The Best Way To Balance Your Hormones And Get Glowing Skin

“You are what you eat." We’ve all heard this before. And, we’ve learned there is a lot of truth to it.

But what about, “you are what you put on your body”?

That’s less spoken to, but thankfully more and more people (women especially) are beginning to question the products they put on their bodies – and female leaders are spearheading the clean beauty movement, empowering more and more women to get educated about the beauty industry. And that, my dear friends, is pivotal.  

Even before becoming a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, I was searching for skincare with clean ingredients because I didn’t want to further add to my toxic load by applying products full of harsh ingredients. No. Thank. You.

The thing is, there is so much “noise” in the beauty field, let alone the health and wellness field, that it’s hard to decipher sometimes what’s safe and nourishing for your skin vs what’s not. 

Whether you’ve experienced the overwhelm or not, you get the gist. I like to know what’s in the products I apply to my body, just like I like to know what’s in the food I eat (hence why I advocate for whole foods), and I have a feeling you do too! You're here, after all. :)

Now, let’s dive a little deeper into hormone health and how your skincare impacts it.

Your hormones are directly impacted by the skincare products you use. They are essential for regulating your:

• metabolism
• circadian rhythm
• energy
• chemical composition of extracellular fluid
• immune-based activities

Your hormones act as messengers, delivering information from the brain to cells, organs, and tissues throughout the body. Ultimately, they are essential to your growth and development and managing the endocrine system.

Here’s the thing – your body relies on solid communication, but if your hormones are disrupted, so is that communication. 

A lot of skincare products carry endocrine disruptors and xenoestrogens (mimics estrogen in the body). They are toxic to the body and mimic or interfere with hormone production. On top of that, what is deemed safe in America isn't that safe.

For instance, 40 nations have banned around 1,400 different types of chemicals and toxins from cosmetics, but the United States trails behind with only banning 9 chemicals or toxins. Yikes is right.

Some common endocrine disruptors often found in skincare (giving toxins a free pass straight into your bloodstream) include the following:

• Parabens
• Sulfates
• Phthalates
• Heavy metals
• Fragrance or parfum
• BPA
• Plastic
• Triclosan

Other disruptors of the endocrine system that can lead to inflammation and negatively impact the thyroid, sex hormones (think infertility), adrenals, and liver can include:

• stress
• environmental toxins
• digestive imbalances
• processed foods
• mineral deficiencies
• dehydration

This can be a lot to digest, so I am going to take just a moment for an analogy to illustrate this a little more. I should mention I love analogies. It’s a thing. 

(Reminder, your hormones are like messengers in the body). 

Scene – you’re on a trip and you’re following your trusty GPS. That voice that you are so familiar with is giving you step-by-step instructions on where to go. Then, out of nowhere, another voice chimes in, silencing the other voice. This new voice continues giving you directions, which you decide to follow because surely your GPS wouldn’t lead you astray, right? So, you keep driving + carrying on.

This is what endocrine disruptors due to the body - they intercept instructions from your brain by mimicking your hormones. Even though your brain keeps sounding off instructions, the rest of the body isn’t following suit because there’s a new sheriff in town (the endocrine disruptors) giving the orders. That new sheriff isn’t messing around. And while you know something is off, you can’t pinpoint what it is. Then unwelcome symptoms start showing up because things are getting thrown out of balance.

Some common signs of hormonal imbalance may include:

• Fatigue
• PMS
• Major cramping
• Digestive issues
• Brain fog
• Hormonal acne
• Low mood

Don’t lose hope! You don’t have to deal with these symptoms for the rest of your life. Just swapping to clean skincare products, you’re supporting your hormones and overall health. The simple switch to clean skincare was a no-brainer for me because of the health challenges that I was facing (HPA axis dysfunction, underactive thyroid, hypothalamic amenorrhea) and the research that I’d done.

That said, the switch takes time and it's an investment, but it’s worth it! Just take it a little at a time.

Clean skincare isn’t just safe for your skin – it’s supportive of the rest of your body. It wasn’t nearly as challenging as I thought it would be when I swapped out my toxic products. It was honestly really freeing - and I ended up enjoying the clean products more!

Instead of applying questionable ingredients that can cause you harm, you are choosing to embrace products that are going to nourish your body from the outside in. I am sure you’ve found this first hand by using non-toxic skincare products like Primally Pure. Personally, they make me feel lovely and bring me peace of mind.

This is how I started – I began with swapping out my face cleanser for Primally Pure’s Cleansing Oil. From there, I slowly added in the Everything Spray, the Clarifying Serum, and then the Gua Sha Stone. In time, I noticed a difference in my skin tone and texture, I actually glowed!

The game-changer for me was noticing a difference in my hormone health. My breakouts were far and few between, especially around my chin line (typically hormone-related breakouts are around the chin and jawline). I had fewer headaches, the oil production of my skin was more balanced, and my nervous system calmed down.

While switching to clean skincare is a HUGE step in the right direction, nutrition and lifestyle factors are foundational to your health. Caring for your body on the inside will most often clear up a lot of skin issues you may be experiencing. So, I wanted to share some natural ways to support the whole body, which are also very nourishing to your hormones:

• Reduce and manage stress (this is a big one)
• Eat nutrient-dense foods
• Cut out processed foods and refined sugar
• Move your body
• Support your liver through gentle detox methods
• Support your digestive system
• Get sleep
• Reduce toxins

Your body needs all the love it can get, especially in a world where there are more toxins than ever before. Feed it well, keep it moving, give it rest, and embrace all of its beauty and its flaws. You are you and no one else can be you. So take good care of the one and only YOU. Your body and your skin will thank you. Love you, my friends. Love all. of. you.

Looking for more? I’ve got a sweet little (free) guide that was curated with you in mind. It’s allllll yours – grab your guide to 5 Steps to Glowing Skin. 

I’m all about nourishing your body from the inside out with nutrient-dense whole foods, movement that feels good to you, and cultivating a little more grace in your life. And embracing clean skincare for a better me + a better world. Join me, why don’t you?

For more tips for healthy hormones and clean living, follow Sam on Instagram and visit her website! XO