Why would a skincare brand tell you that there's things other than skincare that's good for your skin? Well, here at tlc Body, we're firm believers that no matter how great a skincare product is, if your lifestyle doesn't match - you'll never get the best results for yourself. Also, we don't believe in selling you products just to sell you products. We actually want to help you look after your skin, and body, in as many ways as possible! So, if you're wanting to learn how to get the best skin possible for yourself, read on.
Healthy diet
I'm not going to nag you like a mum, but being blunt; a good diet is great for your body - including your skin. If you only eat sugary, fatty, 'unhealthy' foods, your blood sugar will rise quickly. When this happens, it causes your body to make and release insulin. When you have excess insulin, it can make your oil glands produce more oil, which can lead to clogged pores, or even acne. Now, I'm not telling you that you need to hardcore diet, you can still enjoy your occasional 'naughty treats'. Just be mindful.
Another great healthy eating tip is to make sure you're having enough 'good fats', such as avocado, nuts, seeds and fish (or fish oil tablets if you're not a fan of fish). Even if you don't follow through with the rest of these tips, by changing your diet to include more of these 'good fats', you'll be sure to notice a change in your skin!
Drinking enough water
Our bodies need water to survive. Without it, our organs will shut down and cease to work. It's as simple as that. Think of a prune, or a dehydrated grape - what do they look like? Shrivelled, wrinkled and 'aged'. The same thing happens to your skin when you don't drink enough water. This doesn't mean you should drink 10L+ of water a day. Start small by adding 1 more glass to your current daily intake. If the taste of water bores you, simply adding lime wedges, blueberries, strawberries or any other types of fruit, can make it more appealing. The best way to see if you're having enough water is checking the colour of your urine (gross, I know). If your urine is a medium - dark yellow, or has a strong smell, you're most likely not drinking enough water.
Exercise
In the words of Legally Blonde: 'Exercise makes endorphins. Endorphins make people happy. Happy people don't kill their husbands, and they have soft glowing skin". Okay, we may have added that extra bit in the end, but it's true! Exercise is great as it increases your heart rate and improves blood circulation which can help speed up the process of delivering nutrients and oxygen to the skin. This helps produce more skin cells, which helps keep your skin soft and glowing.
Getting enough sleep
When we sleep, our body is working overtime. It's rebuilding collagen, repairs UV damage and our blood flow increases. If we're not getting enough Zz's, our body isn't getting enough time to refresh itself. Some days it's extremely difficult to get the recommended 7-9hours, but just make sure you try to go to bed a little earlier (if possible) on the nights you know you have to wake up earlier the next day. Your body will literally thank you.
Reducing your caffeine intake
Now, coffee isn't bad. However, excess consumption isn't the best for your body. Coffee dehydrates your body, which therefore dehydrates your skin and can leave you looking like those dried prunes we were talking about before. If you love your coffee, and could never reduce your intake - up your water intake. Just make sure you're constantly replacing the water that is being taken from your body.
Limiting your exposure to heat
Now that winter is no longer coming, it's here, we're reaching for that thermostat and increasing the temperature of our aircon. Our morning showers are just a little bit hotter and our skin is a little bit drier. There's no secret that dry skin in winter, and the increase in water temperature and heaters are connected. If you live in places that have less humidity than others, you'll also most likely experience dry skin more. As tempting as it is to turn up the heat, for the sake of your skin - don't. Increasing the temperature of your showers and heat are drying out your skin. Leaving your skin flaky, dry, sensitive and even dehydrated. When it's just too difficult to not increase that temperature, make sure you use a deeply moisturising product on your skin daily (twice if possible). Make sure the product contains hyaluronic acid which helps your skin retain moisture. Our Hello Hydration! Daily Moisturiser is perfect for this as it contains hyaluronic acid and other deeply moisturising ingredients.
Once you implement these other changes to your lifestyle, as well as investing in great skin-loving skincare, you'll be sure to see glowing results in no time!