Get your Skin Glowing

Slapping on the latest brand name wrinkle cream to “reduce the visible signs of aging” probably won’t reduce the visible signs of aging. It will, however, reduce the visible signs of money in your bank account. My mantra is work from the inside out. Here are some tips on how get your skin glowing:
Stay hydrated
Each of us requires 30ml of water per kilo of body weight to maintain hydration per day This excludes extra sweating from exercise so add more in on those days. You can hydrate with herbal teas, coconut water and filtered water. Think of all that water plumping up those skin cells to help your skin look full and fresh.
Eat foods that are high in antioxidants
This means fruits and vegies. Add a variety of antioxidant rich super foods into your daily diet. Antioxidants are important for mopping up free radical damage to skin cells. They prevent fat oxidation and reduce inflammation and scarring. Antioxidant rich foods to focus on eating more of include cloves, cinnamon, turmeric, oregano, cacao powder, berries, dark coloured grapes, red onions
Avoid bad fats
Bad oils in the diet translate to bad skin because it is sebum (oil) at the skin level that determines how oily or dry your skin is. Too much bad fat such as margarine, trans fats found in commercially made biscuits and cakes and seed oils such as canola oil should all be avoided. They can contribute to oily skin and increase acne. Instead focus on eating more good fats. These include fish, avocadoes, coconut oil, raw nuts and seeds.
Take a good quality fish oil
Fish oil is important for reducing inflammation and helping with the production of hormones. The aim of the game is to increase your body’s omega 3s and reduce your intake of trans fats. Most of us do not eat enough fish so a good quality supplement is a great idea. My favourite brand is Nordic Naturals.
Try dry skin brushing
Dry skin brushing or exfoliating in the shower are both excellent ways to get rid of dead skin cells and allow your skin to breath. The other thing skin brushing achieves is helping move lymphatic fluid below the surface of the skin to help the elimination of toxins. After all, your skin is your biggest elimination organ and needs to be an open channel.

Skin nutrients

Skin nutrients to think of are vitamin A, vitamin C and zinc. Get in touch if you would like to look into the possibility that you could be deficient in some of these essential nutrients for good skin health.

Written by Naturopath- Susan Hunter