Katie from Katie Stewart Wellness (@katiestewartwellness) is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Board Certified Essential Oil Practitioner on a mission to help women get clean, clear and flawless skin. When she isn’t working, she’s cooking in the kitchen with her toddler or heading to a yoga class!
Hi Katie, thanks for taking the time to talk all about skin care with me today! With Holistic Nutrition certification, what made you levitate towards skin care?
I originally became interested in nutrition because of migraines and hormonal acne. Aftering cleaning up my diet and lifestyle, my skin cleared up and migraines disappeared. Knowing how stressful and frustrating it can be to deal with constant acne flare-up, I wanted to help other women feel confident and beautiful -- like they deserve.
Let’s start with an important question — why do you think women are struggling to maintain healthy skin nowadays?
Short answer? The pill, diet and lifestyle. Most women are given the birth control pill at a young age and are never told about the horrible effects it can, and does, have on their bodies. Not only does it have a big impact on your hormones, but it depletes your body of key nutrients, too. Prescriptions (like the pill), pesticides in your food, and the chemicals in your beauty products build up and overburden your main detoxification organ, the liver. Your skin then becomes the backup detox route for a congested liver which results in breakouts. Our society also relies on processed and refined foods that contain inflammatory ingredients that can worsen your skin issues.
That leads me onto my next question...what role does detoxification play in reaching healthy skin goals?
When you body is bombarded with toxins, your detoxification pathways (liver, kidneys, colon, lungs, lymph, and skin) work hard to get rid of them. Unfortunately, your body wasn’t designed to handle the mass amounts of toxins you’re exposed to in today’s age. Your skin is your body’s largest detoxification organ so breakouts are a sign you need to address what’s going on inside. Acne spots on your skin are a symptom and the root cause is too many toxins in the body. By helping clear out toxins and support your detoxification organs, you allow your skin to heal itself.
"Some of my favourite skin specific foods are avocado, wild blueberries, sweet potatoes, wild salmon, and bone broth"
Thats such a vital piece of information as I am sure many women aren't aware why they are experiencing breakouts! What foods should everyone have in their kitchen when it comes to beautiful skin?
The cruciferous family of vegetables are some of the best for detoxification. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, bok choy, arugula, Brussels sprouts, collards, watercress and radishes are all members of this powerhouse veggie family. I love roasting or sauteing them with lots of garlic, unrefined sea salt, and avocado oil for a really delicious flavour. Some of my favourite skin specific foods are avocado, wild blueberries, sweet potatoes, wild salmon, and bone broth. Although not a food, water is very important for beautiful skin. You need to keep it hydrated for that youthful glow.
These foods are delicious so there is no excuse guys! How do beauty products affect our skin and are there any you would recommend?
The average woman applies 163 different chemical ingredients to her skin every day! Many of these ingredients are known hormone disruptors and cancer-causing. When you use products containing these disruptors, your hormonal balance is impacted. I always recommend organic or natural products for your skin. The most important products are a cleanser and moisturizer -- the rest are great -- but these two are the essentials. Some of my favourite brands include Eminence Organics, Green Beaver, Herbivore Botanicals and Sukin.
163 chemical ingredients, WHAT?! What temperature should our shower be — is hot water harmful to our skin?
The biggest thing to worry about with very hot showers is dry or irritated skin. If you notice either of these things happening, trying turning down the heat on your next shower. When washing your face, warm water is better than hot.
One thing I am dying to know — what is your daily skin care routine?
I have spent years crafting my skin care routine and feel like I have tried every product out there! I follow a strict regime every morning and night that takes me about 15 minutes. I always tell people, use what works for you and makes sense for your budget. There are many economical eco-friendly brands out there.
Remove Makeup - this is a PM part only, but I always remove all of my makeup before cleansing. I use the oil cleansing method (find it on my blog) for my skin and a little bit of coconut oil for my eyes.
Cleanse - I make sure to cleanse my skin for 30-45 seconds with Green Beaver Sensitive Aloe Gel Cleanser.
Exfoliate - in the mornings I do a gentle exfoliation with Eminence Organics Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant.
Tone - I make my own toner with alcohol-free witch hazel and doterra’s lavender and tea tree essential oils.
Serum - I’m currently loving Eminence Organics Bright Skin Licorice Root Serum.
Moisturizer - I apply Eminence Organics Eight Greens Whip Moisturizer with a drop of doterra’s Yarrow | Pom essential oil.
Spot Treatment - I use doterra’s Immortelle essential oil blend on any dark spots or fine lines and their HD Clear blend on any blemishes.
Sounds great — I will definitely checking out the strawberry rhubarb dermafoliant! What role does exercise play in having clear and healthy skin?
Exercise does three things for your skin:
Sweat is one of the ways your skin detoxifies and exercise is great for this.
Stretching and contracting your muscles during a workout encourages your lymphatic system to drain toxins and excess waste more efficiently.
Exercise also reduces stress which can be a breakout trigger for a lot of people.
Should we be using oils on your skin?
People tend to be afraid to use oils on their skin because they think it will cause breakouts. Luckily, that’s not true! Cold-pressed oils like avocado, olive, almond, jojoba, coconut and castor have incredible healing properties for the skin.
What is dry brushing and how can it benefit us?
Dry brushing is one of the things I do every day! By using a natural bristle brush on dry skin, you’re able to slough off any dead skin that can lead to additional breakouts. It also helps your body detoxify more effectively. The act of dry brushing stimulates the body’s lymphatic system (which lies just below the skin) to move waste and toxins of of the body. Since the lymphatic system doesn’t have it’s own internal pump (like your circulatory has the heart), it relies on muscle movement or manual stimulation -- aka dry brushing.
That sounds like a simple way to up our skin care! What essential oils are key for the maintenance of flawless skin?
My favourite topic! Right now I am loving Yarrow | Pom for my skin morning and night. A combination of Yarrow essential oil and cold-pressed pomegranate seed, this blend promotes clear and youthful skin. I also use Lavender, Tea Tree, and Frankincense regularly. All of these oils are incredibly soothing and calming to the skin. Lavender and Tea Tree, specifically, are excellent at helping reduce breakouts. Whenever using essential oils topically, it’s extremely important to be choosing high-quality options. Low grade oils can damage the skin when used topically and won’t provide the therapeutic benefits you need.
We are told to moisturise but what is the importance of moisturizing and is there a difference between day and night cream?Â
Moisturizing is important because it helps keep pores open so blemishes can't form. It can also loosen sebum build up inside your pores.Â
Day cream usually contains SPF and is a lighter consistency for wearing under makeup. If you're looking for a day cream with SPF, make sure it's a mineral-based and not made with retinyl palmitate, a form of vitamin A that may harm skin. Studies have shown that when exposed to sunlight, vitamin A, encourages tumour growth. Night cream is thicker and formulated to hydrate while you sleep. With that said, I use the same cream morning and night.
You are starting an online programme to teach women how to get flawless skin, so they can feel confident and beautiful without breaking the bank. Can you tell the readers what they can expect if they sign up to this programme?
I am so excited to offer this to women! Before I was a nutritionist, I struggled with hormonal acne for years. Unfortunately, I learned, there’s no magic pill or cream that will take your acne away. Believe me, I’ve tried it all.
Getting rid of breakouts involves a 3-step approach that I’ve expertly design in my 6-week online program, The Clear Skin Solution. I show women how to detoxify their body, heal their gut lining, and balance their hormones so they’ll get the flawless skin they’ve been craving -- for good. This is a food based program and doesn’t involve juicing or fasting.
Each week there are video lessons, downloadable guides, coaching calls with me and a private community for the women to support each other in. I hold their hand the entire way to help them through their skin-clearing journey.
Thank you Katie! I have learnt a lot and will be making some drastic changes to my skin care regime! If you have loved Katie’s skin tips, head over to her website to explore the other goodies she has to offer!