Radiant skin requires more than just a good skincare routine.

The Beauty Chef's 7 rules of glowing skin. Image: SuppliedSource:BodyAndSoul

When it comes to getting that gorgeous, healthy skin glow, there's more to it than simply stock piling the best cleansers and moisturisers on the beauty shelves. Carla Oates suggests taking a holistic approach to skincare; taking extra care in your diet, and your mental health can have a bigger impact on your skin than you may think.

When it comes to gut health, we're only just starting to understand the wide-ranging implications that the microbiome has not only on our digestive health - but also our mental, hormonal and external health, too. One person who knows more than most is Carla Oates. She's been working in the gut health space since creating her cult Glow powder in 2009 and then founding The Beauty Chef in 2012. Each month she's sharing her extensive knowledge with Body+Soul, via this new editorial column- Get Gutsy. Bon appetite!

There’s no question that we all enjoy a luxe facial treatment from time to time – or the simple self-care ritual of applying our favourite skincare products.

But when it comes to achieving healthy, glowing skin, it’s important to think holistically. Radiant skin is also about consistency (and doesn’t need to cost a fortune!), so here are a few simple DIY beauty and wellness rituals that are not only self-empowering—but can have a profound effect on your skin, as well as your broader health and wellbeing…

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As your body’s largest organ (and one of your main elimination pathways)—it’s important to exercise regularly as daily movement helps to keep your lymphatic system flowing, aiding in detoxification. Not only that, but exercise helps to increase blood flow throughout the body—including to your skin—delivering freshly oxygenated blood and key nutrients to your cells, for a healthy, glowing complexion.

In terms of your wider wellbeing, studies have also shown that regular exercise can boost the health and diversity of your gut microbiome—which is proven to not only support your overall health, but increased microbial diversity is also linked with better skin!

Best of all, working out rewards you with endorphins and neurochemicals that make you feel happier, more relaxed and less stressed – which can help ameliorate many of the skin conditions linked to stress including premature ageing (known as inflammageing).

For best results, aim for around 30 minutes of low-medium intensity exercise each day. Better yet? Head outdoors for your daily dose of movement (outside of peak UV times) to help boost your vitamin D levels, too—which further supports immune, bone and skin health.

Aside from exercise, there are other simple ways to increase blood flow and circulation to the skin, including vigorous dry body brushing. Working up from your toes—and always in the direction of your heart—this simple practice is a great way to keep blood and lymph flowing. Follow with an icy cold shower or bath for an extra circulation boost!

Facial massage is another simple way to increase blood flow and give your skin that glowy, plumped up look! After cleansing, simply apply a little more of your favourite serum or facial oil than usual and using a facial roller or Gua Sha tool, work the oil into your skin using firm, upwards strokes. If you’re feeling particularly puffy, you can also keep your roller in the fridge!

Give yourself a facial massage with your favourite oil or serum to increase blood flow and give your skin that glowy look! Image: SuppliedSource:BodyAndSoul

Put simply, skin that’s dehydrated can lack a little glow and feel tight, dry and flaky. However, by focusing on hydration you can get your glow back, so ensure you drink plenty of filtered water daily – even add a splash of lemon to make it even more palatable.

Also, pay attention to your intake of caffeinated drinks and alcohol. These drinks can have a diuretic effect on your skin cells. Snacking on naturally-hydrating foods such as cucumber, lettuce, celery and capsicum can also help – or sip on a gut-healing bone broth or your favourite herbal tea!

Sometimes internal heating or air-conditioning can also dry out the air in your home and amplify your dehydrated skin, so consider a humidifier. Also, avoid long hot showers or baths and using harsh soaps and cleansers which can strip the natural oils from the surface of your skin. Instead, opt for hydrating ingredients and oil-based cleansers like coconut oil instead! Oils naturally-rich in lauric acid – which is both cleansing and anti-fungal – such as coconut oil and oil cleansers have been traditionally used in Ayurvedic beauty for centuries and are very effective at lifting dirt from the skin, without drying.

You may have heard of the gut-brain axis – but did you know your gut is also in constant conversation with your skin via the lesser known gut-skin axis, a bidirectional pathway that allows your skin and gut to communicate. This means that your gut health has a direct impact on the condition of your skin so if your gut is out of balance, irritated or inflamed, your skin is often one of the first places to show symptoms. Therefore, healing your skin begins by first addressing your gut health.

And it helps to think of your gut as a garden! Weed out foods that cause irritation or discomfort including common irritants like dairy, gluten and refined sugars – which are both difficult to digest and can feed pathogenic bacteria in the gut leading to imbalances. And instead, feed your gut with nutrient-dense wholefoods including plant fibres which are resistant to digestion in the stomach and small intestine, but are metabolised by the beneficial bacteria in the colon. The byproducts that are produced when this fibre ferments are known as short-chain fatty acids – anti-inflammatory compounds that are linked to improved gut health, immune health, metabolic health and skin health.

Finally, seed your gut microbiome by eating plenty of probiotic-rich fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, cultured milk, unpasteurised miso, tempeh, kefir and beet kvass that contain many different species and strains of beneficial bacteria. Bacteria is your best friend when it comes to your beauty.

A focus on hydration and gut health will encourage healthier, glowy skin. Image: SuppliedSource:BodyAndSoul

Feeling worried or overwhelmed floods your bloodstream with the stress hormone cortisol. While occasional short bursts of cortisol can be beneficial to help you deal with everyday challenges, ongoing, chronic stress can alter the balance of gut bacteria, damage the gut lining and suppress your immune system.

Cortisol also wreaks havoc on your skin by breaking down collagen. Plus it can exacerbate skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, acne and rosacea. There are many daily habits you can do to lower stress levels including deep, slow belly breathing to calm the nervous system, daily meditation or mindfulness practices, walking in nature and spending more time offline or laughing with loved ones can all help.

Healthy fats are an essential ingredient in your skincare routine—you just need to eat the right ones in the right ratios.

Omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids are both essential, but most of us eat way more omega 6 than we should (at a ratio of 16:1) mainly because of the high amounts of vegetable oils in processed foods. Instead, it’s recommended we eat four omega 6 to one omega 3 to ensure we reap the benefits of these nutrients!

With a multitude of health benefits – including supporting nervous system function, brain function, mood, and improving metabolic health—omegas also promote improved gut health and stem inflammation. And for those dealing with inflammatory skin issues like eczema, psoriasis, rosacea and acne, this is a very good thing! Good sources of omega 3s include oily fish, nuts, seeds, eggs, vegetables and grass-fed meats.

Another simple way to nourish your skin and feed the beneficial bacteria on its surface is to make your own mask! Try plain natural yoghurt or manuka or raw honey to nourish dry skin, or brighten a lacklustre complexion with mashed papaya (rich in enzymes that help to refine the skin) and a squeeze of lime juice, also naturally rich in skin refining AHAs.

Carla Oates, founder and creative director of The Beauty Chef. Image: SuppliedSource:BodyAndSoul

Carla Oates is the Sydney-based founder and creative director of The Beauty Chef, the world's first inner beauty brand. Carla works with a leading team of microbiologists, naturopaths and nutritionists creating bio-fermented, probiotic-rich wholefood supplements and topical skincare products. You can find out more here, or follow Carla on Instagram here

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