BEAUTY SECRETS FOR A RADIANT COMPLEXION!

Everyone wants gorgeous skin. 

And why not? Radiant skin is the biggest fashion statement ever. Your skin tells a story. It's an indication of your health and even your state of mind. 

According to Dr. Howard Murad, healthy skin is a reflection of overall wellness. And when your skin looks great, your have more confidence and that extra strut in your step!

Luckily, the secret to having radiant skin is not some rocket science process. With some knowledge and commitment, you'll be well on your way to having the most gorgeous skin ever. Today, we bring you some tips on how to achieve this goal.

1. Get enough sleep every night.

 

In our fast-paced world, it's a challenge to get some decent snooze time, especially with our distracting gadgets and all those addictive online videos. But this is a powerful tip that can help you achieve clear, gorgeous skin. When we sleep, our skin has the chance to repair itself and aid cell turnover. Also, maintaining a regular sleeping routine keeps our hormones in a balanced state. Hormonal imbalance can do all sorts of nasty things to our skin, such as inflammation and acne breakouts to name a few. Therefore, aim to get in at least 7 hours of sleep every night. Be intentional about it and your skin will reward you many times over. 

2. Have a balanced diet.

We are literally what we eat. Radiant skin starts from the inside out. Incorporate fruits, nuts, vegetables, healthy fats, lean protein and healthy carbs into your meals to get the most out of your diet. It's okay to indulge in junk food once in a while, ( where's the fun in life without those yummy pastries? (-;  ) but moderation is the key. They are not to become the major part of your everyday diet.  The reason is simple; most junk foods are made with refined carbohydrates and excess sugar, which can cause bloating, inflammation, and consequently, breakouts. Whole foods on the other hand, are packed with all the nutrients and antioxidants you need for that healthy and radiant glow. 

3. Make water your friend.

There are so many wonderful things staying hydrated can do for your skin. Water rids our bodies of toxins and wastes, leaving us with a healthier, clearer complexion. Regular water intake also improves the elasticity of the skin by keeping it moisturized, thus preventing the formation of fine lines and delaying aging. Increasing your daily water intake also maintains the oil-water balance in the skin. This is important as an imbalance in this area can lead to excess sebum production. Excess sebum production = clogged pores, and that leads to (yikes!) acne. 

To get the best benefit from staying hydrated, nutritionists recommend drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day. You can make this fun and interesting by adding flavours to your drinking water such as mint, lemon or ginger.

4. Exfoliate regularly.

This is a very important tip for radiant and blemish-free skin and I will be writing extensively about this in my very next article. Exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells from the surface of your skin using chemical agents or mechanical tools such as loofahs and granular scrubs. Our bodies naturally shed dead skin cells every 30 days to give way to newer cells. But the old cells are not all shed at once, leaving us with dull, patchy and flaky skin. Exfoliation helps to buff away these dead cells to reveal younger, brighter and smoother skin. Exfoliation offers so many benefits for the skin. Some include the following;

a. It unclogs pores and prevents blackheads.

b. It removes dead skin cells, revealing younger looking skin.

c. It boosts skin cell turnover.

d. It improves circulation which helps the skin to flush out toxins.

e. It encourages collagen production.

6. It reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

5. Don't go to bed with your makeup on.

Makeup that is left on the skin overnight becomes a ready breeding ground for  bacteria. These infect pores already clogged by the makeup to cause - you guessed it - acne breakouts. It's thus imperative to always take off all makeup before hitting the sack. And you don't have to get the most expensive cleansers out there. A simple gentle makeup remover and toner are often enough to get the job done, leaving you with fresh, clean and healthy skin. 

Follow these tips as closely as you can and you'll be amazed by how much clearer your complexion becomes over the next few weeks.