I don't think this will be my most popular blog post, BUT if you read all of it, and follow the advice in it, I promise it will make a huge impact on the condition of your skin.
Why do I think it won't be very popular? Because the advice in it isn't easy. It's not a simple made for TV episode on the latest ingredient that will eradicate all your acne breakouts or make your skin look like you're 23 again. It's not about the newest treatment I discovered in some ritzy spa located deep in the mountains of Italy. Instead it's a real, honest look into how your skin actually functions and how to get it healthy and keep it that way.
Don't underestimate the beauty of healthy skin. So many people scroll through articles on skin health to settle on an amazingly expensive serum that promises over-night results like you've never seen before. Not only do you not need that, it doesn't work. Because that's not how your body works.
Think about the last time you complimented someone on how their skin looks. Did you notice their skin because it was completely devoid of any signs of age? No, you noticed it because it was glowing. Skin glows when its full of life; full of health. How do you get glowing skin? (and I promise it's not a Too Faced highlighter.) Here are my three absolute musts for healthy, glowing, radiant skin. And they'll cost you far less than a trip to your local luxury spa.
Drink enough water. Every single skin cell is made up of about 64% water. More than half of a skin cell is water. Water is literally life. You cannot life without enough of it. You cannot glow without enough of it. You cannot grow new cells and get rid of dead cells without enough of it. Your skin cannot detox properly without enough of it. It cannot protect itself without enough of it, and it is actually the only thing that stands between you and the outside world. When your skin is dehydrated, the texture of your skin will be rougher. You're wrinkles will stand out. You will break out more often. There are no ifs, ands, or buts to this. This is how skin works. How much water should you drink? At least half an ounce of water for every pound you weigh. At least. And remember, if you have caffeine or sugar daily, you'll need more, because those dehydrate you.
Use a cleanser that doesn't strip your skin. It's very gratifying to me how many times I can change a person's life by changing their cleanser. Super simple, and makes me look like a hero. Most people use cleansers that unbalance their skin's microbiome. The very microbiome that protects it. And no, this doesn't just happen in cheap over the counter cleansers. There are a great many expensive cleansers that do this as well. I'm going to say something that might make many people uneasy....cleansers should not remove every drop of oil from your face. If you can run your finger down your skin after you cleanse it and it makes that "squeaky clean" sound, you have ruined your face. You are stripping it and at the very least, you're aging it faster, and at the worst, you're causing significant inflammation in it. Don't buy cleansers that contain sulfates, dyes, foaming agents, and fragrances. They will ruin your skin.
Eat plenty of essential fatty acids. Think of your body like a machine. And your skin like the covering of a machine. This covering is regenerating constantly. All day, all night, just remaking itself over and over and over again. Now, you wouldn't expect to be able to make any other machine right if you didn't have all the parts. I mean, how well does it go over when you buy that big IKEA shelving station and they forget to give you part E and bracket 3? That's an angry call to customer service right there. That's what you're doing to your skin when you don't give it the proper nutrients every day. Essential fatty acids are the building blocks of your skin. They're called essential because your body can't make them. At all. Ever. You must give your body these nutrients via your diet. All the time, not just in once a month bursts. It cannot make proper skin cells without them. It can only make half-assed ones without them. So if you want glowing, healthy, properly functioning skin, you must keep a steady flow of essential fatty acids going to your skin
. These come in the form of nuts and seeds, avocados, fish, and seaweed to name a few. It's recommended that adult women get at least 12g of Omega 6 per day and 1g of Omega 3 per day.
So I know these recommendations aren't as sexy as some amazing cream to put on your skin or as titillating the next invasive treatment a Hollywood star is raving about, but it really will make an immense difference in your skin in as little as month.