How I Healed My Skin (and Myself) from the Inside Out After Injury and Burnout

A few months ago, I hit a wall. As a professional athlete, I spend most of my time under the sun, in the ocean, and pushing my body to extremes. But when I dislocated my shoulder earlier this year, my season came to a screeching halt. What followed was a period of mandatory rest and an emotional low I hadn’t anticipated.

I felt disconnected from myself. I wasn’t training, I wasn’t surfing, and even looking in the mirror felt hard. My skin looked dull, and lifeless, not how I used to feel in my natural, sun-kissed, beachy glow. I’ve always been that girl who never needed makeup. But suddenly, I relied on filters in Instagram stories because I didn’t recognize my face without them.

That’s when something clicked: if I couldn’t train, I could heal. And that healing started from within.

The Detox That Changed Everything

I dove deep into research about healing, not just from injury but from inflammation, burnout, and toxicity. What I discovered shocked me: most of the toxins in our bodies don’t come from food — they come from our environment and what we absorb through our skin.

So, I started a full detox:

• No processed foods
• No added sugars
• No seed oils
• No synthetic household products
• No toxic sunscreens or conventional skincare

Instead, I swapped everything for clean, organic alternatives. I went back to basics — food as medicine, nature as my pharmacy, and simplicity as my skincare routine.

Here’s what I found out:

• Toxic sunscreens, especially those with oxybenzone and octinoxate, have been linked to hormone disruption and coral reef damage. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) classifies many common sunscreens as moderate to high hazard.
• Processed sugar spikes insulin, leading to chronic inflammation that affects skin elasticity and radiance. Multiple studies have linked high-sugar diets with acne and premature aging due to the glycation of collagen.
• Hydration, nutrient-dense foods, and antioxidant-rich skincare (like raw honey and royal jelly, both found in Honey Girl Organics) help repair the skin barrier and reduce oxidative stress.

My Skincare Shift: Less Is More

I was already using Honey Girl Organics, but I took it one step further. I stopped using “high-protection” chemical sunscreens, which were damaging my skin at a cellular level. Instead, I switched to mineral-based sunscreens with non-nano zinc oxide, and let my skin breathe again.

I also:

• Focused on skin barrier healing, using products with clean oils, beeswax, and no preservatives
• Only used what I could recognize on a label
• Used raw, edible-grade ingredients on my face (yes! If I wouldn’t eat it, I wouldn’t use it)

The Results: A Radiant Comeback

Today, I look in the mirror — and I see myself again.

No filters. No makeup. Just me, with a texture and glow that feels better than ever. My skin is no longer dull; it’s vibrant. And more than that, I feel empowered, because I know every single thing I did to get here was a choice to heal.

This journey taught me that:

• Skincare is not just topical, it’s internal
• Your skin reflects what you eat, drink, think, and believe
• Healing is a slow, intentional process, and it’s worth it

If you’re feeling off, whether it’s your energy, your skin, or your spirit, don’t underestimate the power of detoxing your environment and your routine. Every decision, from the lotion you use to the food you eat, is either nourishing you or taking away from your glow.

So go simple. Go clean. Go back to nature.