The holidays are just around the corner and several of us will travel to see family and friends. The green beauty products below made traveling easy for me; they are so easy to pack and are made with multi-tasking ingredients which are great for any multi-tasking busy lifestyle. They are all part of my functional skincare set of products.

The Siam Seas | Morning Delight | performs as a facial morning cleanser and as a makeup remover. This 2-in-1 is so gentle on my skin; it cleans my without drying it. It is a time savior.

The Good Medicine Beauty Lab | Starry Eyes| has been a staple of facial care routine, but I never got around to do a proper review for it. This eye cream is amazing; it is perfect for long night and for dealing with dark under eye circles.  I brighten my dark circles and nourish my skin at the same time. .

Everyone knows Argan oil and its benefits. Argan oil is perfect to  hydrate and soften skin. It has a high vitamin E and fatty acid content to give skin a natural boost. I bought this argan oil during my latest trip to Morocco. My favorite argan oil here in the US is the|Argan Oil | from  Kahina Giving Beauty. They source their argan oil directly from Morrocco and it is 100% organic and fair trade.

The last green beauty product on my list is theKosmatology | Mini Lotion Bar |. This one is high performing and multi-functional. It is so practical for on-the-go. I also carry it in my gym bag. It simply works so well at keeping my skin soft and glowing. It also smells wonderful. It works great for dry skin, dry elbows, and feet. It will also fit great in any baby diaper bag. It contains organic shea butter, organic coconut & olive oil. I apply it on my damp skin to lock in additional moisture.

 I have always been curious about Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) because they use mixture of herbs to help the body and the skin function correctly. So, I was so excited when to take a class Sandra Lanshin Chiu about TCM at the WELL Summit last October in Brooklyn, NY. Sandra is an Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist, Skin Specialist, Treatment by Lanshin

Chinese Medicine in a very short nutshell -

Chinese medicine is about finding ways to live your life in a better way.

In TCM:

• Herbs are primarily in this type of medicine.
• It takes 4-6 months when using TCM for your skin to recover. TCM doesn't not relieve the symptoms; its goal is to restore and reestablish regular functioning of the organ. TCM focuses on blood circulation.
• Puffy face might be due tension in the body. What we think is fat is sometimes just fluid stock. Try Facial Gua Sha at home watch the video here!

More about TCM -

TCM:
[ ] Amplifies or restores your skin's natural function.
[ ] Once you are treated for acne by TCM - you should not have it back. Eczema might come back, so it is in remission
[ ] Focuses on the internal root condition of your skin. It looks at the whole system to see if it functions well.
[ ] Chinese medicine read the skin.
[ ] You will hear a lot about "blood heat" and "toxic heat" in TCM. TCM looks at your blood systems and circulation
[ ] Identify various type of inflammation during treatment
[ ] Uses herbs and seeds are cooked to create treatments in TCM

To identify a good TCM practitioner, ask them: Do you test your herbs for toxicity? Is your facility FDA approved?

TCM and Rejuvenation of the skin -

We tend to think that having a skin problem has always to do with gut issues, but it is not always the case. It could be from the digestive system.

In Chinese medicine, your skin is your other lung. So the respiratory system is important. TCM does internal [Internal Therapy] and external medicine at the same time.

TCM also uses facial acupuncture to relax the muscles so you skin can go back to function well; it resets your skin.

I learned so much about TCM during this class and it makes me even more curious about it. Did you tried TCM? What do think?