SIMPLE WAYS TO GET CLEAR SKIN

When I started my journey to having a healthier lifestyle there was one side effect that truly surprised me. My skin started become clearer and now I can say that it’s clearer than it’s ever been in my life. So no, it’s not perfect at any means, but someone who has tangled with breakouts and oily to dry skin their entire life, it’s almost like this is a tiny miracle!

I’d been to many dermatologist telling me something different each time I visited a new one, yet again, I was still complaining about these bumps (that I’ve since I can remember), blemished skin. I’d tried all the creams and pills that they had told me to use over the years and here I was, looking like a teenager all over again. I finally decided to start doing research on natural ways to clear skin. The run from each doctor always telling me that it would get worse before it would get better, well that was coming to end!

I had seen over and over again the power of diet and food can do for not just your skin but your entire body. At that point I never thought to put the connection together with my diet and my skin. But knowing that Google always has the answers, the first search gave me confidence that healthy, clear skin was possible without creams and pills. I will be honest with you, the first year I decided to try this nothing truly changed, but when I made the drastic changes to my diet and lifestyle amazing things started happening.

The breakouts are have reduced frequently and overall my completion is smoother and my skin is glowing and full. With the changes in my diet and lifestyle I also found different products that work better with my skin that are more of a “clean skin product.”

So I wanted to share with you some tips for clearing your skin! 

CUT BACK ON CAFFEINE

Caffeine dehydrates your body, which I always thought to myself every morning when I finish my cup of coffee I’m always needing a huge glass of water. The dehydration can also cause different areas of your body to have inflammation. Not saying coffee is bad at any means (I drink it every day), it has antioxidants! If it’s late in the afternoon and I’m craving something warm, I’ll make a cup of green tea (non-caffeinated). The ingredients in green tea are detoxifying too!

USE CLEANER SKIN PRODUCTS

As I learn more and more about toxic chemicals in skincare lines, I’ve noticed that I pay more attention to the ingredients in not only my beauty products, but my shampoos, conditioners, body washes, body exfoliates, etc. I will say that my beauty products nor my hair/skin products aren’t 100% safe, but I’m trying to get there gradually. I get surprised to find that some of my favorite beauty products and face washes that I’ve used for years contain so many toxins. By just changing a couple products I can see a difference in breakouts and I thank those articles.

Here are the couple ingredients I look for- 

-Parabens

-Fragrance 

-Phthalate

-Sodium Lauryl Sulfate/Sodium Laureth Sulfate

-Formaldehyde

-Propylene Glycol

-Triclosan

-Petrolatum

CUT BACK ON SUGAR
I LOVE CANDY – Sour Patch Kids. Candy is a weakness to me. I’ve never been a huge fan of chocolate! There were a few months I decided to take my candy obsession and replace it with more fresh fruit which would curve my sugar cravings most times. But, then I thought why I should cut back on sugar because we all know it’s impossible to avoid all sugars. And you shouldn’t, the fruits, veggies, and whole grains that we eat every day are broken down into glucose (which is sugar). Glucose is broken down slower than the simple sugars that we all love in candy. I cut back on my sugars but honestly I don’t think I will ever cut them out completely again! Eating candies in moderation hasn’t caused my skin to have breakouts, so why not.  

DRINK COLLAGEN (Recent purchase)

This is a new obsession with a lot of people! So we’ve all heard of collagen and know that as we get older our bodies start to naturally lose it. A couple of weeks ago I added Vital Proteins to my daily routine and I’m in awe. This company has a variety of different products and flavors, not only that you can mix them in any kind of liquid – hot or cold plus getting collagen (and protein) is easy to do. I enjoy adding it to my coffee in the morning because it’s easy to remember to do in the morning time.

EXFOLIATE REGULARLY

If you are like me and wear makeup on a regular basis, it’s easy for toxins to build up on your skin and clog your pores. I try to exfoliate a couple of times each week to with breakouts. I try to use different exfoliates since my face loves to get use to using the same product (insert annoyed face – haha). Not only will this help out with breakouts it will help with skin tones and scarring.

MASKS

This is something I too need to work on getting better at. Some people will say this is the same as exfoliating your skin but they are truly two different things. When I do remember I like switching up between masks such as hydrating, deep cleaning, brightening, and breakouts. Mixing the different masks has helped with having my skin guessing what is next. As most people think that this is a “chore” or “don’t have time” make it a little treat for yourself. Make yourself a cup of tea, apply your mask and turn on your favorite show – PERFECTION!

DRINK MORE WATER

This is a huge must not only for your skin, but for your entire body. When you’re not drinking enough water, toxins start to build up and get caught in your skin and your body. This starts to cause breakouts, dry skin, digestive problems, etc. When you are drinking the right amount of water you feel more naturally flushed out rather than that heavy feeling. Never underestimate the power of water!

WHAT TIPS DO YOU HAVE FOR CLEARING YOUR SKIN?!