Having great skin isn’t just about looking great, but there’s no doubt that healthy skin can help you look younger and fresher. Healthy skin also means that your epidermis, like other organs and systems in your body, is doing its part to help you. Your skin comes into contact with the external world more than any other body part and its job is to retain the right amount of fluid and keep you from getting dehydrated. Your skin also forms a protective layer around your body, keeping the good elements in and preventing germs from doing the same. In order for your skin to work its magic, you too need to do your part.

Here are some simple ways in which you can maintain healthy skin at home:

Exfoliation

Regular exfoliation can remove deep-seeded dirt and germs from your skin. Keep a cleanser in your bathroom shelf for daily exfoliation if possible or do it at least three times a week. Make sure to massage the cleanser into your skin gently using circular motions with the tips of your fingers to improve circulation too.  

Digestion

New research has proven that digestive health leads to skin health. Un unhealthy colon or gut can lead to several skin problems and irritations from pimples to troublesome eczema. Limit processed foods and ensure you have plenty of raw celery or parsley in your diet to keep your digestive tract clean which will in turn promote better skin health.

Hydration

If you’ve heard people telling you to drink plenty of water daily, they are right. Drinking water has a direct link to skin health because our skin works to hydrate the rest of our bodies. If you’re constantly feeling dehydrated or your skin is always dry, you could be needing a higher daily intake of water.

Indulgence

If you’re not the kind of person to give yourself a treat with the occasional facial or opt to put on herbal masks monthly, maybe it’s time you reconsidered. In fact, we should stop thinking of these things as luxuries or indulgences because they become essential for our skin as we grow older. Face masks can be made at home and there are several affordable facials out there, so work on having this happen at least once a month which will coincide with your body’s natural monthly skin renewing cycle.

Sleep

Everyone needs their beauty sleep, but some of tend to sleep fewer hours than others because we are stressed or the daily needs of home and work leave with little time to rest. A bad sleeping pattern where you’re not getting at least 8 hours sleep at night on a regular basis can lead to several health problems including the premature ageing of skin and leave you with a compromised top layer.  As a rule of thumb, remember that hours of sleep at night can only be recovered by sleeping double the lost hours if you’re napping to make up for it in the day.