Beauty tips everyone should have

One of the things that make us beautiful is our skins. If you are like me, you have probably tried a lot to get that smooth and youthful skin with a glow. Am assuming that most of them failed and that is why you tried another one and then another one till you decided to stick with the one that left least damages.

Skin care products are so expensive and they don’t give you half of what the labels promise. Am not saying that they are all bad, though I am yet to find one that works for me, but I believe that whether you are using them or not there are some things you still have to do for beautiful skin.

First and foremost, our skin is made beautiful from the inside out. Makeup will hide the blemishes but for truly gorgeous skin you have to eat and drink well. Our skin rejuvenates every 35 days and that means that what you eat this month will show on your skin next month. 

Almost all women have tips to keep their skin looking young and beautiful so I will just be adding to the list. If you don’t already have one, welcome to womanhood. Men have skin too and if you are a man and find any of this useful I am happy to help.

Drink enough water. 8 to 12 glasses of water is good for your skin. Water is the substance that helps you flush all the toxins out and takes all the good nutrients and oxygen to your skin. It also prevents premature aging and makes your skin appear fuller. If you drink coffee or alcohol, you need to drink more water because the two make you lose water and dehydrate you.

Eat foods rich in antioxidants. Oxidants make the skin look old and that is why we eat antioxidants to counteract the oxidants. Foods rich in antioxidants include berries, oranges, broccoli, spinach, melons, tomatoes and basically most fruits and vegetables.

Avocados are a good source of biotin; they help to prevent dry skin and brittle hair and nails. When applied on the skin, they can hydrate parched skin.

Green tea's high on the list of skin-friendly beverages. Aim for four cups throughout your day.

Tomatoes are a very good source of lycopene. An antioxidant found in foods with the tomato red color.  Besides being a great source of the antioxidant lycopene, tomatoes are also high in carotenoids (also antioxidants) and Vitamin C which help slow down cellular damage from free radicals meaning that it makes your skin look youthful.

Protein helps repair cells that have suffered free radical damage. Eggs are a good source of protein. They also contain biotin, an essential vitamin that protects against dry skin.

Do not scorch your skin. A very hot shower feels good in the morning or when it’s cold but that may not be good for your skin. The hot water strips the essential oils off your skin and cause a mild burn. When you are in your twenties it might be hard to notice it but as you grow older the damage is more pronounced.

Get enough sleep. Like the rest of your body, your skin rejuvenates when you are asleep. Do yourself a favor and get enough sleep. It worked for sleeping beauty and it works for real humans too.

Clean your makeup brushes. Makeup brushes and sponges harbor so much bacteria that could make your face keep breaking. Keep them clean and if possible, don’t share them.

Apply sunscreen if you need to. If you have African skin you are lucky as you have enough melanin to help protect you from the Ultra Violet rays but if you feel that the sun is being hard on you, apply some sunscreen. If you can get your hands on natural sunscreen like Shea butter that’s even better.

Avoid touching your skin unnecessarily. Our hands get dirty from all the surfaces we touch and if we touch our faces we just end up transferring all the bacteria to our faces making the skin break out some more. And on that note, sanitize your phone with wet wipes regularly to make sure that it does not spread any bacteria to your face.

Be gentle on your face. When washing your face, remember that it is gentle and you do not have to scrub it like you do the heel of your foot to get it clean. Use mild products and scrubbers or whatever works for you. Coarse brushes and heavy duty cleansers just strip off your essential oils and hurt your face.

Do not sleep with makeup on. This point is so important it should have been the headliner. Makeup and dirt on skin clog pores making your skin break out more.  A doctor at the Yale School of Medicine says that most makeup contains a sugar-type molecule that can grow yeast overnight so no matter how tired you feel, just remove your makeup before you sleep.