Despite what you may think, beautiful skin is not determined by the products we use. The food we nourish our bodies with, the amount of water we drink, the level of stress in our lives, hormone levels, how much sleep we are getting each night and whether we exercise, all have a huge impact on our skin’s health.

Our skin is the largest organ in the body and the pores absorb all sorts of things, from chemicals in our beauty products to pollution in the air. Because our body is already working hard to eliminate these toxins, we want to lessen the burden and make it as easy as possible for our skin to shine. Working from the inside out is always the best way to ensure beautiful skin but a good skin care regime will help skin to shine.

What should you use?
Our skin is thought to absorb around 60 per cent of what is applied to it so choosing natural, gentle products is really important, especially in the teen years when our skin can be more prone to breakouts. The scary thing is there is actually no regulatory body that governs cosmetic and beauty products. Out of 10,500 ingredients used today, 89 per cent have not been evaluated for safety. This means we have to be our own watch-dogs and know exactly what we are putting on to our skin.

How can you tell if something is natural?
Well unfortunately just reading the title of a product can be misleading as pretty much anything can be labeled ‘natural’. The best thing to do is read the ingredient list. The list is always in order from the ingredient that features most in the product to the ingredient that features least in the product. If the first ingredient is a really long, complicated word that looks suspiciously like a chemical, back away slowly. A great free resource is the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Guide to Cosmetics, which rates the safety of over 80,000 personal care products – www.ewg.org.

What about problem skin?
I had quite bad skin as a teenager so I know exactly what it feels like. Mum and I tried all sorts of harsh treatments and products, to no avail. What I understand now is that our bodies are amazing. The skin already knows what it needs to do so, instead of stripping away all of the oils and attacking the face until it looks the way we want it to, we should encourage and strengthen our skin’s natural processes.

Acne sufferers often carry a higher bacterial content on their skin, while also overproducing the sebum (oil) in the skin. When the body is stressed, this bacteria reacts with the increased level of oil. Acne needs healing and strengthening with very gentle products rather than over cleansing, which is a common mistake.

Tips to clear up problem skin:
-  Use a gentle, cream cleanser or gel rather than an abrasive scrub.
-  Always remove make-up before bed. Coconut oil is a wonderful eye make-up remover! Scoop out a dollop of coconut oil with two fingers, warm between fingers and apply in circular motions over your eyelids, working it into your lashes with eyes closed. Remove with a warm face cloth or damp cotton pad.
-  Essential oils such as lavender, tea tree, camomile and calendula encourage healing and have an antibacterial effect on the skin so look for products with these ingredients. I personally love Sunshine Coast brand, Twenty8 Skincare’s Healing Skin Boost featuring some of these ingredients.
-  Try to avoid processed foods, dairy and white sugar which can all add stress to the skin.
-  Ensure you are going to the toilet regularly. The skin is used by the body to eliminate toxins so if the rest of the body is not eliminating correctly, it can add to the burden of your skin.
-  Drink lots of water and herbal tea.
-  Be gentle and loving with yourself. Your skin is a reflection of what’s going on on the inside and it can take a bit of time to heal.

You can get 20+ pages of natural beauty tips and DIY skincare recipes in the free eBook at ShineFromWithin.com.au