Episode 388: Erin Holt’s 2025 Clean Beauty Picks That Actually Deliver
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify
Which clean beauty tools, products, and routines are actually worth the investment? Erin is sharing ALL of her favorite gadgets and gizmos, the items she’s tested, loved, and repurchased, plus the ones she regrets spending money on.
You’ll hear about the red light mask that noticeably helped her rosacea, to facial cupping, collagen, tinted moisturizers, and the OneSkin formulas she swears by that have truly made a difference in her skin health.
But we’re also digging into a much deeper layer of the beauty conversation: how the $6.3 TRILLION dollar wellness industry uses shame-driven messaging to convince women they “need” more products to be healthy or attractive. Erin explains why foundational habits like nutrition, hydration, movement, and stress support matter far more than any $100 face cream, and how to stay grounded when the marketing tries to convince you otherwise.
Think of this episode as your go-to clean beauty guide that’s practical, honest, and NOT rooted in fear-based selling!
In this episode:
The $6.3 trillion wellness industry’s favorite tactic, and how shame marketing silently shapes your beauty choices
The ONE <$80 lymphatic tool that Erin swears has delivered the most noticeable skin improvements
Why Erin believes “skin is an inside job” and which lifestyle factors actually make the biggest difference in aging
The red light mask Erin uses daily, what it does at the cellular level, and how it helped her rosacea
Which high-end products earned a permanent place in Erin’s routine… and which expensive gadget she almost never touches
Resources mentioned:
Bon Charge Red Light Masks - 25% off through Dec. 31, 2025
Goop Beauty Lift + Depuff Eye Masks
NuFACE Microcurrent Facial Toning
OneSkin Lip Mask, Face Topical Supplement - use code FUNK for 15% off your first purchase
Organifi Collagen, Green Juice Powder - use code FUNK for 20% off
Seald Wellness Face Tape - use code ERINHOLT15
Episode 314: Skin Vitality & Natural Botox with The Facial Cupping Expert
Episode 382: Struggling With Acne? How Your Gut Impacts Your Skin
LMNT Electrolyte Replenishing powder (Use code FUNK and get a free sample pack with any purchase!)
Qualia Senolytic (get up to 50% off and an extra 15% off your first purchase with link + code FUNKS)
Bon Charge (Use code FUNK to save 15%)
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Step one is to instill shame in women. Step two is sell them the solution for that shame. That is why it's your shame that is driving billion and trillion dollar industries. It is, it's our shame that's carrying this long. Shame is a really, really, really, really potent tactic because we will do anything to avoid shame. So as soon as they get us in the shamy bits, we're like, all in. We're all in. And we've seen this for decades and decades with D, you know, oh, you're a fat pig. You just need to be skinny in order to be of value, in order to be loved, in order to be acceptable by the male gaze. So we're going to sell you the solution. We're going to stoke the fear, we're going to stoke the shame, and then we're going to sell you the solution. Once we've created the problem in you, we're going to hand you over the solution for a ginormous price tag.
Welcome to The Funk’tional Nutrition Podcast, spelled with a K, because we do things a little differently around here. I'm your host, Erin Holt, and I've got 15 years of clinical experience as a functional nutritionist and mindset coach, creating a new model that I call Intuitive Functional Medicine™, where we combine root cause medicine with the innate intelligence of your body. This is where science meets self trust. Your body already knows how to heal, and this show is going to show you how. If you're looking for new ways of thinking about your health, be sure to follow and share with a friend, because you never know whose life you might change.
If you're looking for new ways of thinking about your health, be sure to follow and share with a friend because you never know whose life you might change. All right, today we're getting into clean beauty, best of according to yours truly. I'm gonna round up my favorite products that I actually use and then I'll share with you some things that I've purchased in the past that I don't really use or don't really love. And I'll also, at the end, talk about what my tween is using for her skin too. Because if you're like me and you have a tween daughter, she's probably skincare obsessed. I'll talk about where we've netted out with that whole thing. As I sat down to write this podcast, we got an email that says, hey, Erin, I hope you are well. I enjoy your podcast a lot.
Hey, thanks. I'm 55 years old and my mature skin needs help. There are so many products, some clean, some not clean, and of course, the price I want to commit to a skincare line. What do you recommend? I've never had Botox or fillers. Even though it's tempting, I wouldn't do it. What do you recommend? So sometimes when I have an idea, the universe, the powers that be serve me up confirmation exactly when I need it. So thank you, Zoe, for emailing because it came right at the right time. I was like, oh, okay.
People actually want to hear about this. Great. And before we get into all of that, I am going to make recommendations, I am going to talk about what has been effective and what we can do. But I also want to talk about something bigger. I'm going to be really honest with you, as I am want to do. And where my head has been at lately is that the consumerism of beauty in actually health in general, not even just beauty, the consumerism of health is really, really, really starting to get to me. And I understand that's rich coming from me because I certainly participate in it. I do.
I love my supplements, I love my gadgets, I love my gizmos, love my face creams. You ask me about them, I tell you about them. So I recognize that I'm someone who consumes these things, who purchases these things and even promotes these things sometimes. And it's starting to feel a little yucky. Specifically, what feels yucky to me is the way that we're being sold these things with the sidecar message of you cannot attain or maintain health without investing in all of these products. That's the part that's really starting to get to me. And that's what we're seeing more and more and more with health and beauty. The beauty industry alone in 2025 was valued at $677 billion.
Billion billion dollars. Wellness industry is valued at $6.3 trillion. Like I can't even say that number without laughing. So there's a lot of money, a lot of money behind this stuff that's being pushed at us, that's being promoted at us. There's a lot of money in us buying them. We're very valuable consumers. And the more we buy, the more we're being sold to. So you understand how this works.
Consumerism, right? But as a health expert, I don't know, I don't really like calling myself that health enthusiast, somebody who does health for a living for a long time. What I can tell you that's true is that these things, the supplements, the skin care, whatever, they should really be considered like the extra razzle dazzle on top of really taking care of yourself from the inside out, good nutrition, lots of antioxidants and Minerals through food, not just supplements through food. Hydration, movement, good digestion. All of this really matters. It matters the most. It's so foundational. But that's not the message that we're receiving. The message that we're receiving is that we need a $45 fiber supplement in order to achieve health.
I'm gonna go off on a little tangent here because I was just listening to a podcast recently, and it's a big podcast, and they were interviewing the founder of a fiber supplement. And within just the first five minutes, I had to turn the podcast off because what she was saying felt so off base and, quite frankly, incorrect. Like, I have no idea how she's positioning herself as a fiber expert when she could not even answer the most basic, fundamental questions about fiber. Really basic questions. She was just, like, blowing them. And she's not a health practitioner is the point of this. This tangent. She's not a health practitioner.
She's not a health expert. She's a savvy businesswoman. She saw a gap in the marketplace and she went for it, which is not inherently wrong or bad. I'm not a businessman. I'm a business man. Let me handle my business. Damn. Like, get it, girl.
You know, she's somebody who's like, hey, everyone's talking about fiber. Here I go with my big fiber supplement, which, again, not a problem in and of itself. But they didn't have her come on the show to talk about the ins and outs of running a business and a company. They had her come on the show to teach about fiber. And this is where you need to be a more savvy consumer. And by consumer, I mean the information that you're consuming that you're taking in. The problem is when we start taking our health advice from company founders, from business experts rather than health experts. To me, that is a problemo because these companies have huge marketing budgets behind them.
We just talked about the billions of dollars, the trillions of dollars that are circulating around in the wellness industry. And we're getting bombarded with this in our feed. And as we listen to podcasts, it's all we're hearing. Buy this, Buy this, Buy this, Buy this. You will not be healthy unless you buy this. Biohack yourself. Buy this supplement. And so we're starting to get imprinted and indoctrinated with the idea that we need these things to be healthy.
And, you know, if I've participated in contributing to this in any way, I am very sorry. Certainly not my intention. I personally do take supplements. You guys are Asking me for recommendations all the time, and I'm pretty forthcoming with what I take, what I recommend, what I suggest, all that stuff. Obviously, in our functional medicine clinic, we are leveraging different supplements, different antimicrobials, different nutraceuticals for our clients as part of their protocols. It's like how we help people get them better. So we're definitely leveraging some of these things. But I never want to instill the message that, like, this is what you need need in order to be healthy.
I have a hard enough time getting you guys to eat vegetables. Like, never mind the supplements. Just, just eat your vegetables. You know, my intention is always like, hey, if you're looking for this, here it is. But never to invoke or induce shame in you if you're not doing these things or like, you're not doing enough. That's the thing. For me, it's the shame piece because it's the oldest game in the book. Step one is instill shame in women.
Step two is sell them the solution for that shame. That is why it's your shame that is driving billion and trillion dollar industries. It is, it's our shame that's carrying this along. Shame is a really, really, really, really potent tactic because we will do anything to avoid shame. So as soon as they get us in the shamy bits, we're like, all in. We're all in. And we've seen this for decades and decades with diet culture. You know, oh, you're a fat pig.
You just need to be skinny in order to be of value, in order to be loved, in order to be acceptable by the male gaze. So we're gonna sell you the solution. We're going to stoke the fear, we're going to stoke the shame. And then we're gonna sell you the solution. Once we've created the problem in you, we're gonna hand you over the solution for a ginormous price tag. And that's what we're seeing now with the beauty industry. Like, whoa. It's why the beauty industry is growing as fast as it is.
And I think it's even more so. I think the shame inducing is even more so in the beauty industry. It's almost, I don't know, it just feels nefarious to me. It feels wrong. And I think the bar keeps getting set higher and higher and higher. And if you don't believe me, I'm going to give you a homework assignment. I want you to go watch Groundhog Day. And when you watch, I want you to look at Andie McDowell's teeth.
She's the love interest in the movie. Andy McDowell's like a total babe back in the 80s. I mean, she's still a total babe, but this was in 1993, so like that was like her heyday, right? And her teeth in that feature film in 1993. Yellow as the day is long. Because like teeth whitening wasn't a huge thing that, never mind veneers, you guys. Teeth whitening wasn't even big. The over the counter products like the whitening strips and whitening toothpaste and the at home whitening kits didn't really come out, didn't like really come on the scene until the late 90s. And with new products came more marketing, more shame induced marketing, like, ew, are your teeth so yellow and gross you need these things? So I'd say probably, it's probably a good estimate, probably 90% of the insecurities you have about your body and your appearance were planted there by the media to sell products.
Our shame's a big one, super duper valuable. And now things have really snowballed since the late 90s. Women in their 20s and 30s are now doing Botox and filler as quote unquote preventative care. The target audience is getting younger and younger and younger. My 11 year old daughter, 11, she's 11. And her friends are all now obsessed with skincare based on what they're seeing and hearing. They don't even get to enjoy their youthful skin while they have it because the media has already taught them that they need to be poking and prodding and preening at their skin. And so we're seeing this more and more and more as the norm.
Face alterations, fillers, botox faces, filters on the social media, you know, even AI images, this is becoming the norm to which we and our kiddos measure themselves in ourselves against. So we're always gonna fall short if we're out here like raw dog in reality with our natural faces, we're always gonna feel like we're falling short. And hey, guess what? That is a new pain point. That is a new shame point. And it's more money to be had, it's more money to be made. And this is why to circle back to the email that I received, this is why women who've never consider doing any of this stuff in the past are now like, um, it's feeling tempting now so more than ever, because it's just becoming more and more and more commonplace. We're just seeing it all the time. And you guys, every single Time I talk about skin, I always feel like I have to post 152 disclaimers.
Do your thing, mommy. That's always my stance. That's my forever stance. You do you. I don't give one flying f if you get Botox and fillers, do you? Whatever makes you happy, you know? Get it, girl. Get it, girl. I'm just saying that there is a byproduct of all of this, and we have to talk about it. There's no shame.
This is not a conversation to induce shame in anybody in any way. I don't have a strong opinion over what you do with your body. Never. Do I ever, Neva. Do I ever. You do you. Okay, so let's get that out of the way. But as somebody who has been pretty anti Botox and fillers for myself because of my health history, I can't just be shooting random things into my face face.
Like, that's not great for me. But even I'm like, dude, should I. Should I be, you know? So I understand the email where it's like, hey, I've never really wanted to do this, but now all of a sudden, it's tempting. Like, I feel like I should do it. Okay, so some days I'm right there with you. I'm baked in the same stew, the same casserole. I'm marinating in the same messages, the same marketing as you guys all are. And I've talked on the show before about at the time of recording.
I'm 41, and I'm looking in the mirror, and I'm being like, okay, okay, there's some changes, you know, and that comes with its own fun set of stuff. My friend Courtney just this morning sent a photo of us 18 years ago. I nearly spit my coffee out when she said, 18 years ago. I'm like, how. How is this almost 20 years ago? How it goes by in a blink? And I'm like, I still feel like that girl. Like, I still feel like her. And then I look in the mirror and I recognize that, oh, okay. I look a bit different, though.
And if I'm being really present with myself and honest with you, I think the only reason that I have a problem with that, me seeing something different in the mirror, me seeing signs of aging in my face, is because of the indoctrination I'm getting from the media telling me that I should look different and that I should, like, sort of, like, freeze myself in time. And that part of it makes me mad. It makes me really mad. Cause, like, how the fuck Did I battle diet, culture, and eating disorders through my teens and 20s to end up at 41, picking my face apart in the mirror? Like, how did I get here? You know, didn't I already go through this? It feels a little bit like a regression. And also, I'll tell you this straight up. When I look at my friends, like, the friends that I've been friends with, like, my whole life, forever and ever, the ones that are my exact age, when I look at them, when I see aging in their faces, all I see is beauty, because I know what they've lived. I know the life that they lived, and their face gets to be an expression of that. So when I'm looking at my friends who are 41 and I get to see the aging on their face, it feels like a fucking privilege to be able to witness that.
And that's real. That's real for me, you know, that's real and true. All of this is real and true. Big stuff here, and I guess not even the point of today's show. But I want to presence that. I want to voice that. I want this to enter the chat. If I'm going to be like, here are my favorite beauty products.
I also want to be like. And here's like, the shitstorm of, like, feelings and emotions and thoughts that pair up with it, you know, over the past eight years, over eight years now of this podcast, I've always promised to be honest with you. So I'm navigating this in real time. And that's just what is real for me right now. All of it is true. And what is also true is, like, I'm kind of low key into longevity, like, looking and feeling young for as long as I can. I am a woman. I do care about what I look like, you know, at this stage in the game.
I do. So all truths and experiences are valid. They're real, and they can coexist here. Okay, so with all that, with all of that, how's that for an intro into best of beauty 2025? I have been exploring some more natural things to do for my face. I'm not obsessive about it, but I do have, like, a nighttime skincare routine, you know, I do. I have that. And it's something that I get asked a lot about. So today I'm going to talk through what I've used over the past year or two.
I kind of joke that, like, hey, I've spent the money, so you don't have to. Because I've tried a lot of different things. I'M mostly going to talk about the stuff that I really love so you don't have to like waste your time with other things. And I'll talk about the things that I keep coming back to, the things that I found really effective. And I am intentionally releasing this at the beginning of December because I know that people are thinking about holiday gifts and all of that. So I thought this would be a good time. And also, let me say this. Hear me, hear me.
You do not need to buy a hundred dollar moisturizer or whatever in order to have healthy skin. Okay? Like that's not real. It's not real. But if you are looking to make a purchase, if you're like, I want to invest in this, this is something that I'm interested in. I want to uplevel my skincare game, you know, which is definitely where I've been the past couple years. Then today is for you. I'll offer up some suggestions if you're actively looking for them. Do not perceive this episode as me telling you you have to go out and buy all of these things to like fix your face.
That's not what I'm doing here. Okay? And I will beat this drum forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever. Skin is an inside job, meaning that you have to pay attention to what's going on inside. Good nutrition, supporting your liver pathways, lots of antioxidants, lots of minerals, hydration, movement, good digestion. We did an episode on the gut skin connection recently. You know, all this stuff really matters. Your stress levels also matter to your skin. So if you need help with any and all of that, that is what we do in our functional nutrition.
One on one work. You can apply to work with us. Give yourself the gift of health this year. So I would start with all that stuff first and foremost, in my opinion. That's my suggestion. Focusing on beauty from within is the primary movement. You will stay looking and feeling young. If you take care of yourself.
You're not going to face cream your way out of self betrayal. I'm sorry, you won't. You're not going to botox your way out of a miserable life. Sorry, it doesn't work that way. So take care of you first and foremost and then everything I'll share with you today is like the extra razzle dazzle on top.
So I've long made fun of the gummies as supplements trend. It's kind of like adults taking candy and calling it health. Until I realized that it's the only way my husband will actually consistently take supplements. Every day. He takes Organifi's creatine, cherry chews, and Organifi's chilajit gummies, which is super mineral, rich with fulvic acid and humic acids. But my personal favorite, and I do take them every day, is the Happy Drops. They're yummy little lemon gummies that are made with ginger, Gotu cola and Passion flower, all of which are shown to have positive effects on mood and emotional well being. Plus it has saffron, which is shown to help your brain modulate its levels of serotonin. And I do notice a difference in my mood when I am taking these gummies every day, even if they do taste like candy. So if you're excited to try Happy Drops or you're just sick of taking your supplements in pill form, you want to get in on the gummy action, head to organifi.com/FUNK that's O-R-G-A-N-I-F-I.com/funk and you can save 20% off your order with that code FUNK.
If you struggle with fatigue, headaches, muscle cramps, you might not be getting enough sodium. This might surprise you, but if you eat a primarily whole foods diet, it shouldn't. According to the FDA, 70% of sodium in the american diet comes from processed foods. So if you reduce or eliminate processed foods from your diet strong recommend you may also be reducing essential sodium. Yes, so sodium is essential. It's not an optional mineral. Since I eat a whole foods diet, I heavily salt my foods with sea salt. I also drink LMNT, a tasty and salty electrolyte mix daily. Right now LMNT is offering my listeners a free sample pack with any drink mix purchase. That's eight single serving packets for free with any drink mix purchase. It's a great way to try all the different flavors and you can get yours at drinklmnt.com/funk this deal is only available through this link so you have to go to D-R-I-N-K-L-M-N-T.com/FUNK. LMNT offers a no questions asked refunds so you can try it totally risk free.
If you're anything like me, your skin needs a little extra TLC this time of year. I love my outdoor walks, but the cold weather makes my skin wicked dry and kind of inflamed. So that's why I've been sticking with OneSkin certified safe for sensitive skin. OneSkin products are free from over 1500 harsh or irritating ingredients and their patented OS1 peptide has been validated in five different clinical studies. It targets the root cause of wrinkles and loss of elasticity. OneSkin just launched their limited edition holiday set including a nightly rewind gift set which adds the perfect touch of luxury to your gift list. Featuring their best selling face moisturizer, their brand new peptide lip mask which I love and a sculpting gua Sha tool. For a limited time, try OneSkin for 15% off using code FUNK. oneskin.co/funk After you purchase, they'll ask where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them we sent ya.
Okay, so my skincare routine, I'm gonna like lay it out and then I will just kind of like give you like the the quick and dirty and then I will break everything down for you. Why I use what I'm using, how it helps and I will include the costs of everything and if I have any coupon codes I will share them with you and we will make sure that they're linked up in the show notes. So I start my morning with a cup of coffee. I don't think that's anti aging, but I just want to tell you the truth. I drink a glass of water and then I chug my co coffee and I do my morning routine. I'll do a whole episode of my morning routine because it's like my favorite thing in the world.
But one thing that I've been writing in my journal, especially if I'm working through something, is show me the beauty in this. So the reason that I'm sharing this with you right now, not because it has anything to do with skin care, but because it does have to do with beauty. Like I'm really seeking beauty in every situation and I think that helps us to kind of tap into beauty from the inside out. Anyway, then I do my red light face mask and I wear it for 10 minutes. My timer is set for 10 minutes. Sometimes I will do it twice, but most days I'm using it for 10 minutes. And I'm just doing that either when I'm journaling or when I'm working at my computer. You don't want any product on your face when you're using it.
So that's why I like to do it first thing in the morning before anything gets on my face. Because I don't clean my face in the morning. I just if anything splash some water on it and call it a day. So I do my red light mask, then I work out and I've been adding a few minutes of rebounding just for the lymphatic drink drainage because I do find that that helps to reduce puffiness. So I just have like a cheapo rebounder mini trampoline that I've had for, I don't know, like eight years. I think it was like 50 or $60 online. Nothing fancy. And I just do that for a few minutes, like while I'm working out or in between sets or something like that.
Lately I've been working out at my house, so really easy to do that. And then of course, I'm eating well throughout the day. Oxidative stress will age you. It will age your body, it will age your skin a lot faster. So an antioxidant rich diet really helps to combat oxidative stress. So again, like, beauty is an inside job. Skin is an inside job. So just make sure you're getting a lot of antioxidants.
They also support your liver health, which your skin can reflect your liver health. Again, not a nutrition episode, but I think worth noting. Now I don't wear makeup every day. My skin gets a lot of breathing time. I'm a pretty low maintenance Larry when it comes to makeup and stuff. So I don't love putting it on. I'm not somebody who like can't go out of the house with a face full of makeup. That's just not my steez.
When I do, again, it's super low maintenance. Like it will take me five minutes or less to put makeup on. I have some favorites. I love rms. That is probably my favorite clean makeup brand. I know a lot of people love Ilia Merit. I just keep coming back to RMS as my fave. So I'll do a tinted moisturizer.
I like RMSS. Merit has a really good one that my friend just turned me on to. And then Beauty Counter is back. They had my absolute favorite tinted moisturizer of all time. So they rebranded as Counter. And I tried it and it's okay. Like, it's not as good as I remember, so I don't know if the formulation is totally different. It's all right.
So I'm always looking for that perfect tinted moisturizer because that's what I usually just like to wear on my face. So those are kind of my faves there. And then at night, this is when the fun really begins. So pretty much every night in the evening, we're on the couch watching a show. We are really binging Stranger Things, rewatching Stranger Things so we can get ready for the final season. At the time of airing this episode, I guess we'll already have seen some of them. So anyway, I mean can we talk about Hopper in Lily Allen? Not the point of the show. Aaron, Focus.
But can we talk about that album? Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Anyway, I digress. So while I'm watching shows on my couch, I will use my lymphatic brush because it's so easy. And it's like the thing that I'm most consistent with because it's just dry brushing. So I can literally just do it while I'm sitting on the couch. I don't have to use oil. I can do it with makeup on, with makeup off.
There's like no prep work. I can just grab it. It sits right next. It's always on, like, the little table right next to my couch. I grab it. And I probably do that for, like, I don't know, anywhere between five to 15 minutes. I just kind of get like, lost in the sauce. And since I'm watching tv, I just do it.
Love that. So I dry brush my face almost every night. And then I go to bed or before I go to bed, I do basic skincare. I tape my face, I put on a lip mask, and I get eight hours at least of uninterrupted sleep. Sleep is a big one for anti-aging and for skin. So that's my whole routine. Now let's get into the specific products that I use. My red light mask is Bon Charge.
Y'all ask me about this all the time on Instagram. Even though I try to share it as much as I can, it's probably Bon Charge. So the red light mask that I use is $349. It's definitely an investment. They're on sale right now, so I'll tell you about that in a second. But the reason that this works, it's near infrared light. And it stimulates the mitochondria in skin cells to increase ATP, which then promotes collagen production, elastin formation, and improves circulation. So I do.
I use this almost every day for a year, two years. What is time? I don't know. For like a chunk of time. And have noticed improvements in my skin in terms of like fine lines, wrinkles. But then also, I've talked about this a bunch. Rosacea and redness. It really helps to reduce that. So I love that.
Yes, it's expensive, but it's one of those things you buy once and then you'll have forever. So I could sort of justify the expense. They also have a neck and chest mask, the red light neck and chest mask. And I don't. That's also $349, I have not purchased that but I'm like really, really considering it because you know your neck and your chest do tend to like the skin there tends to age kind of a lot. We all have like tech neck too, so that's not helping. And then I just like my chest is like gets so much sun, you know, I'm a sun baby, I'm a sun junkie.
So I just feel like maybe putting something on my chest would be helpful. Anyway. There's also some evidence, although it's kind of preliminary, that red light therapy can improve thyroid function and Hashimoto's it reduces TPO antibody mediated autoimmunity and increases the health of the gland itself. Now there's no studies on these home devices that I know of anyway but I would for sure consider it if you do have Hashimoto's getting that red light on your throat like right over the thyroid obviously in addition to all the diet and lifestyle changes that are pretty much required with autoimmunity. But that could be something to think about. And so this, the one that goes on your neck and chest could be great because it's going over your thyroid essentially. So just floating that out there. I don't have it, it's not what I use it for.
But I figured it could be helpful for somebody to know that. So like I said, Bon Charge is currently running their holiday sale. You can save 25% off when you go to Boncharge.com it will automatically be added to your order. The sale ends on Dec. 31. So if this is something you've been like thinking about, I would definitely probably do it now where you can save 25% off. I do have a coupon code, it’s FUNK.
Pretty much all my coupon codes are Funk. But I don't think it gets you 25% off. So good time to take advantage of the show. And Bon Charge is a sponsor of the show. We have five wonderful sponsors that make this show possible and all of them are products that are that I use every day. The only way I work with a company is if I'm already actively using the product and then I'm seeking the company out more often than not. So just know that you know, when we talk about and promote our sponsors, they're the reason that the show can still go on eight years later every single week. So we super, super appreciate them.
Just so you know this, when I give you coupon codes or special links to use, I'm not getting a percentage of that. Sale. It basically just shows. Shows. The podcast, like, oh, okay, this is a show worth sponsoring because her listeners actually purchase these products. So it makes sense for us to use our marketing budget to support the show. That's how that works. I don't consider myself an influencer, meaning I'm not like hawking products all the live long day.
That's not part of the our revenue stream for the company. That just. I'm not knocking that. It's just not our business model. So just, I don't know. Transparency is cool. It's one of our core values. So I figured I would tell you how all that works.
Anyway, let me talk about a product that I am not sponsored by, but I really love, and that is Goop Beauty. You guys, I don't even want to tell you how much money I have spent with Goop Beauty because I've tried all the things, all the things. And let me tell you my favorite product that I actually think warrants the price tag because it's fancy. And they are the Goop Beauty eye patches. So they're like the little things that go under your eyes and they work so well. 125 bucks a pop. I think there's 30 in the container. So, like, if you wanted to use these every day, it's $125 a month to use them.
That's. That's a lot of money. But they work. They, like, really brighten your under eye. I tend to get puffy in like, sometimes dark circles and brighten them right up. If I know I have to, like, film and like, be on camera. I'm pulling those bad boys out. I just like pop them on before I do my workout.
You leave them on for 10 minutes. They're really, really, really good. Sadly, Gwyneth does not sponsor the show, but I would love it if she did. Okay, so the Goop eye patches, you know, I'm usually wearing those in the morning. And then, like I said, food. So just some food specific. Matcha is pretty high in antioxidants, EGCG specifically, really all green teas as well, and then high in polyphenols. Those are antioxidants.
And like I said, that's what helps to combat oxidative stress, which drives premature aging. It also drives collagen breakdown. It can drive inflammation. And so the more antioxidants, the better. So I love my matcha. I do a matcha latte every single day. Just make it right at my house. Easy peasy.
If you're not into Matcha, I know a lot of people don't like matcha. They don't like the taste. You can do a green juice. I love Organifi's green juice. That's my favorite green juice powder on the market. It does have a little bit of matcha in it, but it's just really, really antioxidant rich. And so if that might be your bag as well. Now obviously you can get antioxidants through food, but if you're looking for the little extra razzle dazzle, the green powder is a good choice.
I think we would be remiss to not talk about collagen. People really swear by collagen for their hair, skin and nails. They can see a marked improvement. So the best way in my opinion to get collagen in is to make your own bone broth to make your own stock. So after you cook a chicken, boil down the chicken carcass, throw in chicken necks in chicken feet, get them from your farmer. That's gonna really lead to that like jelly. You know that, that very collagenous jelly like broth that is super good for your hair, skin and nails. Also good for your gut.
If you eat chicken off the bone you're going to get some of those gristly bits as well. You could also boil beef bones, get those from your farmer as well. But that's really the best, most cost effective way to get whole food collagen into your pie hole. Most people are taking it in supplement form. I also do that as well. I use Organifi’s collagen. It's pretty tasteless so you know you can add it to. I throw it in my smoothies but you can add it to coffee, whatever, you know, put it in stuff.
Organifi's collagen is $54.95. So that's why I say make your own broth more cost effective. But this is more time effective to throw powder into your smoothie. So you know, do you Organifi is also a sponsor of the show. So I do have a code for you if you want to check out some of their stuff.
You save 20% off with the code FUNK. organifi.com/funk, O-R-G-A-N-I-F-I.com is where to go for that. And then we also talked about a lot of skin specific nutrients in episode 382 as well.
If you're low key obsessed with aging and longevity, stem cells are one of the things you want to be thinking about. They're like your body's built in repair crew. But as we age that system slows down. So Qualia Stem Cell was created to promote healthy levels of circulating stem cells and help your body renew itself. So if you've ever felt like your body just doesn't bounce back like it used to, whether it's after a tough workout, getting sick, or just the wear and tear of life, this one is for you. Qualia Stem Cell was designed to support your body's natural repair systems, helping you heal, recover, and keep going strong. And right now, you can try it for up to 50% off at qualialife.com/funk and here's a bonus. Use code FUNK for an additional 15% off your order. That's Q-U-A-L-I-Alife.com/funk. Your body's built to repair itself. Qualia just helps it do that better. And a big thanks to Qualia for sponsoring this episode.
I am so excited to announce a new sponsor with you guys. Bon Charge. I love this brand. They make the most incredible products and the one that I've been using and love for the past six months is their red light face mask. The past few years, my rosacea and the redness on my face has gotten worse. Now you guys know the deal. Skin is an inside job. Our gut health, what we're eating really impacts the health of our skin. So we do have to support our skin internally, but it can also be supported externally as well. And that's where the Bon Charge red light face mask has come in for me. I use it about three to four times a week, 10 minutes a pop. It's super easy. I do it first thing in the morning and I have noticed less redness and even a more even skin tone. Other things that the red light mask can help with are fine lines and wrinkles, acne, eczema, sore jaw and migraines. Red light therapy is awesome. It's hugely researched. There's thousands of peer reviewed studies on it. So if you want to take advantage of red light therapy, it's currently the Bon Charge holiday sale. So you can save a massive 25% off. Just head to boncharge.com and your 25% off code will be automatically added to your order. The sale will end on 31st of December 2025, so hurry and don't miss this massive chance to save big on your favorite Bon Charge products.
Now let's get into the ye olde nighttime routine. So the brush that I was talking about that I use is the Cecily Braden brush. And if you were to get one thing, I think this would be it. In my Opinion. Again, not sponsored. I don't have any coupon codes for you.
No affiliation. She's just the bee's knees. She's like lymph mama, like the OG in the space. And so she developed this proprietary brush. It was years in the making. The one I have is it's size small. So there's two sizes. One that's small and that's what I use for my face.
It's $78 on her website. And then there's a larger one for your body. I don't have that one, so I use the small one. It's face. And again, this is to promote lymphatic drainage. So it's supporting the skin's natural filtration systems. And that's what helps to remove excess fluid. All the waste, cellular waste.
And that's the stuff that's contributing to acne, rosacea, puffiness, dark circles. That's. It's like, I don't know. This is just one of the greatest tools. It's so easy to use. It's relatively inexpensive because again, another one of those things. You're going to buy it once and then have it forever. You want to know how to use it.
So she has a lot of videos on her Instagram that you could follow. I think she also sells some tutorials on our website. And then once you know how to use it, you're good to go. Because you just want to open up. There's specific ways to open up the lymph channels, the lymph nodes, and so you just want to make sure that you're doing that correctly. Okay. And then facial cupping. I do love facial cupping.
I had the facial cupping expert on the show episode 314, Skin Vitality in Natural Botox. So skin cups are different. That brush is more for lymphatic drainage. Skin cups are using suction, and they create a little bit of a vacuum that gently lifts the tissue, like this tissue of your face, like the muscles, the fascia there. And that helps to increase blood flow. It helps to stimulate circulation. And so you. You can definitely notice a difference in your skin.
You might notice a visible lift, just like more glowing skin. I love it. I find it to be really effective. You do have to be greased up for it. So it requires a lot of oil. You have to like, lube that face up. So those cups are slip sliding around. I haven't been as consistent with this one as I would like to be.
I was doing it like three or four days a week for a while, and now I'M like, like lucky if I do it once. And I think it's just because the lymph brush is so easy and doesn't require any oil. I just have a tendency to use that more. So if you're interested in that, you can listen to the episode to learn more. You can get the cups through Sakina and she also has some really affordable tutorials on her website to learn how to do it. You can basically just like D.I.Y. some of this stuff, you know, like D.I.Y. your own facials.
And then of course, gua sha, which is similar to what we're talking about. This also requires oil. You gotta be greased up. You use a gua sha stone or tool, which is usually just a smooth edge stone, and that glides or scrapes across the face in very specific movements. This helps with circulation and blood flow in the skin. We want blood flow in the skin. Like, that is what's going to keep you looking youthful and young and just keep your skin healthy. So that's why lymphatic drainage and the facial cupping and the gua sha, all of this really helps with that circulation and that blood flow.
Gua sha helps to remove the fluid, reduce puffiness. It can relieve tension. If you have a lot of tension in your jaw muscles, that can really help as well. So those are like the three different things that I use. But like I said, the lymphatic brush is the one that I'm doing most regularly and most often. And that one is my favorite. And I see the most results from it, probably because I'm the most consistent with it. Okay.
And then before bed, I am using my products.
OneSkin is the product that I've been using the most consistently. They have a newish lip mask. They sent it to me before it came out, so I got to try it for a while. So I've been using it for at least two months now. And I really, really like it. I'm not somebody who uses lip masks. That's just, like, a little bit over the top for me. But I will tell you that I've noticed lines on my lips and I am a little bit self conscious about that. Like, that's the thing. When I look at my face, I'm like, I can see my lips aging. So that's just a personal thing for me. And holy smokes, I'm not even kidding you. I've noticed a big difference. I really, really have.
So I just use this. It stays on pretty well. So I use this right before I go to bed and it stays on. It's $42. The lip mask is $42, which sounds very expensive for a lip product. But it's lasted me two months so far, and I'm not even halfway through. So I think this stuff really lasts a long time. So I do want to say that if you get sticker shock, just know that that one lasts a long time.
And then the other one that I really like is the face topical supplement. So this is a moisturizer for your face, 120 bucks. Okay. So it's expensive. That one doesn't last as long as the the lip treatment, I'll tell you that much. What I would recommend is try it out. And if you don't see a noticeable difference in the first bottle, I wouldn't keep using it.
You know, I did. I did see a difference. I was also getting feedback. People are like, ooh, what are you doing for your skin? So it incentivized me to keep using it. But I recognize that that's expensive. But the reason that it works and that it's so effective is that OS1 peptide that it uses. So there's a lot of studies, a lot of clinical studies on the efficacy of this. It works really, really, really well.
I interviewed the founder of this just to understand a little bit more. I'm like, I know that it works, but me why it works. So that episode's available to you guys if you want. They are running a sale right now, limited edition holiday sets. So one of them, the nightly rewind gift set, includes the lip mask, the face moisturizer, and a Gua Sha tool. So that's pretty cool. If you've been thinking about trying it out, might be a good time to do it for a limited time. And you can use 15% off with my code FUNK at Oneskin.Co/Funk
After you purchase, they will ask where you heard about them. So if you say my podcast, the Funk’tional Nutrition Podcast, that would be great. That would be doing me a solid again, if you're looking for this kind of thing.
Okay. And then there's the face tape. Everybody asked me about this one the most. I think. I think this is the one.
People are like, what's up? What are you doing? What's going on over there? So I tape my face at night, and it is to essentially prevent fine lines and wrinkles. The tape itself lifts, smooths. It restricts movement. So, like, if you. I have like deep 11s, for example, like in between my eyebrows. And when you tape them, you're not furrowing your brow. So it restricts the movement that kind of leads to some of the lines in your face. I am not an evangelist with this.
I'm not a purist either. So I know some people are like, really, really, really, really, really, really into it. And they have very specific ways that you're supposed to tape your face. It's a whole thing. I am not at that level. I'm just going to be honest with you. I'm not at that level. So I've tried some different little, like, little tapes.
Here's where I've netted out. After trying everything, SEALD is my favorite S-E-A-L-D. I do have a code for you. It's. It's ERINHOLT15. Link it up in the show notes. So let me tell you why I love them is because the other tape I use, you can't have any skincare on your face or they don't stick. So it's like I had to go to bed with a dry face.
I want to get lubed up before bed. I want to be a little greasy bean, you know, so, like, I would have to, like, do my face care, whatever it's called skincare. Like an hour before I went to bed and then tape my face up. So anyway, they're me. They're designed to be adhesive and, like, sticky even with skincare. So I really like them. And then there's one that goes over your entire forehead, so I use that. And then I use them right at the corner of my eyes.
And then I use them at the corner of my mouth, too. The week that we release this one, I'll post some pictures on Instagram so you can, like, see what I do. I love them. Really love them. I used frownies for a while, so that's not face tape. It basically forms a cast. So you put it on your forehead and it forms a cast so you can't move. I really liked that too, but I couldn't use it on the lower half of my face.
I only use it on my forehead because I just didn't like the feeling of it on, like, anywhere else in my face. So. Love frownies for the forehead but not for the rest of the face. I really prefer face tape, but. But strong. Recommend frownies too. There is a bit of a learning curve. You have to be really patient.
I'm not always the most patient when I'm learning something new. So I had to give myself some grace and practice using them before they stuck, literally stuck on my face. All right, I want to tell you about one thing that I bought that was kind of like Buco bucks that I never use. And it's NuFace. It's a microcurrent device. The one I have is listed on the website for $250. So it's not, not cheap. I probably have used it like 12 times in two years.
Like it's microcurrent, so it kind of like shocks your face a little bit, like makes your teeth feel weird. Do you know what I'm talking about? You know what I mean? You have to put this conductor gel on your face, which is probably why I don't use it, because it's like you have to goop yourself up. At least with face oil you don't have to wash that off, but the gel you do, it's like lube. It's like literal lube that you're greasing your face up with and then that's what conducts the current. So you can't use this device without it it. And it's an unenjoyable experience for me. It is effective. It does work, you see, like noticeable lift, but it's just not enough results for me to warrant going through the discomfort of all of that.
And I just like don't know where in my day I would fit it in. So I just don't use it. I never, I never use it. And that's the truth. Like, no, hate to new face. It works if you use it. I just don't use it. So I'll be honest about that one.
And then last thing that I will say for tween skin, here's where I found some success. So if you've got a little teeny bopper little kiddo that's like, I need skincare, you know, you don't need to be taking them to Sephora into Ulta. There is one brand my good friend Meredith turned me onto. It's called Byoma. It's pretty darn clean and it's really, really affordable. And I don't personally love it for, for myself, but it's great for her skin. It's really great for her skin. So Bioma is a good one.
And then I also, I gotta shout out, I gotta shout out these guys, Bloomside Botanicals, they handcraft everything in Maine. They grow their own herbs. They're good stuff. I found them at a craft market in North Conway and I got myself and my daughter some stuff like hydrosol sprays and some oils and they have really high quality products that they make themselves. So want to shout them out because my tween is also using that, and I feel really good because they're just like such nice, clean, wholesome products and ingredients. Okay, that's it. Best of beauty 2025. Let me know what you guys think and I'll catch you next week.
Love you guys. See ya. Thanks for joining me for this episode of the Functional Nutrition Podcast. Please keep in mind this podcast is created for educational purposes only and should never be used as a replacement for medical diagnosis or treatment. If you got something from today's show, don't forget, subscribe, leave a review, share with a friend, and keep coming back for more. Take care of you.