This week I'll be chatting with you about skin and liver health. It's something we hear about constantly and rarely understand in any depth. For me personally, this — along with tallow — made a real difference to how my skin looks and feels. I spent a very long stretch of my life, from about eleven right through to twenty-eight, with skin that would not settle. That was when I started learning about internal health and how much it has to do with what shows up on your face.
The liver is one of the hardest-working organs in the body, and it does a great deal of the tidying up. Everything we eat, drink, breathe and touch eventually passes through it. When it is under a heavy load, plenty of people notice it in the mirror before they notice it anywhere else — a dull complexion, tired-looking eyes, skin that just doesn't look like itself.
Every day we take in a remarkable quantity of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, knowingly and unknowingly. Fuel bowsers, shopping receipts, hand sanitisers, hand washes, bathroom cleaners, hairspray, shampoo and a hundred other things. Most of it we can't avoid entirely. If you're a sensitive soul like me, you feel it more than most, and it tends to show.
Then there are the things we choose: coffee, alcohol, and the sort of food that comes in a packet with a long ingredient list. It only makes sense to give the liver a break from time to time. Let's look at why.
Better digestion. Eating simply for a stretch — real food, less of the processed stuff — tends to leave people feeling less bloated and more comfortable. Digestion that is working well also means you're absorbing more of what you eat, and the skin is usually the first place that shows.
More energy. Most people who cut caffeine and alcohol for a month report feeling considerably better by the end of it, even if the first week is grim.
Clearer thinking. The mental fog that lifts partway through a reset is the bit nobody expects and everybody mentions.
Skin that looks like itself again. This is the one I care most about. Skin looks brighter and more even when the rest of you is running well. It is not magic and it is not fast, but it is real.
If you'd like to try a reset, here is roughly how I go about it. This is what has worked for me — it isn't advice, and if you have any health concerns at all, please have a chat with your health practitioner or a qualified naturopath before you start.
Eat well. More fish, better fats, plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Avoid processed food full of artificial preservatives, flavours and colours, along with refined sugar, fried food, hydrogenated oils and seed oils.
Drink plenty of water. Warm lemon water in the morning is a nice habit and an easy one to keep.
So what does my own reset actually look like?
I start by setting a time frame — four weeks at minimum, eight is better. Caffeine and alcohol go, and so does anything with a long ingredient list.
A dandelion tea morning and night.
Around three litres of fluid a day. Two large peppermint teas, two dandelion teas, two large glasses of water, two mugs of bone broth or meat stock and a couple of ginger teas will get you there comfortably. After meals I'll have pomegranate, celery or carrot juice — only after a meal, never on an empty stomach.
Good fish and steak, loads of fresh fruit and salad throughout. Nothing fried, nothing out of a packet — think Mediterranean. Lemon water is a lovely addition.
The more of those liquids you can get through the better. And it really is strictly no caffeine and no alcohol. You will feel worse before you feel better — that part is guaranteed and it passes. What people tend to notice afterwards is small and cumulative: the shadows under the eyes look softer, the skin feels smoother, and it starts to look like your own face again.
Two or three times a year is plenty. It is also well worth doing this alongside a qualified naturopath or health practitioner rather than on your own, particularly the first time.
Meanwhile, on the outside: keep the routine short and keep the skin nourished. A simple tallow balm moisturises, softens and supports the skin's moisture barrier, so your face stays comfortable while the rest of you catches up.
Happy resetting!
This article is general information only and is not advice about any health matter. Please speak with your health practitioner before making significant changes to your diet.