10 Ideas for Glowing Skin, Naturally

There’s no doubt about it – winter weather can be brutal on our skin! Luckily, this week I met with one of my favorite people, celebrity makeup artist and green lifestyle coach, Katey Denno. Katey promised some naturally wondrous remedies for all of our winter skin woes and has been on the forefront of the clean, green beauty movement for years, helping clients and thousands of followers on her blog eliminate as much toxic exposure as possible from their lives.

Today, she shares her top 10 natural and non-toxic beauty tips for keeping skin healthy, hydrated and glowing all winter long.

From Katey:

1. Try Petroleum Free Balms

The skin on your lips is the only skin on your body that’s not self-hydrating. Protect that delicate skin by using petroleum-free lip balms as often as you feel you need it. I go petroleum-free because I’d rather use natural ingredients like beeswax or organic coconut oil on my lips instead of an oil-byproduct. Oil drilling causes harm to our planets precious ecosystems in numerous ways.

Two of my favorite petroleum-free brands for lip product are RMS Beauty and Burts Bees. Use RMS’ coconut-based balms, or boldly hued pots of lip color with nourishing, organic ingredients for perfectly protected lips! And remember, contrary to popular opinion, you can’t become addicted to lip balm, so it’s simply the feeling of slick, buttery and nourished skin that you become addicted to!

2. Stay Hydrated Naturally

Hydration is key to happy winter skin, which means drinking extra water and cutting back on coffee and soda. Also, the order in which you should apply your beauty products can affect how hydrated skin stays. You should apply a hydrating mist first that’s free of alcohol, followed by facial serums/oils, eye cream, face cream/gels (if desired), and always use sunscreen to protect skin.

Some of my favorite lines for sunscreen and hydrating serums and creams that contain natural and organically-sourced ingredients are Marie Veronique Organics, Tata Haper and Kypris.

3. Don’t Forget Your Eyes

Eye cream can really help protect the sensitive skin around the eyes and can be applied to both the skin underneath and to sides of the eyes, as well. Always use eye product sparingly so as not to get it into your eyes and apply along the upper and inner area of your eyelid to help combat that crinkly skin. I suggest using the lovely squalane-based Biossance Eye Gel.

4. Stay Naked

Instead of using powder, which can be drying to the skin and can contain toxic ingredients like talc, opt for a tinted moisturizer or oil-blotting papers instead. Blotting papers leave skin naked, while removing excess sebum, which leads to an environment that’s less likely to have bacteria build up while allowing skin to glow. I recommend Tatcha or Jane Iredale’s blotting papers which keep my clients camera ready and looking naturally pretty!

5. Invest In Good Oil

There is facial oil for every skin type. Different oils have different viscosity levels so finding the right one for your skin type is key. Choose a lightweight organic carrier oil like jojoba and few, if any, essential oils if you happen to be breakout prone or easily irritated. You can also try Kypris — the award- winning, high-performance, holistic skin care line that uses organic, wild-crafted, and sustainably grown botanicals that benefit and help heal all skin types.

6. Create Soft Lips

Giving lips a gentle exfoliation every day will keep scales and flakes at bay! Exfoliation also allows your hydrating products to penetrate more deeply. Use a fine weave washcloth in the shower, a baby’s toothbrush, a dedicated lip-scrub product, or a non-toxic makeup wipe and gently trace small circles along your lips until they feel smooth. My favorite product for soft lips is Balmy Nights from Ilia Beauty.

7. Check Your Foundations

You may have always worn heavy foundation simply because you thought you needed to, but now is the time to try switching to a lighter coverage option. There are countless tinted moisturizers and BB creams, which are basically tinted moisturizers that contain skin-colored pigments for a touch of color, plus a secondary ‘treatment’ of some sort – anything from anti-aging serum to sunscreen.

The green beauty market has also made facial oils/serums + pigment famous and they leave skin looking fresh and glowing while providing light coverage. I love the foundations and tinted moisturizers from Honest Beauty, Gressa Skin and Saffo Organics.

8. Try Misting

There is real benefit to using a facial mist prior to pressing in your face oil; the essential oils within provide aromatherapy, and depending on the blend, can help calm redness and irritation, as well as provide the necessary water to help deliver your oil into the deepest layers of skin. There are so many great mists, but I like the mist by May Lindstrom.

9. Exfoliate Naturally

Daily or even weekly exfoliation of the skin on your body offers numerous health benefits. The increased circulation from exfoliation delivers blood to all cells, and the granules in your scrub work to loosen that top layer of dead skin that accumulates over time. Also, as we age, our cell turnover diminishes and instead of quickly sloughing-off, a fabric-like mask is formed, causing a flat and dull appearance.

What’s more, once that top layer is gone, your hydrating and treatment products are better delivered to the deeper layers of skin, leading to better results. You can make your own simple exfoliant straight from your kitchen using a tablespoon of sugar mixed with organic coconut oil or indulge in the luxuriously fresh scent of lemongrass with Shiva Rose’s sea siren body scrub which you can find on one of my favorite organic and natural shopping sites like THEDETOXMARKET.com , GOOP and Beauty Habitat which is a new-to-me destination to shop for the best beauty products. They carry all of my favorite products in addition to some I’ve yet to try out.

10. Eat Foods That Heal Skin

Keeping skin healthy always starts from within. I tell my clients to eat lots of lightly-steamed greens like spinach, kale, collard greens and broccoli to maintain a high-fiber and nutrient dense diet that does wonders for skin. I also suggest eating food rich in antioxidants like dark berries that provide an array of minerals and vitamins and help move food through the system quickly and efficiently, resulting in good overall gut health.

A great brand to try is Amazing Grass, which has green super food bars that are perfect for quick, nutrient-packed snacks. All of their greens are USDA organic, non GMO, kosher pareve, vegan, gluten free and packed with vitamins, minerals, plant-based protein and phyto-chemicals that assist the body in maintaining healthy organ function, detoxification and immunity. Always remember, the health of our gut is key, as there’s a strong correlation between clear, radiant skin and a healthy gut.

In truth, beauty does come from within!

Feature Image by Beth Cath