Our skin is the reflection of our health and vitality, physical, mental and emotional wellness. A radiant and glowing skin indicates good health, positive attitude and vibrates self-confidence. On the other hand, a dull and blemished skin shows an unhealthy body, stressful lifestyle and carelessness towards one’s own personality.

Who doesn’t want to look good, and good looks start with good skin. You may think it’s not such a big issue; there are several products in the market to make the skin beautiful and glowing in a jiffy. But as you use them, you must also be realizing that it is not so. These cosmetic products produce temporary effects on skin, have lots of side effects, and are very costly and not suited to all skin types. Then, what’s the way out? Here’s where we come to our topic of discussion, to care for the skin in a natural way that is natural skin care.

Natural skin care is not just about using skin products produced without chemicals; it’s an ongoing process of a result of a healthy life-style, right diet and off-course right skin products to be applied directly.

First of all, natural way of caring for skin starts with some life-style changes we need to take care of. Getting enough sleep: ‘Beauty sleep’ is not just a saying; its meaning goes far beyond that. As the rest of the body, for healthy skin, sleeping adequately is a must. At least 7 – 8 hours of sleep (hours vary for person to person), ensures a relaxed mind and body, normal blood flow, takes care of all wear and tear during the day, energizes you and brings the glow back in the morning. Dark circles around the eyes, blotchy skin, and lifeless appearance of face are all side effects of not getting enough sleep. So switch off that TV, log-off your laptop, and get from the party on time to catch a good night’s sleep.

Get Moving: Now that you’ve got enough sleep, its time for some exercises as well. Be active, walk, jog, exercise, hit the gym, do stretches during office hours too, take the stairs, do anything to keep moving. Inactivity affects the skin by promoting bloating and puffiness, cellulite and loss of muscle tone. Exercise also helps us to relax and de-stress, both necessary for a healthy skin.

Drink lots of water: Water helps to detoxify the body’s system, bathes the cells, eliminates waste products, help in digestion, purify blood and the list goes on and on. The point is to have at least 2 liters of water a day, avoid carbonated and sweetened drinks and have fresh juices and soups as additional source of fluids.

For a shiny and smooth skin, drinking honey mixed in warm water in the morning helps a lot. Secondly, natural way of caring for skin by eating right.

Let’s discuss some basic points:

Have lots of fiber: Eating food that is rich in fiber help a good digestion and constipation is totally taken care of. This eliminates the root of many skin problems like acne, psoriasis, spotty skin etc. we must have lots of fruits, fresh veggies, whole grains, and salad. The idea is to cut on processed food and fast food because these contain almost no fiber. Eating things in their natural form is the mantra to get the most benefit out of it.

Cut on excess sugar: The more we take sugar, the more sugar enters our bloodstream. Over some time, this results in a process where the glucose molecules damages protein molecule by sticking to it. This causes damage in collagen, cartilage and ligament, thus forming wrinkles. So, the next time, you are adding the second spoon of sugar to your tea/ coffee or going to bite on your favorite sweet…think again!!

Get some good fats: These are the fats needed to build cells, membrane, hormones etc. Lack of the good fat can lead to eczema, acne and dry skin. The sources to get these fats are cold-water fish, walnut oil, flaxseed oil, nuts; also you can try fish oil supplements.

Apart from these basic dietary requirements, we need to have a balanced diet containing Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, Fats, all essential ingredients which comprises an adequate diet. This is absolutely vital for a healthy body and mind along with a smooth, glowing skin.

Last but not the least, we come to the most interesting part of out discussion. Natural skin care products, to be applied regularly for best results. According to the classic definition of natural skin care products, these are products found and used in their natural or raw form without any chemicals and manufactured in such a way so as to preserve the integrity of the ingredient.

There are many products, which can be bought from the market, manufactured by reputed companies. But best is to spend a little time and prepare some easy recipes for taking care of common skin problems and daily cleansing and toning.

Skin Care Tips:

· Stop using soap on your face (if possible, on body also). Use gram flour and milk to make a paste. Apply it gently and rub a little, then wash off with water. Believe me, it’s much better that any soap!!

· Massage body with mustard oil 10 minutes before bath, and then take a warm bath. Your skin will be moisturized and smooth.

· Massage your body with milk. Milk moisturizes your skin naturally.

· For daily cleansing, mix sandal wood powder with rose water and add 4-5 drops of milk in it, then apply on face and body. After 10 minutes, take a warm bath.

· Warm honey and mix with lemon juice, then apply on face. Let it dry, and then wash off with warm water. It refreshes and cleanses your skin.

· For preparing natural bleach, mix lemon juice in milk. Then massage it on your face and body. It bleaches you skin naturally.

· To remove sun-tan, mix cucumber juice with tomato juice, rub on skin, wash off with cold water.

· Mix milk cream with flour, apply that paste on to your skin, then wash off to get a smooth skin.

These are the basic ways of caring for skin naturally. The glow and radiance that comes with the natural care practice is for all to see and is everlasting. Just remember: Beauty is not skin deep…still it starts with the skin!!