I’m in my 50’s. For as long as I can remember I am complimented on and asked about my skin and/or skin care. With everything in life (except artistic expression) I am very basic. I like simple food, simple, effective routines, uncomplicated life because life alone is challenging enough.

In 2021 I had fractioned laser on my face and chest. It took my already good skin to the next level. After going through the pain and expense of the laser treatment, I was determined to nurture my skin even more than I did before. I switched what I was using for some very expensive, very effective clean botanical skincare. It was indeed working then a friend told me about Herbal Face Food. This product/company is an ENTIRELY different level.

I started with the repair and HFF1 along with the soap. Now when you look at the cost of the soap you will undoubtedly wonder am I crazy. I did too. Until I started using it. I’ve had that one soap well over a year now. I use it almost daily (sometimes I’m lazy and do nothing). It still has probably another 6 months left as I use it but am also aware to not waste it. The soap is $65 and well worth the price!

I started to notice a difference in my skin within days. When you first put the serum on you tingle (burn) as it stimulates blood flow. These products are magic in a bottle! So for everyone who ask what I use here is the first part of the answer, Herbal Face Food.

use code DONNAB20 for 20% off your first order.

Skincare is so much more than just a good product or two. What we eat, drink, consume shows up in our skin. The collagen you take to repair your bowel also nourishes hair, skin, nails. It’s important that whatever you use it is clean. When I was younger I used mostly products from Farmaesthetics. I used their oils, exfoliators and cleansers. Now I use argan oil after visiting Morocco. My skin loves it. I use the Herbal Face Food serum, argan oil and then a day cream because I am older. Before that combo would have been too heavy. Plus I am frequently in the water and sun and it’s my happy place so I am super careful about nourishing my skin.

I do use sunscreen. 100% clean of course. My favorite is from Grown Alchemist. It is like no sunscreen I’ve ever used. It is rich, creamy, delicious, goes on so smooth and blends in easily. It does not leave a heavy white residue making you look like a ghost instead of a bronzed goddess! It works, feels great and nourishes my skin. What’s not to like? They have a nice selection of other products too but I have no direct experience of those. If they are anything like the sunscreen they are wonderful!

There is also another line that I watched one of my clients transform her skin with. She uses the products from Body Deli. Her skin went from good to out of this world! Again, I have no personal experience of them but what a transformation for my friend!

I’m sorry I don’t mean to sound like an ad. This is the easiest way for me to answer questions about my skin. How rude if I didn’t include links.

In my book I talk about Credo. Credo is a clean cosmetics store. I’ve been a fan since visiting their store in San Francisco. They have clean EVERYTHING-skincare, makeup, perfume, lotions, potions, all high quality and effective. Of course, like everything I’m a fan of some products more than others. What works on my skin might not work on yours (except herbal face food, as far as I can tell it’s magic for everyone who uses it). Credo is a great place to really get a feel of what is available in the marketplace. Their makeup colors are simply amazing!

Aside from the products you use, the nutrients in your food certainly affect your skin, both in integrity and appearance. Amino acids are the building blocks for your body. They help maintain skin hydration, resilience and appearance. Eating a diet rich in amino acid containing foods can do wonders for your skin.

Mushrooms contain 17 amino acids. Fish and quinoa are also high in amino acids. However most seeds have amino acids and good fats along with fiber to assist bowel movements. Turkey and beans are high in amino acids too. Eating a diet high in vegetables and high quality proteins (vegan or not) will provide a good cross section of amino acids to help nourish your skin, hair, nails helping you glow from the inside out!

It’s also important to look at what you consume that causes dehydration. Our bodies are 90% WATER!!! If you are dehydrated then how can your skin glow? Get the hydrating liquids in and avoid the dehydrators like too much coffee or caffeine containing teas. Instead opt for nourishing healing teas like licorice (which also nourishes your adrenals as well as helps repair ulceration), ashwagandha which nourishes those adrenals too and provides hormone support. Ginger tea for stimulating digestion and peppermint for soothing. Tumeric based teas to lessen inflammation and aid weight loss. Use herbal supplements to make non alcoholic drinks. Be sure to watch out for an upcoming guest blog on mocktails and a different blog on ways to up your hydration.

In the western world we take our health for granted! If it's not covered by insurance then sooooo many people don't want to pay for it or they do not value it. What this translates to in reality is that one does not value self, or health, choosing to value only what some large corporation is saying is important enough that they will pay for it. What is not realized here is that it is paid for because there is a benefit for them. There may be a benefit for you too but more often than not this is not realized and when it doesn't work one goes back for more, eternally perpetuating the cycle.

PEOPLE MEDICINE IS NOT ABOUT HEALTH-IT IS ABOUT DISEASE!!!! IF YOU REALLY WANT TO BE HEALTHY THEN RECLAIM YOUR HEALTH BEFORE YOU ARE IN A STATE OF DISEASE!!!!!

Energetically if you sit at home worrying about having a heart attach or becoming diabetic then guess what, that is what you are going to create! Instead channel the energy you use to worry into something positive-a walk by a river or stream, yoga, the gym, a day at the beach-something that gives you joy and has your body moving. When we don't move our bodies become stuck and stagnant and this in turn creates the breeding ground for disease for your body! You don't need to start out by running a marathon. Start where you feel is appropriate for where you are, what is right for your body and what you can handle. IF you are so disconnected from your body then find a local professional to help you or do some research online. We all start SOMEWHERE, what is important is that you start! The rest will come because as you start moving then more energy will begin to free up and pretty soon you won't know how you lived without it.

The same is true about your diet. After 10+ years of working with people on diet I see it over and over-first is the resistance to change then slowly the changes come. This is and has been true in my own life. There are some habits I work to improve but at times it can be a slow process whereas others it's easier and I know what I should eat! (Everyone is different so please do not buy into the one size fits all ideas about food). Joy is not only an important part of food but an important part of life. If you struggle with vegetables then slowly add in the ones you like and be open to the possibility of trying others. Look online (like this blog) for inspiration. Visit the salad bar at the local grocery store to find other ideas and combinations you may enjoy. Buy a cookbook, look online! Don't be afraid to fail because trust me we do not create without it going wrong sometimes! For years I've been playing with food and combinations for my clients and as I slowly write a book. There have been times where it was a no on every front and then some amazing yes dishes too where I did not write it down. Getting it right and getting it wrong is part of life but one must start. And if you hate the taste of fish then don't eat fish! I get much joy from occassional ice cream (dairy, sugar, etc -all the things that make us more acidic but it brings me joy on a hot day with my family so I eat with joy which is equally as important!). If you feel you can't live life without meat then don't, but change the quality and quantity of what you eat and make it the best possible.

Once you start eating better and moving you will discover you are slowly starting to feel better and just perhaps that ailment you were going to the doctor for is no longer there. You discovered it was in your power to change it. Yes it is true that sometimes we do need outside help to get us started (and for some to keep us on track too). For years I've had clients come into me and say well I've done this and this and this and still my bowel doesn't work and I'm beside myself, can you help me please? Often time these very people were doing the exact right things for their body but they neglected to clear out the old matter stuck in their bowel clogging them up and this was blocking all other progress. A little helping hand in getting rid of the old was all that was necessary.

If you go to the doctor they are doing what they were trained to do-deal with disease. Disease is not about health and do you honestly believe that the pharmaceutical companies care about your health? Their profits lie in the indoctrination that if you "don't feel well" then you go to the doctor and they prescribe you a pill. The side effect of ALMOST every drug is gastrointestinal upset!!! Approximately 80% of your immune system is in your large intestine! How is a drug really going to help you? Please do not misunderstand me, I am not anti-drug. Sometimes they can be lifesavers, literally, but as a society we are WAY OVERSUBSCRIBED!!! I AM PRO HEALTH, which is without disease and in which case you will not need the drugs.

People complain about the cost of healthcare yet fail to see that healthcare is actually part of the problem-it's not about health. Our habits are also a part of the problem and without realizing we have created the very thing we complain about so if you want change start with yourself and don't expect anyone else or a company to do it for you! If you want to improve your health-physical, mental, emotional and spiritual then find someone local who can help you to navigate this new terrain and help you put the pieces of your puzzle together. For years I've been telling my clients that I'm just here to help them understand how the puzzle fits together and to help find the missing pieces. Finding someone locals gives you a much greater access to what is around and to the other resources in your neighborhood. Often times I get request from people years after I've stopped seeing them for local contacts because they know I am aware of what is around (as best as possible). A really good practioner is not afraid to cross refer. I'm a firm believer that we can not be all things to all people and there are so many people who offer necessary services for health and healing and this includes honoring our emotional bodies as well. One thing is for certain-whenever we "get to the bottom of what is eating us" (yes our emotions can slowly eat away at our bodies-cancer is a good example) then we discover that dealing with those issues and becoming free is of them is far greater than anything we could ever achieve burying them so that one need not face them!!! The greatest gift my work has ever given me was the deep understanding that we all have something-life does not spare anyone of the highs and lows, no matter what-you can be rich or poor but it doesn't matter, it still exist. Our view of it is colored by our surroundings so an event devastating to one person may seem trivial to the next but that doesn't make it any less valid. Life is an individual experience and how we digest it is uniquely ours! What is important is that we digest it!!! Otherwise it remains stuck and we remain stuck. There is so much more you can do for your health and wellbeing that a doctor can not help you with. THE POWER TO DO SO IS YOURS, RECLAIM IT!!!