Every bride want her skin to glow and look radiant on her wedding day, but don’t soley rely on the skills of your make-up artist because just like painting a beautiful picture on a rough canvas, the finish on your make-up will only be as good as the skin it’s been applied to. A dry, dehydrated or conjested skin will not produce the same flawless finish as a smooth, hydrated healthy one, in fact make-up can sometimes make dry or conjested skin look worse!  If your’re planning your wedding then now is a great time to start putting in place some nutritional changes so your skin is at it’s best and your make-up enhances your naturally glowing skin.

 

Lets start with some healthy swaps, caffeine and alcohol are dehydrating for the skin so if you struggle to remove them completely then limit caffeine to one cup per day and alcohol  to a couple of drinks per week. Try swapping alcohol for kombucha or water kefir instead as they contain probiotics which are good for gut health. Green tea (although still contains caffeine unless it’s decaffeinated), chicory tea, dandelion coffee and herbal teas make good swaps for regular coffee. Drinking 6 glasses of filtered water will also aid in hydrating your skin which is usually the last organ in the body to be hydrated, this is why you need to drink enough for it to reach the skin. Lots of fine lines can be a sign of dehydration.

 

For a healthy intact skin barrier your skin cells need healthy fats found in avocado, extra virgin olive oil, nuts, seeds and oily fish. These fats help to maintain the integrity of the cell membrane and therefore the barrier, damaged fats found in processed foods and heated oils on the other hand contribute to a damaged cell membrane and reduced skin barrier function. This is not only limited to skin cells but all cells of the body! A cell membrane that’s embeded with healthy fats, especially omega-3, helps keep water locked into the skin reducing dry skin conditions. Dry skin is visually ageing and the moisture content of foundation tends to grab onto the dryness making it look worse!

 

Remove processed sugar and refined carbohydrates – that’s all the white versions of wholemeal carbohydrates eg. white bread, rice and pasta. They are rapidly digested and so release their sugars fast due to the removal of the outer fiberous coating on the grain. Sugar tends to stick to proteins, collagen is a protein in the skin, this makes it stiff instead of felixible contributing to wrinkles. Sugars in their natural form such as fruits are fine in moderation as they are bound to fibre and contain lots of water, vitamins and minerals. It’s the isolated sugars found in processed foods that you need to watch out for (biscuits, cakes, pastries etc).

 

Eat the rainbow – what this means is a mixture of all the different coloured fruits and vegetables, it’s the different coloured pigments that contain different vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, so by eating lots of different colours every day you’re ensuring a nice diverse range of nutrients. How does this affect the skin? It literally feeds your skin cells with the nutrients they need to function optimally, the antioxidants help protect and repair the skin from damage both externally (pollution and UV light) and internally (metabollic acitivity that’s keeping us alive is also producing a lot of oxidative stress which is neutralised by antioxidants). Oxidative damage is a large contributer to ageing both internally and externally (visible on the skin). The fibre content of plants is also a prebiotic for your microbiome, by feeding your gut bacteria they are able to produce compounds such as short chain fatty acids which are anti-inflammatory which can benefit the skin too. Your skin is a reflection of your gut health – your skin is your gut turned inside out!

 

If you are suffering from skin issues such as acne or eczema then some people find removing dairy from their diet can help, try it for one month and see if it makes a difference. There are lots of nutritional changes that can help skin conditions so it would be more advisable to see a nutritionist if you are suffering from persistent skin issues, especially as each person has their own triggers and drivers keeping their condition going.

 

Putting these changes in place will not only benefit your skin but also your hair, mood, weight and energy levels because these nutrients are not just limited to the function of your skin, but your whole body! As a qualified naturopath and nutritionist, I use nutritional therpay and nautropathic principles to help many of my bridal make-up clients not only look their best but also feel their best, both on and beyond their wedding day. Looking good on the outside starts on the inside. If you’d like more in-depth information and a personalised nutrition plan, whether its skin issues, weight management or a diagnosed health issue then get in touch and I’d be happy to send you more information about consultations which are usually done over zoom.  You can read more about what I do on my other website: www.naturopath-tina.uk  07768078585

 

Tina

Disclaimer: The information provided is not meant to substitute professional adivce or treament.