When you wake up in the morning and gather your focus to face the day, the state of your skin makes an enormous impact on your confidence. Achieving a daily radiance and effortless glow can sometimes feel out of reach, with busy schedules that make it challenging to make time for self-care or even a restful night’s sleep. Luckily, there are so many natural solutions out there for giving your skin the support and nourishment it needs. Read on to find a few of my favorites!
Back to basics
Let’s start with the basics: diet, hydration, and sleep. As the skin is the largest organ in the body, it responds to everything that’s going on in the internal environment. If you’re having an issue with an internal body system, your skin will be one of the first places to show it.
Fill your diet with fresh, unprocessed, and natural foods – as much as you can. The skin and the digestive system are closely linked, and consuming processed foods, or high levels of salt, caffeine, and alcohol, can strip moisture from the skin and create more inflammation, which can exacerbate issues such as redness and puffiness, or encourage breakouts.
Don’t forget to drink water – a glass of warm water with lemon in the morning makes a huge difference to your skin’s state the state and sets a healthy precedent for water consumption for the day.
Wind-down time
If you’re having trouble resting deeply at night, try changing up your wind-down routine. Two hours before bedtime, dim the lights and take some deep, belly breaths. Chamomile, valerian, and kava kava teas are excellent natural relaxing agents to bring in as you’re winding down. They are also very nourishing to the skin, so make sure to save your tea bags for a calming eye mask the next day!
You can also make a relaxing pillow mist with the magic of aromatherapy. Just combine peppermint, lavender, vetiver, and ylang ylang essential oils in a spray bottle with a little water, and spritz your pillow before laying down. The essential oils begin reacting immediately with your brain to reduce anxiety, calm your mind, and create a peaceful environment within the body that’s perfect for a good night’s sleep.
Battle inflammation
Inflammation in the body can create a whole host of issues – including skin conditions such as eczema, hives, redness, and puffiness. The beneficial cannabinoid molecules in CBD cream are believed to work with the body systems to reduce inflammation, and therefore support the skin in regenerating itself. Many people have experienced an improvement in skin conditions using salves and creams infused with hemp extract, and these products are becoming more readily available all the time.
Nourish skin
Manuka honey is one of the most precious, unique substances on earth, and doubly so when used as a nourishing skin mask. It’s naturally antibacterial, deeply hydrating, and contains many beneficial properties. It also balances the pH levels in your skin, and will gently slough off dead skin cells in the process.
To use, just run a teaspoon of manuka honey in your hands to warm, then apply to your face and neck. Always gently massage upwards to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Then, leave the honey mask on your skin for up to 20 minutes, wash off with warm water, and gently pat your skin dry.
Lymphatic massage
A gentle face and neck massage is additionally beneficial for reducing inflammation because it assists the lymphatic system with detoxification. Your neck and jaw area are home to many lymph nodes and are a central location for the management of lymph flow. If you want to make lymphatic massage a regular part of your skincare routine, consider implementing a gua sha tool.
A Gua sha is a stone or crystal wand that has been an essential part of Chinese skincare tradition for generations. Gently utilising the tool on the skin of your face and neck can reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and puffiness, while assisting with lymphatic drainage and detoxification. Many people who have used the gua sha regularly have reported amazing effects on the appearance and feel of their skin!
Breathe easy
Finally, the most important addition you can make to your self-care routine is the simplest one of all: just breathe. Not only does breathing mindfully replenish your skin and all of your organs with all-important oxygen, but it’s also one of the quickest and healthiest ways to reduce anxiety and break the cycle of negative self-talk. Take breaks throughout the day to just connect with your breath. Breathe deeply through your nose, and feel it fill your diaphragm and belly. Hold for a few seconds, then slowly release through your mouth. Repeat a few times, or as long as is needed to feel the effects.
Taking care of your internal and external environment is a lifelong investment, and is so worth it. Not only will you experience more beautiful, radiant skin, but the freedom and peace you will experience in your mind, body, and soul will create an effortless glow that will follow you everywhere you go!
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