The importance of our largest organ: SKIN

The skin is one of the largest organs in, or on, the human body. It is made up of millions of pores that breath to create air flow and proper circulation for an oxygen rich environment. It is connected to our blood stream, hormones, organs, and everything else. What many people don't know is that the skin detoxifies about 25% of the toxins in our bodies, which makes it one of the, if not the largest detoxing outlets. It is constantly pushing out harmful chemicals that are flowing through our bloodstream that can or have hurt us. The skin breathes which means it is also absorbing the pollution and chemicals in the air that have to go through our system and then excreted back out through the skin by sweat. Because of this always occurring cycle our skin is going through, it can become irritated very easily, which is why we need to be extremely nourishing and gentle to it.
I use, and recommend using, raw coconut oil as a moisturizer. It does not clog the pores and it absorbs very easily. In the winter it is essential to avoid dryness.
Many corporate "beauty" brands sell these complex kits including toners, cleansers, moisturizers, creams, and some other whack stuff that they say to do every single day. Well, from personal experience doing this long process with all these different chemically made products does a lot more damage than good. The toners and cleansers strip your face of all the natural oils and leave the skin very vulnerable to infection, inflammation, and burning. Also the ingredients in the products are usually hard to pronounce and I was never sure exactly what I was putting all over my face and near my eyes! Then my face felt stiff and dry (in the winter) and every second it felt like I was growing wrinkles, haha. Plus many of the moisturizers and cleansers are scented with harsh fragrances that create irritation a lot of the time and are not added to benefit your skin at all. Often when you see face cleansers that say acne fighting, pore stripping, or anything along those lines, they contain anti bacterial ingredients. What this does is kill the bacteria on your skin and it leaves it dry, red, and the symptoms of acne usually increase; this is why there are hundreds of products like this being sold, because none of them work!
 The problem is not on the outside, it is internal and the skin is detoxing the chemicals out through the skin on your face or wherever acne appears. So, in order to have clear skin we need to clean the insides of our bodies and make sure to not put chemicals on the outside that leak/absorb to the inside. Using coconut oil has dramatically reduced the redness on my cheeks and my skin feels so much softer and flexible. Using it on my body as well as eating 100% vegan and mostly raw has completely gotten rid of acne I had on my thighs and other places.. I use Dr. Bronner's soap on my body and face as well, but sometimes I like to skip using it on my face because there can be harsh essential oils that may burn, so instead I use this homemade scrub:

1- 1 1/2 Tbsp. preferably raw, organic coconut oil
1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt and/or raw, unprocessed cane sugar
1/2 tsp. raw apple cider vinegar or coconut vinegar
just mix it together and use anywhere! :)

This scrub is gentle and extremely moisturizing so it's perfect for dry, cold climates. I like to use it after dry brushing my body, showering, and drying off. Then i use it all over and hop back into the shower for a minute to rinse so the coconut oil doesn't come off much :D

Dry brushing is an amazing tool to help detox your skin and body. It's commonly done before exercise, showering, or sweating to open the pores and get as much gunk out as you possibly can. At first, it may feel hard on your skin because the bristles are kinda thick, but you get used to it. The benefits are endless. It sheds your dead skin cells to open your pores to more light and cell renewal, which improves skin texture and complexion. It increases the circulation to the skin, which speeds up the discharge of toxic materials and waste, and this aids the lymphatic drainage of the whole body! It stimulates the lymph canals to soften the mucous in the colon, when going to the bathroom the mucous can be noticeable because of the large amounts dry brushing can purge. When the colon is cleansed, it can more quickly detox the entire body, even the more stubborn metals. Dry brushing tightens the skin, tones the muscles and stimulates the nerves giving you a more sensual experience. Cellulite is something many women feel is impossible to eliminate without surgery or drastic measures BUT nope! Cellulite is toxic material stored in our fat cells and are really hard to eliminate, but dry brushing evenly distributes the fat on our bodies and can help to detox these cells as well. And lastly, dry skin brushing helps our bodies to absorb nutrients much easier once these pores are emptied. This is very important because the skin is actually the last organ in the body to receive nutrients from our food, but it is the first to reflect signs of imbalance and impurity.

When I first began dry brushing it felt like my muscles could stretch twice as long and I felt the air in them when I inhaled! Not only my lungs, but my whole body was breathing. It was very tingly sensational at the beginning. Also, I found it was easier to gain muscle after I started dry brushing, and my skin cleared up so fast and now I can actually see it glowing. One thing I could never do before becoming raw was get a tan and now I can get one without burning at all and dry brushing has contributed to that tons.

Skin care is so essential and I've done many hours of researching over the past few years and this information is some of the most helpful and beneficial that I've found and tested, through trial and error, so I hope you enjoy!

- J



P.S.
Just to name some of the ingredients in the harsh products to look out for here is a list of some of the most irritating ingredients commonly used in drugstore and even department store toiletries and cosmetics:

aluminum sulfate, ammonium chloride, amyl cinnamate, amyl salicylate, anacyclus pyrethrum, anisaldehyde, barium sulfate, benzoin extract, butylated hydroxytoluene, borate, borax, bronopol, calamine, camphor, capsaicin, capsicum, cetyl, chitosan, chlorhexidine, clary oil, cocamide DEA and MEA, cola acuminata extract, coleus barbatus, coltsfoot, cyclamen aldehyde, cinnamon extracts, citrus extracts, essential oils, floralozone, fragrance, galbanum, hedione, hyssop, mentha or menthol, pentadecalactone, rosa or rose extracts, anise, volatile oil, denatured alcohol, dimethyl ether, elecampane, ethanol, esculin, eucalyptus, eyebright, fennel, fumaric acid, guaiac wood, guarana, hedera helix, horse elder, horseradish, hypericum extract, isopropyl alcohol, kathan CG, lavender, lye, para-aminobenzoic acid PABA, photosensitizer, potassium hydroxide, potassium myristate. pyrus cydonia, quaternium-15, quince seed, resorcinol, retin, riboflavin, rosemary oil/extract, SD alcohol, SD alcohol 40-2, soap, sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium cocoate, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium silicate, sulfur, thioglycolate, thyme, zinc carbonate, ginger, zingiber, bronopol, chlorphenesin, methylchloroisothiazolinone, preservatives, sulfate, styrax benzoin, sodium lactobionate..... just to name a couple for ya


Usually essential oils are irritating and cause burning when used alone but you can dilute them by mixing a couple drops in a large amount of coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil, or many nut oils and the irritating properties should disperse :)