1. Drink more water! Yep, it’s that simple! I’ve seen amazing before & after photos of people who commit to drinking more water every day for 30 days. You wouldn’t believe the results! The rule of thumb is to drink 1⁄2 an ounce for every pound you weigh. So if you weigh 120 lbs, drink 60 oz of water per day. If you aren’t doing near that amount, work your way up! You can do it! Get a cute bottle or tumbler to make it fun!
2. Cut down on sugar, processed foods, dairy, & fried foods. All of these things must be detoxed from your body, and it often happens on your skin in the form of acne & a dull complexion. This isn’t an overnight change, but making intentional choices with your diet will have a huge payoff in so many health areas, including your skin.
3. Manage Stress! Uncontrolled stress can make your skin more sensitive and trigger acne breakouts and other skin problems. To encourage healthy skin — and a healthy state of mind — take steps to manage your stress. Get enough sleep, set reasonable limits, scale back your to-do list and make time to do the things you enjoy. The results might be more dramatic than you expect!
4. Treat your skin gently. Here are some tips:
- Limit bath time. Hot water and long showers or baths remove oils from your skin. Limit your bath or shower time, and use warm — rather than super hot — water. I am a huge fan of a long. steamy shower before bed, but I always turn the temperature down before washing my face. This reduces redness significantly!
- Avoid strong soaps. Strong soaps and detergents can strip oil from your skin. Instead, choose mild cleansers. I'll be sharing more soon about some products that I love.
- Pat dry. After washing or bathing, gently pat or blot your skin dry with a towel so that some moisture remains on your skin.
- Moisturize dry skin. If your skin is dry, use a moisturizer that fits your skin type. For daily use, consider a moisturizer that contains SPF.
5. Choose clean ingredients for your skincare & makeup! Skip products with artificial fragrance, colors, parabens, and other ingredients that not only have links to skin problems, but also endocrine disruption, which results in hormonal imbalances that can throw off so many other areas of your life - weight, sleep, cycle, mood swings, etc. Yikes!!! I used to use really pricey skin care products (assuming they were the best) and was shocked to find out the dangers of some of the ingredients. It was a huge wakeup call for me!
Don’t you wish you could go back to your teenage years & have this information?? I do!
- Learn how freeing it is to say "No" or "Not right now"
- Detach from work and electronics when you are at home or with loved ones
- Manage your time through a timer when working on a to-do list
Thanks for taking the time to learn with me. Having tools is one thing, but using them is another. These tips (and your oils) only work when you use them. I’m glad to be able to be a cheerleader for you and to be on this journey with you! You’ve got this, friend!