Who doesn’t want clear skin?
We all yearn for a glowing, blemish-free complexion. And while some people are born with beautiful porcelain-like skin, most of us have to work hard to achieve it.
Whether it’s a clean diet, sweating it out with exercise, or diligently following a skincare routine, good skin requires effort and commitment.
But this is not to say that clear skin is like a distant dream. It’s very much possible with the right lifestyle and skincare habits.
Above everything, we should honor our skin with all their blemishes, imperfections, and discolorations.
If you want to fix your skin, you need to do it with love, patience, and consistency.
So, here is some skincare advice for clear skin!
Understanding Your Skin Type
Before we get into any skincare habits, it’s crucial to know your skin type.
For example, excess sebum in many cases is the result of drying out your skin by using stripping cleansers and scrubs.
You might think you have oily skin when in fact, you could be battling severely dried out and dehydrated skin.
There are four major skin types – oily skin, combination skin, dry skin, and sensitive skin.
It’s possible that you could have a combination of two, like oily and sensitive or combination skin.
Knowing your skin type helps you narrow down the issues and the skincare you need to tackle it.
1. Start With A Healthy Diet
As clichéd as it sounds, you are what you eat.
In the end, no matter how much money you splurge on a “miracle skincare product”, it is the food you eat that determines how healthy your skin looks.
If there’s one takeaway tip in this guide to clear skin, then it’s this: start making healthy food choices.
You can’t binge on fast food, sodas, and desserts all day and then expect good skin.
For healthy skin, you need a diet that’s relatively low in added sugars and saturated fats and is high in proteins, antioxidants, and healthy fats.
If you want clear skin, you need to up your protein game as collagen is the building block of your skin tissues.
Sugar, on the other hand, has been linked to aging, sagging skin.
This is because added sugars present in sodas, cakes, and other desserts rapidly damage the protein that makes up your skin.
Above all, your body needs healthy fats that have essential fatty acids needed for healthy, supple skin. These include coconut oil, olive oils, nuts, nut butter, and seeds.
For healthy skin, you need to start consuming more fruits and vegetables.
The American Heart Association recommends four to five fruit servings per day.
Fruits and veggies, especially leafy greens, have potent antioxidants, a chockfull of skin-nourishing vitamins, and minerals that your skin needs to maintain a healthy glow.
So, more nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables will definitely get you clear skin.
In fact, you’ll start noticing drastic changes in your complexion and skin texture weeks within transforming your diet.
2. Water Is Key
Even if you’re eating a healthy diet, there’s no guarantee whether your body’s really getting those nutrients.
Good digestion depends on many factors but water is the most important.
Drinking at least 6-8 glasses of water will flush out all the toxins and ensure that your body is moving all the nutrients to all the muscles and tissues, especially those of your skin.
Some women have reported that increasing their water intake dramatically improved their skin. Their complexion glowed and their skin was relatively more supple.
This is because water hydrates the skin from deep within so that it doesn’t have to produce more oil to maintain moisture.
It may sound unrealistic, but water is a miraculous secret to clear skin!
3. Protecting Your Skin From The Sun
Now that we have the ‘clear skin’ diet sorted out, let’s talk about skincare.
It doesn’t matter whether you have acne, dark spots, or melasma; you need to protect your skin from the sun.
Photodamage is the greatest culprit of aging skin, premature wrinkles, and unwanted pigmentation.
Never walk out of the house without sunscreen.
It is the single most crucial defense against the sun and immediately blocks both UVA and UVB rays from penetrating and destroying your skin.
Look for a broad-spectrum sunblock for your skin type and make sure to apply it diligently – even on days when you’re not going out!
4. Follow A Simple Skincare Routine
It may sound counter-intuitive but layering multiple skincare products often do more harm than good. This is especially true for sensitive skin.
Your skin gets overwhelmed by the number of serums, ampoules, moisturizers, and cleansers you put on it. As a result, it fights back with more inflammation and redness.
The key to clear skin is to follow a gentle skincare routine.
For your daily use, all you need is a simple cleanser, a toner – if you have large pores and oily skin— and a moisturizer.
If you don’t want to put anything store-bought, try natural, DIY skincare.
After your usual cleanser, tone your skin with a solution of 1 part ACV and 4 parts water.
The ACV is anti-inflammatory, soothing, and anti-bacterial that can restore the natural balance of your skin.
Follow it up with a natural moisturizer like Shea butter or coconut oil. These fats are so gentle on your skin, allowing it to heal from within!
Above all, Shea butter can give you a youthful glow, unlike any other skincare product!
5. Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate
The importance of regular exfoliation simply can’t be stressed enough.
Exfoliation allows healthy skin cells to come up to the surface, getting rid of the blemished, discolored skin cells that make you look dull and old.
Whether it’s once or thrice a week, use a gentle exfoliant like Lactic Acid or a simple DIY scrub to slough off all that dead skin.
You can mix a tsp of gram flour, turmeric, and honey and gently massage the mask over your skin. Let it dry and rinse with warm water.
The gram flour helps exfoliate dead skin and remove excess sebum, while the turmeric is extremely anti-inflammatory and helps restore a healthy skin complexion.
So, that’s it – the ultimate guide to clear skin! The key takeaway is that you can enjoy clear, glowing skin even with a few blemishes or spots.
Your skin loves consistency and following the tips above can definitely get your skin back on track!
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