The skin is the body’s barrier which serves many functions. Your skin protects your body from viruses, bacteria and damaging light, helps regulate your temperature,¹ and aids in the maintenance of balance in your body.² Your skin is composed of two layers. The epidermis, or outer layer, is made up of dead skin cells which form a protective coating. These skin cells are constantly being sloughed off and replaced.³ The second layer of your skin, known as the dermis, is a layer of connective tissue which contains hair follicles and glands that produce sweat and sebum, an oil which moisturizes your skin and helps maintain its waterproof property.⁴

 

Pores

Your skin contains thousands of pores,⁵ which are tiny openings in the surface of the skin. Pores contain a hair follicle and also secrete sebum from the sebaceous gland.⁶  

 

Pores can become clogged for a variety of reasons. The oil your skin naturally secretes, dead skin cells, makeup products, and dirt can clog the pores of your skin. 

 

Whatever you put on your skin goes into your blood. You should only put on your skin what is safe enough to go into your mouth. Both chemicals⁷ and skincare or makeup products⁸ can be absorbed by the skin. 

 

The little mouths in the skin, through which the body breathes, become clogged, thus making it impossible to eliminate impurities through that channel. This throws a double burden upon the other excretory organs, and disease is soon produced (Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 101).

 

 

Your skin expels three per cent of the carbon dioxide produced by your body. And about three per cent of the oxygen used by your body enters through pores in your skin. It is very important that you keep your pores clean and open.

 

 

 

Dry Brushing

Did you know that 80% of house dust is made up of dead skin cells sloughed off by our bodies? Dead skin cells must be removed daily to keep the skin clean and the pores open. You might think that the best way to get clean is to use lots of soap and water. But when you put soap on your skin, the soap creates a film through which dead skin cannot slough off. Soap also causes your skin to feel tight and forms a layer of material that prevents skin from breathing.

 

 

 

Dry brushing⁹ is an excellent alternative to exfoliating with hot water and soap, and offers these benefits:

• Dead skin removal 
• Helps to keep pores unclogged and open
• Allows skin to breathe properly

 

When you dry brush, remember the following:

 

• Dry brush your skin before you exercise in the morning.
• Use a softer complexion brush for your face.
• Use a good quality brush. Bernard Jensen brushes are well made and use vegetable fiber bristles, which don’t cut the skin.

 

 

Hand Baths

Upon rising in the morning, most persons would be benefited by taking a sponge or hand bath. This will remove all impurities from the skin, and keep it moist and supple, thereby aiding the circulation (Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 107).

 

The simplest way to wash the skin is with a hand bath. A hand bath is simply putting water on the skin with your hands and wiping it off with your hands. The skin of the hand gently cleans the skin of the body without causing damage or irritation.

 

 

How to Use a Loofah

A loofah sponge is a tropical or subtropical fruit in the gourd family.¹⁰ It’s similar to a cucumber and grows on a vine. The fruit is long and thick, like a fat cucumber. After ripening and drying, loofahs are picked, soaked and peeled. The seeds are removed and the fibrous interior is dried once more. The result is a dense sponge that can be used in the shower to exfoliate and remove dead skin. You can buy loofahs in stores that sell natural bath products or online.

 

Loofahs are all-natural and biodegradable, but they have the capacity to harbor dead skin cells and bacteria¹¹ if they’re not maintained properly. Loofahs need to be dried properly after each use, which means you shouldn’t keep them in the bathroom, and they should be disinfected regularly.¹² It’s important to replace your loofah after a few weeks of regular use.

 

 

If a loofah is too high-maintenance for you, a regular washcloth can work too. The great thing about a washcloth is that you can put it in the laundry with your linens on high heat to remove and destroy bacteria. You can also dry it out easily, which prevents ideal bacteria-breeding conditions from developing.

 

However, if used and maintained properly, a loofah can be beneficial. 

 

 

 

For best results:

 

• Scrub the skin toward your heart. Stroke the body from the head down toward the heart and from the arms up toward the heart. Stroking toward the heart stimulates your lymphatic system.
• Keep the water as hot as you can stand it, but at the end of your shower, turn on the cold water to further stimulate the lymphatic system.
• After showering, make a fist and tap your breast bone in double strokes, thirty times. This super-activates your immune system, stimulating the production of disease fighting blood cells.

 

 

Good skin starts on the inside. No matter how much you exfoliate or how careful you are about avoiding products that clog your pores, if you’re unhealthy on the inside, your skin won’t have a healthy, beautiful glow. Learn about building beautiful skin from the inside out. 

 

 

This article is adapted from Our External Thermometer, a lecture from Dr. Rudy Davis' series Healthy from the Inside Out.