Unfortunately, the skincare industry is full of toxic and abrasive chemicals and heavy metals; it’s no wonder why your skin keeps getting agitated. Knowing what’s in your products is vital for keeping inflammation down. Cleaning up your skincare routine is an essential step in reversing melasma. 

Remember that though some ingredients may help, the symptoms will return if not treated internally. The melasma itself is a symptom of internal disharmony. Therefore, we want to address the topical problems and look at the whole body together. The skin is your largest organ and it responds to internal processes like toxins, hormones, and inflammation. Therefore, dermatology has a hard time maintaining results. 

Depending on your country, there are different regulations on skincare ingredients. It is far less regulated here in the US than in countries like Europe and Canada, which have some of the most rigorous rules in the skincare industry worldwide. As a result, the US falls behind in regulating some of the most toxic, which can cause allergies, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, organ system toxicity, bioaccumulation, and hormonal disruption. 

Use the EWG app or website (short for Environmental Working Group), a non-profit organization with a Skin Deep database, to assess the quality of your care products. You can scan a product's bar code, and it will rate your product by ingredient on a hazard scale from 1-10. Read about their rating system in UNDERSTANDING SKIN DEEP RATINGS. You can also search by ingredient if a specific product is not in the database. EWG is a crucial resource to help me analyze which products are safe for me to use and how they may affect my health. I use the Safe Cosmetics website when I can’t find products or ingredients I’m researching on EWG. Between both sites, I can usually find the information I need.

Regularly researching your cosmetic or skincare products should become routine. Knowledge is power, and it is up to each of us to take control of what products we allow to come into contact with our body’s largest organ. Be proactive about what products you are using; that’s the best way to follow The Mind Body Beauty Way. 

It might surprise you that essential oils can be harsh on the skin, even when diluted in skincare products. They can sometimes cause sensitization with topical use, resulting in irritation, dermatitis, and acne. I try to stay away from essential oils as best I can when it comes to skincare, even though I don’t personally have reactions to them. They are too abrasive and harsh for my face. Instead, I try to choose products without essential oils and replace them with plant extracts. It can be hard to find products without essential oils, but the skincare industry is slowly coming around to the fact that plant extracts are superior to essential oils. Yes, to plant extracts. No thanks to essential oils. 

I did not use topicals for 90% of my journey because I think it’s essential to see the skin’s progress. There is a feedback loop between internal adjustments (diet, hormones, vitamins, etc.) and skin improvement. Adding a variable like topicals makes it almost impossible to determine cause and effect. We all want to see results immediately, and so it’s easy to become addicted to the quick-fix of a topical we find that covers our melasma. But remember that this is a symptom and not the cause. It takes time and dedication to reverse melasma permanently. The Mind Body Beauty way is to treat the disease, not the symptom. Understanding our melasma pigmentation is one of the most critical tools in assessing the effects we are attempting to treat. 

For example, I was doing a bunch of glutathione IV pushes at a naturopathic doctor's office during my journey. After about 3 or 4 sessions, I realized my skin was getting worse every time I did it; this was devastating. If I were using a topical treatment, I could have easily missed that the IV, which “should” have been a healthy naturopathic solution, was exacerbating my condition. I will talk about this story in another article soon, so stay tuned!

Step 1: Oil cleansing.

There are many face washes out there, and I have tried everything. I’ve found that very few face washes work without stripping the natural oils from your skin. The goal is to clean makeup off your face, which people think usually requires deep cleansing, so they turn to heavy detergents that lather up well and typically have loads of ingredients. We can strip down our skincare routine to the bare bones and have better results than with expensive products that strip your skin's microbiome. It doesn’t have to be complicated. 

Oil cleansing is a fantastic way to cleanse your skin because it doesn’t strip the good bacteria from your face or dry out your skin. Instead, I’ve found that my skin glows and feels replenished when I oil cleanse. The key to oil cleansing is how you do it. Some people recommend you use a hot towel and wipe the oil from your face. Hot water or heat of any kind causes inflammation; it can disrupt the skin's natural oils, fats, and proteins that protect your skin and keep it healthy.  

Here is how to oil cleanse properly:

• Use 1-2 tablespoons of chosen oil. 
• Warm oil in hands.
• Massage oil all around your face for 5 mins. 
• Rinse the oil off with warm water. 
• Use a dry towel and gently wipe the rest of the oil from the face. 

You can use several different oils; if you are prone to acne, you’ll want to find a non-comedogenic oil to prevent breakouts. I will go over a few fantastic options, and your skin will love you for it.

Olive oil is one of the most common oils used for oil cleansing. The best olive oil to use is Koroneiki olives. This olive is found in Greece and is considered the king of olives because of its high polyphenol content. Olive oil helps restore skin barrier damage, protects, hydrates, and fights bacteria; it is high in oleic acid, which helps cell regeneration and improves elasticity—olive oil scores a two on the comedogenic scale. The scale is 0-to 5, which means olive oil has moderate comedogenic properties. If you are sensitive to acne breakouts, you might try another oil. Koroneiki oil is also excellent for your food, so it’s a win-win. 

Avocado oil is another oil to use for oil cleansing. Avocado is incredibly nourishing and protective of the skin. It is calming and soothing for chapped or irritated skin; it can protect against UV rays, increase collagen production, has antimicrobial properties, and helps other skin conditions like psoriasis. It even provides better hydration than olive oil and can repair the skin barrier. Avocado oil scores a three on the comedogenic scale. Some acne-prone people can tolerate avocado oil, and some can not. Like any oil, everyone has a different skin type and reaction. 

Rosehip seed oil is one of my favorite oils and probably the queen of all oils. It is hands down the best oil for skin health. It is packed with vitamins, essential fatty acids, and phenols and has shown to be antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral. It might not be as hydrating as avocado oil, but it locks in natural moisture. Rosehip is nature’s tretinoin, containing .357mg/liter, or 0.00003923% tretinoin. Keep in mind prescription tretinoin is usually compounded at .025% and .05%, so the oil in its natural state won’t get anywhere near the same results. Still, you will benefit from long-term use since it does have similar properties. Rosehip oil is a great exfoliator and encourages skin cell turnover. In addition, it boosts collagen formation, reduces fine lines, pigmentation, and scars, and protects against sun damage. What is not to love about this incredible oil? Why not wash your face with it? Rosehip oil score is a one on the comedogenic scale. 

Non-comedogenic oils for oil cleansing. If you genuinely need a zero on the comedogenic scale, I recommend hemp seed oil. Hemp seed oil is incredible for balancing oil production. It soothes inflammation, treats atopic dermatitis, and reduces signs of aging. It is high in omega-3 it is a fantastic option for oil cleansing. A few other non-non comedogenic oils are argan oil, jojoba oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, and sweet almond oil.

Always do a patch test with oils before using them on your face; this is a 24-hour test to see if reactions occur. If you pass, then give it a try. Once you find the right oil for your skin, you will be so happy you switched to this hydrating cleansing style.  

You can also use a dab of the same oil you washed your face with if you want extra hydration after oil cleansing. Keep it simple. 

Asdf; add hemp oil and rosehip oil options. 

My pick's for oil cleansing:

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Exfoliation.

There are different schools of thought on this topic. Should you use exfoliants for melasma? Most likely not; if you have active melasma, it’s best to stay away from exfoliants until you reach the passive phase. Once you get to the inactive stage, start small. Lower percentages are best since exfoliants do strip away dead skin cells. Start once a week, then twice a week, then three times a week, and so on. 

The only acids you should use are lactic acid, malic acid, and mandelic acid. These three are the safest for melasma because they have larger molecules that are absorbed slowly into the skin and will be the most gentle of all acids. You will want to use 3%, but no more than 8%, a few times a week. If you react, there are two possibilities: 1) Your melasma is active. 2) You are using too strong a percentage of acids. Generally, if you’re using a 3% and everything seems fine, stay there. There’s no need to use higher percentages in hopes of stripping away the pigmentation. Remember, the function of the pigmentation is internal, so even if you remove it from the top, it’s still active down below. Higher percentages can aggravate melasma, and you don’t want that. I’ve heard plenty of stories about women who used lower ratios and were fine, then decided to use a more robust solution that ultimately aggravated and darkened their melasma. If this happens to you, discontinue using exfoliants altogether and visit the STEP 1 article. 

I don’t use exfoliants much because I’ve found that I don’t need them. I discovered that my routine seems to be a winning routine.

My pick's for exfoliation:

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Step 2: Black tea toner.

Black tea is one of my favorite beverages. I drink somewhere around 3-5 cups a day. I might have three black teas and two green teas a day, but I drink a lot of tea either way. Black tea is probably one of my favorite ingredients for my skin. Green tea is good too, but I find the black tea benefits are superior. I briefly mentioned some of these properties in STEP 1, but here I’ll elaborate. Black tea has the best tyrosinase inhibiting capacity among tea in general. It has comparatively high anti-melanogenic effects as well. Black tea is fantastic at inhibiting pigmentation and preventing it. It combines well with oil cleansing because it locks in the moisture from the oil after washing

Here are other excellent benefits:

• Brings hydration
• Smooths, firms, and nourishes
• Antioxidants for the skin/free radical protection
• Improves glow and elasticity
• Provides SPF 20 for both UVA & UVB

A black tea toner beats almost anything else you could put on your skin. It has undoubtedly changed my skin's texture and appearance. Though I can’t credit it for removing pigment, I notice a slight glow every time I use it and my skin is much softer and smoother. In addition, it has incredible benefits around the eyes, and it’s very gentle. Hands-down black tea is a must to add to your skincare routine. *This will only stay good for about 5 days without a preservative.

Ingredients for the tea toner:

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The truth about vitamin C. 

Vitamin C is one of the skincare industry standards for skin health because of its many benefits.  However, vitamin C has a dirty little secret that could be causing you more damage than good. So let’s look at the benefits first.

Some of those benefits are:

• Makes collagen
• Heals wounds
• Maintains and repairs skin
• Diminishes fine lines and wrinkles
• Evens skin tone
• Reduces dark spots
• Prevent’s premature aging

With a list like this, it’s clear why vitamin C is a beloved ingredient in the skincare world.

What you’re not told is that ascorbic acid is both an antioxidant and a pro-oxidant! If you ever see a vitamin C product turn orange or brown, it's been corrupted by oxidization. The vitamin is now a pro-oxidant called dehydroascorbic acid, and it will do the opposite of what an antioxidant does. This corrupted form of vitamin C can turn your skin cells brown, which may appear as pigmentation. Luckily this false pigmentation/dead skin cells will sluff off after a week after discontinuing use.

In its oxidized form, Vitamin C turns into a free radical that can cause inflammation and irritation, degrade collagen, break down elastin, and cause acne. 

Exposure to metal is another cause of oxidization for vitamin C, which happens due to something called a Fenton reaction. Metal machinery is often used during the manufacturing process. The product passes through the metal into the container or bottle, exposing it to the possibility of a Fenton reaction that oxidizes it. 

Vitamin C can also react with iron and copper. If you use sunscreen with iron oxides, avoid topicals with vitamin C, as the sunscreen oxidizes the vitamin. Check your ingredient list; look for copper, titanium, and other metallic ingredients. Do not mix metals with vitamin C.

Knowing how to use vitamin C is the key to the successful use of this fantastic ingredient. Now that you understand the downsides of a corrupted product, you can safely enjoy all the benefits it brings.

Here are some tips:

• Only use vitamin C in powder form, which lessens the likelihood it will pass through metallic surfaces during the manufacturing or packaging process
• Make it fresh; use a small amount of powder with four drops of water or toner and apply it to the face or use it as a mask for 20 mins and rinse.
• Only use vitamin C at night to prevent interactions with sunscreen and cosmetic ingredients.
• Do not mix vitamin C with lotions containing metallic ingredients
• Don’t overuse vitamin C. Less is best.

I mix vitamin C with my black tea toner every other day. You can replace the toner with rose water if you don’t have time to make the black tea.

My pick's for vitamin C & rose water:

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Mushrooms.

Many medicinal mushrooms will benefit your skin, a relatively new discovery for the skincare industry.  Most people haven’t caught on to the incredible benefits of mushrooms for skin health because it’s such a new topic. Though there are only a few mushroom-containing products currently available, let’s talk about some mushrooms that most benefit skin health. Most mushrooms protect DNA and protect from oxidative stress. They can even produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, just like we do. How incredible is that?!

Reishi, also known as Ganoderma lucidum is native to China. It lowers inflammation, can boost immunity, has anti-cancer properties, and fights fatigue and depression. Indeed it is a fantastic healing mushroom with a long history of use in Chinese medicine. Reish benefits chronic skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis and has been shown to strengthen the skin barrier function and inhibit pigmentation. Reishi can increase dermal and epidermal thickness, improve skin structure, prevents skin aging, protect fibroblasts, and has anti-photoaging benefits. Reishi has excellent anti-aging qualities. 

Chaga is a parasitic fungus that grows on birch trees in several different countries like Alaska, N. Europe, N. Canada, Korea, Russia, and Siberia. Also called Inonotus obliquus,  it has the highest content of food source melanin. Compounds isolated from the Chaga mushroom have demonstrated their ability to inhibit pigmentation development. Paradoxically it may also benefit conditions like vitiligo through promoting balanced pigmentation. Chaga protects against UV damage, oxidative stress, and premature aging. It contains nutrients like calcium, iron, manganese, B-complex, vitamin D, copper, potassium, amino acids, and magnesium. Its anti-inflammatory effects and high nutrient content make it a powerhouse for your skincare routine.

Tremella, the scientific name tremella fuciformis, has been used in the Chinese, Korean, and Japanese beauty industries for thousands of years. Tremella is also called snow fungus, silver ear, or white jelly mushroom due to its ruffles and translucent jello-like texture. To me, it looks like a jelly tree flower. Tremella can accelerate wound healing, increase moisture retention, boost collagen, prevent degradation in micro blood vessels, smooth fine lines/wrinkles, and inhibit pigmentation. Tremella is also incredible for brain health. 

Adding mushroom extracts :

Here’s a little secret. You can add ¼ tsp of extract to the 4oz toner and ½ tsp of extract to one of your daily beverages. For example, I drink Persian-style tea every morning, black tea with rosebuds, milk, and sweetener. I use stevia. Then I add the mushrooms to my tea and stir with a frother. 

My pick's for mushrooms:

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Ghee. 

Ghee is nature’s vitamin A and an Indian beauty secret and has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. Ghee is essentially butter with the milk solids removed. As a result, it has less lactose than regular butter. Ghee comprises essential fatty acids, butyric acid, Omega-3, arachidonic and linolic acid, vitamin A, D, E K, and B12. Ghee is also non-comedogenic and works for all skin types. 

This ancient medicine is incredibly beneficial for your skin health for so many reasons: Ghee softens and hydrates, reduces pigmentation and repairs dry and damaged skin. It is also excellent for eye care by reducing dark circles. In addition, ghee reduces inflammation and oxidative stress and improves elasticity—finally, ghee is nature’s retinol and is far more gentle on the skin than tretinoin and other retinol products. It will leave your skin glowing and renewed.

The best way to use ghee is to use a tiny bit; a little goes a long way. Ghee can be a bit greasy, so leave on for 20 mins, then take a tissue and gently pat your face to soak up the excess oil. You don’t want a greasy pillow. You can use ghee every day to enjoy its many benefits.

Try cooking with ghee also, it has a high smoke point, unlike butter. It is sensational. I always keep some in both my kitchen and bathroom.

My pick for ghee:

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Ceramides.

Ceramides are fatty acids, also called lipids, that make up about 50% of your epidermis. These long-chain fatty acids promote cellular function and prevent skin permeability, locking in moisture and protecting from environmental damage. Ceramides can help soothe chronic skin conditions and help with redness or irritation. Ceramides are excellent if you need extra hydration. If you are oil cleansing, you may not need to add this to your routine. I have found that oil cleansing replenishes my natural moisture, and I don’t typically need extra hydration. However, if you are using a cleanser, you’ll want to add ceramides to your routine. Cleansers typically strip the skin of all its natural oil, so you’ll want to replenish and hydrate with ceramides. 

My pick's for ceramides:

(Please purchase through my affiliate links. There's no extra cost to you, and it helps keep this project going so I can support more women on their healing journey)

Healing the skin is such a vital part of healing melasma. Simplifying your routine will help reduce the spread and nourish the skin topically without overdoing it. 

Be sure to check out my blog post about Defining melasma.

What are you excited to try in your routine?