Do you love the skin you’re in? 

The simple truth is that everyone loves healthy, clear skin, and we wish we could maintain our youthful appearance forever. As we age, unfortunately, our skin ages too, and in a beauty-obsessed society, that can make us feel less than who we are.

Obviously we can’t stop the aging process, but we can do things to slow it down at least where our beauty routine is involved.

Here are ten tips for having more radiant, healthy skin:

1. Get your vitamins.

The most important thing for maintaining your glowing skin is feeling good. A healthy body leads to healthy skin and a healthy mind.

Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K are probably the most important vitamins we can take to promote healthy skin. The best way to get vitamins is naturally through your diet (and sunlight in the case of vitamin D). Simple tricks to getting more vitamins are to spike your water with lemons or limes, make spinach and berry smoothies, and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.

While vitamin D is absorbed into the body by spending time in the sun, there is a fine balance between using sunscreen to prevent sunburn and going without it to get your vitamin D. Going out earlier in the day is recommended because the sun’s rays aren’t as strong. Regardless, too much sun can cause premature aging, so be cautious.

vitamin d deficiency

2. Nourish regularly.

It’s important to nourish your skin just as you nourish your body. Read the labels of your facial care products and try to buy products with more natural ingredients. Many commercial products are primarily water that evaporates before your skin has a chance to absorb it. Seek out natural butters and oils. They make good cleansers and properly moisturize your skin.

3. Cleanse properly.

Your skin cleansing routine is very important in order to maintain its health. However, most of society over-cleanses their skin. It’s true you should do a deep cleanse after a day of wearing makeup and other products, but there is usually no need for a deep cleanse in the morning. Just a light wipe down is usually all that’s needed. The more you cleanse, the more you strip your skin of its natural oils, robbing it of its barriers to dirt and grime.

 4. Hydrate often.

Hydration is very important for the skin, and our best source of hydration is water.  The liquid that comes from energy drinks, soda, and even coffee can be dehydrating to the skin. Stay away and drink water instead. The recommended amount of water for proper hydration is half one’s weight in grams. You may even require more on hot days or long workouts.

5. Get good sleep.

Sleep is vitally important to our overall well-being. It is recommended that we get between seven and eight hours of sleep a night. It’s how our body recovers from the stress we put on it. Our skin is an organ, and our organs require the ability to heal and regenerate, which happens when we sleep.

6. Exfoliate occasionally.

Slowly exfoliate your face and body about 1 – 2 times every week to wash away built-up dead skin cells, dirt, and oil. Gentle motion is key, because exfoliating too roughly could damage delicate skin. You can even create your natural personal exfoliant by making use of sea salt, sugar, coffee grounds, cinnamon, oatmeal or raw honey.

7. Tone daily.

Toners help the skin absorb moisture, tighten skin pores and eliminate any last traces of makeup or other toxins. Choose your toner wisely, using ones made of natural ingredients. Be wary of alcohol-based toners as they can be drying to your skin.  There are many natural toners you could create at home utilizing items straight from the kitchen, such as rosewater, lemon, salt, vinegar, and honey.

8. Chill out.

As calming as a hot shower can be, too much hot water can dry the skin. The hotter the water, the more damaging to you skin. Try turning down the temperature a bit and make sure to properly moisturize while your skin is still damp.

9. Keep moving.

Whether it is yoga, dancing or jogging, scheduling a daily activity that gets the heart pumping will assist you in slowing the aging process and boosting blood circulation to the skin. So get up and get moving!

10. Change with the seasons.

Our environment is the biggest cause of stress on our bodies, and as the climate changes, our skin’s needs also change. Understand how the weather, the sun, humidity levels, and pollution levels change in your area and adjust our skincare accordingly. Dry, cold locales may require heavier butters while humid, hot areas will require something lighter. When applying natural butters and oils, the skin will absorb what it needs and leave the rest on the surface.

Observing how your skin responds to your routine is a good indication of when you should consider changing things up.