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Wendy: Hello, everyone, Wendy Myers here from myersdetox.com. Thank you for purchasing the Medicinal Supplements Summit. As one of my gifts to you, please enjoy this talk about the best supplements for the skin. No discussion would be complete without talking about what you should and should not put on your skin, as well, because people put so many toxic products on their skin, it’s frightening.
Most women walk out the door and they put so many products on their skin that are toxic. They have 125 chemicals that is in their body because whatever you put on your skin soaks into your body, as well, and can affect you in so many different ways negatively. So we’re going to set the record straight on how to best take care of your outer protective layer so you can enjoy flawless, glowing skin.
Today, my friend and special guest is Andy Hnilo. Andy Hnilo is an actor, model, athlete, and entrepreneur. Andy has worked with companies like Calvin Klein, Levi’s, Under Armour, and Speedo. He’s also had roles in Days of Our Lives, The Bold and the Beautiful, which I used to watch many years ago, and most recently, HBO’s Hello Ladies.
His career was put on hold unfortunately when he was hit and run over by two cars on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles on March 20th, 2011. He shattered his jaw, had two titanium plates inserted, broke seven ribs, and had a collapsed lung.
Instead of using the toxic products that his surgeons were recommending, he used himself as his own biggest science experiment to create a product that would accelerate his healing process and heal his scars and abrasions. Using his exceptional attention to detail, he sourced ingredients from all over the globe to create what is now the Alitura Clay Mask. In addition to that, he was the face of Oakley Global Marketing Campaign for 2015.
And his company Alitura Naturals is now in 44 countries and growing rapidly with six products and plans to release 10 total by the end of 2017. Andy, thank you so much for joining us on the summit!
Andy: Wendy, thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it. This is something…Supplements are something that I’ve been so fascinated with since I was about 17 years old and just very skinny, I’ve just been really in to things like gaining muscle mass and just trying to figure out how to get bigger, build lean mass. And then after my accident, I really wanted to figure out how to regenerate my skin cells and just also getting rid of scar tissue, inflammation, and just really getting that circulation to the surface of the skin, which I think everybody else is trying to do, as well, which is just maintaining that youthful, supple complexion and just that radiated glow that everyone is looking for. So it’s something that I’m constantly researching daily. And it’s a very good passion of mind.
Wendy: Well, why don’t you tell us your story? You had this horrific car crash. And that prompted you, like many of us that get into the health field, our own tragedies prompt us to get into the health field. So how did that happen? What happened? And how did you get in to skin care?
Andy: Right. So March 20th, 2011, I was hit and run over by two cars as a pedestrian on Melrose. I was crossing the street. I was hit by a westbound-heading vehicle, hit into the eastbound lane, and run over by an SUV. And I flipped around, lost consciousness, and woke up in Cedar Sinai ICU with my chin exposed to the bottom of my mouth, with seven broken ribs, and a collapsed lung.
My chin was just in particles. I couldn’t talk because they wanted to piece it all back together. And they didn’t want anything to get jawed anymore out of place and lose any of the fragments of my bone because I was going to eventually get two titanium plates inserted, as you said.
And from that point on, I really used myself as my biggest science experiment to regenerate, not only my bone, but my skin and just accelerate that recovery process because it was very hard to look in the mirror. As you said, it was how I made my living. But just at the same time, I looked unrecognizable. And it was something that I just, I really, when you use your…They say that necessity is the mother of invention.
And that’s how I ultimately created Alitura Clay Mask. I moved everything out of my bedroom here, which I’m sitting in, which is now my lab. And I’ve moved everything in to my living room and made my bedroom my lab where I just got several hundred pounds of ingredients shipped into.
And I bought a mud mixer from Home Depot and just started going to work, but never an intention to create Alitura, which the whole thing behind Alitura is it’s Latin for feeding, nourishing. And I really feel that your skin being your largest organ, you want to treat it like another mouth. What you put on to your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream, ultimately. And youwant to make sure it’s as clean and toxin-free as possible.
And a lot of the creams and serums that my surgeons were recommending that I use for my recovery, I just felt that it was counterproductive. And a lot of corticosteroids, a lot of fillers, parabens, stearates, alcohol, fragrance, everything that I would not put on my skin regularly or eat.
And I researched spa treatments. I added my own little twist to it with things like colostrum, freshwater pro powder, American ginseng, L-ascorbic acid, which is a very high potency form of vitamin C, which crosses the dermis, and organic kelp powder, which is just a very, very potent seaweed, essentially, which is loaded in antioxidants, a topical cleanser with sodium alginate, vitamins A, C, K, B12.
And it just really, over time, I stayed extremely consistent with that routine. And the same people who saw me in that hospital room in the ICU were just blown away with how quickly my abrasions healed, but how also that my scar on the left side of my face was really starting to heal very quickly and starting to minimize at a very exceptional rate.
So I knew I had something. And fast forward a couple of years after beta test, not even beta testing, I wouldn’t call it. I would just say sharing it with people, friends of friends and never an intention to make it a product because who would’ve trust someone without a chemistry background? But luckily, I didn’t let that hold me back.
I had Dave Asprey come forward with a podcast to talk about how he used his products in my recovery. And then towards the end of that podcast, it was a video podcast, so he’s like, “You said you had scarring. And I’m sure my audience out there, someone who’s been in a similar situation or is going through a similar situation that day you went through it, and they’d like to know what you did.”
And I’m glad I didn’t hold back on the fact that I was wearing a clay mask every other day. But it’s like a super food clay mask. It’s just a meal for your skin to help regenerate and accelerate that cell turnover and oxygenate those cells, but also feed that freshly exfoliated skin just a nourishing meal of growth factors. And then the freshwater pro powder is just amazing, as well, for the smoothing effect, but also just evening the skin tone.
The Geisha’s have been using it for hundreds of years to maintain a nice, even, smooth, supple, skin tone. So that’s something that, it just led into other products, that attention to detail, devoid of any chemicals, any synthetic fillers, stabilizers, thickeners, fragrances. I want everything in there, in all of my products, to have an absolute purpose. And it may cost me a little bit more.
But you create something that is absolutely mind blowing. And I do all of my testing on myself. And then I go forward and test with others. And it’s so much fun for me because, as you know, it’s a very rewarding industry because you can help somebody feel better about themselves, which is, that’s it for me. That’s all I want to do. It’s fun to have a nice direction and purpose in life now because of that. So the accident, essentially rocked me into what I’m supposed to do. What I was put here on this planet to do. So it’s a lot of fun for me.
Wendy: Now, I’ve seen you in person. And I would have never guessed that you had been in an accident or had all kinds of injuries and past scars. I couldn’t tell anything at all. So it’s just a testament to how well your product works. And so tell us a little bit about your theory on skin care.
Andy: Well, first, thank you, I appreciate that. It was a long road. And I’m still recovering. I can’t feel a little part of the left side of my face. I severed a nerve that delivers communication from the brain to certain areas. It’s like a mental nerve that’s just below my chin right here. So anyway, they reattached it. And I’m slowly getting feeling back five years later. But yeah, for a couple of years there, it was just completely numb. I would cut myself shaving. And I wouldn’t even know. I would just know when the blood was dripping down. It was interesting.
Yeah, I really believed in creating as much circulation to the surface of the skin, but at the same time hitting it inside and out with just super nutrient dense ingredients with a high antioxidant capacity and amino acids replacing the lost amino acids that we provide in our own body, but I couldn’t get through diet.
I had my jaw wired shut. So I really had to turn up my favorite amino acid content, which are things like proline, glycine, lysine, arginine, glutamine. And I stayed diligent with that, combining with things like colostrum, collagen, Ho Shou Wu, schizandra, spirulina, JarroSil silica drops, which are just amazing for bone health.
People think that calcium is the main thing for bone density. But it’s really, to absorb that, you need good amounts of vitamin K2, vitamin D3, silica. And calcium falls on the lower end of the scale, as far as when your bone density and regenerating that and maintaining healthy bones. And in my case, regrowing that jaw bone back correctly and as healthy and as strong as possible.
But I just believe in building the strongest cell as possible from the mitochondria out. I really want to deal with our skin and our body and our blood at the cellular level. So when I talk about building our blood and strengthening our system from the inside out, that’s what I mean. I want to get a nice…I was in such a daze and a fog.
I was a zombie from all the antibiotics that I was taking and the CT scans and the x-rays that I was…The x-rays I was taking it at least twice a month to see how the bone was growing back. And that would just leave me in such a daze. And I just wanted to figure out how to remove those impurities and just help the body remove the toxins, not only through the clear mask that I was doing, but also through the very potent antioxidants and amino acids and time-tested Chinese herbs that I was ingesting every day.
I stayed extremely diligent with it. I really feel like that is what led to accelerating, not only my abrasions, but my system from the inside out, but also my scarring. It’s almost not even there. Luckily, I have a couple of before shots that I didn’t want taken. But my mom took them because, I don’t know, I’m glad she did because I have proof of the state that I was in.
But yeah, my whole thing is just really replenishing the minerals that are lost as we age. Inflammation is so huge. A lot of us, with our, not only diet, with the stress, adrenal function, hormones, it’s all about keeping everything stabilized and really nourishing the cells. So I do that. I constantly research for what people are using.
I met with three different Chinese herbalists to put me on a tonic, so to speak, morning and night, both are completely different, to just help rebuild my system from the inside out at a cellular level.
Wendy: Yeah, so you talked about some of your favorite supplements in the beginning when you were talking about your skin. What are your favorite supplements for the skin?
Andy: So I have always been fascinated with Chinese herbs. And ever since I was young, I’ve been into Ho Shou Wu. And it’s a highly researched herb in Chinese medicine that is just, it’s remarkable for vitality and then the ability to support and maintain the cleansing functions of the kidney and the liver, which in response to that, it helps clean the blood and stimulate fresh skin cell production. I followed that up with things like schizandra, which is just, it’s a beauty herb.
And you can make an extract out of it, a tea. I have it now in my supplement. It’s the prominent ingredient. But I would buy it in powder form. And I would add it to my tonics. It’s another heavily researched and heavily used herb in Chinese medicine for centuries. And it’s just really amazing for consistently keeping a youthful skin tone and appearance and physiology that is just, it just gives you that glow that we’re all looking for and that radiant just even skin tone.
When you think of that, when the capillaries become stagnant, I really feel like you’re not getting the proper circulation. And you combine those herbs with a good nitric-oxide building agent with say an amino acid called arginine. It’s just a very amino acid that helps with the production of protein and, which is essential with the content of our skin of the other amino acids which are…Like, say collagen, for instance, it’s primarily composed of glycine, proline, lysine. But it’s all amino acids. The profile of collagen itself is extensive. But I would recommend supplementing with glycine, proline, lysine, a good grass-fed collagen protein.
I use Bulletproof’s brand. It’s highly absorbable. It’s a hydrolyzed protein that is just…It’s made from the hide of grass-fed cattle that it just helps replenish and nourish our body from the inside out, really good for gut health, as well.
And it’s, as I said, it’s very loaded in those amino acids. So if you didn’t want to supplement with the glycine, proline, glutamine, arginine, lysine, you could essentially just go with a good grass- fed collagen powder protein or a good form of gelatin to help with that elasticity of the skin, help with joint and good connective tissue, just to keep…
I have my mom on it right now. It’s great for just joints, knees, ligaments, and just maintaining the health of those vital organs that,as we age, just become a little bit weaker and a little bit more thin. So you combine that with a good amount…I’m a big believer in a high-quality fat diet, things like avocado, coconut oil, let’s see, a good sprouted almond butter, grass- fed butter. You hit it with really good fats and you combine it with a good amount of those gelatin and collagen, you’re going to maintain a good supple dense form of your skin, which is less prone to form creases and wrinkles and fine lines.
Wendy: Yeah, I definitely use the Bulletproof upgraded collagen. I think it’s really important because I know I’m deficient in the proline and glycine and lysine. And you can’t get those as amino acids in like whey protein. For instance, you have to specifically take the collagen, really, really important. I take it for my skin, too, out of vanity.
Andy: So there you go. It shows. It definitely shows. You have great skin.
Wendy: Yeah, thank you. Thank you. And I don’t know. I’ve just have been able to, with taking the Bulletproof upgraded collagen, been able to I feel really maintain a youthful appearance because I used to be addicted to sugar. And sugar really destroys and ages your skin. And can you talk a little about that?
Andy: It’s a fuel thing for me. Yes, sugar is a huge culprit for just accelerating the aging process, that for me. Grains, alcohol, just anything that really depletes the system. Toxins deplete the system of the vital nutrients and minerals that we’re consuming or that we may have and that we’re losing as we age. And you go outside, and it’s such a toxic environment, such as Los Angeles where we’re absorbing pollution and toxins wherever we go. I went on a jog the other day and a bus passed me by. And I felt like I just did something worse for my body on that job.
But you get the point. You want to just keep the impurities out of the system. I know you are very well versed in the whole detox protocol. And that’s reintroducing very good nutrient-dense absorbable minerals and amino acids and super foods and high antioxidant capacity, vegetables, leafy greens, combining it with a good diet because that’s what supplements are. They’re supplemental.
So you want to add those to a very clean diet. But there are ways to really kick up things from a tissue standpoint that I really had to do because I was in such a weak state and I needed to.
I just took it as an experiment to see how quickly I could get my skin and my scarring back to normal. So you had to feed it from the inside/out. And that is where collagen really comes in. So that’s a big one. Colostrum is another big one, loaded. I use a good first 6-hour milking grass-fed colostrum that is loaded with good enzymes and IGF-1 growth factor content to really just help and accelerate the growth of new skin cells, I believe. And it’s a prominent ingredient, not only in my mask, but it’s something that I ingest daily. So I’m hitting it from the inside. But I’m also hitting it topically.
Wendy: What brand do you like?
Andy: I like Synertek. They’re out of Wyoming. They’re awesome people. It’s a brand that I trust. So yeah, I go with Synertek for my colostrum and my collagen. Well, actually I use the collagelatin like you from Bulletproof. And the proline, the glycine, arginine, glutamine, and lysine, all those amino acids I get from bulk supplements, which you can get. It’s a very affordable brand that doesn’t use any soy, corn, wheat, anything like that. It’s a very pure form of these amino acids that I really like. And definitely, it’s on of those things that I feel and I feel the results. And it’s just something that, yeah, it’s my favorite brand at the moment.
Wendy: Those are on Amazon, right?
Andy: They are. They are. You can get those on Amazon, very affordable. You can—just depending, everyone’s different—but it’s a very even, balanced potency level that you can go, different teaspoons. You can make your own little capsules if you want to take the time to do that and create your own little supplements. That’s how I got in making my own supplement. So for the amino acids, that’s the brand that I go with. But for things like I’m really big on Ho Shou Woo and the overall blood-building effect that it has on liver and kidney cleansing, so that and schizandra are two big favorites of mine in the Chinese herb space. And I get those from Jing Herbs downtown. George is just so well versed.
And I consulted him extensively after my accident. And he’s such a nice guy and really help me come with a plan on how to just regenerate my body. And it really just comes down to building good quality blood and circulating that blood from head to toe. And so I would highly recommend you using Jing Herb products. I trust George. I’ve been down there. I’ve seen his facility. And I’ve looked him in the eye and just heard about his extensive studying in Chinese herbal philosophy.
Wendy: Are there any other supplements that you really like for the skin? You mentioned the Jarrow Biosil. I’m sorry, the Jarro silica.
Andy: Yes, the JarroSil silica drops, they’re ionic drops that they improve the strength and elasticity of collagen by stimulating the collagen production. So by that, the stronger your collagen is, it just means healthier, more elastic skin if you were to shower with wrinkles on the surface. So not only that, it’s an essential mineral for bone health and bone density, as well. The ionic drops, I put 10 underneath my tongue. That’s just what I do.
And it doesn’t taste that good. But just directly underneath the tongue. And it’s very good for absorption. And I do that. It’s very good for hair, skin, and nails. I cut my nails once a week, which I think is pretty quick.
So it’s just as good, I’m getting haircuts at least every three to four weeks. So I’ve seen the results from that, as well as just a supple, moist skin that is firm and stays lifted. And it doesn’t sag.
But I would say that the biggest culprit of the dark circles, outside of sleep, for me, it’s sugar. I know when I wake up, my body goes through a little bit of a detox. So if I had a lot of sugar or like say a nice dessert at dinner the night before, I know what I’m going to look like the morning after. And it’s because of the wheat or it’s because of the flour, the unbleached flour.
And then usually, ya want a good bread pudding every now and then. It’s you’ve got to have it. But it’s something that luckily I know how to beat. But it doesn’t happen that often. But you got to enjoy life. Especially now that I can chew again, I’m not going to deprive myself of that. Yeah, so that’s a big one. Yeah, the JarroSil silica ionic drops are great. You can get that on Amazon, as well.
But I’m also a huge fan of vitamins A, C, and K2, and then getting a good amount of D3 for absorption of all the A, C, and K2. So if you’re not at a place where you can get a good amount of sun, you can supplement with a good vitamin D3. And I think I use Metagenics. I do about eight. Now, you have to be careful of that. I do eight or nine drops of that in the morning. And it’s 1,000 IUs. I think it’s 1,000 per 25 pounds of body weight. And I’m right around 200 pounds. So I think that would be correct.
So that’s what I heard. I think I heard…I forget who it was. We were talking about that recently. But just be very careful of the…You don’t want to go overboard on the vitamin D3. Ideally, you would get both. You would get a good amount of healthy sunlight every day and you would supplement accordingly with vitamin D3 drops to help with the absorption of the vitamin A. Vitamin A is just amazing with improving wound healing, which is something that I definitely can attest to.
And then just the beta carotene, for instance, things like sweet potato. Let’s see, carrots obviously. Kale is loaded in vitamin A, believe it or not. Cabbage. Yeah, those are very good high potent forms of vitamin A and C, actually.
But just staying consistent with eating those foods high in vitamin A and C and ideally K, as well, the good leafy greens, the good cruciferous vegetables, and then supplementing with K2. K2 is amazing. Just helping treat skin irritations. I’ve heard of people using it topically for stretch marks, scarring, dark circles under the eyes. And it just helps with necessary proper function of vitamins A and D. So they’re very protein-dependent vitamins. So you got to stay consistent with the ingestion of those two to maintain healthy skin.
Wendy: You know what else has vitamin K in it is Brie. I know when I’m craving Brie or a cheese plate, I need some K.
Andy: You know what else have K in it is truffle Gouda. And I used that. I took that to the bank. And, “A, I’m getting my K today.” Truffle Gouda that’s my go-to. They have it in Whole Foods. And it is unbelievable. That’s what I call [Udi cost]. It’s like $29 a pound. And I would just find every reasoning to be able to eat that four or five times a week. It’s crazy. But I don’t do it anymore.
But I got rid of dairy. And actually, I would say dairy, sugar, wheat, grain, stay away from it. Really everything, I’m a little obsessive with everything I put into and onto my body. So it’s just I want everything to be optimal.
And I don’t crave that stuff anymore. It took a little bit to get over that. But I replace it with things like, let’s say, organic Black Botija dried olives, which are loaded in oleic acid and a good source of vitamin E, which is amazing for skin, as well. But you know, and have all that dairy that you have to deal with. But olives are just an incredible source of iron and oleic acid, as I said, and just really good quality fat.
Wendy: Let’s talk about toxins. What are the top three most toxic ingredients to look for in skin care products? Because I know a lot of the listeners out there are maybe not thinking about the products that they’re putting on their skin or they’re using products that claim that they’re natural when they have the word natural or organic on the label, when they’re, in fact, not. What should the consumer be looking for?
Andy: So I would really look in to things PEG-100, the parabens, the stearates, the preservatives, things like sodium benzoate, be very, very careful of that. The magnesium sulfate, sodium hydroxide, potassium sorbate, xanthan gum cetearyl alcohol, all it does is dry out the skin. So many of these products, I was looking at one earlier today, it’s…What was it? I forget what it was.
But it was the first three ingredients were water, cetearyl alcohol, and glycerin. These are fillers. These do nothing for the skin. Glycerin, it doesn’t have any activity with any other ingredients. It’s literally just, they do it to reduce cost, I believe. And so I would just say be very aware of the stearates, parabens, the artificial fragrances, the artificial colors. When you see Yellow5 combined with blue to create a green, it’s horrible. So that, sodium lauryl sulfate, Polyglyceryl-6, anything that is really highly…The artificial fragrances are another big one.
But yeah, the PEG-100 stearate, that’s a big one, parabens, menthol parabens. Let’s see, phenoxyethanol, that’s another preservative, which there are natural ways that you can preserve it. And I know that because I use it in my night cream. I’m using a nice coconut and radish extract that is Ecocert-approved and just amazing.
And so you just have to be very aware of. Luckily, there are lists out there that you can check and can just…I did my research on what to look for from that aspect. And I’m grateful for that because I didn’t know how harsh the preservatives are on the system internally and externally, as well. They just don’t bring any benefit.
Wendy: Yeah. So I don’t want to get you started. But let’s talk about sunscreen. So many toxic sunscreens out there. A lot of people, including myself in the past, I would put these toxic sunscreens on my face to protect my skin from the sun, which was aging it because if you have excessive sun exposure, it can age it. Now, I realize that’s not the case. I get a healthy amount of sun exposure, try to every day, but not too much, not burning. So let’s talk about sunscreen and the problems that they can pose to the skin.
Andy: So I played baseball my entire life until I was 24, 25 when I finally walked away. And all I knew was what was marketed. So the Neutrogena, the Coppertone, Clean & Clear, what you see at Walgreens, CVS. And it’s just I don’t understand how the people in the boardroom can sign off to those ingredients.
It’s just not only are my theory behind that is you’re getting a laundry list of chemicals with maybe a speck of an oil that they may hit on the marketing aspect of things and drive home, but I don’t even think they do. They just market it as SPF-45 and SPF-50. A higher number that perks people’s eyebrows up. But they really don’t understand that that sun, the sun is baking those toxins. Those Government-recognized carcinogens into your skin, into your largest organ.
And I really feel like that is what’s causing a lot of the skin cancer and just the horrible, awful, unsightly reactions from that. I’m a big believer in zinc. Nano zinc, I’m not a fan of. But zinc, the actual mineral, is something I’m not too…If you’re making KEYS, the brand KEYS, KEYS has a relatively clean sunscreen that is they add a little bit of zinc to it with a blood orange extract, avocado oil. And it’s relatively clean. Like, if I’m going to be out in the sun for a matter of hours, I personally, I’ll do a little bit of that on my nose because that sticks out.
And I don’t want that to be just bright red. But on top of that, I’ll just do something that is extremely nutrient rich and loaded with good essential oils to help heal and nourish the skin while you’re getting hit. And also, I want a little bit of that sun exposure. I really feel like it’s beneficial for the skin. We’re seeing more and more studies come out.
So like, for instance, my moisturizer is comprised of mostly beeswax, which is very good for the skin, very dense, nourishing, as well as cacao butter. And I’m using different essential oils like German blue chamomile, Australian sandalwood, carrot seed, calendula. And also there’s a high amount of aloe vera. I’m a big fan of aloe vera, the raw plant. I have an organic aloe vera that I use in my moisturizer.
But if anybody out there has access to the actual plant, you splint that plant open and the clear inner part is like gold. I love that. I throw it into my smoothies in the morning. I shave with it. I don’t really get sunburned that often. But if I feel a little raw from a little over exposure, I’ll put some of that directly on it along with my moisturizer. And I’m good. I really feel like we just need to heal and just provide a surface on your skin that the sun hits. And it just helps absorb the rays from the sun in a natural way.
But if you’re using these highly synthetic toxic ingredients, I just really think that they weren’t using those things hundreds of years ago, why are we doing it now? And I like to keep things from a primal aspect. And it just scares me all those toxins and those synthetic ingredients on such a vital organ, which is your skin, which is meant to protect all of the organs inside. I just won’t do it.
Wendy: Let’s talk about what is your daily regimen? You’ve been studying this for a while. And you obviously have really healthy, beautiful, glowing skin. What is your daily regimen look like?
Andy: Thank you! I just, I love using my Alitura Clay Mask. I’ve been using it at least…I haven’t gone a week without that for, I don’t know, five or six years since I started it. My whole thing is starting it off. I use it in the morning now. It’s very stimulating. But I love that circulation that it creates and just that vibrant, radiant glow.
But it’s, for men out there, I’ve noticed that I used to have a really tough time with shaving and ingrown hairs, razor burns, and nicks, irritations. And it doesn’t happen anymore because of those tiny hairs that get lifted through the mild exfoliation that occurs through the mask. You’re getting not only the blood flow from all those capillaries getting constricted and circulated around the face, but you’re getting a little bit of exfoliating effect from the mask.
And when you wash that off in the shower, I hop right out, and then I’ll use my moisturizer and a little bit of aloe vera leaf to just wipe the hair. But the hairs are lightly raised. And the hair, it’s just wiped off with the razer, whereas before I would just go straight to the sink and I’d attempt to shave. But those hairs sometimeget escorted right back into the dermis, which in return create an ingrown hair, which are just a nightmare for me.
And everybody, I’m sure can relate to that because you have to wait for them to grow out and pluck them. And it’s just creates a little infection that doesn’t have to be there if you do it correctly. So I do the mask every other day. I do it every other day. And it’s just something that not only makes me feel good from a physical standpoint, but it also makes me mentally just drying out those impurities.
I’m sure you can relate. It’s just the formulation of the four different clays and the different super foods and growth factor, which extracts and different things that I have in the mask to help just pull out the toxins and provide a lot of clarity that close to my brain and that close to my face and just it really just wakes me up and gets a nice vibrant existence from the inside out to start off my day that I’m addicted to.
But on the days that I’m not doing it, I’ll sometimes do a scrub. It’s very important not to over exfoliate. So I have a nice gentle cleanser by a company called Evan Healy. I’ll do a cleanser on the days off of not doing the mask. And I will moisturize when needed. And I will, in the morning and then at night before I go to bed, it’s very important to cleanse before you go to bed and then moisturize because I really feel like that’s the best time that we can replenish lost moisture throughout the day. That we can just nourish our dermis from the whatever if you’re out in the sun throughout the day just going throughout absorbing a lot of the pollution or toxins that we do.
It’s the most important time to recondition the skin. I really believe that is at night before you go to bed. And, for instance, my night cream has 10% high malonic acid, two different plants who have stem cells that assist in the lifting and the stimulation of collagen production. And I can combine that with my favorite essential oils rosehip seed, as well, and chaga, red clove, or colostrum. I’m using K-factor-16 Manuka honey, which is just, it’s extremely healing.
While we sleep, for however long it is, 4 to 8 hours, every one’s different, but I think you’re in one position for that amount of time, it’s the best time to recondition the skin and nourish the cell and replenish the skin of lost moisture that we go through throughout the day.
Wendy: I love that you put Manuka honey in it because I spent three weeks researching an article that I wrote about Manuka honey. And it’s amazing how it kills all the bacteria in your body. And it’s great you can apply it topically to your skin. And for anyone that has problems with acne and bacteria, you can just kill all that off.
Andy: Bee products are so important to me. When I was looking for a contract manufacturer to really get my…Because I’m making a cleanser right now and I definitely want to have bee propolis in there. And they are vegan certified. This particular contract manufacturer was a vegan-certified facility. And they asked if I had to have it in there.
I’m like, “I’m sorry. I’m going to have to go with someone else because I absolutely am going to have, not only bee propolis, but I’m going to have royal jelly in there. I don’t know if Manuka honey’s going to make my cleanser. But it’s just extremely molecularly complex. Scientists are finding out more and more just amazing properties of the honey, beeswax, propolis, royal jelly. Man, it’s just fascinating to me.
Yeah, what we’re using Wedderspoon K-factor16 Manuka honey. I would make a little paste out of that after my mask with colostrum to just to help with just regenerate and heal the outside part of my scar. And it’s something that I would feel. I would feel some type of activity right there. And I knew I had to have that in my night cream. So yeah, I’m glad you said that. Manuka honey is just amazing, so amazing, amazing stuff.
Wendy: Yeah, it kills bacteria in six different ways. And no bacteria can come resistant to it, which I find so interesting. Especially in our world of this antibiotic-resistant bacteria, Manuka is what you need.
Andy: Absolutely.
Wendy: So let’s talk about what are some of your next level tips to enhance and tone the skin.
Andy: Ooh! My favorite thing next level is if you have access to an infrared sauna. Now, and if you have ideally, you would have a cold plunge pool next to it,but if you don’t, a sink is fine. But say even if you’re at LA Fitness, so what I do is I will apply a mask. I’ll rinse of the mask. And then I’ll go to LA Fitness and I’ll go in the sauna. I’ll have mineral water with Himalayan salt and a little bit of lemon waiting for me outside. I’ll do 10 minutes in the sauna and then a couple of minutes off to rehydrate, 10 minutes back, a couple of minutes back to rehydrate.
I won’t go much more than 30 minutes because I think you can really deplete yourselfof the minerals. But the toning aspect, I don’t even see my pores anymore. I used to have to use those Biorépore strips to remove the blackheads. I don’t even see my pores on my nose in that area right beneath the eyes where the pores are a little bit larger I’ve seen. I’ve noticed on myself.
But yeah, just staying very consistent with that routine of infrared saunas are amazing. And a good clay mask and just very staying consistent with exfoliating and getting that dead skin off of your dermis and encouraging the growth of new skin cells, I think is amazing.
But as far as toning, people probably may think, “A toner.” I don’t use a toner. I may down the road. But a lot of them are very drying—witch hazel. The worst is if they’re using alcohol. And unfortunately, some brands do. But I’ll use a little spritz of pure de ionized water and maybe a little aloe and German chamomile every now and then when needed. But mostly, it’s just staying very consistent with my mask and infrared sauna.
A good cold plunge pool, if you can go around that to close the pores after you’ve done that whole infrared in/out of the sauna. And yeah, Dave Asprey was telling me that he would dip his face into a bucketful of ice and then come out. And then that really helps with the blood vessel constriction and just really closing those pores and then eventually minimizing those pores. Yeah, I don’t see them anymore. I definitely have a problem with black heads as I used to.
And I would say that’s my next level game changer is staying on top of that, staying extremely diligent with this routine. I don’t miss days. It’s just something that makes me feel better. And if you feel better about yourself and you wake up happy with your appearance, you’re going to exude a better energy to everyone that you meet and everyone that you see. And that’s what this is all about. So it’s something I’m a little obsessed about. And it’s my little routine that I love doing.
Wendy: Yeah, I have been using an infrared sauna for the past five years. And I was really blown away. When I started using it, my skin completely cleared up. I used to get lots of blackheads on my chin and stuff like that. And it makes your skin super soft. I was just amazed. A lot of people have congested skin and they have lots of little like bumps on their upper arms or other areas of rough skin because we just aren’t sweating anymore. A lot of people aren’t.
They’re not exercising. Or if they do, they’re not sweating. And our skin becomes clogged. And it’s not able to detox like it should.
Andy: I would say you’re right. And I would say another big thing—and I know that some people may go, “Well, duh,”—but when you’re sweating out all those impurities, make sure that you go home and rinse off to get those impurities off of your dermis because the last thing you want to do is escort those right back into your system and introduce those toxins right back into the system. So just make sure you shower up after using a sauna. And other than that, with the sauna, you’re also sweating out a lot of good minerals, as well as the toxins. So just remineralize with good Himalayan salt. I like lemon, good cleansing and alkalizing formula, vegetables, and things like that. And yeah, it’s just part of my little routine that I love to do. Sounds like you do, too.
Wendy: Yeah. And so you have a new supplement that you just developed. Can you talk a little about that?
Andy: Yeah. So for so long after my accident, I had many people asking what I was doing to just to help because with your jaw wired shut, you can’t eat. And so I knew that I had to get some…I lost 17 pounds. And I didn’t really have a lot of weight to lose.
And it was just I didn’t like how I looked. So I would do things like egg yolks, colostrum, believe it or not, deer placenta, bison liver. And I would blend it all up. And I would just through the wires in my mouth, I would suck it down. But with that, in addition to that, I would use really potent Chinese herbs, adaptogenic herbs, Ayurvedic herbs, and medicinal mushrooms, along with a good amino acid dense tonic.
So I would recommend it to people. And it is extremely dense. I would use turmeric extract, ashwaganda, organic reishi, organic chaga, Ho Shou Woo, which I told you about, and schizandra, which are two are my favorites. But I also add gynostemma and Hawaiian spirulina, organic Hawaiian spirulina.
But it doesn’t taste good. And they’re like, “You should put this in a capsule. It’s amazing stuff.”
But a lot of people couldn’t get it down because it’s not the best tasting. A lot of these herbs are very bitter. And I really feel like the bitter part is the medicinal part. And a lot of that goes back to things like bitter melon and Chinese philosophy of being the medicine that we need. So I didn’t’ have a problem with it. But a lot of people did.
So about a couple of years later, I luckily have a friend that’s in the supplement industry. And I told him my theory. I didn’t want to add any fillers. I didn’t want to add any rice powders or any silica, any magnesium stearate, any methyl cellulose, no fillers. I wanted to create a supplement that was extremely clean.
Everything in my supplement is what I used in my morning tonic in my recovery. It’s just a blood-building, anti-inflammatory supplement that is just…Everything in there has an absolute purpose. And the only thing that we add is an amino acid called leucine, which I actually took every morning as it so.
So my big thing is it’s just going back to building that blood and that circulation and overall vitality with step by step, day by day, it’s like building a nice strong base for a house. If people are looking for a quick fix, that’s not the way that I like to do things. I like to stay consistent in building and strengthening my system and my body at a cellular level. And you do that by staying consistent with your nutrition and your diet. But also, from a supplemental standpoint, you can do that through adaptogenic and Ayurvedic herbs. And I’m just so fascinated with the results that I’ve seen.
When I was 25, 26, I just, I wasn’t, you know how it is, we learn something new every day. But it just became a fascination of mine after my accident to figure out how I was going to get out of this fog. And I just felt so good. I’m like, “I’m just going to do this every day for the rest of my life.” And that’s where I’m at with my supplements.
So we encapsulated it. It’s called Alitura Revitalize. And I’m extremely proud of it. I really haven’t seen anything like this on the shelves that…There are many brands out there. But they add certain fillers to it and flowing agents. And I didn’t. And it’s something that I am extremely proud of.
And it’s not one of things, if you’re looking for a quick fix and you’re looking for instant results, it’s just not realistic. This is something you have to stay extremely diligent with. You build your body and you build your cell, the health of your cell, in the mitochondria day by day, step by step by staying diligent and consistent with that routine. It’s something you have to invest in.
And it takes time. But you stay consistent with it. And you’re going to see results. That’s for sure. I know I have. I feel better than I did when I was 25, 26. I’m now about to be 35. And I’m just excited, very excited.
Wendy: Well, Andy, thank you so much for coming on the summit and just informing us with all your expertise on the skin and the best like supplements and food for the skin. I think the skin, people can largely ignore it or forget about it and not really think about what they’re putting on their skin and how that’s affecting their health. Thank you so much for coming on the summit!
Andy: Well, thank you so much for having me, Wendy. And I hope I provided some value to the people out there. And I’m happy to answer any questions. I love this stuff. And yeah, it’s a big passion of mine. So yeah, thank you so much for having me on.
Wendy: Why don’t you tell the listeners where they can learn more about you and your products?
Andy: Sure. So I’m on Facebook. My name is Andy, last name Hnilo. It’s different, a little different of a spelling. But the H is silent. So and then also my company is Alitura Naturals. So that’s Alitura Naturals.com. And yeah, I’m available. We also have an Instagram @alituranaturals, @andyhnilo. And I’m on Twitter @alituranaturals and I’m also on Twitter @andyhnilo.
And yeah, it’s all me. I run all the social media. That’s how I want it to be. I want it to be my voice because this is my baby and I want to be able to explain what I do and why I do it.
Wendy: Well, Andy, again thank you so much! And everyone, thank you again for tuning in to the Medicinal Supplement Summit. I hope this discussion helps clarify how you can obtain beautiful skin through diet and the ideal supplements to nourish the skin.
My name is Wendy Myers. And my hope is that you and your family experience abundant health and beautiful, flawless skin. And it all begins with taking the right supplements for you!
