tea to keep in the fridge and to add variety to my daily water quota. When I'm consistent with drinking green tea my skin glows sooo much more and feels nice and plump (versus dry and/or wrinkly)!

Bonus Tips...

Take a good probiotic daily! As in a high-quality, refrigerated probiotic, not the $8 ones from the Walmart aisle. This will improve your gut health and hormone health, which both reflect in your skin.

Add in collagen powder! Collagen has a lot of benefits, but I use it primarily for its skin benefits. As we age, our body produces less and less collagen, which means wrinkles, looser skin, and less elasticity. Ugh! So, if you increase the collagen in your body, you can increase moisture, firmness and smoothness, and encourage your body to renew cells! As skin loses elasticity and gets thinner, cellulite shows up more, so collagen may actually help reduce the appearance of cellulite as well. I buy a powder that I add into smoothies, oatmeal, tea, and my liquid chlorophyll water!


I hope you enjoyed this post! I love learning about health, nutrition and skin care, so this post was so enjoyable for me to research and write! Do you swear by any of these tips or have some of your own? Also, would you want to see a Q&A with my esthetician about all things skin? Let me know! xx