Creating a new morning routine helped me clear 20 years of chronic cystic acne. Keep reading below to see an outline of my morning rituals and learn how repetitive routines can benefit your mind, body, and skin. Get an example of an acne morning skincare routine, some of my favorite juices and the Mindful Beauty Skin Elixir smoothie recipe.

Your morning ritual is an opportunity to soothe your nervous system with habitual skin care and skin food routines that help hydrate the body and welcome flow and energy within.

I still continue these rituals today with intentions of supporting my skin's rejuvenation while creating a mindful morning to reset and tune into my physical, emotional, and energetic needs before the day ahead. 

Our liver plays a key role in the appearance of the skin. Any toxins trapped in the liver (the body's filtration organ), will travel to the lymph (the body's clean up system) before secreting through the dermis towards the surface of the skin showing up as acne, puffiness, and many other skin concerns we deal with today signaling that elimination organs are overburdened.

Your blood and lymph are the rivers and transporters that bridge the connection between the liver and skin. We want to encourage flow of nutrient and oxygen rich blood towards the skin, as well as healthy lymphatic flow to help clear toxins.

Upon rising I ask myself: How can I create a hydrated, alkaline, cleansing environment from within.

Keep reading for a breakdown of my mindful morning routine:

PRIORITIZE SLEEP

The body rests, repairs and restores while we sleep. Learning how to harness sleep can be one of the most healing and critical parts of your skin and wellness journey. A good night’s sleep is also important for supporting the adrenals and waking up feeling well rested can help set the mood for the day ahead.

LEMON WATER 

On an empty stomach drink 16oz of water with half a squeezed lemon or whole lime. Lemons and limes are mineralizing, hydrating and both help to purge toxins from the liver. Happy liver = happy skin.

MORNING JUICE

Pressed juices are a great way to help cleanse the body while delivering more concentrated, easily absorbed nutrients. It is important to note that juices are not intended as a meal, they are not calorie dense and breakfast is still necessary later after juicing. 

5 Morning Juice Ideas:

Celery Juice - Celery juice’s sodium cluster salts act as an antiseptic and expose and destroy strep bacteria. Celery juice also helps detoxify and strengthen the liver so strep doesn't find it to be such a happy place for it to nest in. Celery juice also strengthens the immune system so it can help kill off the strep and help prevent it from becoming acne in the future. The lymphocytes you rely on to stop strep in the lymphatic highways also feed off vitamins and minerals found in celery juice.

Cucumber Juice - The high silica content in cucumber promotes strong and healthy hair and glowing skin. Cucumber juice is a highly rejuvenating, alkalizing, and hydrating beautifying tonic known for its ability to cleanse and detox the entire body. Cucumber juice is a wonderful alternative, rotation, or additional supportive drink to celery juice.

Melon Juice -  Morning melon juice can make a wonderful addition to your skin food routine, helping to cleanse the lymphatic system, and replenish your skin. Melons work to flush poisons out of the body, are extremely hydrating, alkalizing, and rich in collagen supportive silica.

Pineapple + Carrot Juice - Pineapples are known to help clear mucus and is a wonderful food to help cleanse and detoxify the body. Carrots are packed with beta-carotene which is a skin loving antioxidant beneficial for skin rejuvenation.

Burdock + Apple + Celery Juice - Burdock root is known as an essential lymph and blood purifier and detoxifying herb as it can neutralize and safely eliminate poisons and toxins from the body. Apples are deeply hydrating on a cellular level and known to help repair damaged skin, reduce inflammation and aid in digestion. This blend of burdock, apple, and celery juice is one of my favorites for glowing radiant skin.

SKINCARE ROUTINE AND MORNING MEDITATION 

Taking time to turn inward to feel and release your emotions is an act of self care that you can easily incorporate into your skincare routine. In fact, with the right intentions you can transform your skincare routine into a healing self-care ritual. These rituals are not just about the healing act itself, the daily habits and repetitive routines we find comfort in can help speed recovery, rest the nerves, and create new cell growth.

This does not have to be an elaborate or time consuming routine. Something as simple as taking a mindful moment to breathe into your body as you’re already washing your face or delicately applying a moisturizer to your skin can be a thoughtful way to set morning intentions and feel gratitude. It may be hard to feel self love for your skin right now, so instead of “being in the now” invasion how happy you will look and feel once you achieve your skin goals. Meditate in that future moment and feel how that feels. You are glowing and vibrant. Alternatively think back to a day or time in the past when you felt like your most beautiful and authentic self. Let that feeling rain down onto your skin and every fiber of your being. Energetically hold on to this frequency and carry it with you throughout your day for as long as you can.

Example Acne Morning Skincare Routine: 

Purify Enzyme Cleanser
Rescue Epidermal Repair Serum
Facial mist of choice
Herbal Clarifying Facial Oil or Sea Berry Balancing Oil
Guardian Angel Sunscreen Milk SPF 50

Optional neck + scalp massage with gua sha stone (after cleansing, while masking, or as the finale of your skincare routine).

BREAKFAST FRUIT/SMOOTHIE

Enjoy a variety of skin healing fruits for breakfast as a platter, bowl, or smoothie. Remember the sugar in fruit is not the same as refined table sugar and high-fructose corn syrups. Fruit sugar is bound to antioxidants and other properties that help to heal and protect your skin.

Mindfully adding more fruit to your diet especially in the morning before consuming fats and filler foods will help cleanse, nourish, hydrate and energize the body

Mindful Beauty Skin Elixir Smoothie:
- ½ or ¼ fresh papaya
- ½ or ¼ fresh watermelon (depending on size)
- 1 cup of frozen strawberries
- Squeeze of lime juice

 MINDFUL BREATHING AND GENTLE MOVEMENT

Gentle morning stretches and low impact exercise can be a great way to increase circulation and stimulate lymphatic movement. Did you know the lymphatic system doesn’t have its own circulatory system and only moves if we move it so things like walking, rebounding, stretching and other forms of gentle movement can help get those juices flowing and your skin glowing. Breathwork is also a relaxing way to calm the nervous system and encourage circulation within. Deep breathing has been shown to increase lymphatic flow by 10%. Breathwork can be incorporated as you enjoy your morning lemon water or juices and even during your skincare routine or massage rituals for a full mind-body-skin experience. 

EAT A COLORFUL BRUNCH/LUNCH

Eat the rainbow and enjoy an abundance of healing fruits, veggies and herbs. The different colors in fruits reflect a variety of different antioxidants that help protect the skin. I love to incorporate beta-carotene rich foods into my diet by eating plenty of leafy greens, and red/orange foods like papaya, sweet potato, squash, carrots, red peppers, raspberries, strawberries.  Beta-carotene is critical for healthy skin. When you provide your body with carotenes, the liver can send carotene-rich blood through the subcutaneous fat up to the skin. The liver can label and slightly alter the carotene so that it survives the trip to the dermis (a layer of skin below the outer epidermis layer). When the liver knows carotenes are available to send to the skin, it fuels the delivery differently by making sure that there's ample oxygen in the blood that supplies the carotenes to the dermis. Carotene is a powerful antioxidant protecting skin against damaging free radicals, preventing damage and the degradation of collagen and elastin.

GARLIC AND HONEY

Garlic and honey are an acne fighting power duo. Garlic is antibacterial, antifungal, anti-mold, and provides powerful immune support, known as nature’s antibiotic. Raw Honey is often referred to as “liquid gold” due to its highly therapeutic antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral, antiseptic and anti-aging properties. Raw honey is also great for digestion as it contains probiotics that help to keep the beneficial bacteria in the gut healthy and strong. Sometimes I take a spoonful of garlic and honey in the morning but I also find creative ways to work them into my morning such as: honey in my lemon water, garlic featured in a juice shot, honey in a smoothie, or garlic and honey in a salad dressing. 

THYME WATER

Thyme is a powerful immune supportive and aromatic healing herb that contains antiseptic, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. Increasing my daily intake of fresh and dried herbs was a key component of my skin clearing journey and thyme is one of my favorites due to its ability to help clear mucus and kill acne causing strep bacteria lingering inside the body. 

Click here to learn more about the healing benefits of thyme for healthy skin

Remember it is important to increase new cleansing and healing foods at your own pace. Everyone’s healing recipe will be unique to their individual needs. I found implementing these morning rituals helpful for my personal skin journey and hope it might inspire someone else to keep moving forward on their own. It takes harmonious actions and lifestyle changes to transform the skin, and it may take time for the biological changes to show up on the skin. Using supportive skin care at home, enjoying a variety of nourishing skin foods, and getting help from a trusted skin care professional can all support improving the appearance of the skin. The fastest way to get to where you want to be is through the slow, consistent changes that eventually form long lasting lifestyle habits. 

The information provided on this site is for general informational purposes only, to include blog postings and any linked material. The information is not intended to be a substitute for professional health or medical advice or treatment, nor should it be relied upon for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of any health consideration. Consult with a licensed health care practitioner before altering or discontinuing any medications, treatment or care, skin care products or starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program. The content of this blog and any linked material does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Mindful Beauty facesbykatey and is not guaranteed to be correct, complete, or up to date.