Making The Change To Natural Skin Care

With so many chemical products in use why not make the change to safer and more natural skin care products? We are exposed to chemicals and pollution on a daily basis anyway, so why apply them to our skin as well? Natural skin care can help you look and feel better on both – the inside and the outside. Healthy skin begins on the inside. What you eat and drink does influence the condition of your skin. Follow the tips found in this article to help your skin look and feel better without chemicals.

 

Natural Skin Care Tips

Water

Drink water. Yes, water! The skin is your body’s largest organ for elimination. Water helps flush the toxins out of your body that would otherwise show up in your skin. Adults should drink at least 64 ounces (~2 litres) of spring or filtered water per day for proper hydration. Skin thrives on hydration. Lack of water can create wrinkles, dry skin, acne, redness, and itching. Cut back on coffee, tea and soda consumption. These beverages dehydrate your skin and the body.

 Diet

Change your diet. Add more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish to your diet. Use common sense and take a little time to plan your meals for the week to avoid trips to fast food restaurants or eat junk food. Try eating more of your vegetables raw. Uncooked veggies contain all their vital vitamins, mineral and enzymes. Avoid microwaving foods. Vegetables only need to be lightly steamed. Adding fish, especially cold-water fish like salmon, is a great way to get your daily does of Essential Fatty Acids. EFA’s help fight free radicals that cause skin to age. Add more fiber to your diet. Fiber helps the digestion and elimination system working smoothly, which will help your body to get rid of toxins through bowel movement. Cut back on fast foods, sugar, fatty foods, and preservatives.

While the dietary changes are working on the inside lets work on the outside. Your skin needs a little care and protection to stay looking its best.

Skin Care Routine

Change your skin care routine. Skin maintains its own balance of oil unless we mess with it. Over-washing skin leads to loss of natural oils and creates dry skin. Wash your face only once or twice per day with a mild, natural face soap, warm water and dry with soft cloth. If your skin feels dirty at other times use Witch Hazel on a cotton pad and lightly blot over skin. Witch hazel is a natural cleanser and astringent. Don’t use hand soap for your face, hand soap is designed to be used on hands, therefore, it’s much harsher.

Protect Your Skin

Protect your skin. Skin needs protection from the elements. Sun, wind and cold – all cause skin to lose moisture and become damaged. Shea butter makes a great skin lotion. Shea is a nut butter from South Africa and has been used for skin care, arthritis, and food for centuries. Shea butter is rich in Vitamins A, E and K and has the ability to penetrate layers of skin to help heal skin from the inside out. This butter also forms a protective barrier to help skin retain moisture and protects skin from sun and wind damage. Only use 100% organic pure Shea Butter.

Natural Cosmetics

Re-think you old skin care products and consider trying more natural cosmetics. Both you and your skin will be happier and healthier. Look for products that are hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic and do not contain the following chemicals: Sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate, parabens, propylene glycol, mineral oil, petrolatum, paraffin, acrylamide, dioxane, diazonlidinyl urea and toluene.

Read more about skin care, or if you have any tips of your own – comment below!