Having glowing skin and luscious hair is mostly an inside job. The appearance of your skin and hair reflects what’s going on with the rest of the body. We decided to interview a naturopathic expert to break down and look at some key nutritional and herbal ingredients that can boost your well-being and radiate vitality on the outside. A few favorite and all-star ingredients can brighten, tone, and tamp down inflammation to leave you with gorgeous glowing skin. From Vitamin C to Zinc, here are some of the best ones she suggests to assist you in your skincare journey. Keep reading to find out more!
5 Ingredients a Naturopath Swears by for Improving Skin and Hair Health
1) For a gorgeous glow: Vitamin C
This important vitamin is a powerful antioxidant that cleans toxins and damage from free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive substances produced by natural metabolism in the body, plus external factors like toxins, smoking, pollutants, poor diet, and UV damage. It’s because of these destructive little culprits that can cause premature aging in the skin. Additionally, the antioxidant nature of Vitamin C slows down the breakdown of collagen in the skin. Collagen acts like the scaffolding in the skin, creating plump, firm, youthful-looking skin.
2) To boost your antioxidant levels: Kakadu Plum
This is a native Australian botanical that has been used by the first nation people for thousands of years for its healing power. It’s the world’s highest food source of vitamin C. Additionally, it jammed packed with other powerful phytonutrients like gallic acid, elegiac acid, and flavonoids that protect the body and the skin from the inside out.
3) To brighten your skin: Lutein and Zeaxanthin
These are potent extracts from the marigold flower. These ingredients have been shown to improve overall skin tone and skin brightening. They can also act like an internal sunscreen by protecting the skin from UV and blue light exposure. These extracts have also been shown to play an important role in maintaining the cellular health of hair. It’s so important to protect yourself from both UVA and UVB rays.
4) To tamp down any inflammation you may have: Zinc
Zinc is the superhero mineral for repairing and healing the skin. It is also a powerful anti-inflammatory and can support the healing process of acne, rosacea, dermatitis, and other skin issues. Zinc is one of the essential building blocks for producing collagen in the skin. A zinc deficiency will hinder collagen production and can lead to dull, lifeless, and sagging skin. You can even take it orally to reap its health benefits, which according to Healthline, include “aiding in metabolism, digestion, nerve function, and many other processes. While you can put it on the skin, in addition, it’s critical for the development and function of immune cells. This mineral is also fundamental to skin health, DNA synthesis, and protein production. Talk about double duty!
5) The ingredient with anti-aging benefits: Bioactive Collagen Peptides
Collagen has been a bit of a catchphrase lately but for a good reason. Great quality bioactive collagen peptides provide the amino acids, the main building blocks needed to construct skin and hair. Collagen is primarily made up of 3 nonessential amino acids: proline, glycine, and hydroxyproline. Proline is the main component of keratin. The health of the fingernails, hair, and skin relies on the amount of keratin in the body.
To maintain youthful and beautiful skin, look out for these incredible ingredients. Adding them to your skincare routine can allow your face and body skin to flourish and maintain a gorgeous glow. Do not forget to use all these ingredients with healthy sunscreen daily. Reapply if you’re outside every two to three hours to protect your skin. Add in a topical Vitamin A, or its vegan alternative, Bakuchiol, to aid your skin’s cell turnover process — these are two additional holy grail ingredients you can include in your skincare routine to boost anti-aging benefits to the max.
Our Favorite Collagen Supplement
Protein-rich meats, bone broth, or gelatin are a great way to increase your collagen levels, and your digestive enzymes break them down into collagen peptides. However, not all peptides can be absorbed by your body. Collagen peptide supplements, on the other hand, are typically small enough for your body to absorb.
Here’s our favorite collagen supplement:
Bioptimizers Collagen-Mushroom Neurogenesis Drink ($66.00)
image: Bioptimizers
CollaGenius is the best collagen supplement. A delicious drink with a powdered blend of 5 potent superfoods and 1.2 LBS of concentrated mushrooms. It is designed to promote the following;
- Radiant hair, skin, and nails
- Instant wakefulness
- Smooth, consistent energy
- Neurogenesis at its most radical
- More rapid thought processing
- Memory enhancement
- Rich vitamin profile
Meet Our Expert
Natalie McGrath is a qualified naturopath with nearly 20 years of clinical experience in skin and women’s health. She is the founder of the leading women’s optimal health brand GLOWSO. Today’s modern woman values true radiance and beauty when they are full of vitality & wellness. They understand the importance of beauty that radiates from within.
