5 Daily Habits for Great Skin

There is no secret to having good health or great skin. It all comes down to the small choices we make every day.

As Frank Lipman M.D. says,

“It’s the ordinary things we do on a daily basis that have an extraordinary healing effect.”

These 5 habits are small choices, that when done consistently, can add up to extraordinary healing effects.

1) Sleep

Sleep is the number one habit to cultivate for our overall wellness and having great skin.

Sleep is the time when the body repairs itself. This is true for our skin as much as it is for our brain or muscles.

During sleep, the skin’s blood flow increases, and the organ rebuilds its collagen and repairs damage from UV exposure, reducing wrinkles and age spots.

Poor sleep impacts the skin just as much. Research shows that a lack of sleep leads to signs of aging, deepened wrinkles, and a less healthy appearance. 

2) Hydrate

Drinking water gives your skin the moisture it needs to keep the cells full and healthy.

Because our skin is made up of 30 percent water, focusing on staying hydrated can help offset water loss and increase hydration in the skin.

Without enough hydration, the skin loses plumpness and elasticity. This makes it easier for wrinkles to appear because they’re not as filled out anymore.

Studies have found 6-8, 8 oz glasses is a good daily intake for your wellness.

3) Take care of the gut (the skin-gut connection)

What’s going on inside the gut often directly affects the skin.

When the gut microbiome is out of synch with the rest of the body it often makes itself know in the form of common skin rashes or irritations.

Think calm, healthy gut, equals calm, healthy skin.

What you eat can have a huge impact on how your skin looks. Many processed foods starve off the good gut bacteria which contributes to toxins escaping into the bloodstream ("leaky gut"), triggering inflammation throughout the body, including the skin. 

Here are some of the top ways to improve your gut (and skin) health:

• Cut back on sugar, high-carb foods, and industrial oils in processed foods. You’ll likely see the difference in a healthier complexion
• Start adding in some high-fiber, prebiotic foods like onions, asparagus and radishes that feed the friendly bacteria that tamp down inflammation
• Balance these out with probiotic foods like sauerkraut, kimchi and kombucha, which help maintain a healthy gut microbiome balance
• Lifestyle: Getting enough activity, restorative sleep and stress relief all impact the health of your microbiome

4) breathe

You can, in fact, breathe your way to better skin.

Deep breathing flushes excess carbon dioxide from our body and replaces it with a rich supply of oxygen. This improves circulation, invigorates the cells and minimizes the impact of stress on the skin.

Our skin is deeply connected to our lymphatic system, which can also be thought of as our body's garbage collector. When we breathe deeply, the lymphatic system gets a much needed boost - lymph fluid gather and dispose of toxins, which gives the skin a healthier appearance.

5) Cleanse (the right way)

When it comes to cleansing the skin, less is more.

Engaging in too much cleansing with soaps strip away the body’s natural oils that act as a defensive barrier against pollutants and bacteria.

It's also important to watch for products that contain harmful ingredients such as harsh chemicals, colors, and fragrances. Those toxic ingredients make their way into the body, then the blood and lymphatic system.

The best ingredients for our skin aren't made in a lab - they're found in nature.

Some of the most cleansing, natural ingredients are:

• Purple Brazilian clay
• Lava salt
• Charcoal
• Lavender
• Patchouli
• HoWood
• Olive, avocado, & coconut oils
• Cedarwood
• Eucalyptus

Each of these ingredients can be found in a handmade Seek Skin soap bar.

Conclusion

The 5 habits are:

1. Sleep
2. Hydrate
3. Take Care of the Gut
4. Breathe
5. Cleanse (the right way)

Only one of these skin habits actually addresses the skin itself. This is because one area of wellness is never isolated - each choice we make affects our entire body.

Start small, and begin implementing just 1 or 2 of these habits every day.

Your skin (and your whole body) will thank you.