Why Natural Skin Care?
There are numerous reasons why you should consider switching to natural remedies from over-the-counter solutions when tackling unhealthy-looking skin. Not only are the natural treatments included in this guide proven to have an impact on the quality and appearance of your skin, but many offer other health benefits that you won’t get elsewhere.
These natural skin care tips can all be done from the comfort of your own home, won’t cost the earth every month to keep in stock, and will help to ensure that your skin feels and looks amazing day-in, day-out. They’re generally pretty environmentally-conscious too, which is another win for nature!
How To Adjust Your Diet
One of the quickest paths to oily skin is through unhealthy food. Anything high in fat content or sugar content is going to have a negative effect on your skin, so it pays to cut these out of your regular diet as much as possible. Generally, oily foods lead to oily skin – that means the beloved curry might have to take a step back when you fancy a midweek takeaway.
Foods rich in Vitamin C are a must, as well as the tried-and-tested five-a-day helping of fruit and vegetables. It’s important to keep a consistent diet and avoid big shifts in weight change as much as possible, as it will have a negative impact on your skin health.
This is most typical with weight loss programmes or poorly-considered diet routines, where the path to success borders closer to starvation than proper nutrition. We’ve even written a companion piece discussing specific superfoods that can help keep your skin looking superb – check it out!
Key steps to improving your diet;
- Avoid fatty or sugary foods
- Eat plenty of fruit & vegetables
- Get your daily dose of Vitamin C
- Be consistent with your food & nutrition intake
Tips On Exercising Regularly
Exercise can be a bit of a panacea for all manner of things and your skin is no different! As yucky as it sounds, sweat is one of the best ways to unclog your pores, as the increased sweat production will help to expel nasty toxins from your body and skin. It’s important to wash after an intensive session, however, as you want to get rid of those nasty toxins for good once you’ve sweated them out.
Exercise is also useful for keeping yourself looking more toned, less wrinkly and generally in better shape. All of this has a huge impact on how your skin looks, so be sure to get active as often as you can.
Top exercise routines to help improve your skin;
Running, jogging or walking
Yoga
Cardio workouts
Getting Enough Rest
One of the most underappreciated remedies for feeling down is a bit more shuteye. Sleep is a vital part of our health, as it helps to recharge and regenerate our bodies after each day. Although many people believe that you can ‘catch up’ from losing a few hours here and there, studies show that it’s not quite so simple.
Always try and catch your full 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep to avoid sagging skin or the dreaded bags under the eyes. Be sure to give yourself adequate time to fall asleep naturally and take any necessary steps to give yourself uninterrupted kip. Additionally, consider sleeping with softer pillowcases to avoid friction whilst you sleep; silk pillowcases are perfect for treating your skin well whilst you sleep.
Cleanse With Soft Water
It’s important to stay clean and fresh at all times, as the dirt and grime that builds up over time will damage your skin. Bathing and washing will help remove toxins and bad oils from our skins that can clog pores and eventually ruin our skin. It’s worth thinking about the softness of your water at home, as it can have a huge impact on the health of your skin.
Soft water is proven to soften your skin, as it does not contain the minerals found in hard water that extract moisture and leave unwanted residues. A high-quality water softener can be a superb way of getting soft water in your home – particularly in areas with really hard water – and improve the effectiveness of bathing activities.
Tips To Avoid Stress
This is probably the trickiest of the bunch, as we’re all subject to numerous stressors in day-to-day life, but it’s (frustratingly) one of the biggest causes of wrinkles and ageing skin. Be sure to cut out unnecessary aspects of your day that cause you stress and take time to reflect when possible.
Many people try meditation, yoga and exercise as methods of reducing stress, but try and find what works for you and include it as part of your daily routine. There are numerous apps that can help to organise your activity.
Methods to reduce stress;
Meditation
Exercise
Reflection
Create A Natural Skin Care Routine
After you’ve got the above cracked, it’s time to create a skincare routine that will help to keep all your hard work looking pristine. There are so many great naturally-sourced products – from brands such as Lush – on the market that will make the process easier, but you essentially need to cover the following bases: cleanse, tone, moisturise and mask.
Cleansing scrubs will help remove the dirt that can clog your pores, allowing your skin to breath more and feel generally healthier. Toning masks then close your pores to protect from excess dirt finding it’s way back in. Moisturisers help to revitalise the skin and bring back the necessary minerals for healthy skin.
Finally, masks can offer a number of different benefits, from drawing out impurities to deeper moisturising of your skin. As an extra tip, be sure to wear sunscreen when you’re venturing out this summer to protect your skin from overexposure!
