We all want to look our best, so it’s natural to experiment with a new lipstick or hair color. But sometimes beauty is just a matter of getting out of the way and letting your natural splendor shine through. If your skin, hair, and nails are healthy, they’ll naturally look good. Even your legs can look better with a little TLC. (We’re looking at you, varicose veins.)
What do your hair, skin, and nails have in common?
Collagen. Like the springs of a mattress, collagen is the main structural support for your skin, hair, and nails. This long and strong protein keeps your skin looking smooth and youthful, by fortifying its structure and increasing its elasticity. Those two actions help keep skin from sagging and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Unfortunately, collagen production slows with age, and the effects are visible on your face.<1>
Collagen also provides the amino acids your body uses to build keratin (the main component of hair and nails). Research indicates it may keep your nails from getting brittle, help both hair and nails grow faster, and protect hair follicles from free radical damage.<2>,<3> Thanks, collagen!
How is collagen made?
Your body makes its own collagen using the mineral silica. Foods that are rich in silica include green beans, bananas, leafy greens, brown rice, cereal, and lentils.<4> If you don’t eat those foods on the regular, consider a silica supplement.
Just beware: Not all silica is the same. While it’s possible to get silica from plant sources, many silica supplements are made from sand, quartz, rock, or even synthetic chemicals. Would you rather eat sand or plants? Yeah, us too.
Florasil® from Flora is made exclusively from the spring horsetail plant. Not only is spring horsetail a natural source of silica, it has over 30 naturally occurring trace minerals and flavonoids that help your body absorb this essential mineral.
Now that your skin, hair, and nails are healthy and strong, how about your legs?
What are varicose veins?
Nothing will make you cover up your gams quicker than varicose veins.
These enlarged, twisted veins bulge out of your skin, typically on the legs. It happens when some of the blood that your heart pumps into your legs doesn’t go back where it’s supposed to and collects in your veins, like guests that overstay their welcome. Sometimes these veins are uncomfortable and sometimes not, but many people understandably just don’t like the look of them.
Who gets varicose veins?
Older folks are more susceptible than younger ones, and the ladies more than the gents. (Thanks, Nature.) If you’re preggers, your body creates more blood to support your peanut, and that can put pressure on your veins. If you sit a lot, you’re also at risk. Long periods of sitting or standing can cause blood to pool in your legs. Being on the heavy side is another contributor.<5>
What can you do about varicose veins?
Some simple lifestyle changes can make a difference. Exercise, maintain a healthy weight, eat a high-fiber and low-salt diet, elevate your legs, change positions often while sitting or standing, and try compression stockings.<6>
You can also take CircuVein from Flora. Made from the bioflavonoids diosmin and hesperidin from Spanish oranges, this natural formula helps support vein health.* That’s because it reduces inflammation and promotes good circulation.* CircuVein has been clinically shown to reduce the visible signs of varicose veins and reduce swelling in the legs and ankles.*
This week only, Flora is offering 15% off both Florasil® and CircuVein using the code 'beauty15' at checkout! Time to break out the shorts and skirts!
References
<1> Varani J, et al. Decreased collagen production in chronologically aged skin. Am J Pathol. 2006 Jun;168(6):1861-1868. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1606623/
<2> Elliott B, Arnarson A. Top 6 benefits of taking collagen supplements. Healthline. 2020 Feb 19. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/collagen-benefits
<3> Streit L. 5 evidence-based ways collagen may improve your hair. Healthline. 2019 Jan 23. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/collagen-for-hair#TOC_TITLE_HDR_1
<4> Foods high in silica. Nourish by WebMD. Reviewed 2020 Nov 5. https://www.webmd.com/diet/foods-high-in-silica#1
<5> Varicose veins. Mayo Clinic. 2021 Jan 30. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/varicose-veins/symptoms-causes/syc-20350643
<6> Mayo Clinic. 2021 Jan 30.
