Natural solutions for glowing skin

Our skin is something that we show the world, whether we are satisfied with it or not. So unless we cover up from head to toe there is no escaping showing some.

Our faces (and forearms) are the places that are exposed to the elements and other people the most. Thus our faces are what people take notice of first, and also the place that people do their utmost to take the most care of.
The old adage of “you are what you eat” is an exact, perhaps not coined for, expression of what your skin can reflect. Your skin can give away a few of your dietary secrets.

With this in mind, as well as all the cleansing, exfoliating, toning, moisturising we do every day to all of our skin (not just our face), it is just as important, perhaps even more so, to learn our dietary habits, or what we take internally are playing a very important roll in the health of our skin.

The skin is the largest organ in the human body (accounting for 16% of our total body weight), and is composed of the same connective tissues that are found around bones and muscles. Our skin is not static; it is continuously shedding the outermost layer of dead cells and producing a protective layer of proteins. It takes the skin approximately 27 days to replace itself.

Looking after our skin by focussing on internal health, there are two basic keys to remember - bowel regularity and good nutrients. We want to maintain regular passing of well-formed and easy to pass bowel motions – we don’t want people not going for days / or the converse having loose motions or having to strain. Lack of fibre in the diet is the most common reason why people experience constipation.

Having a sluggish bowel, means that fecal matter is in the bowel for longer than necessary; this extra time can lead to excess fermentation which in turn creates gas and some of what should have passed may have the chance to be recycled back into circulation. This is going to put extra strain back on the cleansing organs, and compromise their ability to do their jobs effectively. This may show outwardly as skin blemishes and break outs.

If you find you are struggling to get enough fibre in your diet daily, there are great bowel supporting products that contain fibre such as Psyllium, you can look out for. These can be an easy and convenient way to boost your everyday fibre. If you are having enough fibre but are still finding you are experience wind or straining you can look to Aloe Vera to help soothe and calm your digestive system. In addition aloe has also shown that when taken internally it can help support skin wound healing.

The second basic point for healthy skin is a healthy nutritious diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables. The skin needs good nutrients every day to maintain its health and integrity. We live in an increasingly fast paced society that is relying on over processed convenience based, sugar (carbohydrate) and fat laden fast foods to get by (which is also contributing to the first point of irregular bowel motions); and these processed foods can often supply limited nutrients.

Everyone knows that we should eat our “greens”, but for some this is very difficult to achieve. You can be rest assured that you can look to satisfy your greens intake in perhaps a way that you will find very easy to slot into your hectic lives. You can look to bolster your daily greens intake with such things as Spirulina; this microscopic fresh-water plant is packed full of nutrients. Spirulina is a “supergreen” power house of natural proteins, plant pigments, vitamins and minerals.

So alongside, looking for natural skin care products for giving the utmost care topically for our skin, don’t forget there are 2 basic rules that go a long way to promoting great skin from the inside out – Eat healthy nutrient bursting foods and ensure adequate daily fibre intake.