Beauty itself may only be skin deep, but the problems that reveal themselves on the surface often are not. They come from hidden places in the gut and become painful and impossible to ignore on our skin, yet most conventional treatments offer little hope, with words like “idiopathic” (of unknown cause), “lifelong and chronic,” and “no cure.”

If you’ve ever sought treatment for skin problems, you’ve likely been offered a steroid cream or ointment to help with discomfort but were given little actual help in curing the fundamental problem.

Don’t you wish sometimes you could discipline your skin or give it a bad performance review, and have it shape up, regain elasticity and be blemish free? Me too!

When I was younger, I was told my skin problems were just normal acne and that it would all clear up as I got older. I took comfort in that, because nothing the doctor gave me or that I found at the pharmacy ever seemed to do anything except make my skin crusty. Then instead of just having blemished skin, I had crusty, peeling, blemished skin. Ugh.

Well, I’m almost 40, and it is the rare day that I don’t have several spots on my face, some of them significant enough that high school tormentors would have termed them “headlights” or “third eye”. As motivated as I was to find something to help my own skin, that was nothing compared to when our sweet Elliot was born and struggled with skin and stomach issues from the very beginning.

My little baby eventually developed extreme eczema, to the point that his feet would crack and bleed when he walked. At times, he screamed for hours on end because of the discomfort. A doctor “assured” us this was “hopefully” just a childhood problem he would grow out of, but left open the dismal prospect that it could be a lifelong condition.

As instructed, we smothered the affected areas with an assortment of creams, all of which included petroleum or steroids, and none of which did a bit of good. Our child’s pain broke our hearts. For almost a year, my husband and I took turns sleeping on an air mattress by Elliot’s bed so we could press on his breakouts to help relieve the pain and “itchies” when he woke up in the night.

I became relentless in researching to find what we could do to get him lasting relief and healing.

Gutting It Out

Studies show that many skin disorders are related primarily to the gut, based in food allergies or intolerances and/or poor digestion and bowel health. This is especially true for those whose bodies have significant yeast overgrowth. Common trigger foods for skin disruptions include corn, soy, dairy, and gluten.

When we discovered the skin-gut connection, we began to explore healing through adjustments in Elliot’s diet, removing trigger foods and augmenting his diet with gut-healing helpers like Tummy Tuneup and Digestive Enzymes at each meal. (I wish we’d had the chewable versions back then!)

Elliot took daily servings of coconut oil, and once he could swallow the necessary softgels, we gave him Yeast Assassin Lite as a gentle yeast cleanse. Finally, we started him on cod liver oil every day. At that point, not only did his symptoms disappear, but his skin became softer and less prone to itching.

Support the Liver

The liver is one of the primary organs in the body responsible for detoxification. The liver filters and removes cholesterol, fats, hormones, drugs, caffeine, alcohol, and other toxins from the body. Due to poor diet, sickness, and stress, sometimes the liver needs healing and restoration.

When the liver is taxed with high levels of hormones such as androgens or estrogens, too much alcohol or caffeine, or inflammatory byproducts from food, the overload can result in skin conditions such as acne, eczema, psoriasis and rosacea.

The good news is that you can improve the health of your liver! By helping the liver detoxify and heal, you can simultaneously detoxify the entire body and clear problem skin from the inside out.

Foods that can help increase liver function include beets, artichokes, garlic and onion, and all dark leafy green vegetables including kale, swiss chard, and spinach.  Specific herbs such as milk thistle and dandelion can also help support liver detoxification.

Silymarin is a unique flavonoid compound isolated from milk thistle; studies in the U.S. and abroad indicate that it can provide strong liver support in cases of liver compromise due to cirrhosis, hepatic diseases, and fatty buildup commonly associated with gall bladder and liver stones.

Beeyoutiful’s Silymarin Liver Support is a concentrated blend of herbs, including milk thistle and dandelion, specifically designed to offer powerful liver healing, cleansing, and rebuilding properties. Use it to support your liver and help heal your skin from the inside out at the same time!

Meanwhile, Back on the Surface

While the foods and supplements worked on Elliot’s insides, we’ll be forever grateful for the daily regimen of lotions, astringents, and essential oils that relieved his eczema from the outside! (I’ve also seen benefits in friends suffering with rosacea, psoriasis, and acne.)

Using natural treatments like these increased my peace of mind, knowing they didn’t add a toxic burden to Elliot’s already overtaxed system. When people lather up with chemically-based potions, they often pump toxins—such as fragrances, dyes, petroleum, and parabens—into an already stressed body.

Here are some all natural tools that can be helpful to calm, soothe, and encourage healing for even the most difficult of skin problems.

Blemish Bee Gone Astringents

All of Beeyoutiful’s astringents are handmade with organic or wild-crafted herbs, specifically formulated to address acne and other facial problems. They also work well on bug bites and flareups of eczema. We offer three formulas corresponding to specific skin types: normal, dry, or oily.

All three varieties of Blemish Bee Gone have a base of plantain, calendula, comfrey, rosemary, sage, thyme, and horsetail in alcohol and witch hazel, combined in varying proportions as appropriate to skin type. These herbs help moisturize while they promote healing of damaged skin, cell renewal, and tightening of pores. The herbs also ease itching associated with eczema and bug bites. We suggest applying in both morning and evening, but you can use them as needed for discomfort.

Laveshmint Daily Moisturizing Lotion

This lovely, light facial moisturizer has such a wonderful cooling and soothing sensation that it is my go-to daily lotion. It can be especially helpful for itchy, scaly skin associated with eczema and psoriasis, and also helps calm the flushing and breakouts in skin ailments like rosacea.

Aloe and coconut oil are the primary moisturizers in Laveshmint Lotion. Both offer healing properties ranging from antimicrobial effects to thoroughly nourishing the skin as it softens and hydrates.

In addition, the Lavender and Peppermint essential oils are tremendous for the skin! Peppermint’s cool, tingly, refreshing aroma enlivens the skin and stimulates blood flow while it soothes aggravated areas. Lavender does double duty by decreasing skin irritation, and its healing properties help restore the supple skin that should have been there to begin with.

Miracle Skin Salve

When a simple moisturizer isn’t enough, we reach for the miracle in a jar: Miracle Skin Salve. Like Laveshmint Lotion, it contains Coconut oil and Lavender, and adds other natural healing ingredients such as plantain, comfrey, propolis, and Rosemary Essential Oil.

Plantain has long been used as a natural and easy-to-find treatment for cuts, abrasions, and stings. It works well to heal and promote blood supply in affected areas. Comfrey has anti-inflammatory properties, and it supports the healing of cuts and abrasions. Propolis is well-known for helping skin problems ranging from acne to eczema to psoriasis.

Finally, Rosemary Essential Oil has strong anti-inflammatory properties which can be especially helpful with rosacea, psoriasis, and eczema, making Miracle Skin Salve live up to its name.

Bamboo Charcoal Unscented Soap and Charcoal Masks

I discovered with Elliot that it is immensely cool to a young boy to smear himself with black soap, but he had no clue that I did not choose the soap for its fun in the tub! It actually helps bind and cleanse the impurities expelled from the skin.

This can be especially helpful for those with blemishes and acne, because it serves to draw out toxins the skin is eliminating while reducing redness and swelling.

In addition to the Charcoal Soap, a charcoal mask can be used weekly to diminish acne and blackheads. Here’s a simple tutorial video that shows you exactly how to use it.

Charcoal Mask Recipe

• 1 spoonful raw honey
• 1 spoonful charcoal powder
• 1 tsp Sweet Almond or Jojoba Oil
• 1 drop Tea Tree Essential Oil (anti-fungal and bacterial), Chamomile Essential Oil (calming, soothing, healing) or Peppermint Essential Oil (refreshing and skin rejuvenating)
• 1-2 capsules each of Bee Strong and Bee Immune

Mix well, then apply to face (avoid eyes!). Allow to dry as long as desired, and then rinse with water. Wash with your favorite natural soap or cleanser (we like the Milk & Honey Facial Bar).

Use the herbal astringent of your choice and follow up with Laveshmint Daily Moisturizing Lotion. Dab problem areas with a small amount of Miracle Skin Salve to complete your routine.

Like we learned with Elliot, the ultimate solution for skin disorders is to treat the internal causes. Reducing and soothing the external manifestations is important, too, as it can prevent complications such as infections from broken or irritated areas.

The goal in our family remains complete, deep healing, and attacking the inner problems from inside and out is the best way to bring back skin-deep beauty and gut-deep health.

Happy Healthy Faces

Between managing our diets and using many of the tools I’ve shared here, these days Elliott and I both are experiencing relief from our skin troubles. It fills my heart with joy to see his soft healthy skin, and for him to experience sleeping through the night without waking up in itching misery.

Do you struggle with a skin problem? Let us know if you could use some moral support as you work to discover how to encourage health and healing for your skin, from the inside out and the outside in. We’ve been there too, and we’re happy to walk alongside you on your journey. Email customercare@beeyoutiful.com or call 877-623-3968.