5 tips for naturally healthy skin

There are some simple changes you can make everyday to improve the health of your skin naturally! These tips don't take much change in routine or cost a lot of money!

Water water water!

Lemon Water! First thing when you wake up drink a mug (250-500mls) of warm to hot water with the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of cayenne pepper. This helps to activate the liver which is essential in expelling toxins!
3L of water errrrrrrday! Seriously! I know its a lot, but do it! I drink around 500 mls in the morning, around 1.5L while I work out so it becomes relatively easy to drink the remaining litre during the day. Keep a reusable water bottle with you at all times, this is good for the environment and good for your health. I have found I really like to drink my water COLD so I keep ice in the freezer to add to my bottle when I head out and 3 L of cold water in the fridge at all times!
If you find you have trouble drinking water try infused waters! Infusing your water with fruit/ herbs and veggies which adds a boost of nutrients, helps to alkalise your system and makes it taste delicious! Look out for our recipes coming next week and sign up to our newsletter to get a notification when we post!

Rest + recuperate

Relax more often! Schedule in an hour a week to take some time for yourself! Take a bath, meditate, do yoga, light a candle and read a book! Whatever tickles your fancy, time for yourself is so important and can help prevent stress which can wreak havoc on skin. Look out for our post on relaxation yoga coming in a few weeks.
8 hours of sleep a night. I'll be the first to admit- this is the first thing I drop when I am busy and running my own business this happen's way too often! But I'm making it a priority to get in my beauty sleep and it aint called that for nothing. Sleep is the time when our body repairs and renews our cells, including our skin.

Work it out

Sweat it out! Like Missy Elliot says "werk it". I love a good sweat session and try to get in a few a week. Workouts boost endorphins, give you energy, prevent injury and open pores to push out dirt and bacteria and detoxify. I am not a huge gym lover as I prefer to be outside in the fresh air but I do enjoy a good weights session every now and then! Figure out what your thing is- if it brings you joy I swear it's so much easier to stick to it. There are so many options out there at the moment- pole, boxing, bootcamps burlesque, barre, HIIT, hot yoga or just a good old fashioned run! One of my favourite things is to just get outside and see what happens- for example run for a few hundred metres, do 50 tricep dips on a park bench, walk for a few hundred metres, do 20 squat jumps etc and just listen to what my body wants!

I also really love the website Fitness Blender, and the app Nike Training Club for free workouts of all lengths and intensities. Don't think of exercise as something to regulate weight- rather think of it as something your body needs and craves. Something that will help with sleep, stress, energy and happiness! Grab a buddy and get moving! Don't forget to wash your face straight after to get rid of all that icky stuff you have just expelled and accumulated. Extra tip- get outside in the early morning/ late evening without sunscreen on. You'll get that amazing hit of Vitamin D without the sunburn potential!

Get clean

Wash your hands thoroughly and regularly- you are always touching your face without knowing it- some estimates put it as high as 25 x an hour!
Clean your pillowcases at least once a week. Wipe down your phone every now and then- studies have shown they harbour more bacteria than a public toilet seat- EW!
Clean your face- every night at the very least! Twice a day (morning and night) if you can but it is so essential to wash away the day- the makeup, bacteria, pollution and grime we accumulate in this modern day life that can clog pores and stop it from effectively going through its own natural healing and renewing processes.
Choose natural products where possible, don't be afraid of oil based skincare. avoid foaming cleansers which leave your skin 'squeaky clean' and can cause your skin to over produce oils to compensate for being so stripped! Your skin should feel soft and clean if you are using a good cleanser!
Exfoliate once or twice a week (no more!) and use a good thick, nourishing nightly moisturiser to wake up with skin that will thank you!

Nourish naturally

Nourish from the inside out. You know that age old saying- don't eat chocolate it will give you pimples! Welllllll thats not exactly true! Raw cacao is one of the best superfoods you can eat- high in magnesium, omega 6 fatty acid, vitamin c, serotonin and anti-oxidants (which fight of aging free radicals) you can eat as much of this good stuff as you want! Refined sugars however >.< try and cut down if possible! I love sugar as much as the next gal but there are a few reasons to limit your intake of refined sugars! It messes with your kidney and liver functions, kills good gut bacteria, causes slumps, is addictive and has zero nutritional value.

Try to avoid packaged foods, meat, eggs & dairy- which put a strain on our planet, are difficult to digest and 'production' of these food groups involve many methods of cruelty to animals.

Eat an abundance of plant based whole foods- fruits, vegetables, whole proteins like organic tofu, beans & quinoa in a rainbow of colours. It's not that tricky and we all know whats good for us- just make the best choices you can at every meal! We have a few recipes on our blog but have sooooo many more on our Pinterest page

In the coming weeks we'll be posting more on each of these topics, including DIY recipes + workouts/ yoga you can do your own at home! Be sure to sign up to our newsletter to get a notification each week when we post a new blog.