Tips to Make Your Skin Look Healthy and Bright
We all want to look our best and bright healthy looking skin can help us feel more confident.
There are lots of products on the market that promise bright, glowing skin, there’s also the dermatologist that can offer advice, and there’s also steps we can take ourselves to help make our skin glow and look great - naturally.
Lifestyle and Diet
Good skin is not just about the outside of our body. What we put in our bodies and how we treat ourselves also plays a role.
Use a Sunscreen Product
One thing we can do to protect our skin is to apply a sunscreen, regardless of your skin type or the weather, we should use sunscreen every day to protect our skin from the harmful effects of the sun.
Note: Sunscreen should be used on all exposed areas, not just the face, but arms, neck, chest, even the tops of our feet.
Eat a Healthy Diet
We should likewise be mindful of what we are eating, choosing a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and minimizing our intake of sugars and sweets, this will reflect outward in the look and condition of our skin.
Eat leafy greens like kale, tomatoes, cooking with olive oil, whole grains, kiwi fruit, carrots, and wild caught fish are just a few of the foods to consider. Drinking plenty of water, green tea, whole milk, almond milk and a even a small glass of red wine can also do your skin good.
These are just samplings of what you can eat and drink. Do your research or ask your doctor as there is a whole lot to choose from.
Ditch the Cigarettes and Try to Avoid Alcohol
Stop smoking and limit your intake of alcoholic beverages, as both of these cause dehydration to your body and skin, which shows up as lines and wrinkles on your face.
Creating Your Own Natural Skincare Products
What we put in our bodies is important and what we put on our bodies is equally so. Rightfully so, you might be a little wary of the products on store shelves, since you don’t know what all the ingredients mean or just what all these products contain.
If you want to be more vigilant about what you are exposing yourself to, why not give your skin a break and try something natural? There are some great ingredients you can find right in your own kitchen that you can use and you’ll know just where they came from.
Exfoliate Your Skin
Exfoliating is or should be an important part of your daily skin care routine. Exfoliating your skin will remove dead skin cells and can help dull skin look fresh and radiant.
Baking Soda and Water
- Mix baking soda with warm water and make a lotion like paste. Start with 2 teaspoons baking soda and 1 teaspoon warm water, adjust as you desire.
- Splash a little warm water on your face then use the baking soda mixture and gently wash using a circular motion.
- Rinse with warm water and pat your face dry.
Brown Sugar Scrub
Note: I always make a large batch of scrubs so I can give them to my daughters or friends. Separate into 4 ounce jars and don’t forget to keep one for yourself.
- Add 2 cups brown sugar to a bowl.
- Add in 1 cup softened coconut oil.
- Add in 6 drops Lavender essential oil to start, adjust to your liking up to 15 drops. Lavender has a strong aromatic scent so I don’t go overboard with it. You can also use grapefruit essential oil, lemon, etc. Start with a small amount of drops and work your way up when adding.
- Hand mix or use a blender to quickly whip the ingredients.
- Again, splash water on your face, gently exfoliate in circular motion, rinse with warm water and pat dry.
You can keep this in the shower but don’t be surprised if it gets runny from the heat of the shower. It will solidify but will keep getting runny with each shower.
I typically exfoliate at night before washing my face; it’s just easier for me to add this quick little extra step at night. Some doctors say if your skin is dull looking or if you have oily skin, you should exfoliate in the morning.
You can also use fractionated coconut oil in this mix. If you do, slowly mix in the FO until you get the consistency you like.
If you are not used to exfoliating your skin, start by exfoliating once or twice a week. Once you know how your skin reacts to exfoliating increase to every couple of days and once again see what happens.
Fresh Fruit Mask
After I go to the grocery store and stock back up on the necessities, I include a little fresh fruit to my facial regimen at least once a week, maybe two times depending on what we have left.
I typically use organic pineapple, grapes, kiwi, banana, orange or strawberries for this as it’s what I most often buy from the store or farmers market.
Simply take a slice of fruit and rub it all over your face – be mindful of the eye area and open sores. I’ll wash my face first then rub the fruit on my face and let it sit up to 10 minutes. I’ll then rinse my face with warm water.
Soothing and Moisturizing Natural Facial Mask
There are other natural alternatives to products we pick up at the store, here’s a fresh face mask you can easily whip up in your kitchen to help soothe and moisturize your skin.
- 1/ 2 avocado (mashed) – healthy fats, hydrating and moisturizing.
- 1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice – preserves the avocado from turning brown.
- 6 – 7 teaspoons organic cooked oatmeal – calms and soothes skin, contains natural oils to hydrate and moisturize skin.
- 2 tablespoon honey – moisturizing.
- Mix all ingredients together then rinse or wash your face with warm water to remove cosmetics and any dirt that may have accumulated throughout the day.
- Place a bath towel on the bed. After you’ve applied the mask to your face, lie down and relax for 15 minutes. (You can also lie down first then apply the mask to your face. Have a towel handy to clean your hands.) While you have the mask on, you can also place cucumber slices over your eyes as this will help with any puffiness under the eyes.
- When you’re done, rinse your face with cool water and pat your skin dry.
Use regular non flavored oatmeal. Although oatmeal does not contain gluten and if you have sensitivity to gluten make sure to use oatmeal that hasn’t been processed in a mill that grinds barley, wheat, and rye and other gluten grains.
When my husband or I make a bowl of oatmeal and I know I’m going to make this mask, I take several teaspoons out first before we add in any brown sugar or other flavorings.
