Guys, what does your skincare routine look like right now? Maybe it’s unknowingly loaded with products that contain unhealthy ingredients such as dangerous synthetic scents or parabens.
Or maybe you don’t have a natural skincare routine at all! Either way, it’s time to consider looking for natural skincare products and practicing habits that not only can boost your skin health now but for years to come!
As we age, our skin typically becomes more and more of a concern, both visually speaking (think wrinkles) and health-wise (unfortunately, skin cancer risk increases with age). There are a lot of products on the market today with enticing claims and alluring packaging, but will they really be the best thing for your skin?
In general, you want to look for products that contain unprocessed, natural ingredients without any harsh chemicals. The more you can easily read and know the ingredients you’re using, the better. You also want to look at skin care from a holistic perspective which means not only considering what goes on the outside of your body, but what goes into your body (diet plays a major role in skin health!)
Here are some basic but majorly impactful ways to start improving your skin’s health today:
Best Skin Care Tips for Men
Use Moisturizer and Sunscreen Daily
Do you start each day with a nice layer of a natural facial moisturizer? If you don’t already use a moisturizer daily then it’s time to start! It only takes a matter of seconds, but the skin boosting benefits can be huge. Have dry skin? Opt for a facial moisturizer with rich hydrating ingredients like shea butter and coconut oil. Tend to break out or have sensitive skin? Thankfully, there are great natural moisturizers that are oil-free and use soothing ingredients like aloe to moisturize without clogging pores. Or maybe you’re on the oily side? While it may seem like a waste of time to moisturize oily skin, by adding moisture to the skin it actually helps to decrease oiliness by signalling sebum production to slow down.
After moisturizer, don’t forget the sunscreen, especially in the hot summer months. Ditch those questionable chemical-laden versions of sun protection and opt for a sunscreen that contains minerals like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to protect skin in a healthier, more natural way.
Incorporate Essential Oils
When buying skin care products, look for the super plant powers of essential oils. These concentrated oils are loaded with topical benefits and it only takes a drop or two to reap these benefits. For example, tea tree oil is great for oily/breakout prone-skin, lavender oil works especially well for calming skin prone to redness or blotchiness and frankincense oil is an excellent option for more mature skin to help discourage signs of aging like sunspots and fine lines. Tea tree oil has also been shown to be an effective and well tolerated treatment for dandruff.
A few drops of 100 percent pure, therapeutic grade essential oils can be added to existing skincare products for a targeted boost. You can also use essential oils to create homemade products like face wash and beard oil. There’s no better way of knowing what’s going into your skincare products than to create them yourself and many recipes are super simple so there’s no major time requirement. But if you don’t feel like being crafty, it’s now very easy to find essential oils in natural skincare products.
Follow a Skin-boosting Diet
For the sake of your skin as well as your overall health, it’s so important that your diet is centered on healing whole foods like vegetables, fruits, high quality meat and fish, and plant protein sources like nuts and seeds. Eating foods rich in carotenoids like tomatoes and darky leafy greens even helps to prevent damage to skin cells and discourage premature skin aging.
Another category you don’t want to leave out is healthy fats which are known for their ability to calm inflammation which can cause skin rashes and irritation. Healthy fats like avocado and coconut oil are great options as are omega-3 fatty acid rich foods like wild-caught salmon, walnuts and flaxseed. The fatty acids in these healthy foods are especially beneficial for conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
You also don’t want to forget to include probiotic-rich foods in your diet like yogurt, kefir, cultured vegetables (like sauerkraut and kimchi) kombucha and apple cider vinegar. Probiotics are essential to optimal gut health which directly contributes to good skin health. According to recent research, by positively impacting the immune system, probiotics can greatly improve skin health. A research study demonstrates how probiotic bacteria consumption may even encourage “a youthful vitality characterised by thick lustrous skin and hair.”
In addition to your skin boosting diet, you may also want to consider some of the best supplements for skin health including things like collagen, fish oil, biotin, bone broth, vitamin D and vitamin C. Probiotics are also available in supplement form which makes it easy to add them to your skincare routine daily.
