I haven’t stopped talking or thinking about Skin Cleanse: The Simple, All-Natural Program for Clear, Calm, Happy Skin since I started reading it a few weeks ago. I have long been looking to my diet to clear my skin and help me heal, but never quite like this.

While Skin Cleanse focuses on curing skin aliments with what you put in your body and on it, I took so much more than that from it.

Skin Cleanse Takeaways

Food heals.
What we eat matters. Before you ‘duh!’ me, hear me out. From the macronutrients we live off of to the micronutrients that feed our cells, each thing we eat and the things it’s made out of make a difference. We so often break down our foods into “carbs,” “fruits and vegetables,” “fats,” and “proteins,” but do we ever stop to consider how much vitamin D we are eating or what sources of folate we added to our diet today? After reading Skin Cleanse I am much more aware of the micronutrients I need and finding whole food sources to get them.

Less is more.
Whether it’s what I slather on my skin and hair or eat, less is almost always better. Simple ingredients and routines will do just as well, if not better, than the 10 step morning skin regimen.

Variety matters.
It’s so easy for me to fall into eating the same things every day. Toast or oatmeal for breakfast. Carb-rich leftovers for lunch. Rice and vegetables for dinner. The same foods rotate through my week constantly depending on the season. Same goes for skin. What works in the winter might not be what’s best in the summer.

Your body knows what it wants.
Adina Grigore really hit this point hard, and I appreciated it. Your body knows what it needs. It’s up to us to pay attention and figure it out.

Listen more closely.
Stop being in denial. It’s so easy to ignore what our bodies tell us, but if we actually take the time to listen we can take control of our health. I am a firm believer that we have the tools we need to improve our health, we just have to tap into our bodies’ feedback.

You’re in control.
From acne to lingering fatigue to frequent headaches, what’s happening to our bodies can feel completely, overwhelmingly, out of control. The frustration can be extreme, as can the feeling of helplessness. Endless trips to specialists and prodding tests often lead to fewer answers and more confusion in my experience. Every time I end up in and out of the doctor’s office I am reminded that no one knows my body like I do. While I may not be able to tell you the exact chemical reaction or cellular function of what’s happening in my body, I can certainly tell you how I feel and what seems to make it better or worse.

And that knowledge is powerful! I am so thankful every time one of my doctors tells me how I can improve my health. Whether it’s tips on things to avoid or eat or a not so subtle reminder to relax and reduce my stress, sometimes we need to be reminded that so much of our health and wellness is within our control.

Balance is key.
A clean diet is important. Enough is sleep is paramount. But making room for the things that bring you happiness and joy is vital. Skin Cleanse, while pushing me to eat better and take care of my body with better nutrition, also made me more aware of where things were out of balance in my life. Feeling guilty over eating a serving of ice cream isn’t healthy, but neither is binging on the entire pint.

Beauty products are hiding in your kitchen.
I can’t wait to dig into some of her recipes and slather myself in magical, homemade creations.

Doing it right.
Sure, there are things I hope to change, but there are also so many things I am doing right. Pat yourself on the back for eating healthy fats, getting enough sleep, and chugging water like a champ.

What I changed after reading Skin Cleanse

Wash my face with water.
I started washing my face in the morning with just water per Adina’s advice, and was surprised by how great it works. The queen of less, the constant advocate of ‘simple is better’ somehow completely forgot to think about how people washed their faces for thousands of years.

Try new foods and mix it up.
Most people would not describe me as ‘adventurous,’ but I am approaching what I eat with a greater sense of wonder and exploration. I’m looking forward to trying new foods and coming back to some of the things I’ve written off before. I also want to break my habit of always eating the same couple of things, but not at the expense of extra stress and time.

Food journal for two weeks
The word food journal makes my skin crawl, but what Adina outlines in Skin Cleanse is unlike any food journal I’ve read about before. There’s no measuring. There’s no calculating calories or serving sizes or macronutrients or grams. I tracked how I felt when I woke up and during the day. For her recommended two weeks I generally tracked the things I ate and how much water I drank. I didn’t learn anything that I didn’t already know or have a hunch about, but putting in writing “I feel nauseated after eating dairy” is powerful. It’s a lot harder to justify eating a hunk of cheese when I know that in an hour I won’t feel well. Ditto for sugar jackpots.

I’m an experiment.
I get frustrated when I try “cure” after “cure” only to end up no better or worse. Instead of treating each new thing I try as an end all, be all, I’m going to take a cue from Tim Ferriss and treat myself like a walking experiment. I’m taking out the investment I often feel that this new thing has to make it better. I’m substituting amazement and curiosity instead of pressure and desperation.

No more denial.
This has two meanings for me. The first is ignoring my body’s feedback. My food journal was a great reminder of how often I eat things that don’t really nourish my body. It also opened my eyes to how frequently I eat things that I don’t really like or that don’t make me feel very well. Second, food should certainly nourish and heal, but it should also bring joy and contentment. Denying myself a cupcake because sugar is bad for my body and feeling like I am suffering or in a constant state of want isn’t good either.

Sugar awareness.
I know, I know, sugar is the devil’s work. Our bodies respond to it like cocaine. I hear you. While I will certainly curb my intake, I am not going on an anti-sugar crusade. A treat every once in a while is part of my balanced, healthy life. Sugar after every meal or even each day, less so.

All.the.vegetables.
The more vegetables, the more micronutrients. Count me in for more. I’m on a mission to massively increase my intake. I even put some spinach in a smoothie, despite being adamant that there should be a strong divide between fruits and vegetables. I also am swapping out my go-to snack of potato chips for crunchy veggies.

More:
My minimalist skincare routine
Safe and effective mineral sunscreens
My love of face oil

The books I read in April were inspiring. They left me feeling excited to make some changes in my life and they refueled my creative energy.

March on the other hand was a little different. It was a slow reading month for me. Life got busy and density of How to be Alive was like trying to run through water. I didn’t post anything last month because I barely finished two books. And I wasn’t jazzed up about them at the time.

March and April Reads

Let’s start with the ones I just can’t wait to tell you about.

Skin Cleanse
Well worthy of its own (upcoming) post, skin cleanse has motivated me like few other books have. And it’s not just me. I spent hours this week talking about it with friends and my family. I have made my own beauty products for a while now and I have long know about the harmful chemicals often put in cosmetics, but more than anything this book reminded me that what I eat is even more important than what I put on my skin. In an effort to heal faster and make my skin happier, I am launching a major fruit a vegetable focus after reading this book. More soon, but you should read it while you wait.

Meanwhile in San Francisco
I fell so hard for this book. I was giddy while reading it and feeling completely inspired to draw and create and explore what I’m capable of. Wendy MacNaughton spent time in the places she featured, and her immersive experience inspired me to be less afraid of talking to people and getting in there. You’ll want to pull out your water colors after this one. And explore the city a bit more.

Fates and Furies
I’m not sure this one was worth the hype. Maybe it’s that I’ve been in a bit of a non-fiction groove and this just didn’t fit in, but I didn’t love it. Overall, it was weird. I struggled to connect with the characters and their lives felt too unreal for me to get behind the stories. It was a strong “eh” for me.

How to be Alive
I was so stoked about this book for the first 50 pages. I had so many “yes!” moments. But overall it was dense. I started to feel like it was too repetitive, and I lost steam. Would I recommend it? I’m on the fence. I love the main principles and I learned some great things, but overall it was a bit of a struggle and I’m not sure I would suggest someone else do the same.

Here are some of the quotes that stood out to me the most:

“Thinking that careers and jobs are the only way to security and meaning and helping the world is another of those standard life approaches we need to move away from.”

“To not live in line with my values is the real sacrifice.”

“No one else’s path will fit your life.” Read it again. Really.

And the main purpose of the book: “Learning to trust and apply the principle of being guided by values, passions, and concerns in all manner of life decisions is the central theme of the book.”

How to Travel the World on $50 a Day
While I don’t have any plans for longterm travel right now, I really enjoyed imaging it and understanding how people make it happen. This was a helpful tool for me for planning future adventures. Worth a perusal – especially the specific sections for countries/areas you are interested in visiting.

I am a firm believer that less is better, especially if it’s something I’m going to be spreading on my face. For nearly a decade I have used simple skincare products with natural ingredients.

I have never understood what most of the bottles in the drugstore are supposed to do. Nor do I believe most things you can buy in a store are going to actually do what they say.

I battled acne for years, but since I started doing this minimalist skincare routine and cleaned up my diet my skin has been clear and happy. I get the occasional breakout, but they are less frequent and heal quickly.

Face Wash

I don’t use a typical cleanser or face wash. Instead I use a microfiber face cloth to wash my face in the morning, and before bed. After bed, and sometimes in the morning, I wash my face with tap water. That’s it. No soap, ever. This has saved me hundreds of dollars and made my skin so much happier. I bought my face cloth in high school, and I still use the same one today. It dries quickly, and it naturally kills all of the bacteria as it dries so I don’t have to worry about it. I wash it right after use with a little soap, hang it up to dry, and it’s good to go.

The cloth takes all of the dirt, sunscreen, makeup, and dead skin off without stripping the skin’s natural oils. It also doesn’t kill the good bacteria and other good microbes that live on your skin and keep it healthy and protected.

Toner/Moisture

After washing my face I spray on pure aloe vera gel. No preservatives, no other ingredients. It’s cooling, calming, and moisturizing. I put it in a spray bottle from an old toner, and it works great! It sprays on a little goopy, but it rubs right in.

Face Oil

Jojoba oil was a game changer for me. I started to use it in high school during the height of my terrible acne and swim season. It calmed my skin and taught me a huge lesson about the importance of oils. Your skin needs oils to stay protected and healthy. Oil free products dried out my skin and only made my acne worse.

I put pure, organic jojoba oil on my face (and neck, chest, and back). I put it in a small, glass bottle with a pump so I can easily control how much a put on (too much of a good thing is real here. You end up feeling like an oil slick if you over do it).

I put a sum total of two ingredients on my face every day. Waaaaay less than 168 chemicals women put on their faces and bodies every day on average.

I don’t wear makeup. It annoys me in general. I don’t want to spend the time in the morning, try to not messing it up all day, and then have to either wipe it off or worry about getting on my clothes when I work out. It just isn’t for me.

If I’m going to be in the sun I’ll apply face sunscreen that only uses zinc (and other safe ingredients). If I’m going to sweat or hit the pool, I apply a heavier-duty waterproof sunscreen.

And that’s it.

Growing up, camping was something mystical that other people did. Our sleeping bags were used for indoor sleepovers and trips to grandma’s. I “camped” in the backyard once with neighborhood friends, and we 100 percent ended up sleeping inside in beds and blankets.

Camping in Butano State Park was my fourth camping trip, and I have to say, it’s growing on me. There is something to the quiet of the outdoors (until the birds have their say anyway), the lack of cellphone service, the space, the friendly people.

I haven’t moved away from car camping yet (I’m not ready to sacrifice all comfort. I’m working on it.), but we take as little as we can with us. Especially for a quick overnight trip like this one.

The first day, a quiet Sunday, we lounged around and read before cooking up dinner and sitting around the fire. On Monday morning we went for a short (my first since injury!) hike before packing up our camp.

What We Brought

Camping gear:
Two-person tent
2 sleeping bags*
2 sleeping pads*
2 pillows (stolen off our beds)
1 extra fleece blanket (so thankful we had it!)
1 yoga mat (this princess put it under her sleeping pad for extra cush)
1 lantern*
2 camping chairs* (First time we ever had them, so great!)
1 tarp*

*Borrowed from my awesome brother or his friend’s

“kitchen” stuff
1 medium microfiber towel
1 dish towel
1 dish rag
Small bottle of castile soap (for hand and dish washing)
2 reusable plastic plates
2 forks
2 spoons
Forgot the knife
Didn’t have a dish pan (oops)
1 small Jetboil
1 cloth napkin
1 small/medium cooler*

Food
Zero waste carrots in a jar
Zero waste bell pepper in a jar
Tortillas
Cheese
Lime
Refried beans in a jar (heated in the Jetboil)
Granola
Soy milk
S’mores ingredients
Lots of snacks (granola bars, rice chips, crackers, tortilla chips)

My bag
Book
Notebook and pen
2 pairs of socks
2 pairs of underwear (my mom always taught us to have a spare. Can’t kick the habit)
Trail running shoes
Fleece sweats
T-shirt to sleep in
Down jacket (doubled as a blanket at night)
Sports bra
Sweat-wicking shirt
Cropped leggings (too cold to wear them)
Sunscreen
Forgot the toothpaste
But had the toothbrush and floss
Travel aloe vera
Travel jojoba oil
Hairbrush
Water bottle, which I spilled in the tent yet again.
Wore in: yoga pants, 3/4 sleeve t-shirt, slip on shoes, and a sweatshirt

We got so lucky and had beautiful weather during the day, but since it’s so close to the ocean in Pescadero, it got cold at night. I ended up sleeping in my fleece sweats, t-shirt, sweatshirt, and socks all night. I also used the blanket and covered my feet with my down jacket. Not once was I too warm.

We had a great time and although I spent all week confused on what day it was, I really enjoyed the Sunday/Monday trip.

Mold can be so much more than a pesky problem in your shower. Mold spores are naturally found in both outdoor and indoor air, but they become problematic when they start to grow in our homes. In high concentrations, mold spores are considered indoor air pollutants. They can cause nasal stuffiness, throat irritation, coughing, wheezing, eye irritation, and even more severe reactions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children exposed to mold during infancy have a much higher risk of developing asthma.

When faced with mold, many of us reach for a disinfectant like bleach. But there may be safer, and more effective, alternatives to the standby.

In a recent article on Rodale’s Organic Life, I pit bleach against lemons to see which comes out on top. From the pros and cons of bleach and lemon to permanent mold removal tips, I got the dirt on mold removal. Learn how to clean mold with lemons in the full article here.

There is something healing and comforting about drinking a cup of tea. The world seems to slow down as the steam slowly billows around your face. The cup warms your hands and you find yourself reflexively leaning in.

I start most days with a cup of loose leaf tea. Each sip eases me into the day.

I’ve always loved tea. When I was little my mom would make it for me with a heaping spoonful of sugar. I used to get so excited to drink mint tea or herbal teas so heavily sugared that they tasted like juice. Every once in a while she and I would go downtown and have high tea at a fancy restaurant. I felt like a princess.

For years I had boxes and boxes of tea. All different varieties, and even some duplicates. I finally realized how few of them I truly liked. How I would most often reach for one or two varieties and the rest sat in their boxes collecting dust.

I got rid of it all. I gave away boxes to friends and family who visited and liked the tea or who drank it regularly. I schlepped the rest of it to work where it’s been slowly dwindling.

Liquid zen. #greentea

A photo posted by Mandy Ferreira (@treading_lightly) on Mar 5, 2014 at 8:36am PST

When I was done I was left with four teas I loved. Decaf vanilla black, chai, yerba mate, and mint. As the boxes slowly ran out I decided to replace them with loose leaf. It’s insanely cheaper, massively reduces waste, lasts me much longer, and the flavor is incredible.

I originally made the switch to cut back on how much each cup of tea wasted, especially when I couldn’t compost the wrapper or the tea bag. I bought one pound bags each of my favorite loose leaf teas, and I’m still drinking them more than two years later. Based on how much I have left, it seems likely they will last me another year or so.

It’s not too late to spruce up in time for Easter. I dug into the Internet (and took an hour detour into Pinterest) to find the best sustainable Easter egg decorations. From white paint pens to incredible egg shell succulent planters, there’s something for every spring celebration. Check out all 10 in my story for Rodale’s Organic Life.

I’ve been making my own laundry soap for years. I gave up store-bought detergent before eco-friendly options were on the market to cut the chemicals and give my sensitive skin a break.

While there are more options these days, I like that I know exactly what goes into my soap and it saves me money to make my own – a lot of money when compared to scent-free, dye-free, biodegradable, harsh-chemical-free detergent.

For the past year or so I mixed up my recipe and started using castile soap bars instead of Fels-Naptha. My clothes are just as clean, and my lungs are so much happier. My laundry soap now has even fewer ingredients and no longer includes things like unsustainably harvested palm products, talc, fragrance, and red 40.

Homemade castile laundry soap ingredients

1 castile soap bar (makes about 2 cups grated soap)
1 cup washing Soda
1 cup borax

You can make as much as you would like at a time. The basic recipe is 1/2 cup each of borax and washing soda per 1 cup of slightly packed grated soap. This isn’t baking, so you don’t have to be exact.

To make the soap, grate the bar with a fine cheese grater until you are left with what looks like a pile of tempting parmesan. (Or if you are awesome like my mom, pop it in your food processor with the grater attachment and be done in a minute.) Once you are done, measure out your soap and add the appropriate amount of borax and washing soda. Mix it together and you’re good to go!

Directions

Use 1 tablespoon per load for a front-loading washer and 2-3 tbs. for top-loading. I like to use a medicine cup to quickly measure.

Since the temperature has dropped and I’m unfortunately stuck with a less efficient washer, I have been dissolving my soap in a cup of hot water before adding it to my laundry. If you wash in cold water with a large top-loader, you might want to do the same to make sure that your soap is getting mixed in well.