10 Steps to Healthier Skin

With people's wallets thinning and our planet producing less and less of the natural wonders we used for food and beauty care since the dawn of history, it's difficult to keep a skin care regimen that's cost effective, easy to use every day, and safe for our planet, using products that can be found in your home and are discarded without bruising the earth! I've compiled a simple to follow 10 step guide to give you healthier skin in less than a month.

Water! When you get out of the bath or shower, the first thing most people do is take a towel and dry every drop of water from their bodies, and then put their clothes or robe on. Well, as nature intended, the single best thing for our skin is water. Leave your skin damp when you exit the shower or bath, and let it sink into your pores. You can always help this process along with step 2...

Oils! They make many after shower and bath oils that you can find that are wonderful for your skin. To use an oil most effectively without making your skin greasy, you should leave your skin wet or damp after you get out of the shower, and then rub the oil all over you. You'll not only be moisturizing your skin, but drying it too. Some good suggestions for safe, healthy oils that you can find right in your home, rose, coconut, tea, or baby oil. Since you don't want your skin to be greasy, use this step only once every two days or so. Also, some facial skin types aren't so great for the oil step, so you might want to skip your face when you do this. Though it's not good to rub oils on your face, a lotion with olive oil as it's main ingredient, or a bit of olive oil and water is PERFECT for removing makeup from your skin.

Exfoliate! You want to keep your skin clean and free of all the dirt and "bad oils" that can creep into your pores. Most people think to properly exfoliate, you need to buy a fancy soap with those little beads in it. Well, it turns out you can exfoliate your skin in a healthier, cheaper, and more earth friendly way by using salts and sands instead of products that use chemicals and non-biodegradable containers. Epsom, kosher, and sea salts are excellent to add into home-made scrubs and soaks for your skin, getting rid of the dead layers to rejuvenate and cleanse your skin each time you use it. Be gentle with salt and sand exfoliation, it's so powerful you only need to do this once every two days or so, and I recommend exfoliating your hands, feet, and face gently between your oil regimen.

Seaweed! It's been known for centuries that seaweed has countless benefits for your skin. It's an incredible source of many vitamins and minerals, and adds it's natural consistency and texture to anything it's added to, even when it's dried or powdered. Using seaweed powder in face scrubs and masks gives you more youthful and radiant skin, and when used all over your body, it's a powerful detoxifyer. Use it on your feet and hands to get that baby soft feeling!

Oatmeal! Every few days, try using an oatmeal soak. You can alternate body parts so you save your ingredients and don't overdo it, because of course, too much of anything is a bad thing. One three day span soak your feet in an oatmeal soak, the next 3 day span soak your hands, and in the next 3 day span use an oatmeal face mask, and so on. The reason oatmeal is so important for your skin, is that it's a natural oil absorber and has been known for centuries to take out the blotches in your skin and even out your skin's natural tone and texture. I recommend using an oatmeal foot soak or scrub once every week at least during your first month if you want to really notice an immediate difference.

Vitamins! As everyone knows, vitamins and minerals are essential to healthy skin, and a healthy body for that matter. There are many vegetables, fruits, and cereals that are rich in vitamins and minerals and make for great ingredients in your skin care regimen. For instance, did you know that mashing a red potato with lime juice and honey can not only help get rid of any fungal issues you might have with your feet or hands, but it also adds a glow to your skin that you can't find anywhere else. The skins of many vegetables and fruits are the most rich in vitamins, so if you don't feel like crushing broccoli to make a vitamin K mask, then look for green products that use natural ingredients using the skins of vegetables. As I've found, the products that specify if they use the skins of fruits and vegetables are most often found online. Make sure your products aren't tested on animals!

Exercise! Yes, one of the best things to keep your skin looking radiant, youthful, and natural is of course exercise. I'm not saying you have to get up at 3:30 in the morning and run the mile to keep your skin pretty. All it takes is some sit ups, some stretching, and some light walking every day to keep your blood flowing, your limbs limber, and to keep you from aching. When your blood is circulating properly, your skin won't be as blotchy and you'll notice a healthy glow to your cheeks. This is the most green step of all, it requires absolutely nothing but you and the ground you walk on!

Lotion! Naturally, moisturizing is an important part of any skin care regimen, and unfortunately, many of the products you can buy for cheap are of poor quality, bad for your skin, and are not very earth friendly at all. Luckily, as you know by reading these steps, the best thing for your skin is water, so use water and other ingredients to make home made moisturizing remedies for your skin! The less harmful lotions you use, the healthier your skin, and the earth, will feel! Using the same techniques you use to make a scrub or mask, combine parts of water, oil, and essences or ingredients containing vitamins from natural sources like vegetables, fruits, or teas. I mention teas now, because there's a very simple lotion you can make for your entire body using just these ingredients; water, oil, and tea! Use green tea bags and take out the leaves, or use loose leaf tea. If it's not powdery enough, grind it with a mortar and mix it with a bit of water and a tiny bit of one of the oils mentioned earlier. This lotion isn't the kind you can rub in and leave there, however. You have to let it sit in your skin and then rinse it off, but the results are incredible. Use a simple tea lotion before your shower along with a face mask and foot or hand scrub. Rinse everything off in the shower, and then use a simple oil to help you dry off. Look in the mirror. Viola! Shining, healthy, radiant skin! There's only one more step you need to follow to keep your skin gorgeous.

Sleep! Obviously not the least important, but definitely the last one you'll do during the day. The amount of sleep you get greatly affects your skin in countless ways. You can tell by the color, texture, and tone of your skin if you've gotten the recommended 8 hours of sleep or not. Many people have a problem with dark circles around their eyes. There are two big factors that lead to those big dark circles; lack of sleep, and makeup. As I mentioned earlier, olive oil or a green product with olive oil as it's main ingredient will help get rid of any lingering eyeliner that might be secretly dying your skin every day beneath your eyes. Also, make sure you dedicate enough time to sleep each night. Sleep is one of the best gifts you can give your skin!

Diet! When you wake up in the morning, do you skip breakfast and wonder why you look pastey during the day? The answer is simple. You aren't getting the necessary vitamins and carbs in the morning your body needs to boost your skin and body. Not only does skipping breakfast hurt your skin all day, but it also makes you feel tired, thusly making you LOOK tired. Keeping a diet rich in vegetables and fruits can give your body the surge of vitamins and minerals that it needs to stay energized and beautiful. You also need a diet rich in proteins and "good carbs" to maintain healthy, youthful skin, so adding nutritious cereal grains and light meats to your every day diet is a great way to ensure you'll get that radiant healthy look you're looking for.

All 10 of these steps are easy to follow, and in your hectic daily life, that's exactly what you need; easy! By following these simple steps, your skin will vastly improve in under a month, and you'll start seeing obvious changes within a few days. Remember, when you're discarding the remnants of any scrubs, soaks, or masks that you make, dispose of them properly! Skin care is simple and green, and you can enjoy the youthful look of a teenager for little to no cost, and without harming our planet!