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Sometimes it can feel frustrating that our skin isn’t doing “what it’s supposed to” and requires so much intervention.
Why do I have to wash my face twice or more a day?
Why is it so finicky that I have to use specific man-made products and water-filters in a specific order every day or else I’ll break out?
Why can’t my skin just regulate itself?
The truth is, we don’t exactly make it easy for our skin to function.
We eat greasy and inflammatory foods, expose ourselves to sunlight for way too long, and sometimes make it to 5 PM before realizing we haven’t had any water to drink yet. Oops!
The truth is that our skin does more than we credit it for.
Think about all the different phases your skin goes through to heal itself after getting a nasty burn.
It can shrink and stretch to keep up with weight fluctuations and can even stretch enough to hold babies in our bellies.
It hardens and calluses on the soles of our feet to prevent us from injuries.
It’s constantly renewing itself, and after about 28 days, we have entirely new skin cells.
Our skin is amazing!
While your skin is hard at work, we don’t always make it easy.
The good news is that there are tons of natural ingredients and simple lifestyle changes that we can make to help combat all our skincare woes.
By doing just a few simple things, we can take a lot of stress off of our bodies (including our face skin) and give it the ability to regulate and heal itself.
Healthy skin tips for face and body, no products necessary
Our skin has many important roles it needs to do.
One way to practice self-care and skincare is to keep your entire body healthy and hydrated.
Limit sun exposure
If you’re like me, you’re constantly looking forward to feeling warm sunlight on your face.
While you may be getting a serotonin boost, your skin is paying for it.
Even if a sunburn isn’t visible on your skin, you could be harboring skin damage underneath.
Photoaging can cause deep lines or dry, scaly patches called actinic keratoses.
It also contributes to wrinkles, age spots, loose skin, spider veins, and of course, skin cancer.
Using a natural sunscreen over your entire body, including a lightweight moisturizer with SPF on your face, is vital to keeping your skin healthy and youthful.
Stay hydrated:
Hydration from the inside out is key for your skin health.
Drinking water doesn’t directly correlate with skin hydration, i.e., for every cup of water you drink your skin won’t become X% more hydrated, but water is vital to keeping all of our organs healthy.
It can help to flush out toxins that cause inflammation and redness.
Need even more skin hydration?
We’ll help you find the perfect natural moisturizer for your skin type.
Cut out sugar:
There are so many reasons to cut sugar out of our diets… but that doesn’t make it any easier to do!
Eating too much sugar may cause a surge in insulin, which then triggers your skin to produce extra oil, and thus clogs your pores and causes acne.
It can also damage collagen fibers, causing wrinkles and sagging skin.
Wherever possible, try to cut sugar out of your diet.
Try swapping soda or sweet tea for sparkling water to boost your hydration while removing sugar from one area of your diet!
Take care of your gut:
Psoriasis and gut health has been linked in numerous studies.
When our gut microbiomes are healthy, inflammation and redness are much less frequent and much more manageable.
When our gut microbiomes are out of whack, it can manifest itself in many different ways, including your skin.
Try to eat lots of prebiotic foods such as leafy green vegetables as well as prebiotic foods like kombucha, kefir, sauerkraut, yogurt, and kimchi.
Probiotic skincare is also a growing way to harness the power of probiotics and keep our skin’s bacteria healthy!
Beware of excess sugar and stress which can alter our gut microbiomes and set us up for problematic skin.
Reduce stress:
I know, this is no easy feat, but evaluating unnecessary stressors and promptly cutting them out of your life is great for your mental and skin health.
The stress hormone cortisol can make psoriasis and other skincare conditions much more pronounced in addition to producing excess oil and causing dryness in other areas.
The best natural skincare tips focus not just on one organ, but your body as a whole so your skin spends less time compensating for stressors and more time looking fresh and healthy.
Stop smoking:
It’s something that everybody probably knows by now but it bears repeating, you are not doing your skin any favors by smoking.
If you need just one more reason to stop smoking, this is it!
Enjoy more facial massages:
Tired of our face looking dull and puffy? Treat yourself to a nice relaxing facial massage.
Lymphatic drainage massages remove old excess liquid from facial tissues to tighten and brighten the face.
You can use your hands plus a moisturizing serum for your massage or try out a gua sha or stone facial roller to target small areas.
Eat your antioxidants:
This one is fun.
In addition to being packed with fiber (prebiotics) dark leafy greens, many vegetables, berries, and other delicious fruits have tons of antioxidants that help to prevent free radical damage.
These ingredients can also help when used topically in natural face care products!
You can also take an antioxidant supplement like the GliSODin The AntiOxidant Enzyme, it is clinically proven to stimulate SOD production in the body, reinforcing the immune response, acting as an inflammatory, and reducing oxidative stress.
Try some supplements:
Collagen is key to having healthy, firm, and plump skin.
Collagen is often referred to as scaffolding for all the connective tissues in the human body, including the skin.
It’s a fibrous protein that “stacks” itself up so our skin can retain its shape and elasticity.
As we age, we produce less and less of it and the collagen in our bodies can become damaged.
That’s why it’s so important to get more collagen in our diets and in our skincare routines.
Other stellar skincare supplements are vitamin C and nicotinamide riboside (NR).
If your diet is insufficient, you can also get a pill or capsule form of antioxidants and probiotics.
Wear the right face mask:
If you’re not a front-line worker and are able to use a cloth face mask, make sure you pick the right one.
Cloth face masks can trap harmful bacteria that cause acne.
To avoid this, make sure you’re washing your face mask often with a non-irritating soap, and opt for a copper-infused face mask to kill bacteria and viruses faster!
Rest up:
Beauty sleep is no Disney fairytale invention, it’s powerful stuff.
When we sleep, our bodies regenerate new cells, heal, and rid our bodies of acne-causing cortisol.
Make sleep a priority in your daily routine and pamper yourself with a satin or silk pillowcase for even more anti-aging magic!
With that said, there’s only so much you can really do to protect your health and your skin in a day.
I’m sure we’d all love to eat only 100% organic vitamin-rich foods, forget the meaning of stress, and get a healthy 9+ hours of sleep a night, but if it were so easy we’d already be doing it!
A lot of people find joy and comfort in their skincare routines, using it as a way to escape day-to-day stressors and pamper your body.
No matter what budget you’re on, you can build an easy, natural skincare routine using homemade skincare recipes and specially formulated natural products.
The Complete Natural Skincare Routine
At Skincare by Alana, we know how powerful natural ingredients can be.
We don’t want to weigh anyone down with unnecessary and potentially harmful ingredients.
That’s why we’ve sourced natural and effective skincare products from a variety of reputable and organic brands!
Let’s outline all the bases your skincare routine should be hitting and ways to fulfill each one with 100% natural ingredients.
Step 1) Cleanse:
One of our favorite clean skin tips is to cleanse twice!
Once to remove the day’s makeup and SPF, and again to penetrate the skin and remove excess oil and dead skin cells.
First, use the Alana Mitchell Clean & Gentle Natural Gel Cleanser to gently remove unwanted dirt and debris from your face without drying it out.
This cleanser uses a blend of lavender, jojoba oil, rosehip seed oil, and aloe vera to hydrate and soothe the skin as it cleanses.
Next, pat down your face and prep for cleanse number two.
For this step, we’ll use the Epicuren Citrus Herbal Cleanser.
This simple but effective oil cleanser is great for combination, oily, and mature skin.
All you need to do is apply a small amount to your hand, wash, and rinse with water.
It uses all-natural ingredients like tangerine and bitter orange oils to cleanse and nourish the skin with vitamins C and E.
Step 2) Tone:
Toners are a simple yet extremely effective way to make your favorite natural skincare products even more effective.
They help to prep your skin for hydration and absorption – they’re not like the harsh alcohol toners we grew up with!
The June Jacobs Green Tea and Cucumber Toner revives the skin with a soothing, healing blend of active ingredients, boosting recovery and enhancing the natural healing process.
It’s great for all skin types and uses green tea and cucumber to restore the skin’s optimal pH and provide antioxidant protection.
Step 3) Moisturize:
Now it’s time to seal in the deal with a great natural moisturizer. The Alana Mitchell Daily Vitamin C Moisturizer is a fan favorite for all skin types, including oily.
Cherry and Amalaki extracts are used to provide powerful antioxidants to protect the skin from free radicals while argan oil provides deep hydration and 20% vitamin C brightens the appearance of dark spots and evens your overall skin tone.
Step 4) Protect with SPF:
Give your skin even more hydration and protection with this Daily Ultimate Protection Moisturizer with SPF 50 by Image Skincare.
Whereas many national sunscreen brands contain ingredients that can be harmful to your skin and the planet, this SPF-filled moisturizer uses natural ingredients like zinc oxide, octinoxate, and octisalate to keep skin protected without worrying about harmful chemicals seeping into your skin.
This is a great sample skincare routine for anyone to try out.
If you have a specific skincare concern that you’d like to target, head over to Skincare by Alanaand sort our products by skincare concern.
We prioritize transparency and customization with all our products and are dedicated to helping your skin glow from the inside out using 100% natural ingredients.
Need help finding where to start? Take our free online skincare quiz!
Natural Skincare Remedies
We’re not hoarding all the good stuff, natural skincare ingredients can be found all around you!
No matter what skin type or complexion you have, you can get gorgeous, healthy, glowing skin using 100% natural ingredients.
If you’re in a pinch or just want to get crafty, DIY recipes are a great solution.
Here are some easy DIYs you can whip up from home to get glowing.
Before you get started, test for irritation by applying a small amount of each ingredient on your wrist.
If no irritation occurs, test on a small part of your face before applying all over.
Honey Cleanser:
Honey is nature’s facial cleanser!
Yes, it’s a little sticky, but it’s fabulous for your skin!
It can speed up wound healing, moisturize, and tame redness and inflammation.
It’s great for when you’ve run out of cleanser but want to keep skin healthy and clean.
In a small container, mix together 1/4 cup raw honey, 1/4 cup distilled water, rose water, or coconut water, 2 tbsp liquid castile soap, and 1 teaspoon avocado oil.
Apply to damp skin, wash off with warm water, et voila!
Homemade Oil Cleanser:
Need another wash?
Try this simple oil cleanser! 3 Tbs fractionated coconut oil, 3 Tbsp jojoba oil, and 2 Tbsp castor oil.
If you haven’t already, use water and/or a light cleanser to remove makeup and pat dry.
Then, apply the oil cleanser, massage in with your hands or a silicone face scrubber, and wipe it away.
Cucumber and Aloe Toner:
It’s hard to think of a more refreshing duo!
This toner is very accessible, easy, and lightweight.
It brightens and hydrates your skin and can prep your skin for moisturizers.
For this recipe, add one tablespoon pure aloe vera gel (colorless or aloe vera pulp) to 1/4 cup cucumber paste/ juice and mix well.
Dab on with your fingers, allow to dry and remove any residue or lumps.
Lavender & Shea Butter Moisturizer:
Shea butter is a great moisturizer that won’t clog your skin but is filled with vitamins and minerals.
Mix one ounce of shea butter with 5 drops of pure lavender essential oil and apply in a thin layer.
If you don’t have lavender essential oil, you can use chamomile or lemongrass.
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