Your skin can tell the story of your life and also reflect your overall health. When it comes to taking care of your skin, prevention matters… and works.
Just as there are many ways to keep your skin glowing and gorgeous, there are several benefits to adopting healthy skin habits today. Want to banish zits and dryness? Would you like to keep your skin radiant decade after decade? These 10 tips can help you on your path to beautiful and healthy skin.
Feed your skin from the inside out
Putting your best face forward starts with what you put inside your body. Eating healthy can never be overstated—unless your skin is getting the nutrients it needs, don’t expect it to look its best. What goes in will eventually come out: A diet heavy in sugar and processed food can make your skin dull and increase breakouts. Food like tomatoes, spinach, dark chocolate, watermelon, sweet potatoes, and flaxseed are all good for your skin. Eat well, and your skin will thank you.
Commit to cleansing your face every night
Resist the urge to get into bed at night without cleansing your face of makeup and the dirt that has accumulated from the day. Getting lazy about your nighttime routine is not an option for retaining healthy skin, and not washing away the day’s grime is just asking for breakouts. A good way to wash your face thoroughly is to use the double cleanse system. First, use a makeup wipe to remove makeup and surface impurities. Then use your cleanser to penetrate and fully cleanse your skin. If you prefer, you can use a cleanser twice.
Ditch Coffee and Drink Green Tea
Coffee is dehydrating and pro-inflammation, a recipe for skin disaster. Green tea, on the other hand, is high in antioxidants. A study published in the May 2007 edition of the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry reports that drinking two to six cups of green tea a day helps prevent skin cancer and may also reverse the effects of sun damage by neutralizing the changes that appear in sun-exposed skin. These are good enough reasons to brew a cup of green tea instead of coffee, don’t you think?
Get more sleep
You know the feeling you get when you wake up from a good night’s sleep? Your skin feels the same way after getting sufficient sleep. A good night’s sleep can mean good skin health, because while you are sleeping, your skin is also resting. When you’re sleep deprived, your skin suffers; your body makes more stress hormone (cortisol) that can hurt your skin’s quality. Not getting enough sleep can also worsen existing skin condition and accelerate skin aging—so make sure you get that recommended seven to eight hours of sleep.
Drink more water
If you want healthier hair, younger skin, and good overall health, hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate—water is the world’s best beauty elixir. It aids in digestion, circulation, and absorption, which are all vital for healthy skin. Dehydration leads to tight and dry skin with less resilience, which leads to wrinkling.
Shorten your Shower
For supple and soft skin, shorten your shower and use lukewarm water (this also applies to washing your face). We know how wonderful a long, hot shower feels, but hot water strips and dries out your skin and your pores won’t open up if you use cold water. As we earlier pointed out, dry, cracked skin ages faster, and looks dull and lifeless.
Exfoliate
If you exfoliate gently two to three times a week to remove dead skin cells and dirt clogging your pores, it will reveal your skin’s natural glow. Exfoliating is important, because it allows products to penetrate and work more effectively. It shouldn’t be an everyday practice, because that can lead to irritated skin. (Pro tip: Remember to be gentle when you exfoliate; no need to fight with your face.)
Take care of your neck
Think of your neck as part of your face, and shower it with the same love you show your face. Use the products you’re using on your face on your neck, toot—cleanse, moisturize, and use sunscreen on your neck every day. (You’ll thank us for this tip: Massage in an upward motion to create a lifting effect)
Exercise
The benefits of exercise for overall health are well known; these benefits can also be reaped by your skin. Incorporate exercise into your daily routine, and watch your skin come alive.
Keep skincare simple
A simple skincare routine is important to achieving healthy skin because using a lot of different products with different ingredients can irritate the skin. All you truly need are a cleanser suitable for your skin type, a moisturizer, and sunscreen. The simpler your skincare routine, the more likely you will stick with it and see results.
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