How to hydrate for healthy glowing skin
Do you find your skin dry, flaky, wrinkled, irritated or inflamed? Perhaps your moisture barrier is in need of some loving care.
The skin’s moisture barrier is responsible for locking in moisture and keeping your skin hydrated and healthy. But when it’s damaged or compromised it can cause serious hydration issues.
Think of your skin like a wall of bricks and mortar. When your moisture barrier is broken, it is like the mortar is breaking down. For your skin, those cracks expose your skin layers to dry air, causing them to dehydrate. With the right changes to your daily routine, you can reverse the damage and restore proper hydration to your skin.
Hydrate from the inside OUT
When it comes to repairing your moisture barrier, you might just think of what you will put on top of your skin, however it is just as important to focus on what you put into your skin.
So, if you want to repair your moisture barrier and replenish hydration to the skin I recommend doing these next six things and you skin will thank you for it.
- Drink plenty of water
Your skin is made up of 30 percent water so increase your water intake every day. Keep a water bottle at your fingertips and aim to have two bottles a day. If you feel thirsty then you are already dehydrated.
In addition to drinking plenty of water you’ll also want to avoid any coffee or alcohol as this can dehydrate you, as well as your skin.
- Getting enough sleep
Your sleeping hours are when your skin repairs itself and replenishes moisture — and getting more sleep goes a long way in helping your skin repair it’s moisture barrier.
Aim to get at least 8 to 9 hours of sleep to encourage the skin’s healing process.
- Use a mild cleanser
It’s important to wash your face every day — but if you’re using the wrong cleanser, it could be stripping the skin of its protective oils and doing more harm to your moisture barrier than good. Avoid gels and foams.
I would recommend an oil-based cleanser that are tailored to your skin condition
- Eat right to feel bright
Eat daily foods high in essential fatty acids, which help strengthen the skins moisture barrier, like nuts and seeds, tuna, salmon, flax and pumpkin seeds. Add some LSA in your smoothie. Zinc is also great for boosting collagen production.
Eat food high in Vitamin C - one of my favourite food for tea is kumara which has replaced the good old potato in our family. Roasted with olive oil which is full of the essential fatty acid.
- Apply a nourishing product.
The most important ingredients to look for are:
- Humectants – which is an ingredient that binds moisture and helps to slow down the rate at which water evaporates from the skin.
- Occlusives – oils and waxes that form an inert layer on the skin and physically block trans epidermal water loss.
- Emollients – fatty acids helps with skin barrier function and leads to overall skin texture and appearance.
Essential fatty acids and vitamin E present in vegetable oils are absorbed through the skin which are helpful for all of your cell membranes.
Sweet almond, wheatgerm, borage, carrot, apricot kernel oils are used to create our range of body and facial serums. We add 100% essential oils to target certain skin needs like – hydration, moisture, toning ,tightening, soothing, nourishing, boosts production of collagen and elastin and healing scar tissue. Try our Vibrancy facial oil which is high in antioxidants to slow the signs of ageing.
- Destress
Stress can cause impaired barrier function and delay the repair process. So if you want to repair your moisture barrier, you need to keep the stress to a minimum.
One way you can do that is by applying Soul Light energising balancing oil to your pulse points, then hold your wrists up to your nose and breath deep. Feel yourself being transported to an inward space.This oil helps balance your energy centres and connects you to your essence of yourself. Feeling good and supported.
Take a few deep breaths to centre yourself
When you feel yourself getting stressed, pause and take a few deep breaths.
Close your eyes, sit comfortably with you back straight. Put one hand on your chest and other on your stomach.
Breathe in through your nose. The hand on you stomach should rise. The hand on your chest should move very little.
Exhale through you mouth, pushing out as much air as you can while contracting your abdominal muscles. The hand on your stomach should move in as you exhale, but your other hand should move very little.
Continue to breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Feel yourself relaxing and give yourself a few pats on the back for something you did well.
You are mind, body and spirit and by attending to all three you will find that not only does your skin look fantastic, the rest of your body will thank you for it too.