That’s one of the reasons it’s so important to take good care of your largest and heaviest organ. Another reason? Your skin health is indicative of your overall health! If you’re sick and stressed out, it will show up, and you shouldn’t ignore your body!
Here are 6 amazing secrets for healthier skin (and a healthier body), inside and out.
1. Drink More Water
Are you drinking at least 2 litres of water a day? If you’re answer was no, then you are doing your skin a disservice. Every cell in your body depends on water to function (in fact, your body is over 80% water), so you absolutely must hydrate to get the most vital, vibrant skin. Talk to anyone who has truly ageless, radiant skin and they’ll tell you: they drink water, and plenty of it.
2. Go Organic
You likely already know that parabens are bad for you. But there are lesser known evils in many skincare products, including mineral oils, as well as artificial colours, preservatives and fragrances. In addition to being possible carcinogens (i.e. cancer causing agents), these chemicals can really irritate your skin. Organic is the way to go if you want to rest assured your skin is getting the best, safest treatment. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for organic makeup or a facial moisturiser: go with a reputable, all natural brand like Tolman’s skin care products. These will deliver you beautifully effective and nourishing results, with none of the worry.
3. Exercise
In addition to helping you live longer and more fully, exercise can also beautify your skin. That’s right! Exercise has been shown to bolster collagen production — the protein that helps add elasticity and plumpness to your precious epidermis. The key is to exercise regularly, at least 3 days a week, and to live as actively as possible in between your workouts.
4. Use Sunscreen
UV damage can seriously harm your skin, adding to fine lines and wrinkles by decreasing your collagen stores. Then, of course, there’s the skin cancer associated with prolonged exposure to sunlight. No one is saying to live in the shadows: we need sunlight to help our bodies produce the vitamin D that’s essential for overall health, but you do need to be cautious about how much sunlight you’re soaking up. Use a good quality sunscreen any time you’re going to be outside for more than a few minutes. You’ll get less vitamin D, yes, but you’ll still get enough to promote good health.
5. Adopt a Pre-Bed Skincare Regime
While the jury is out on whether you need to wash your face with facial cleanser twice a day, the fact remains that clean skin is healthy skin. Sleeping with makeup on can actually increase your skin’s signs of age, accentuating the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and even causing them. The reason is simple: when you sleep, your body regenerates cells, and it is more difficult to do this with cosmetics on your face. Night creams and serums are made to work with this rejuvenating process. Make up? Not so much.
So, wash your face every night! Use a toner to rebalance your skin’s pH, slough off dead skin cells and remove any excess makeup. Then, apply night time facial and eye cream to your face, as well as body and hand lotion to the rest of your body.
6. Catch Some Z’s!
Last but not least, you have to make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Most adults need between 7-8 hours, sometimes a little more. You know how dull, dry and tired your skin can get when you’ve had a poor sleep: well, that’s because your body has not been able to adequately complete it’s renewal process. It’s called beauty sleep for a reason! Put down your phone, step away from your screens and hit the hay!