With the wide variety of skin products on the market, it’s easy to reach for a bottle of the latest beauty-promising serum when our complexion needs some improvement. In truth, your skin is your largest organ of detoxification, which means that what you’re putting in your body is every bit as important as what you’re putting on it.
Regardless of your topical regimen, these five tips will help get your skin glowing from the inside out:
1) Drink More Water
It’s easy to forget the powerful effects water has on your skin. Here are three complexion benefits you’ll receive from proper hydration:
First, consuming enough water results in adequate blood circulation to your skin tissue, which results in your skin cells receiving the nourishment they need to function properly and look radiant. Second, proper hydration reduces inflammation, and has the effect of calming your skin and creating a more even tone. Third, your kidneys are one of your primary organs for detoxification. Even mild dehydration prevents them from effectively purifying the blood, leaving your body with skin-sabotaging toxins.
Try to make drinking one big glass of water the first thing you do upon waking, and aim to drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day.
2) Increase Your Raw Food Intake
Apart from intensified energy levels and improved mental clarity, upping your consumption of raw fruits and vegetables can have profound effects on your complexion. Think outside the carrot-sticks-and-celery-box and try snacking on raw bell pepper, zucchini, radishes or jicama.
3) Reduce Refined Sugars
Curbing your sugar consumption is a must. The mechanics behind this are pretty simple: you eat refined sugar, your pancreas secretes the hormone insulin to bring your blood sugar down, and that insulin increases the production of inflammation in your skin.
Try cutting refined sugars out for a week and see if you notice a difference in your complexion. If your diet is currently heavy in refined sugar, having a piece of fruit to satisfy your sweet tooth may seem like an unrealistic solution at first – but after a week off of it, that peach will be ambrosia.
4) Get Plenty of Sleep
They don’t call it beauty rest for nothing. Inadequate sleep eventually shows up in your face through dark circles, fine lines and a lackluster complexion. For a better night’s sleep, darken your room as much as possible, keep it cool (the typical recommendation is between 65-72 degrees Fahrenheit), and avoid the screens of television or computers an hour before bed.
5) Take an Epsom Salt Bath
Your face isn’t the only skin that’s taking abuse on a daily basis.
Epsom salt is not actually salt but a naturally occurring pure mineral compound of magnesium and sulfur (two minerals that also happened to be fantastic for detoxification). It’s actually named after Epsom, England where it was discovered in the well water.
Pour in 1-2 cups of it in a tub of hot water, have a soak and you will come out with your skin feeling baby-soft. Take it up a notch by adding a few drops of soothing lavender essential oil in the tub as well.
