Skin Vitality Handbook Final

creating a life style to renew,
revive & restore your skin

table of
contents

What is holistic skincare?..................1
Revive the mind and soul...............11
Resolve stress.....................................21
Restore your body.............................25
Conclusion............................................37

what is
holistic
skincare?

a lifestyle
for the skin
Did you know that your skin is actually the biggest organ
of your body? With that, anything you put inside of your
body will reflect directly onto the outside. “Skin is the biggest
signaler of what’s happening on the inside,” says Kristina
Holey who does holistic skincare facials. It is important to
realize that there is more to taking care of your skin that
splurging on creams and ointments.
Holistic skin care is a way of achieving the fullest potential of
your skin by balancing your mind, body, and soul. A holistic
approach works to treat your body from the inside out. This
handbook will guide you through the continuous process of
improving the overall health of our skin. So, applaud yourself
for taking the initiative to begin your beautiful journey towards
making skincare a life style.
This handbook focuses on staying mindful of why you are
beginning this journey and to create goals with purpose and
intention. You are doing this for the overall improvement of
your skin, not to seem perfect like everybody else.
3

enjoy the progress rather
than perfection
4

society’s
norms
In today’s society where social media and advertisements are
such important platforms of how social norms are created.
Many skincare brands are promoted by people with perfect
skin or acne care that advertises with a concept that goes
from 0 - 100.
We want to feel beautiful with our authentic self, but do
not see similarities wherever we go. There seems to be
discontinuity with what you should know and what you see.
For example, Curology advertises how their product gives
your skin immediate benefits. However, there is no indication
of progress. How long can these drastic changes really last?
Will your skin return to its original state if you stop using
the product? There are various questions that do not have
answers. The only part we see is the end result.
By adopting a holistic approaches we want to strive to slowly
improve the body from the inside out. Let’s overcome these
stereotypes that drill perfection into our minds. Remember
that these changes do not happen over night! But, as long
as you stay focused on your big mission, you can achieve it !
Nobody is perfect and that is totally okay.
5

6

perfection
second
Glossier was one of my favorite brands because they lived
by the standards “skincare first, makeup second.” However,
their mission statement seemed to be a bit contradicting and
something that was difficult to relate with when the girls being
advertised all had perfect skin to begin with.
The advertisements of perfect glossy skin made me think that
I could be as flawless as the girls modeling the products. After
purchasing these products, it was a bit hard to use for myself
on days when I didn’t feel the most beautiful. I understand
that they want to build upon the ideals of not covering up
your blemishes. As an alternative, these advertisements could
reflect instances where girls didn’t have perfect skin.
As I continue to grow older and more self aware, I can
definitely see the various flaws beauty companies showcase
on social media and advertisements. Filter out what society
seems to want or demand and do not let society control you.
7

8

revive
the mind
and soul

affects to
the mind
Scientifically, neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that
communicate with different parts of the brain and the nervous
system. Neurotransmitters have control over both physical and
psychological functions such as sleep, appetite, mood, and
fear. These chemical messengers are constantly stimulating
the brain to keep it functioning.
These are some of the most crucial neurotransmitters that
need to be created within the body. Epinephrine is both
a hormone and neurotransmitter that is related to stress.
Norepinephrine helps the body and brain make decisions
during times of danger or stress. Dopamine is involved in the
coordination of the body, reward, and motivation. Serotonine
regulates mood, sleep, anxiety, sexuality, and appetite. With
that, it is crucial to find ways to regulate all of these important
neurotransmitters to keep our body healthy.
13

When these powerful neurotransmitters are not functioning
properly, the body it has a negative impact on the skin. The
mind correlates directly into the skin because it is connected
to our body as a whole. For example, with pseudocyesis it is
an interdisciplinary medical field exploring the relationships
among social, psychological, and behavioral factors on bodily
processes and quality of life. 1
The mind has a crucial
impact on our body, in turn
our skin. What happens
within the the body reflects
directly onto our skin.
1. Breazeale, Ron. “Thoughts, Neurotransmitters, Body-Mind Connection.” Psychology Today,
2012, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-the-face-adversity/201207/thoughts-neurotransmitters-body-mind-connection
14

The mind
controls every
aspect of our
daily lives.
Exercising
mindfulness
helps us resolve
issues.
15

16

With skin, it is definitely an emotional roller coaster and we all
have our bad days and good days. We all get thoughts like,
“My skin sucks. I don’t love myself. I have no hope. What is
wrong with me?”
All of these emotions are totally valid. However, these
negative thoughts can trigger more skin irritation as a result
of an inflammatory stress response by the activation of our
sympathetic nervous system. 1
By increasing exercises of mindfulness, you can increase your
awareness of the connection between the mind and body.
Mindfulness is bringing emotions and managing cognitive
behavior therapy. In this way our emotions are guiding our
thoughts, rather than using thoughts to guide your emotions.
As we become more aware of the feelings behind our
thoughts, we can try to motivate ourselves to choose positive
or beneficial thoughts. If we continue to let go of the negative,
it will naturally allow you to feel better about yourself and in
hindsight your skin.
1 Breazeale, Ron. “Thoughts, Neurotransmitters, Body-Mind Connection.” Psychology Today,
2012, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-the-face-adversity/201207/thoughts-nerotranmitters-body-mind-connection.

Practicing mindfulness also encourages us to be more aware
and accepting of the present moment. This tends to take
away our judgment of what society and other people may
have and experience what is there specifically for us in the
now. In a way we should stop caring so much about what
other people may think about our skin and instead try to
manage the emotional impact the mindset we have for our
skin has on us.
Through acts of mindfulness it helps us acknowledge what
went well and what did not. The act of mentally separating
the negative and positive allows us to get rid of habits that
causes negativity within ourselves and our skin.
Skincare is a lifestyle and the habits we choose will reflect
that. Mindfulness keeps us attentive of what we are actively
choosing to put inside and apply outside of our body. 1 We can
keep track of what is working for us and what isn’t. With that,
we can keep or remove specific aspects that are not helping
to enhance the overall health of our skin, mind, and soul.
Whether that is a specific product, negative energy, or the
attitude of being a perfectionist that isn’t working for you, try
and filter these distractions out of our life.
1. Alidina, Shamash, et al. “Nine Ways Mindfulness Reduces Stress.” Mindful, 17 July 2019,
www.mindful.org/9-ways-mindfulness-reduces-stress/.
18

live in the
moment & allow
yourself to have
reflective time.
give yourself
credit & stop
putting yourself
down.
19

you are
enough
20

resolve
stress

stress strips
our potential
Stress is our body’s emotional and physical reaction to
change. Short term levels of stress can sometimes be positive
and serve as a motivator or stimulant. Short term stress
usually goes away quickly. However, in everyone’s life stress
is inevitable. It is hard not to be in a state of stress and anxiety
when sometimes the current situation does not follow through.
Stress can be from work, relationships, school, family, etc.
With that, stress has a huge impact to our immune system,
which directly correlates onto our skin.
There are many scientific studies that show the connection
between stress and our immune system. As stress increases
and our the health of our immune system decreases, so
will the quality of our skin. Stress decreases our immune
system’s ability to fight infections. Basically when our body is
stressed it produces a chemical called cortisol. This decreases
our production of lymphocytes which are white blood cells
that fight off any source of infection. Cortisol also increases
inflammation in our body. 1
1 Alidina, Shamash, et al. “Nine Ways Mindfulness Reduces Stress.” Mindful, 17 July 2019,
www.mindful.org/9-ways-mindfulness-reduces-stress/.

As the immune system decreases, so does our body’s daily
functions. With that, as stress increases so do our break outs.
24

As stress continues to develop within our bodies, it affects
the skin negatively as well. When you are more stressed, the
body creates chemical responses that makes your skin highly
sensitive and reactive.
With that, you might have been wondering why you get more
breakouts when a stressful event occurs. This is because
stress creates imbalances. When coristol is released in higher
amounts when the body is stressed it causes the skin to
become more oily and more prominent to have skin problems.
Stress also causes inflammation, where the skin flares up and
becomes more sensitive. With that, even if your skin may not
have had problems before, it can become hyper irritable and
something minor will agitate it more easily.
Another aspect of stress that simultaneously comes with skin
problems, is the stress of having problems within your skin.
These inner thoughts may double the stress that people feel.
With that, it is crucial to be conscious of your body’s signals
from the beginning.
25

When you are stressed out there are actions or habits that you
unconsciously take on. Some ways that we can control and
ease the effects of stress on the skin is staying mindful about
the aspects of your life that causes stress. In this way we are
actively taking action to help us overcome stressful factors.
Second, continue to actively take care of yourself! During
stressful times most people neglect self care and self love.
The fact that you are not taking care of yourself by not getting
enough sleep, enough good food, enough water, and letting
go of your responsibilities of actively taking care of your skin all
impact your skin negatively.
Of course, stress is inevitable, and it is impossible to try and
balance everything in our lives in such a positive manner.
This handbook awknowledges that there are better days
than others. Stay driven and continue to reach for a postitive
outlook and give yourself credit for trying to progress into
making life changes to revitalize your skin as a whole.
26

restore
the body

Please please remember that this hand book isn’t to strictly
point out what diets work perfectly for your skin. Instead of
calling it a “diet” let us redefine it as nutrition. Diets can be
extremely complicated and so the only thing you can do is to
listen to your own body!
YES, your skin is a reflection of what you put inside your body.
Naturally, what food you eat will reflect on the skin. Gradually
you may see your complexion change if you continue to eat
poorly. For example, too much fried food, too much meat, or
really too much of any foods that are one sided has a negative
impact. If you set yourself to create a balanced nutritional
habit, it will reflect postively onto your skin.
There are many nutritional ways to boost both your immune
system and your body as a whole. One extremely simple way
is to drink a lot of fluid. Hydration is key to rejuvenating your
skin and releasing the harmful toxins. One easy way to add
this into your life is to jump start your day with warm water,
lemon, and salt. Second, make sure to have balanced meals
and don’t forget sleep! We will continue to expand on the
importance of sleep in the next chapters.
29

Third, add super foods into your diet. Super foods are a class
of some of the most potent, super concentrated and nutrient
rich foods that have the ability to increase your energy and
improve overall health. By having an extremely high amount
of nutrients such as minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants,
super foods only make you healthier and stronger. 1 Some of
these foods that can be gradually added to your diet is acai,
goji berries, hemp, bee products, leafy greens, and turmeric.
Rememer not to focus on one specific ingredient. A well
balanced diet that contains multiple healthy aspects is what
we want to continue to strive for.
With that being said, try to keep in mind that your health is
all about overall improvements. Remember that we are not
trying to achieve perfection. Try and define what your skin
goals are and reflect upon these daily changes and how it has
been impacting your life. Do you feel better after being more
attentive about your diet? Does your skin also reflect how
you feel? Create intentional goals and make changes with a
purpose so you do not lose the the purpose of this hand book.
1 “Superfoods: Health Benefits, Uses, and Risks.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International,
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/303079#common_superfoods. 30

31
listen
to
your
body

Exercise is another aspect that is crucial to nourishing our
skin. Working out gets your heart rate up which pumps more
blood throughout your body. Specifically, When you work out,
your blood is pumping more, which improves the circulation
of oxygen and nutrients throughout your body, including your
skin and ultimately leads to that post-workout glow. 1
Exercise is sometimes not the easiest thing to add into your
routine. But we can add simple movements slowly and to be
consistent. One simple way is to just begin your morning by
movements in the shoulder, head circles, torso circles, and
stretching. With that, you are starting off your day with a
simple exercise. A simple exercise is still exercise!
Exercise also helps to deliver nutrients to the skin, increasing
the growth of collagen production and new skin cells. Collagen
is a protein in the body that provides structure and builds
your bone, skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Specifically
collagen helps to strengthen your skin so it is less dry and
more elastic. Collagen can also be found in foods that contain
gelatin like chicken skin, pork skin, beef, and fish.
Keep in mind that some exercise routines don’t work on
everybody so its important that you choose what is right for
you. Don’t go on a diet to look like everybody else.
1 Tschinkel, Arielle. “10 Ways Working out Can Help - and Hurt - Your Skin.” Insider,
18 June 2019, www.insider.com/how-does-working-out-impact-your-skin-good-badways-2019-6.
32

we need
beauty
sleep
Sleep is something we have to do everyday for us to survive.
But, the matter of if we are getting enough is important.
Sometimes, there are nights when we just can’t fall asleep or
when we are up late doing work. However, there is a huge
connection between sleep and our health.
If we are not getting enough sleep, our body becomes more
stressed out, releasing more cortisol. Again, cortisol increases
inflammation and negatively impacts our skin health. If our
quality of sleep is poor, the stress hormones continue to build
up, causing more acne and worsening existing skin conditions.
As more inflammation develops, the body can increase its
breakdown of collagen and hyaluronic acid. Collagen is
redeveloping new skin cells and gives skin its natural glow
and bouncy texture.
33

Last, but definitely not least, the skin is not able to recover
its hydration and growth hormones. Hydration is important
for creating a better quality of skin and helping to improve
the puffy bags and dark circles. Growth hormones helps
slow down aging by fixing the dead skin cells that have
accumulated. Sleep has a high correlation to the quality of
our skin. With that, it is important to make sure that we start
everyday with a good night sleep to rejuvenate our body.
Some tips from Dr.Krant on having a good night sleep is not to
eat a big meal or drinking water too late at night. This makes
us too full and our digestive and excretory systems working
too hard, making it hard to fall asleep. Keep electronics out
of the bed. Your phone is probably the biggest thing that
is keeping you up at night. 1 Try to stay mindful of what is
keeping you awake and night and try to take that aspect out.
Try and work out what sleep schedule works right for you.
Some ways to fall asleep better is to sleep on your right side
to open up the heart. Then, breath deeply and inhale for 2-5
seconds and then exhale after for the same amount of time.
Try and go to sleep before 10:30 and get atleast 9 hours of
sleep to maintain your natural circadian rhythm. Circadian
rhythm is the natural process that regulates your sleep-wake
cycle that continues every 24 hours. 2 Finally, continue to relax
and don’t overthink too much.
1 Appold, Karen, and Pamela Kaufman. “6 Amazing Reasons to Sleep for Skin Health - Skin
and Beauty Center - Everyday Health.” EverydayHealth.com, www.everydayhealth.com/skinand-beauty/amazing-reasons-to-sleep-for-skin-health.aspx.
2 Berg, Eric. “How to Fall Asleep And Stay Asleep [INFOGRAPHIC].” Dr. Berg Blog, 5 May
2020, www.drberg.com/blog/how-to-get-to-sleep. 34

skin
essentials
Holistic Skincare thrives around making sure that we are
trying to gravitate towards a natural healing method. It is more
than just striving for perfection, but wanting to progress and
grow. This handbook is not focused on achieving nor will it
guarantee perfect skin because let’s be realistic here, we only
see that on social media. Everyone has their ups and downs
with their skin. A holistic mentality is trying to nourish our
skin from the inside out. By keeping our routines simple, but
consistent will enhance our overall skin and simultaneously
make us feel beautiful.
“Dont rush, it takes time to
grow into who you are”
-Lalah Delia
35

36

When striving to see your skin slowly progress you can
actively look and try to add these ingredients within your skin
care regiment can have a natural way of rejuvenating the skin.
Some of the seven best natural ingredients for your skin
according to Liesa Goins is coconut oil, centella asiatica, green
tea, oatmeal, shea butter, soy, and tea tree oil. 1
Coconut oil is extremely beneficial in hydration and has
anti-inflammatory effects. Research stated that coconut oil is
able to prevent the body’s natural inflammatory agents from
arising. For people with itchy or dry skin, coconut oil helps to
moisturize as well.
Centella Asiatica is an extremely well known ingredient
in Asian skincare. It is a combination of amino acids, beta
carotene, fatty acids, and photochemicals that is able to
treat wounds and injuries. With that, a lot of products meant
to decrease redness and acne spots include this ingredient
because of its “wound healing benefits” says Michelle Wong,
PhD. These chemicals in the plant specifically increase blood
supply to injury sites and are able to strengthen the skin.
Green tea provides antioxidants that soothes your skin from
the sun damage. The sun as it releases harmful UV rays can
cause your skin to age faster. When applying skincare with
green tea it could also prevent aging.
1 Goins, Liesa. “7 Best Natural Ingredients for Your Skin.” WebMD, WebMD, 6 Mar. 2019,
www.webmd.com/beauty/features/best-natural-ingredients-for-skin#2.

Oatmeal contains anti-inflammatory and anti-irritant
chemicals called avenathramides. Oatmeal is great alternative
for extremely sensitive and eczema prone skin. For people
with eczema they shouldn’t use too many products because it
can cause more irritation or allergies.
Shea butter is an ingredient found in a lot of moisturizers
because it hydrates the skin through its abundant amount
of fatty acids. It is extremely helpful in treating and soothing
eczema as well. Shea butter is also a good ingredient to look
for if your skin is more sensitive and dry.
Soy or soybeans has antioxidants and fatty acids that come
naturally from the plant. Soy is a protectant from UV rays
because it can reduce pigmentation aka redness or darkness.
Soy also helps your body to increase collagen synthesis.
Last, but not least, tea tree oil is an ingredient that also
provides beneficial plant chemicals. The leaves have antiinflammatory
effects which prevents your body from being
irritated from germs, fungus, and bacteria that may grow on
your skin. By applying tea tree oil it could decrease the amount
of redness or other pigmentation on our skin.
One disclaimer is that the way every body reacts to specific
ingredients is different. So just stay attentive to what you are
applying onto your skin and listen to the signs of your body.
38

conclusion

you glow !
You made it to the end !
Has your mindset changed ?
Let’s strive to keep your inner glow reflecting on the outside.
My advice is to keep things simple and achieve things slowly.
This book isn’t trying to get you to a certain destination or
point. We are striving to make holistic skin care a continuous
process of improvement that becomes a part of your life.
Your body is the most precious ecosystem that works
simultaneously as a whole. With that, it is important to take
care of not only your skin, but your entire body.
Again, YES you are adding a holistic regiment to achieve
overall improvement in your skin conditions. However, a
holistic life style has to be done from the inside out ! Create a
holistic routine to take care of every aspect of yourself!
41

42

bibliography
1. Breazeale, Ron. “Thoughts, Neurotransmitters, Body-Mind
Connection.” Psychology Today, 2012, www.psychologytoday.com/us/
blog/in-the-face-adversity/201207/thoughts-neurotransmitters-bodymind-connection.
2. Aiken, Kristen. “A Holistic Beauty Guru Explains When Natural Skin
Care Ingredients Aren’t Enough.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 21 June 2019,
www.huffpost.com/entry/natural-skincare_l_5cf02423e4b0e8085e36
c3b4?guccounter=1.
3. Tschinkel, Arielle. “10 Ways Working out Can Help - and Hurt - Your
Skin.” Insider, 18 June 2019, www.insider.com/how-does-workingout-impact-your-skin-good-bad-ways-2019-6.
4. Alidina, Shamash, et al. “Nine Ways Mindfulness Reduces Stress.”
Mindful, 17 July 2019, www.mindful.org/9-ways-mindfulnessreduces-stress/.
5. Wu, Sarah. “Eating For Beauty: The Best Diet For Healthy, Clea
Skin.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 18 Sept. 2014, www.forbes.com/sites/
sarahwu/2014/09/16/eating-for-beauty-the-best-diet-for-healthyclear-skin/#da6a6631e601.

6. Goins, Liesa. “7 Best Natural Ingredients for Your Skin.” WebMD,
WebMD, 6 Mar. 2019, www.webmd.com/beauty/features/bestnatural-ingredients-for-skin#2
7. Network, Women’s Health. “Holistic Skin Care - Healthy
Skin from the inside Out.” Women’s Health Network, www.
womenshealthnetwork.com/skin-and-beauty/holistic-skin-care.aspx.
8. “Superfoods: Health Benefits, Uses, and Risks.” Medical News
Today, MediLexicon International, www.medicalnewstoday.com/
articles/303079#common_superfoods.
9. Berg, Eric. “How to Fall Asleep And Stay Asleep [INFOGRAPHIC].”
Dr. Berg Blog, 5 May 2020, www.drberg.com/blog/how-to-get-tosleep.
10. Appold, Karen, and Pamela Kaufman. “6 Amazing Reasons to
Sleep for Skin Health - Skin and Beauty Center - Everyday Health.”
EverydayHealth.com, www.everydayhealth.com/skin-and-beauty/
amazing-reasons-to-sleep-for-skin-health.aspx.

skin vitality handbook
written & illustrated by Ellie Chung