T’is the season of dry hands and cracked lips! At this point we're doing everything we can to keep our skin from feeling like sandpaper over the next couple of months and chances are the vanilla mango lotion that Santa left in your stocking is not going to cut it. In fact, there are a lot of things that we do to help our skin that may actually be making it worse. A few weeks ago I stumbled upon an article by Dr. Ben Kim on how to have healthy and beautiful skin the natural way. These are especially useful in the wintertime when the dry air is constantly depleting our skin from necessary moisture. Here are some of his top tips:
Minimize Use of Soap and Hot Water - Skin requires regular sebum production to promote resistance against water and microbes – regular use of hot water and almost all types of soap can dry out the sebum production glands. If you are exposed to any chemicals, grease, gas, oil, or other harsh substances, use a natural soap and water to remove them. Otherwise consider washing with just lukewarm or cool water only.
I know it’s hard in the wintertime to stay away from taking long, hot showers, but repeated use of hot showers and baths can cause skin to become dry and unhealthy. Instead wear warmer clothes and invest in a hot water bottle – I can’t live without one from the months of November to March. Place it on your stomach to help calm you to sleep or throw it on the bottom of the bed to keep your feet nice and toasty!
Do Not Use Anti-Bacterial Soap - Millions of friendly bacteria live on your skin; these bacteria take up room and resources, making it difficult for unfriendly bacteria to establish colonies on your skin. Friendly bacteria in your skin also produce various substances that protect you against unfriendly bacteria. Unfortunately anti-bacterial soaps do not discriminate, so their use increases your risk of infections, including acne.
Minimize Use of Makeup, Perfumes, Colognes, Shaving Cream, Deodorant, and Other Personal Care Products and Cosmetics that Contain Toxic Chemicals - When your skin is bare, as nature intended, it receives the most nourishment, getting cleared of waste products, breathing with your environment, and cleansing from the inside out. Those who use an unnecessary amount of personal care and cosmetic products tend to look worse at a much earlier age than those who don't bother with such products. The less stuff you put on your skin, the healthier and more beautiful it will be in the short and long term.
Eat Plenty of Water-Rich Foods - Healthy skin requires strong and steady blood flow, as your blood circulation brings your skin cells nourishment, and clears away waste products that your skin cells are constantly generating. Dark leafy-green vegetables are arguably the single best food group for promoting healthy skin via healthy blood flow with their high water content and nutrient density. Shoot for daily consumption of leafy green vegetables such as kale, collards, bok-choy, spinach, Swiss chard, beet greens, arugula, dandelion greens, and mesclun greens.
Eat Foods Rich in Vitamin A, Carotenoids, and Healthy Fats. Vitamin A is extremely important for maintaining the function of your skin cells. Make sure your diet has enough healthy fats to effectively synthesize vitamin A from carotenoids found in dark green, yellow, and orange vegetables like spinach, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Or get it from foods that have actual vitamin A like organic eggs and butter.
Eat Foods Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Flavonoids - Both groups of nutrients are strongly associated with healthy blood vessels, which are essential to experiencing optimal blood flow to and from your skin cells.
Great Natural Sources of Omega-3's:
- Dark green leafy vegetables
- Walnuts
- Wild salmon
- Sea vegetables
- Freshly ground flax seeds
- Free-range eggs
Great Natural Sources of Flavonoids:
- Acerola cherries
- Citrus fruits
- Kale
- Spinach
- Goji berries
- Kidney beans
- Raw cacao
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