6 Tasty Ways to Improve Skincare

Summer is our favorite season for two reasons: the surf and the food. Farmer's markets are opening, brightly colored summer fruits are packed in grocery stores, and fruit-picking is officially open to the public. We can practically taste the acai and colorful salads on our tongues.

Not only does all this food taste amazing, but it’s incredible for your beauty. This is by far the best food season for your hair and skin. Not only will your taste buds be soaring this summer, but your hair and skin will have you shining like Laka, the Hawaiian goddess of love and beauty.

They say that beauty comes from within, and after this read, you’ll be wise to know that beauty from the inside transfers to the outside.

The Origin of Foodie Skincare

Today, the battle of beauty is commonly waged with serums, oils, and cleansers, but in the past, the weapons of choice were food.

The Middle Ages is when the idea of using foods as beauty aids began. Curdled milk was applied to acne, cucumber juice helped to remove freckles, and boiled nettles were believed to produce a smooth, even complexion. To remove wrinkles, ointments were made out of almond oil or crocodile fat. (Don’t worry these odd methods won’t be used in this article.)

In the 19th century, some people consumed arsenic to produce a blooming complexion and a traditionally alluring feminine look. There were even specific instructions for when to take it: only when the moon was waxing and you could only eat a dose as big as a grain of mullet at first. For those of you who may not know, arsenic is a chemical that can cause several cancers and great harm to the body when frequently consumed. (Sounds like a pretty bad diet to us.)

Getting that nice golden tan may be on many of our to-do lists this summer, but while we get ours from the sun, Golden Age Spain had a different idea. In Spain, having a tan was greatly desired. To maintain this porcelain tan complexion, young women would eat clay regardless of the terrible side effects. Prefer a snow-white skin complexion? Women like Marie Antoinette would fake it with white powder from pulverized bone combined with wax, whale blubber, or vegetable oil for a nice consistency. (Yeah, we cringed at that one too.)

Luckily, with time we’ve learned that the foods we eat to improve our hair and skin didn’t have to be as creative and gross as curdled milk. Now, we turn to fruits, vegetables, and natural food sources that help boost our vitamin and mineral intakes.

Beauty from Within

What you eat is presented in your hair and skin, so making a subtle switch in your diet could leave you with the glow you’ve always been looking for! A rule of thumb to always remember is that beauty equals health, they greatly go hand-in-hand. Below you’ll find the foods to beauty, and my is it a tasty journey.

#1) PROBIOTICS VS. PREBIOTICS

Probiotics are live microorganisms, or bacteria, that maintain a healthy balance in your body. They naturally live in your body, and help eliminate extra bad bacteria. We constantly have good and bad bacteria in our bodies, when we’re sick, bad bacteria overpower the good, so it’s important to have a higher uptake of bacteria to restore the level of good and bad bacteria in our bodies. Not having enough probiotics can slow down your body’s digestion, adding bad bacteria to your gut. An inflamed gut leads to inflamed skin, so increasing your uptake of probiotics works as an anti-inflammatory measure. Some ways you can consume more antibiotics include:

• Kombucha
• Sauerkraut 
• Yogurt
• Anything pickled

While probiotics are live bacteria, prebiotics is a food source for them. Prebiotics are a form of dietary fiber that feed the good bacteria in your body. Many of your probiotics reside in your gut, so oftentimes when you consume prebiotics they end up in your gut too. As mentioned before, your gut is a key organ to target when it comes to the health of your skin; thus, consuming prebiotics is essential for helping the probiotics in your gut maintain bacterial balance, leading to clear skin. Foods to consume that contain prebiotics include:

• Garlic
• Asparagus
• Onions
• Bananas
• Oats

#2) EAT YOUR GREENS

Remember when mom would nag you about eating your greens? Well, moms know best. Leafy greens are packed with antioxidants and vitamins that support healthy skin. They’re high in vitamin A, which can help reduce acne by slowing down your production of sebum. Vitamin A also helps with flushing out toxins and strengthening the skin’s protective tissue. In addition, vitamin A combats dry, flaky skin that can cause blackheads. Leafy greens are also high in vitamin E, protecting skin cells from free radical damage. Not only are greens high in vitamins, but they also contain folate and are rich in lutein. Folate is a vital nutrient for DNA repair, which is important for producing and maintaining new skin cells. Lutein is a powerful antioxidant that renews and repairs skin cells. Leafy greens to look out for include:

• Spinach
• Kale
• Collard Greens
• Brocolli

#3) CITRUS SUMMER

While we can buy citrus year-round, there’s an abundance of it in the summer, and we recommend taking advantage of it! The best way to get vitamin c is through citrus. Vitamin C amplifies the production of both collagen and elastin, which help maintain a youthful complexion. It can also help with premature aging and protects against protein damage. To fight against free radicals and inflammation look for:

• Lemons
• Limes
• Grapefruit

#4) MATCHA MADNESS

Matcha is one of the world’s most beloved drinks, at least in 2022 it is; and whether you drink it for the aesthetic or for the pleasure of drinking tea, you’ll soon want to drink green tea as often as possible. Green tea works to slow DNA damage and burns, stop inflammation, and reduce skin irritation, redness, and swelling. Green tea can be found as a key ingredient in a lot of skincare products. Applying green tea directly to your skin can also help heal cuts and soothe sunburn. Topical green tea has been found to treat many dermatological conditions.

#5) AVOCADOS

We thought avocados deserved their own category purely because they’re amazing and avocado toast is the bomb.com. Containing high levels of healthy oils and vitamin E, avocados help boost the production of collagen, soothe inflammation, and lift away old skin cells. When cold-pressed into an oil, an abundance of antioxidants, plant sterols, omega-9, minerals, and vitamins provide the best TLC. 

#6) BERRY GOOD FOR YOUR SKIN

Berries are incredible for your skin! These summer treats help reduce wrinkling, and the antioxidants found in them help control free radicals. Free radicals are one of the number one leading causes of skin damage and aging, so it’s important to eliminate them to prevent premature aging. Blueberries are prized most for aiding skin because they’re packed with antioxidants. Antioxidants combat cell damage from free radicals. They can also help improve blood circulation, reduce acne-related inflammation, and boost collagen. Other berries that work wonders include:

• Raspberries
• Strawberries

Hopefully, you can incorporate a few of these into your diet! If you aren’t interested in making a consumable change, read below to make an even sweeter one.

Sweets On the Outside

While we don’t recommend you eat our products, we can say they’re sweet enough to make your mouth water, and clean enough to use them everywhere, all over, all the time. In this blog, we’ll stay on theme and focus on our skin-loving products. (Although our hair care ones are just as yummy for your beauty health.) We offer adventure-prone skin three products that have mastered the art of rehydration and rejuvenation.

First up is our Coral Glow. Pretty as a pearl, Coral Glow utilizes a curated blend of skin-loving oils such as jojoba, rose hip, and prickly pear, our solid face oil helps to restore the skin's natural sebum production, contributing to supple, hydrated skin; regardless of it's exposed to sun, wind, and any other adventures you choose to put it through.

Second, we have our Better Butter. More than just a lip balm, better butter uses natural ingredients like coconut and raspberry seed to moisturize and protect against the elements. Use it anywhere from lips to nips. The best part? It never melts!

Last, but not least, we have our Aloe Cream. Aloe and calendula heal and hydrate sunkissed or windburnt skin. Hawaiian Kukui nut oil is absorbed by the deepest layers of the skin and forms a protective barrier against environmental damage. Lather all over to treat sunburns, wind burn, eczema, psoriasis, dry skin, acne, scars, stretch marks and maturing skin. Banana softens and the essential-oil-based scents are mouthwatering.

Now go feed your skin!

Vegan. Plastic Free. Ocean Safe. Always.