Nowadays everyone has a daily skincare routine: a part of the morning and the evening are dedicated to taking care for the skin. Social media influencers share their beauty secrets with an endless number of videos and stories, and for whose who try to take good care of their skin it might be difficult to choose which tips are better to follow. For some “skincare routine” means to spend around ten minutes in front of the mirror, carefully washing the face with a double cleanse and then applying various products. But for others it’s a much more complicated ritual, that involves face masks, massages (that can be done at home using tools like the gua sha) or red light therapy.
Everyone has their personal idea of how skincare must be made and what products should be used. Dedicating a few moments to taking care of the skin is an important act of self-care that everyone should include in their morning and evening routine: it makes you feel better and gives you a confidence boost for the day.
But regardless of the products you may buy, lifestyle and environmental factors affect the beauty and health of your skin and they shouldn’t be underestimated. Yes, you can apply all the products and do all the treatments, but there are some aspects of life beyond skincare that are equally important to consider if you want to have the perfect skin.
Hi, I’m Elena, founder of Lemon Well Med and holistic therapist. My mission is to make your health thrive with holistic practices. Having a healthy and beautiful skin is part of a healthy lifestyle: in this blog, I will share four beauty secrets to help you achieve radiant skin without spending a fortune in skincare products.
Stay hydrated
Many beauty experts recommend hydrating creams to achieve that glowing look that makes your skin appear healthy and beautiful. But instead of buying the most expensive cream on the market, hydration can be achieved in a much more natural way: by drinking everyday between 2 and 3 litres of plain water.
It’s such a hassle sometimes, I understand. You have to remember to bring your water bottle with you every day; and even if it’s in your purse or backpack, you still forget to drink! You don’t have to remember to drink every 30 minutes yourself: there are apps designed for this, that send you a notification reminding you to drink. And if you’re not a fan of plain water, you can add something to make it taste better, like sliced cucumber or lemon or peppermint leaves. Avoid adding products containing sugars and artificial sweeteners to your water, as they are not beneficial for your skin.
High quality sleep
Do you always wake up with puffy eyebags? No eye cream can fix that if you don’t have a good night sleep. And it’s not just about sleeping eight hours: if you have interrupted sleep and wake up in the middle of the night, no matter how long you stay in bed, you may still get those eyebags.
You should aim for deep, uninterrupted sleep every night. To achieve it, you should develop some new habits, such as avoiding the phone for at least thirty minutes before bedtime (even though one hour is even better). Scrolling before bed is going to make your brain more stimulated and the blue light from the screen disrupts the production of melatonin, the hormone that helps you feel sleepy. Instead of looking at the phone, you could try the new trend of switching to an analog hobby, like reading, crocheting or coloring.
Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol
This is one of the beauty secrets you might not be aware of, but yes, smoking and alcohol have an impact on your skin’s health. Smoking reduces the production of collagen, which is essential for maintaining your skin firm and plump. Basically, smoking can make your skin look dull and cause it to age faster. Alcohol contributes to dehydration and can trigger inflammation, which are both harmful if you want glowing skin.
These habits can be particularly difficult to break, and effective solutions are not always easy to find or implement. If you are looking for support, you may also want to explore at our anti-smoking package.
Managing stress and prioritising balance
Here’s another of the beauty secrets you probably don’t know about. Stress can trigger cortisol release, a hormone that can worsen certain skin conditions, such as acne or eczema. Pimples and redness are things we want to avoid if we aim to achieve that glowing and healthy complexion. While in certain cases these skin conditions require medical attention and are not caused solely by stress, in many situations stress is the major contributing factor. If you often notice occasional pimples appearing on your face, they might be caused by high stress levels.
Most of the time it’s impossible to ditch the sources of stress. Work, important family events, exams are a few examples of stressful situations that we can’t avoid. There are some techniques that help to manage stress and support a more balanced lifestyle. Taking a walk immersed in nature, meditation, yoga, reducing time spent on social media: these are all healthy habits that will help lower stress levels.
These are our four beauty secrets for healthy, radiant skin. If you found this blog useful, don’t forget to share it on social media, and check out our latest blog posts!