Having just purchased a new bed, reading an article about the benefits of a good night’s sleep really hit home. Most of us already know that sleep is important to health, stress levels, and overall being. What’s interesting though, is that studies show that how well you sleep is just as important as how much you get. If you’re in need of a new bed, look for one made with sustainable woods and bedding made from natural, organic fibers such as cotton and wool which naturally wicks moisture to provide a comfortable sleep environment and won’t outgas harmful chemicals.

It’s easy to see how this all can have a large impact on your skin as well. By keeping your immune system and stress in check, a glowing complexion is likely to follow. Plus, organic, sustainable materials are much less likely to lead to breakouts and rashes.

With warm weather just around the corner, it’s no surprise to hear a lot about cleansing – gotta get that beach body in tip top shape! However, cleansing is just as much about your emotional and spiritual well being, as it is about your physical health. Read below to receive some helpful cleansing tips from naturopathic doctor Jacqueline Engel.

Plan Ahead. Look at your calendar and plan to cleanse or fast when you have time to truly take care of yourself. Don’t detox during a weekend with the kids or an especially hectic workweek.

Walk More. While you detox, enjoy a mindful walk outdoors each day instead of working out at the gym. Feel the sun helping to naturally build your Vitamin D supply. You’ll notice your mood lift, but you’ll also boost your immunity and improve bone health. Breathe the fresh air, be present, and really look around you.

Write it down. Journaling can help you develop greater self awareness about your relationship with food as you identify emotions that come up during the cleanse. You may find that you react to stress by wanting to eat a lot, or you might feel anger in response to some aspect of the experience. Note it all. Self-awareness helps you make more conscious decisions about what foods you choose.

Savor a spa treatment. Spa treatments help with detoxification and let you relax and feel nurtured. Try an exfoliating salt scrub, detoxifying mask, or Epson salt bath at home. “The salt goes into your skin, and magnesium helps detoxify,” Engel explains. “It also helps muscles relax and calms down the heart.”

Did you know that your skin is the largest organ in your body? Take a moment and think about that. Knowing that bit of info, it’s pretty much impossible to discount the importance of skincare, right? I think I might even go so far as to say that what you put on your body is more important than what you put in your body. Don’t get me wrong, a Big Mac is definitely not going to do any favors for your skin. But nourishing your outer body is essential to an overall healthy you.

Girl on the Go! not only uses organic, natural product lines for all of our facials and body treatments, but we also use natural, mineral based products for our make-up services. Love the skin you’re in and make an appointment today!

Every year, we spend millions of dollars collectively on beauty creams, serums, lotions, and treatments in search of clear, wrinkle-free skin. While products can definitely help in your quest, what we often don’t consider is how important our diet is to skin health. As they say, you are what you eat! Here are some ideas for eating your way to radiant skin:

1. Vitamin A from Cartenoids: deals with inflammation, encourages cell turnover (for natural exfoliation) and strengthens your skin’s defenses against clogged pores. Add a spinach or kale salad with tomatoes to your daily diet and see what happens. Reap all the benefits of vitamin A by pairing it with zinc, which helps the transportation of vitamin A from your liver to all of your tissues, including your skin.

2. Which brings us to Zinc: an acne combatant, zinc helps regulate sebum production, stopping shine and preventing more breakouts. Add 1 cup chickpeas or 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds to that salad we were talking about for skin that glows without looking greasy.

3. Omega-3s: The right oils can help replenish lipid-starved skin from the inside, sealing in moisture and soothing inflammation that can result from dryness. Consider adding flax oil to the dressing in the aforementioned salad to quench your skin.

4. Whole Grains: if you (or your teen) have acne prone skin, try this experiment. Cut refined carbs from your diet in favor of high-fiber grains and let’s talk in 12 weeks. If you don’t have half as many pimples by then… well, we’ll be surprised. All those processed carbs cause your pancreas to send out a surge of insulin, triggering a hormonal reaction that increases oil production and tells cells to multiply — all of which gridlocks those pores.

5. Ahh, Probiotics: these beneficial bacterias help keep skin soft. When your intestines are working right, they can better absorb all of the nutrients your skin needs from your diet. Keeping that salad in mind, you can get your probiotic fix by adding a helping of tempeh or fermented veggies such as pickles or sauerkraut. Or, if you’re on the train, have a kombucha on the side!

Nothing helps warm me up quite like a cup of tea. And now, not only will by evening treat save me from the winter chills, it may also help keep my skin looking healthy and clear. New teas from Tea Forté, De La Terre Skincare and Yogi Tea are full of therapeutic herbs that nourish skin from the inside out. Tea Forté’s skin-smart teas are packed with polyphenols and catechins, which aid in skin recovery. De La Terre offers herbal tea blends for damaged, wounded, blemished and healthy skin. Yogi Skin DeTox tea includes rose petal and hibiscus, used in Ayurveda to cool and soothe; traditional liver-cleansers burdock and yellow dock; and blood cleansing red clover. I’ll drink to that!