Ditch the 10-step skincare routine (our skin healing guide)

Modern skincare wants you to believe the answer is topical. That you can scrub, peel, or “glow-up” your skin from the outside, with the latest trending acids or actives no one can pronounce, while your body quietly runs low on the nutrients it actually needs to repair, regulate. Your skin is a mirror reflecting your internal world, your emotional landscape, your diet, your lymphatic flow, your resilience. And just like every vital system in your body, your skin wasn’t designed for modern life. It wasn’t designed for endocrine disrupting creams, synthetic sunscreens, constant inflammation, and the daily assault of environmental toxins. Yet healing it doesn’t require the latest £300 serum or another prescription cream that promises to erase the symptoms but ignores the roots. Skin starts within. In your gut, your minerals, your hormones, and your ability to build and maintain healthy tissue. So let’s begin, not from the surface down, but from the roots up. Acne What’s really happening Acne is often treated like an external problem, slathered with acids, stripped with retinoids, dried into submission. But acne is not born on the skin’s surface. It is the outward manifestation of internal inflammation, insulin dysregulation, gut imbalance, and congested detox pathways. Hormonal imbalance plays a major role, especially the excess production of androgens (like DHT), which overstimulate oil glands. When combined with blood sugar instability,  the rollercoaster driven by refined carbohydrates and seed oils, acne blooms. Gut dysfunction, especially dysbiosis and increased intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”), floods the bloodstream with inflammatory endotoxins that burden the skin. A sluggish liver, struggling to process modern dietary stressors, can no longer efficiently clear excess hormones, toxins, or metabolic waste, forcing the skin to act as a secondary detox channel. One of the most overlooked root causes of acne lies hidden in the rivers beneath the skin: stagnant lymph. Your lymphatic system is responsible for clearing cellular debris, metabolic waste, and pathogens. Unlike blood, lymph has no pump,  it relies on movement, hydration, and muscle contraction to flow. When lymph becomes sluggish, waste backs up into tissues, including the delicate sebaceous structures of the skin. Toxins accumulate, immune surveillance falters, and acne becomes inevitable. Our guidemap Try a raw carrot salad daily: to bind endotoxins and help with hormone clearance (especially estrogen that drives hormonal acne). Prioritise bioavailable protein and fat at every meal: pasture-raised beef, lamb, bison, raw dairy, eggs. Add liver weekly: (the highest natural source of retinol, choline, and B vitamins, crucial for skin renewal). Heal the gut: Emphasise bone broth, fermented foods, gelatine, slow-cooked meats. Nourish the liver: For example, drink herbal infusions of dandelion or nettle. Eat bitter greens, beets, and generous amounts of choline-rich foods like egg yolks and liver. Support lymphatic flow: Daily walks, dry brushing, lymph massage, rebounding (mini trampoline!), and  hydrating deeply with mineral-rich water. Breaking a sweat with exercise or sauna a few times a week is another ancestral way to flush waste and nourish skin from within. Eczema What’s really happening  Eczema is often misunderstood as simply “dry skin” that needs to be moisturised. But at its root, eczema is a message from the immune system, a call from within asking for balance and protection. It is deeply tied to gut health: when the intestinal lining becomes compromised through processed foods, antibiotics, or chronic stress, foreign particles leak into the bloodstream, provoking immune responses that often manifest through the skin. Our guidemap Flood the body with gelatine and collagen daily (slow-cooked stews, oxtail soup, bone broth). GAPS diet may be useful if eczema is severe. Consume whole food vitamin A from beef liver,  the master regulator of epithelial (skin) integrity. Introduce raw milk: its living enzymes, probiotics, and fat-soluble vitamins nourish the gut lining. Colostrum with its immunoglobulins, lactoferrin, growth factors, and healing compounds, acts like a balm for an overreactive immune system Identify triggers: Eliminate common offenders like gluten, conventional dairy, industrial seed oils, and excessive oxalates (raw spinach, almonds). Restore the skin barrier: Rich animal fats like tallow and provide the same fatty acids your skin craves for healing. Nourish anti-inflammatory pathways: Prioritise omega-3s (such as wild-caught fish) and antioxidant-rich foods like berries, cacao, and organ meats. Soothe your skin microbiome: Avoid antibacterial soaps and instead use something natural like aleppo soap (simply extra virgin olive oil and laurel oil as its 2 ingredients). Applying tallow balm (rendered beef fat) or coconut oil deeply moisturise and nourish eczema patches, as they are compatible with our skin’s natural oils and contain anti-microbial properties. Herbal salves with calendula or chamomile can further reduce inflammation. Premature wrinkles What’s really happening  Premature wrinkles are not just a matter of age, they are gentle signals from the body, asking for deeper nourishment. Over time, oxidative stress, slowed collagen renewal, and subtle inflammation quietly wear down the skin’s natural elasticity. Modern diets, heavy in processed foods and industrial seed oils, and light on collagen-rich, ancestral food,  have disrupted the skin’s innate architecture. When unstable omega-6 fats from seed oils integrate into your cell membranes, they leave the skin more fragile, more vulnerable to everyday stressors. But the beauty of the human body is its capacity to repair, renew and reverse premature ageing. Our guidemap Traditional diets provided abundant natural collagen and gelatine, which modern diets lack. To support smooth, firm skin, consume bone broth, gelatine, and collagen-rich cuts (like slow-cooked meats with connective tissue). These provide proline and glycine, amino acids that your body uses to produce collagen and keep skin plump. Beef heart and liver 2x/week, loaded with CoQ10, copper, and vitamin A (build collagen cross-links). Eat pasture-raised butter, tallow, bone marrow to nourish resilient skin cell membranes. Support thyroid health with oysters, iodine-rich seafood, raw milk, and natural sodium (sea salt). Prioritise sun rituals: morning light first, avoid sunscreen chemicals. Ground on earth daily to discharge free radical build-up. Practice nose breathing and fascia release to oxygenate tissue and improve circulation. Use cast iron or glass for cooking avoid toxic metals leaching into food. Oiliness What’s really happening Oily skin is not a flaw to be punished. It is a sign that the skin is trying desperately to protect itself, often because it feels stripped, undernourished, or threatened. Harsh cleansers, foaming soaps, alcohol-based toners, they all assault the skin’s natural sebum barrier, forcing the glands to overcompensate in self-defence. Internally, unstable blood sugar, hormone imbalances, and dehydration amplify the problem, sending signals that the skin must shield itself further. Our guidemap Regulate with the right nutrients: A nutrient dense diet helps modulate sebum production. Vitamin B5 helps your body metabolise fats better whereas zinc helps control the skin’s oil output. Organ meats are deeply abundant in both. Avoid over stripping: Interestingly, “like dissolves like.” Instead of modern harsh foaming cleansers (often full of sulphates that strip natural oils and trigger rebound oil production), try the oil cleansing method or washing with raw honey. It sounds counterintuitive to put oil on oily skin, but gentle oils (like jojoba or rosehip) dissolve excess sebum and impurities without triggering your skin to panic-produce more oil. Honey, used by many traditional cultures, is a natural cleanser that also acts as an antiseptic and humectant, cleansing without over-drying. After cleansing, you can use a splash of diluted apple cider vinegar or witch hazel as a toner,  these are old-fashioned remedies to restore pH balance. Hydration and mineral balance: Hydration must come from within, not just misted onto the surface. Drink mineral-rich water (ideally spring water), and replenish electrolytes naturally by adding sea salt, or drinking fruit juices and broths.  Nervous system support: High stress can lead to adrenal fatigue or spikes of androgen hormones, both of which can increase oily skin. Incorporate calming rituals like deep belly breathing (which also pumps the lymphatic thoracic duct), yoga, or walking in the woods. Grounding in nature and getting sunlight early in the day may help regulate your circadian rhythm and, by extension, your hormone levels. Balanced hormones = balanced oils. Uneven skin tone & discolouration What’s really happening Similarlty to wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, sun spots, and uneven tone are often blamed solely on sun exposure, but the truth is more nuanced, they are signs of oxidative stress, hormonal disruption, and, critically, the cumulative impact of seed oils. When you consume unstable polyunsaturated fats from industrial oils like canola, soy, and sunflower, these fragile fats integrate into your cell membranes, including those of your skin cells. When exposed to ultraviolet light, they oxidise rapidly, leading to inflammation, DNA damage, and hyperpigmentation. This is why two people can have the same sun exposure but vastly different pigmentation outcomes: internal resilience matters. Our guidemap Eliminate seed oils entirely: Replace them with stable, ancestral fats: butter, ghee, tallow, coconut oil,  that resist oxidative damage. Saturate your body with antioxidants: from whole, vibrant foods: vitamin C, A, E, and glutathione precursors found in organ meats, wild berries, and richly coloured fruits and vegetables. Hormonal balance is equally vital: foods that support liver detoxification and bile flow,  like dandelion, beetroot, and bitter greens, help clear excess estrogen, a driver of melasma and pigmentation issues.  Boost circulation for an even glow: Dark or dull patches can sometimes be improved by simply increasing blood flow to the skin, delivering nutrients and carrying away waste. Regular exercise is fundamental,  it gets your blood pumping and imparts a full-body glow Pay attention to lymphatic drainage in areas of discolouration. Clogged lymph can contribute to a dull, uneven look. A few minutes of massage along your neck, jawline, and clavicle area can ensure that lymph (which carries away cellular waste) keeps moving.  Fruit enzymes for natural exfoliation: tropical fruits like papaya and pineapple contain enzymes (papain and bromelain) that can delicately dissolve dead skin without harsh acids. A simple mask of mashed papaya once a week can brighten dark spots over time. Remember not to over-exfoliate.A weekly routine, coupled with all the internal nourishment above, will reveal a more even complexion in a sustainable way. Topical steroid withdrawal What’s really happening Those navigating topical steroid withdrawal know it is not a cosmetic journey. Years of suppressing inflammation with corticosteroids strip the skin’s natural immune intelligence, leaving it frail and reactive. When steroids are removed, the skin, desperate to recalibrate, unleashes stored inflammation in waves of redness, peeling, oozing, and pain.  Long term steroid use depletes cortisol reserves, destabilises the nervous system, weakens the gut lining, and burdens the liver. Healing demands a full system rebuild. Our guidemap Rebuild with nutrient density: After steroid overuse, your skin is depleted and your immune system destabilised.  Now is the time to flood your body with the most concentrated nourishment available: slow-simmered bone broths, gelatinous stews, grass-fed fats, wild-caught seafood, organ meats, raw dairy. These foods provide the building blocks: collagen, retinol, zinc, glycine, cholesterol , to reconstruct the skin's barrier, soothe inflammation, and rebuild systemic resilience from the inside out. Support the adrenals: Steroid creams supply artificial cortisol to the skin, which can make your adrenal glands lazy. When you stop steroids, your body might struggle to produce cortisol in balance, leading to rampant inflammation. Nourish your adrenals with mineral-rich broths, shellfish, seaweed, raw honey, and ripe fruit.  Keep reminding yourself that your body has an innate wisdom to heal:  Feed it well, tend to it kindly, and give it time. Rituals like morning sunlight exposure, gentle walks, salt baths, and deep diaphragmatic breathing help regulate cortisol naturally, reminding your body it is safe to heal. Honour the slow timeline: tSW healing is not linear, but your body is working tirelessly to heal you. Trust it. When you nourish yourself the way nature intended, with living, ancestral foods, with light, with movement, with peace, your skin responds not with grudging improvement, but with radiant gratitude.  It becomes clear, resilient, luminous, not because you forced it to behave, but because you finally gave it everything it had been asking for all along. Did we miss a skin concern you're curious about? Pop us a comment below and we will get that resource in your hands.