As a member of NewBeauty Magazine’s Brain Trust they asked me the following questions on supplements for beauty…
Why is it important to nourish the body from the inside out?
It may sound like a simple premise, but we literally are what we eat. Everything we consume (food, drink, supplements), is used by our body to grow and repair our cells, and as cofactors for all our metabolic processes. Our skin is no exception to this, and the appearance of our skin is a visual barometer for how healthy we are on the inside.
When I meet with a client I’m secretly scoping out their skin for signs of inflammation, dryness, premature aging etc, as this can give me so much guidance on what is happening underneath the surface.
How can supplements help us improve the look of our hair, skin and nails?
Our hair, skin and nails are really the last in order of importance for our survival (although it doesn’t always feel this way) – our bodies will prioritize vitamins and minerals for survival of our organs, so if we are not getting enough in our diets, or we are not absorbing them due to poor gut health then the health and appearance of our hair, skin and nails will suffer. Whilst great gut health and a nutrient dense diet is key for beauty, specific supplements can help us bridge the gap and provide key micronutrients that will boost our hair, skin and nails.
What are some ingredients readers should look for when incorporating a supplement in their routine? What’s really going to work?
The number one beauty supplement I recommend is a great quality collagen powder, and as it’s a substance that has been processed out of our diet I ask my clients to think of it as a food, rather than a supplement. Adding collagen to your diet will help you protect the collagen you already have, and boost new collagen in the skin. Choose collagen from animals that have been pasture raised, or marine collagen from wild caught fish for best results.
Always pair your collagen supplement with a great Vitamin C supplement, as Vitamin C is an essential cofactor in new collagen formation. The most effective way to take Vitamin C is in it’s liposomal (gel-like liquid) form on an empty stomach, and I take 1000mg a day on an empty stomach.
Probiotics are also unsung beauty heroes, not only do they help us absorb nutrients from our food (meaning more can be partitioned for our hair, skin and nails), but they also help minimize free radical damage, and I recommend one with a specific strain called saccharomyces boulardii which can rebalance the microbiome.
I also love a great quality wild caught fish oil for plump, glowing skin – the outside of our skin cells are made up of a phospholipid bilayer (fatty outer wall), and without the right balance of healthy fats in our diet they can become less flexible, resulting in dull, dehydrated and greying skin.
Be first on the list to grab my 3 Day Gut Reset Plan when it launches mid-August:
https://jenniferhanway.com/gut-healing-online-program