Deviating from our 'normal' content today except....
One, there is no normal content. You voluntarily clicked on this blog and can therefore be subject to whatever random note I want to leave each week. Haha!
And two, the stuff we're getting into today isn't a real deviation from our health and metabolism topics at all since many of these are addressing cellular health and getting to the root of the issue.
I first shared about much of this about 14 months ago. In case you're new around here, want the reminder or wanted the updates to my products / routines, I figured I'd share today! Where possible, I'll be sharing links for you to check out. Some of the direct links get you a discount on your order (and bring me a very small commission), some require you to enter the code, and others are just regular ol' links to make things easier for you if you're in the market for anything we're chatting about. Much of today's newsletter is about our behaviors / habits, so there will be no links for those. ;-)
Please keep in mind we are all in different places with different incomes, goals, and priorities. My hope is only ever to supply knowledge and helpful tips without ever wanting to make you feel the need to buy something. Many of the things I'll be sharing today are free, but some are also quite pricey! If all you do is start to implement the free or super low cost stuff I share about here or in any of my other newsletters, there's so much potential in that. <3
Let's start with oral care, shall we?
Here's what I do for my mouth:
Floss with Risewell (code: Allen10 for 10% off) hydroxyapatite floss. Their version doesn't contain any toxins (like the Teflon -- "forever chemicals" -- that are in most floss) and also contains hydroxyapatite to help remineralize between the teeth.
Tongue scrape every morning with a stainless steel tongue scraper.
Brush at least 2x a day with Risewell (code: Allen10) hydroxyapatite toothpaste. Again, no toxins and uses hydroxyapatite instead of fluoride to remineralize teeth. Fluoride is a neurotoxin that crosses the blood-brain barrier, isn't water soluble (so doesn't break down very well in our body), can calcify parts of our body like the pineal gland, is starting to look like it affects liver and kidney health, and can lower IQ. Even though it strengthens teeth, we now thankfully have a safer alternative.
I skip all traditional mouthwash. Mouthwash is a disinfectant and unless we're talking about cleaning tools prior to surgery, we don't want disinfectants on or in our body. This kills beneficial bacteria and throws off our oral microbiome. One such effect is that we lose the ability to produce as much nitric oxide as we want to. This affects metabolism, blood pressure, blood sugar management, and a whole host of other things.
Oil pulling. This I only do sometimes, when I remember. I take a tablespoon or 2 of coconut oil and swish it around in my mouth for a few minutes and then spit in the garbage (it can clog plumbing). This helps balance our oral microbiome in a favorable way and can even help whiten teeth.
Occasionally, I'll add some activated charcoal to my toothpaste and brush with it. It helps remove stains and whitens teeth.
Mouth tape. At night (when lip balm doesn't win the battle), I use mouth tape to help ensure nasal breathing. This has many health and metabolism benefits, improves sleep quality, and also helps prevent cavities and crooked teeth. You don't need a special product though. You can just use a small piece of medical grade tape instead.
Next up, hair stuff:
I don't have a certain shampoo or conditioner I'm married to yet (I've tried so many), but I keep trying new ones. I currently have Rowe Casa's shampoo and conditioner bars and I like 'em! If you try any of their products and use code TARAALLEN you'll get 20% off your first order and 10% off any order after that.
Protein intake is very important for hair health! Making sure I'm getting .8 - 1g of protein per lb of a body weight I feel most comfortable at, per day is a goal I keep top of mind.
Collagen can be extra helpful as it's just a few certain amino acids (proteins) in a certain combination and even though our body breaks it down during digestion, the building blocks are all there so it can be reassembled post-digestion and help with hair (and skin, nails, connective tissue, and gut health). Collagen has also been shown to help boost our own production of collagen. Sweet! These collagen peptides are a great option. Use code TARA_ALLEN_HEALTH for 20% off. A gelatinous bone broth (either store bought or homemade) is another great source. If you're plant based, you can try this one.
When I get 30 seconds uninterrupted in the bathroom (so once a year or so), I brush my hair a little longer and focus on my scalp to increase blood circulation. Scalp massages help with this too -- you can do this yourself or trade off with a partner. Feels so great, too! Bonus.
Another circulation trick is to include some inversions into your day or week. Handstands, headstands, or even just carefully hang upside down off the end of your couch for a minute or two gives your head / scalp area a nice little boost in circulation. Exercise does too. ;-)
Once upon a time I used to wash my hair daily. This made my hair more brittle and even more oily as I was stripping away the natural oils too often so my body was compensating. Now, I'm down to washing my hair just 2-4 times per week and I've noticed some positive changes from this.
I'm turning 41 next month and have definitely pulled out a few grays already. I don't recommend that strategy but I'm just being honest. Pretty soon I'll have to stop so I don't end up plucking out all of my hair! One thing I've found so interesting is the relationship between zinc, copper, and gray hair. When the ratios are off and we're taking in much more zinc than copper, our hair seems to gray even faster. Do with that as you may, but just be sure to run any supplementation changes by a trusted healthcare provider beforehand. Seriously. You can do a lot of damage if it's not the right thing for YOU, the right amount, the right balance, or from a trusted and 3rd party-tested brand.
SLEEP. In general, we accumulate damage and "aging" during the day and can partially reverse damage and "aging" with enough high-quality sleep.
Last but certainly not least, some random skin things:
I have been using Crunchi skin products and makeup for probably 5-7 years now and love the way they are non-toxic, hold up well, and smell nice but not strong as I'm very sensitive to scents. Of course there are no false fragrances either.
No toxic sunscreens. My goal is to get enough sun but not too much. I think either extreme is a big risk. If I'll be out in the sun for a while or right in the middle of the day, I'll cover up or use mineral sunscreen. For my face, I like Crunchi brand. For my body, I like Beauty by Earth or Rowe Casa. Code: TARAALLEN
Dry brushing helps with lymphatic drainage and detoxifying, can improve the sweat response (so I'll do it before a sauna or hot bath), and exfoliates the skin.
Sunglasses. I skip 'em (most of the time). Our eyes are the only part of our brain that interface with the outside world. Our eyes have specialized cells that can tell when we are outdoors and when we are in bright sun. This is important for circadian rhythm setting. If we want our cells to be really good at the daytime tasks and really good at their nighttime tasks, having this strong circadian rhythm is important. But besides that, our eyes can tell our brain to increase skin protection and healing when it senses we are out in the mid-day sun. But not if we lie to our brain by wearing sunglasses all the time and tricking our brain into thinking it's in the shade. Of course this isn't advice. You do you. There would be risks to getting too much sun exposure to your eyes as well. But personally I skip sunglasses most of the time for these reasons. I have also found that I am MUCH more tolerant to the sun now. Back 8+ years ago when I didn't limit sunglass use, my eyes were very sensitive to the sun! That's no longer the case.
Caffeine interferes with collagen production, so no coffee overload for me. Coffee, yes. Coffee overload, no.
The amount of research that has been mounting about the benefits of red light and infrared light therapy is pretty astonishing. We have a personal, low-EMF infrared sauna that I use as well as the Lumebox which is a portable device and perfect for the face! Red light can help with many things (like pain and metabolism) but in terms of skin, it helps boost collagen, helping with wrinkles and improves skin conditions like acne, rosacea, and eczema. I love the Lumebox so much and even use it on the kids for certain things. The reason it "works" so well is that it helps at the level of the mitochondria. Everything is upstream of that.
Hydration, electrolytes (I love Relyte and LMNT brands), and plenty of healthy fats in your diet are super important for skin health.
Collagen ... this is a biggie for skin as we lose collagen -- just like muscle -- year after year as we age. We can't prevent that entirely at this time, but we can certainly slow the process.
Frownies like this and this. Our son told me a while back that my "11" lines on my forehead looked like one crooked domino was about to knock down the other straight domino. I laughed my butt off ... and then ordered frownies the next day. Full disclosure: I've only worn them a handful of times. It's just not a part of my daily routine yet but I do like having the option. I, personally, am not into Botox or fillers so I really appreciate more natural and subtle solutions\
If you see me out in the summer during the daytime, I'll probably have a hat on. I have this one in 3 colors / patterns because I love how it allows for a high ponytail for the beach, pool, and workouts. I try to ensure I get enough sun on my face in the morning and evening when possible, but do try to avoid a bunch of direct sun to my face in the middle of the day. That wasn't the case most of my life though, plus I'm very expressive ... hence the domino contraption situation.
Anything that boosts circulation is a great idea for skin health (as well as health health). This includes exercise, non-exercise movement, laying on this acupressure mat, heat exposure and cold exposure contrast therapy (switching back and forth between the heat and cold).
One of my favorite drinks is mixing some filtered water with electrolytes and Organifi Glow (code TARAALLEN gets you 15% off) ... which is full of collagen pre-cursors. It tastes great but it also helps to give your body more of what it needs to synthesize its own collagen. This is different than just taking collagen.
Ice bucket. I haven't tried this one yet but it's on my list to experiment with. Fill a big bowl with water and ice and dunk your face in it for a few seconds, a few times in a row. This should wake you up but also minimize the appearance of pores or puffy skin.
SLEEP. Of course it makes its way into pretty much everything because it's THAT important.
Grounding. Standing barefoot on the grass / dirt / sand or gardening with bare hands, swimming in natural bodies of water ... these all help reduce inflammation by helping us accumulate electrons from the Earth that we pass down the electron transport chain to make cellular energy. This reduces inflammation and the effects are far-reaching and include improved skin (amongst everything else). One thing I've added to the arsenal more recently is a grounding mat and grounding sheet (code GWTARA for 10% off your order) for our bed. These plug into just the grounding port of an outlet (no nnEMFs to worry about) and can help increase time spent grounding by bringing it indoors when necessary. I don't plan for it to replace outdoor time at all! But just another tool to have. I can stand and work on the grounding mat or sleep on the sheet and be grounding all night long. Yes please!
Hope you found at least something here helpful!
Enjoy your week,
Tara
P.S. The next round of TRANSFORM: Body + Mind starts in September. If you have fat loss, muscle-building, or "toning up" goals and want to achieve those goals while optimizing your health and feeling great day after day, make sure you hop on the waitlist now! Waitlist peeps reserve their spot and will get a discount code when the cart opens... plus they will find out about any special offers (hint hint).
P.P.S. If you need more targeted help for yourself or a loved one for health and / or body composition goals ... more accountability, customized nutrition, fitness and lifestyle plan, help navigating healthcare appointments and a 2nd pair of eyes assessing lab work, CGM data, put together the pieces of the puzzle, etc., 1:1 coaching might be a better fit. If interested, fill out the form and I'll get back to you shortly so we can discuss your goals, what it would look like to work together and when I will have availability next.