Daily habits that help your skin glow naturally
Having daily habits for glowing skin is where the fountain of youth is found for many of us mere mortals who are not lucky enough to possess the good genes for ageless skin.
So if you were not so lucky with your genes, you will be happy to know that you too can have that glowing beautiful skin we all yearn for when you adopt daily habits for glowing skin.
Simple daily habits have the biggest impact on our health and wellness including having healthy glowing skin while bad habits can age your cause premature aging. No one of course wants that.
So if you want beautiful healthy skin you must start healthy daily habits to help your skin glow.
While that early morning infomercial with overpriced creams, cleansers, serums, and toners aims to make you think that’s the fountain of youth and glowing skin, the truth is, glowing skin starts from the inside.
And that means that adopting healthy skin care habits as part of your daily routine will make your skin glow from the inside out.
So if you are ready to care for and nourish your skin naturally and have the radiant sunkissed skin you love, below are 9 simple daily habits to start for healthy beautiful skin.
Eat healthily
All health begins in the gut and gut health impacts your skin health as well. If you want your skin to glow you must eat nutrient-dense foods rich in antioxidants such as beta carotene, vitamins A, E, and C.
A skincare routine by itself without skin-nourishing nutrients by itself is not enough. Apart from cleansing and doing all the things for your skin, the real foundation is healthy nutrients.
So eating healthy skin-nourishing foods is a good daily habit for glowing skin. Make sure you are eating foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that fin free radicals and oxidative stress.
To nourish your skin and keep it young supple and healthy include:
- foods rich in vitamins A, and C such as red papers and leafy greens. Vitamins A and C are antioxidants that fight free radicals. And vitamin C is important in collagen synthesis which keeps skin supple and plump preventing fine lines and wrinkles, as well well as keeping skin bright and radiant.
- Be sure to include food rich in healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids to keep skin cells healthy and supple. Foods such as avocadoes, and salmon provide healthy fats that fight inflammation that causes acne and skin problems like psoriasis.
- Plenty of leafy vegetables
- Herbs and spices such as turmeric, ginger, oregano
- foods rich in fiber
The good thing is there are so many healthy foods to choose from when you want to eat for glowing skin. To help you out see this list of 23 foods to eat for glowing skin.
The bottom line is you need to eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, and protein.
Stay hydrated
Before you slather that hydrating cream, be sure to hydrate your skin from the inside out. Drink enough water to support your metabolism and healthy skin. For most people drinking 8 glasses is the standard but there are many ways of staying hydrated.
You can eat food with high water content such as watermelon which also provided important nutrients for your skin.
But avoid drinking too much coffee or sugary drinks. Caffeine will pull water out and sugar will increase inflammation so not good for skin health. Drinking enough water lays will keep your skin plump and give you a healthy glow.
Exercise
Daily exercise is necessary to keep skin healthy, radiant, and glowing because it improves circulation. Your tissues and all cells need oxygen to thrive.
And when you exercise, improved circulation helps the skin cells to receive needed nutrients for cell growth and turnover so skin cells can regenerate and the skin can get rid of old dead cells that would otherwise make skin dull.
Optimal circulation also helps the body to easily get rid of toxins thereby leaving you and your skin healthy and glowing. So if not already exercising, develop a daily exercise routine to help your skin glow.
Sleep enough
Beauty sleep is for real. We need good sleep for our bodies to heal and recover, and for our organs to function appropriately.
Well, the skin is the largest organ of the body with a lot of metabolic work to do.
A lot happens when we sleep and so you need adequate sleep to keep your skin healthy and beautiful.
And that’s why lack of adequate sleep is obvious to see on your face manifesting in the ay of puffy skin, bags, and circles under the eyes, as well as dull lifeless skin.
Good sleep goes a long way in keeping skin healthy and is an important part of any healthy skincare routine.
Learn how to improve your sleep so you fall asleep faster and stay asleep the whole night. Your skin will thank you.
Have a skincare routine
First of all our faces are exposed to dust and grime and sweat as we go about our day. And if you have to make up on always clean it off before going to bed. Leaving makeup will clog pores, and lead to acne and skin breakouts.
Your skin needs to breathe and rejuvenate as you sleep and you need a clean base for moisturizing products to penetrate the skin as you sleep.
You should have a routine for cleansing toning and moisturizing your skin every night and every morning.
Be sure to use a gentle cleanser that won’t strip your skin of its natural oils such as La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser, This daily cleanser contains niacinamide and ceramides and is great for normal to sensitive skin.
After cleansing use a replenishing moisturizer such as Neutrogena Hydro Boost Face Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid Or CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream featuring niacinamide, peptide complex, and hyaluronic acid to help skin feel smooth and soft, as well as help skin, look glowy.
If you have oily skin, using a cleanser with salicylic acid will keep excess oils in check.
Having a night and morning skincare routine is an important part of skincare to keep your skin bright and glowing. The god thing si it doesn’t need to be complicated and it doesn’t need to be elaborate.
A simple skincare routine is good because you will be able to care for your skin at night even when you are tired or in the morning when you are in a hurry.
Exfoliate once a week
Exfoliating weekly is an important habit for skin health. You want to exfoliate only weekly as too much can strip the skin of the good oils it needs to be radiant. When you exfoliate you remove dead skin cells, and dirt that can clog your pores as well as make your skin look dull.
And remember the skin is always making new skin cells and need to shed off the old and dead cells but the skin is not always efficient in doing so. It is also hard to shed dead skin cells that accumulate on the face as you age.
So help your skin with exfoliation. At the same time, you want a gentle exfoliator. You may use chemical or physical exfoliation or a combination such as Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment. Featuring salicylic acid and lactic acid will get your skin bright radiant and glowing.
Reduce stress
Excess stress is bad for health. And excess stress affects your whole health including the health of your skin. When you are stressed it means that you are in fight or flight mode and so your blood flow is directed to your skeletal muscles and your heart in preparation to fight or flee the danger.
That means your face and skin in general are deprived of vital nutrients and oxygen. Your skin then cannot have that healthy glow when it is not getting adequate oxygen and nutrients.
And eventually, you can start to look haggard and aged. So do yourself a favor and learn to relax. Take time to do yoga, take a walk in nature, and take a bubble bath.
Rest, unwind, take deep breaths and help your body to recover and calm the stress so your skin can get the adequate circulation it needs to look bright and heal
Daily habits for glowing skin
Take vitamins and supplements
I know I know. Not supplements again. Do they even work? Yes, they do and we do need to supplement because let’s be real.
It’s hard to eat all the veggies and fruits and all the nutrients we need to keep our skin dew and glowing.
And it is even more crucial to supplement as we grow older because our body’s metabolism slows down, cell turnover slows as well as the all-important collagen and elastin start to break down, while the production declines to cause lines and wrinkles.
Supplements fill the nutritional gaps you may have and help give your skin a boost where the natural aging process may be failing it.
To boost skin health here are the supplements you should consider taking. But first, check with your doctor.
Fish oil
Fish oil is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory and may protect the skin from UV rays damage.
And that means omega 3s can help protect against blemishes such as age spots and even protect again skin cancer. Research shows omega-3 fatty acid help prevent acne by fighting inflammation. So we all want flawless radiant skin and if omega 3 can fight acne I am all for it.
Collagen
Collagen is very important for skin health as it is the protein that keeps the skin supple, and smooth preventing wrinkles and signs of aging. So supplementing with collagen is helpful to mitigate signs of aging and keep skin smooth soft and glowing.
Collagen is spoken of a lot and one may wonder if it really works. Research shows that it does and other studies show that supplementing with collagen peptides decreases the depth of lines and wrinkles.
Collagen stored decreases as we age because the body is no longer able to keep up with production.
Biotin
Biotin is reputed to be the vitamin that boosts hair growth and glowing skin. A deficiency in collagen is rare, but if happens then the skin becomes a red scaly rash can occur.
And that clearly shows biotin is important for healthy skin hair and nails. You can easily get biotin by eating foods rich in biotin, taking a multivitamin, or a biotin supplement.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is one of the most important molecules when it comes to skin health. It is an essential vitamin that supports skin, eye, immune and reproductive health. According to Healthline, preformed vitamin A or retinoids are found in animal products such as meat, poultry, and dairy.
Provitamin A or carotenoids is found in plants such as fruits and vegetables. Both forms are converted to retinol by the liver. The good news is that the skin can easily absorb retinol or vitamin, studies show.
Vitamin A works to reduce signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles by stimulating collagen production, as well as improving skin elasticity and sagging ( source ).
Vitamin A in the form of carotenoids helps to protect the skin against cell damage, aging and environmental damage such as UV radiation and pollution.
Vitamin A in the form of retinoids protects the skin from hyperpigmentation, age, and sun spots, thus improving skin tone.
Retinoids are also powerful in the treatment of acne and may be used as a topical application or by mouth but you need a prescription because excess vitamin A is toxic and can even lead to birth defects if one is pregnant.
For best results and to avoid side effects see a dermatologist before using retinoids. Retinoids may also cause skin irritation and stinging and burning when applied topically.
However, you can get some gentle over-the-counter retinol that works without irritation and other side effects such as Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM Night Serum. This serum helps improve fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, texture, and radiance. And isn’t that what we all want? That’s glowing skin in a bottle. Click here to buy on Amazon.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D which actually not a vitamin but a prohormone that is produced when the skin is exposed to the sun. Ideally, you should get at least 20 minutes of sun exposure per day. This however depends on if you have a high likelihood of skin cancer then it is best to avoid sun exposure.
Still many of us don’t get enough vitamin D and are thus deficient so a supplement would help. Vitamin D is important for the creation of healthy cells and that includes skin cells and may actually help with skin tone according to Healthline.
I recommend Truvanin vitamin D3 as it’s organic and has no fillers
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is essential for healthy glowing skin because it acts as an antioxidant and protects the skin from environmental damage and signs of aging. And that is why more vitamin C is found in the epidermis and dermis layers of the skin where it is strategic to fight free radicals that damage the skin including cancer prevention.
Also, vitamin C helps in collagen production which keeps skin radiant and glowing.
1000mg per day is adequate vitamin C and normally if you are eating a variety of natural plant foods you may not need a supplement.
But if you need a supplement you cannot go wrong with Nature Mades Vitamin C.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that fights free radicals and oxidative stress that ages skin making it dull and wrinkled. Vitamin E also protects your skin from t the sun’s UV light. Unfortunately, not many foods contain vitamin E.
The main dietary sources include most seeds and nuts such as flax seeds, sunflower seeds and almonds, hazelnuts, and avocados. As such it is easy to fall short and supplements can help boost your skin health.
You can take a multivitamin containing vitamin or even a skin care product containing vitamin E.
Probiotics
Taking probiotics is a good habit for your general health which translates to glowing radiant skin. Why? Well as we all know now, all health starts in the gut. And so taking probiotics daily or eating foods to promote gut health is an important habit for glowing skin and health overall.
And if your gut is not healthy it will show in many areas of your body including the skin. This may show up as acne, dry scaly skin and dull looking skin, and even lines and wrinkles.
Probiotics help you with healthy bacteria that help you break food into nutrients as well producing some vitamins in the gut as well.
Wear sunscreen
Many people think of sunscreen only in the summer, but you should wear sunscreen every day even when you are indoors. The UV light can actually penetrate through windows and still affect your skin.
Additionally, even on cloudy days, some UV light is still present ad can harm your skin causing aging, spots wrinkles, and even cancer. You may want to consult a dermatologist for the right SPF for your skin type. An SPF of 30 is usually appropriate for many people. But the bottom line is applying sunscreen daily is a good habit for glowing skin we all need to practice.
Keep your pillowcases clean
Your face gets pressed on the pillowcase every night and oils and sweat and dead skin cells all get deposited on the pillowcase. And these can lead to skin breakouts.
So aim to wash pillowcases regularly and change pillowcases weekly or even more often. Additionally using a silk pillowcase is recommended because it’s gentle on the skin and won’t dry your skin out. Besides it just feels really good to lay your head on a clean smooth pillowcase. Cleaning your bedlinens weekly is a good habit to have overall anyway.
Final words on daily habits for glowing skin
These are just some of the best daily habits for glowing skin we all need to practice to keep our skin looking radiant, healthy, and glowing. Which of these habits do you practice and which ones are you going to start? Would love to hear from you.