The first book I’m highlighting from my Top 6 Skin and Hormone Books list is the Purely Primal Skincare Guide by Liz Wolfe.

As promised from that post, I would go through each book, one-by-one, and share various things.

The goal is to share the book’s outline and then share the bullet points (all random, by the way) that I jotted down. 

Purely Primal Skincare

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I have this book in e-book format, and I keep it on my iPad. There are 187 pages in total, and the book breaks down into three parts and a bonus:

1. Nutrition
2. Digestion
3. Body and Skin care
4. Extra Knowledge

In the nutrition section, Liz shares the basics of protein, carbohydrates, fats and more. She gives hacks, tips, and tricks for making it work, and details dairy, eggs and food sensitivities.

In the digestion section, she talks about everything from the brain to stomach (and stomach acid) to the pancreas, gut, and then touches on stress as it relates to the gut. Yes, a girl after my own heart!

In part three, body and skin care, she discusses exfoliation, deep cleansing and masks, facial cleansing options, makeup, nail care, and her personal routine.

And finally, in the extra knowledge section, she talks about lies we are told, dry vs. oil skin, under the eyes, and pregnancy and safe skincare.

Here is my jumbo list of notes I took, so you could get a glimpse into the awesomeness of the book’s information:

(Note: after each statement, what I have in ( ) are my own notes for you.)

1. Egg white associated with skin problems for some. p. 24 (read also, Incredible Egg Yolk)
2. Great carbohydrates = yuca, sweet potatoes, taro, yam, white potatoes, acorn squash, artichoke, parsnips, butternut squash, carrot, spaghetti squash, beets, and turnips. (I started making root vegetables about 2-3 times per week this fall, and I’m addicted. This is how I do it: I cube things like parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, and carrots, and throw them in a baking dish. I coat with an oil of choice and salt, then bake for about 45-60 minutes at 400 degrees.)
3. Daily bone broth. 
4. Cod Liver Oil. (This started making a huge difference for me in many ways, and the one I take – recommended from my hormone doctor – is on the Recommended Supplements page.)
5. Sauerkraut 1 x per day. (I need to step this up. I love Bubbies sauerkraut.)
6. Sardines 2 x’s per week. (Another one I need to step up.)
7. Good fat at each meal. (Always.)
8. Cast iron. (I’m trying to switch us over 100% to cast iron. I put my favorite pans and brand in 43 Holiday Wellness and Lifestyle Gift Ideas.)
9. ‘”In particular, egg whites, dairy, nuts, and nightshades have been labeled as “trigger foods” for acne, eczema, psoriasis, and other skin conditions.”‘ p. 69
10. Too little stomach acid = B12 + zinc deficiency. Digestion of copper, magnesium, folic acid, vitamin C, calcium, and chromium may suffer as well. p. 76
11. Stomach lining supplement support – p. 77
    1. DGL
    2. Dr. Ron’s ‘Smooth Operator’ (I love Dr. Ron’s, and that’s where I get the Adrenal Glandular)
    3. HCL (I’ve talked about this probably a hundred times. You can start HERE with it.)
    4. Digestive bitters
    5. 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar diluted with some warm water at each meal, as needed
    6. Teas that contain licorice, ginger, and fennel (My two favorite tea brands are Traditional Medicinals and Numi.)
    7. Teas that contain ginger and lemon
12. The liver is key to truly detoxing the body. It is responsible for hormonal balance AND neutralizing toxins. Liver supporting foods include – p. 81:
    1. onion
    2. garlic
    3. egg yolks, full of choline
    4. homemade bone broth (I have a FREE e-book for how to make slow-cooked chicken and then bone broth from it. Coming soon – hopefully early 2018 – will be my How to Make Instant Pot Bone Broth e-book. Put it on your Christmas list, the 8qt Instant Pot, because that’s what I use to make mine.)
    5. pure water plus lemon juice (I have this every single day now)
    6. liver and/or “glandulars” (These glandulars are what I take from Dr. Ron’s.)
    7. dandelion + nettles tea
    8. milk thistle, which Liz says she gets from Dr. Ron’s, too (By the way, both Liz and I talk a lot about Dr. Ron’s. Click HERE for their website, and bookmark it maybe.) 
13. The gallbladder is critical for digesting and absorbing fat-soluble vitamins and detoxification for skin health. p. 82
14. The fat in coconut oil is unique because it does not require bile for digestion. (I have many clients who no longer have a gallbladder, but are always trying to figure out how to get the health benefits from healthy fats. Coconut oil. The answer is coconut oil.)
15. You can support healthy bile with:
    1. bitters
    2. beets and beet juice
    3. fermented foods, especially daikon radish (Also Kimchi! Last night for dinner I had a huge bowl of bone broth, brown rice, ground beef and a heaping spoonful of Kimchi. See it HERE.) 
    4. milk thistle
16. The pancreas is critical for balancing blood sugar, hormonal balance (acne), digesting and using nutrients needed for skin health. You can support it with – p. 83:
    1. glandulars
    2. teas that contain dandelion root or ginger root
    3. chromium via Lewis Labs Brewer’s Yeast (This was a new product to me, and after reading the book, I sought it out HERE.)
    4. digestive enzymes (I recently upgraded the quality of enzyme I use. It has made a huge difference when I want to eat a meal that I’m a little unsure about, digestion-wise. I take THESE.)
    5. Eliminate wheat, other grains, processed foods, simple sugars, and make sure to support the stomach.
17. The gut – if you have any kind of skin issue, assume your gut needs healing! 
    1. No grains or processed foods. (I have still kept some grains in my diet, for now, because after my hormone appointment last week, my doctor said she doesn’t think the grains I consume affect me, and that I shouldn’t remove them. But everyone is different. You might need to remove them.)
    2. Emotional stress. Liz states, “This isn’t meant to scare or discourage you – in fact, stress is one of the easiest things to manage because it can be managed through your choices. You don’t have to fight with “genetics” to manage stress better. You can choose to respond to life’s difficulties with a different mind-set.” p. 87 (This whole section is great, and I’d recommend reading and re-reading it once you buy the book. Also, here are 28 ways to reduce stress.)
    3. Her top 4 things for gut healing (in other words, these fall under my 3 Pillars for Ultimate Gut Healing):
       1. manage stress
       2. choose the right foods
       3. must eliminate gut-irritating foods like wheat, other grains, processed foods
       4. get Dr. Ron’s “Smooth Operator” (she talks about this one a lot, so I found it for you – you can grab it HERE)
18. Ingredients to Avoid: Cosmetics – p. 99-100 (also, The Never List)
    1. gluten, which is listed under other names (see 124 Wheat and Gluten Sources and Alternate Names)
    2. triclosan
    3. benzalkonium chloride
    4. DEA
    5. propylene glycol
    6. aluminum
    7. parabens
    8. sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) (this, this, this, especially if you have Perioral Dermatitis – it’s the one change that made a mammoth difference in my skin)
    9. phthalates 
    10. (psssstttttt……Know what I did last weekend? If you follow my Instagram Stories, you do. I went through my entire bathroom, grabbed all junk makeup and skin care products and put them in the trash. Where they belong. It was so freeing!) 
19. Simply beautiful basics – p. 101 (She talks about how to use the following three products for basic skin care):
    1. baking soda
    2. apple cider vinegar
    3. coconut oil
20. Cheilosis (cracks – corners of the mouth) – p. 107 (I had this for years, and I wanted to share what Liz says about it, in case you do, too.):
    1. Linked to digestive distress, an over-burdened liver, and B-vitamin deficiency. It’s an internal issue that can be tackled from the outside.
       1. good vitamin C
       2. high-quality B-complex
       3. coconut oil as a soother 
21. Under-eye circles, under-eye bags – p. 107
    1. These are a sign of stress, sleep deprivation, allergic tension or immune system dis-function. (I have them, most of us do, and I’d guess mine are a combination of all 4 things she mentions.) Three things to diminish them:
       1. Dr. Ron’s “Smooth Operator” (and there it is again!)
       2. sleep (Even with a crazy daily schedule, I do prioritize sleep. You can see all of my daily wellness routine and sleep schedule via the Experience Life Magazine article, “Sarah Kay Hoffman’s Daily Wellness Routine.)
       3. manage stress
       4. (I’m adding a fourth. As a topical option, while you are working on 1-3, Countermatch Eye Rescue Cream – I just bought this – en route currently + the Touchup Concealer Pen.)
22. Spot treatment information found on page 130
23. For haircare, Liz discusses the ‘No Poo’ method – p. 137, and then the Cocomilk later – p. 138

Whew! That was a lot, and obviously, I barely scratched the surface. 

My best follow up recommendations from this post information:

1. Grab the Purely Primal Skincare e-book. It’s $37, and you won’t regret it.
2. Save this post to your bookmarks for reference later.
3. Go through the links in this post, and read through them all.
4. Find common re-occurring words/phrases and/or links and take them to heart – i.e. “Smooth Operator.”
5. Click HERE to save this post to Pinterest for later or click HERE to share it on Facebook with friends and family.

The book I’ll feature next from my Top 6 Skin and Hormone Books blog post is Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility by Jill Blakeway. 

Xox,
SKH