1. Drink enough water- Water flushes out excess toxins in your body, and brings oxygen and nutrients to your cells and organs to work more efficiently. So without enough water you end up with too much bacteria and less effective organs to rid your body of those, which results in less than perfect skin.
2. Get enough sleep- While this may be hard to do it really is important for us all to get at least 6-8 hours of sleep each night. At night your body is repairing itself and increasing productivity for the day to follow. Take away this essential repair time and you diminish your body’s ability to work its best.
3. Eat healthier- There is no need to take away every pleasure of life such as dairy, sugar, etc, but you may want to examine your diet and minimize these while upping your intake of substantial foods. You do want to at least supplement your body with things it may be missing such as essential nutrients that come from vegetables and fruits. Dark leafy greens, and deep orange veggies like pumpkin are great for your skin! So is anything packed with omegas, fiber, protein, vitamins, etc.
4. Get active- Exercise increases our body’s productivity immensely! Cardio makes our heart stronger, build endurance in our other main organs as well. Dance, jog, bike, skate, chase your dog around outside. Whatever you can do to get your body moving each week will aid in increasing your blood flow, helping your body process nutrients more effectively, thus giving you healthier skin.
5. De-stress- Stress is a huge factor in skin problems. RELAX! Life is short, enjoy yourself. Dwelling on mistakes, imperfections, obsessing about your appearance, future, associating with people who bring you down, listening to negative conversation, etc will destroy your skin.
6. Check your deficiencies- Sometimes bad skin is absolutely no fault of your own. Hormones and genetics can play a huge role. Conditions such as pregnancy, overactive thyroid, polycystic ovarian syndrome, diabetes, can all cause your skin to react in a negative way. So check with your doctor if you have a serious concern about this and get yourself checked.
7. Stop touching your face- Our hands contains dozens and dozens of bacteria and dead skin cells that will clog your pores. 8. Stop looking in the mirror- I promise that whenever I had a zit that seemed to never go away, it would take even longer when I would look at it! Then I noticed that the opposite was true too. The less I looked at a zit the faster it healed. I’m sure this has to do with stressing about the problem so at all costs, stay away from mirrors, it will heal on its own time.
9. Supplement- Sometimes no matter what you eat, you will just not get enough of the vitamins your body needs to keep your skin clear. Examine your diet. A zinc deficiency can cause excess acne so you may want to take that. Vitamin C gives immune support which fights bacteria so you may need to supplement with that. Of course before supplementing if you aren’t sure, check with a nutritionist or doctor to find out what you may be lacking.
10. Wash your face daily- The recommendation is to wash your face twice a day to keep bacteria, and oil at bay. Ideally you want to use something chemical free because the chemicals in a certain product can even contribute to acne. Always use warm water to get your pores open to be able to clean effectively. Pat your face dry afterwards, never rub as this may cause added irritation.
11. Change your pillowcase- Dead skin and oil gets trapped in fibers which if not changed regularly will clog your skin and put back the bacteria you’re trying to get rid of. Also if you use head scarves, hats, headbands, you may want to wash those regularly as well. Mild soap by hand will do.
12. Moisturize- But my skin is too oily I don’t need to moisturize...YES you do! Whether your skin is too dry or too oily you need to give it moisture. Stand in the shower and let water run over your face from time to time. Your skin will drink it up! After cleansing and removing your face of excess oil, moisturize to replace what was lost and signal to your body to stop overproduction. In time you will have trained your skin to produce less oil, thus less clogged pores and acne.
13. Exfoliate- Do this once or twice per week to remove unwanted dead skin and assist your skin in making new skin. You can do this at home using sugar, honey, oatmeal. Our African Black Soap not only cleanses but will gently exfoliate at the same time.
14. Exercise your face- Yes this sounds silly but just like moving your body is good for your organs, moving your facial muscles is good for your skin. While you’re alone in your room at night after you’ve cleansed and moisturized, make the funniest faces you can imagine. Stretch your mouth, your eyes, and your jaw. This helps to increase blood flow in your face and will repair damaged skin faster. No need to feel silly for too long, a good ten to 20 seconds will do just fine.
15. Examine your products- Makeup, cleansers, shampoos, can all contribute to clogged unhealthy skin. You may want to cut back on your use of certain items that are not 100% natural in order to isolate exactly what is causing the problem. All natural products will always work better with your body. Manufactured products contain many chemicals that your body cannot synthesize and which disrupt the natural way your body works. Mother nature always knows best.
