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How to get glowing skin – tips, hacks and natural alternatives to get rid of dullness and boost the radiance to the max…
One of the biggest signs of a young and healthy skin is that recognizable youthful glow. A radiance that seems to be coming from within and has nothing to do with excess sebum or makeup.
Sure, a quality highlighter can help you somewhat fake the radiance. But only to a certain point – the true, genuine glow is impossible to beat or artificially recreate.
However, maintain your skin as healthy as possible, and it will glow! Indulging and pampering your skin is never a bad idea. A few right products and technics, and you can get that fresh, dewy glow sooner than you might think.
Here are the 10 most important tips on how to get glowing skin and bright and clear complexion…
How to Get Glowing Skin – 10 Best Tips
1. Wash regularly
As you go through your day, your skin collects everything it comes in touch with. What you end up with is a buildup of pollutants, dirt, bacteria, excess sebum and dead skin cells.
You can’t see this layer (most of the time), but it can completely kill the glow and make your skin look dull and tired. That is why regularly washing your face – twice a day for most girls – is a super important step to get clear, glowing skin.
Just make sure that your facial wash is suitable for your skin type and that it is not too harsh. It is a product you’ll be putting on your face every single day. You don’t want it to dry out and irritate your skin with time.
Natural alternative:
Try to (at least occasionally) swap your store bought face wash with a DIY version. You can make an all-natural honey face wash by mixing 1/3 cup of honey, 1/3 cup of Castile soap, 2 tablespoons of any skin-friendly oil and 3 tablespoons of distilled or boiled water.
READ NEXT: DIY COCONUT OIL AND BAKING SODA FACE WASH
2. Exfoliate once or twice a week
Facial scrubs are very important for a glowing skin. Regular exfoliation removes all the dead skin cells, dry patches, excess oil and impurities off the skin and reveals the young, healthy skin underneath.
Scrubs have one more important role – they stimulate the skin’s natural renewal process. By doing so, they encourage the skin to produce new, young, healthy skin cells and enhance the skin rejuvenation.
However, it is very important that the scrub you are using is gentle and non-irritating. Any product that is too harsh could irritate and damage your skin, doing more harm than good.
Natural alternative:
You can easily make your own gentle & natural face scrub. Mix 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of oatmeal powder, 1 large teaspoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of jojoba oil and a squeeze of fresh orange juice. You can find the full recipe and more detailed instructions here.
READ NEXT: 4 BEST DIY COFFEE SCRUBS
3. Detoxify your skin
Contemporary lifestyle means a lot of trouble for your skin. It is constantly exposed to free radicals, pollution, UV rays, chemicals, junk food… All these things accumulate over time, and what you get is a very dull and unhappy complexion.
Now, trying to cut out all these things is next to impossible. But, reducing the exposure to harmful agents is a much easier task. Always wear a sunscreen. Skip unhealthy snacks as often as you can. Add healthy habits, such as exercise 5 – 10 minutes every day. In time, these small changes make a huge difference.
You can also try out some anti-pollution skincare line. These products are usually high in antioxidants and they promise to brighten dull and tired looking skin, reduce oxidative stress and prevent early ageing. Clay face masks can also be a really good idea.
Natural alternative:
There is a very easy deep-purifying clay mask you can make at home. Just mix 1 teaspoon of raw honey, 2 – 3 teaspoons of white kaolin clay and 1 – 2 teaspoons of water. Keep the mask on your face until it starts to dry. Then thoroughly rinse off and apply a face cream.
READ NEXT: DETOX YOUR SKIN: THE INGREDIENTS YOU NEED
4. Use a face steam
Facial steams are often underappreciated. Many girls tend to skip this step, even though it can help you a lot to get that clear, dewy, glowing complexion.
Steaming opens up your pores and softens the buildup of dead skin cells, excess sebum, bacteria and impurities. It purifies your skin, soothes it and helps even out your skin tone.
Moreover, warm herbal stem hydrates the skin, promotes the production of collagen and elastin, stimulates the blood flow and improves the absorption of the products you apply next. All of this results in a visibly pure skin and a healthy, youthful glow.
At-home face steam:
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add some dried lavender, rosemary and chamomile flowers, plus 3 drops of any citrus essential oil. Put the lid on and let it sit for around 10 minutes, or until the steam is not so hot to burn your skin.
READ NEXT: HOW TO DO A FULL AT-HOME FACIAL
5. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
Did you know that dehydration is no. 1 reason of dull looking skin? Dehydrated skin looks tired, greyish and unhealthy, and fine lines may look more pronounced. The glow? Nowhere to be found.
To boost moisture levels in your skin, you can try out hydrating facial masks, serums, mists and lightweight face creams. These products supply your skin with necessary moisture, make it plump and supple and add that healthy, youthful glow.
Especially look for products that contain humectants, such as hyaluronic acid. Humectants hydrate the skin without making it greasy and they help the skin to retain that moisture.
Natural alternative:
Here’s a quick recipe for a super hydrating DIY face mask – mash well one large strawberry. Add 1 tablespoon of aloe vera gel and around a teaspoon of powdered milk. You should leave the mask on your face for 10 – 15 minutes, or until it starts to dry.
READ NEXT: 5 BEST DIY FACE MASKS FOR GLOWING SKIN
6. Face oil + massage
Facial oils became very popular lately, and with a good reason. They replenish the skin and repair its barrier function, protecting the skin against the elements and making it soft and smooth.
Some general rule says that oils that contain a high percentage of oleic acid are more suitable for dry, damaged or aging skin. And if you have oily or acne prone skin, choose an oil high in linoleic acid. But this can vary a lot, and the best way to know is to actually try them out.
And don’t just apply a few drops of some of these precious oils. Take a few minutes to thoroughly massage it into your skin. Massage tones the skin, stimulates the blood flow, reduces fluid retention, enhances absorption of nutrients and, of course, adds tons of glow to your skin.
Natural alternative:
Facial oils can be quite pricey, but you can simply use any skin loving carrier oil. There’s also a simple blend you can make at home. You just have to mix 3 tablespoons of jojoba oil, 5 – 10 drops lavender essential oil, 5 – 10 drops geranium or frankincense essential oil and 5 – 10 drops of vitamin E oil.
READ NEXT: BEST DIY ANTI-AGING FACIAL OIL BLEND
7. Brightening skincare ingredients
Ask any skin expert which ingredient to use for bright, glowing skin, and there’s a good chance that the first thing that comes out of their mouth will be – vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that is definitely worth having in your skincare arsenal. It blocks an enzyme that produces pigment and that way brightens the skin.
Other than vitamin C and already mentioned hyaluronic acid, some other ingredients that can help brighten the skin are AHAs (dissolve dead skin cells), fatty acids (moisturize the skin), niacinamide (lightens dark spots), vitamin E (antioxidant and anti-inflammatory)…
Replenishing ingredients + topical antioxidants + ingredients that promote the skin cell turnover is a pretty good formula to boost your skin’s glow and keep it youthful for a really long time.
Natural alternative:
Nature is also full of products that can help you get glowing skin. Try making DIY face masks that include aloe vera gel, jojoba oil, papaya, turmeric, cucumber, matcha tea, honey, milk, yogurt, rose water and small amounts of any citrus juice.
READ NEXT: BEST SKINCARE INGREDIENTS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
8. Always remove makeup
You’ve probably heard this one a thousand times before. You might even be getting tired of hearing it. But, people keep repeating it. Because it really is that important.
Even when you’re dead tired. Even if it has been a crazy day at work. That bed might look like the most beautiful thing you’ve seen in your life. But no matter what – take a few minutes and take off that makeup.
Not only can that heavy layer of makeup clog your pores while you sleep. It can also interrupt the skin’s natural shedding process, take all the dead skin cells that would fall off and stick them to the skin’s surface. This, of course, causes many skin problems, one of which being an unhealthy skin tone.
Natural alternative:
One of the ways to naturally remove makeup is to follow the oil cleansing method. You can also make your own DIY makeup remover by mixing 2 tablespoons of witch hazel, 2 tablespoons of jojoba oil and 1 tablespoon of aloe vera gel.
9. Superfoods for glowing skin
Drinking 8 glasses of water a day and eating healthy, versatile food goes a long way in maintaining your skin clear, glowing, healthy and youthful. Supply your skin with enough vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and antioxidants, and it will visibly improve.
Beautiful, radiant skin starts from within. And to get glowing skin, what you really need is diversity. That said, there are two types of nutrients that your skin seems to particularly like – antioxidants (to protect it against free radicals) and omega-3 fatty acids (to moisturize it from the inside out).
To up your intake of antioxidants, try eating more berries, pecans, grapes, artichokes, red cabbage, kale, spinach, beetroot, green tea and dark chocolate. As for the omega-3s, you can find them in flax seeds, chia seeds, fatty fish (mackerel, salmon, sardines, anchovies, herring), oysters, soybeans, walnuts, etc.
Smoothie for glowing skin:
To make a green smoothie that can help you boost that glow, you will need ½ cup coconut water, ½ cup coconut milk, 2 cups spinach, 1 avocado, 1 ripe banana, 1 cup pineapple cubes, 1 cup chopped mango and 1 teaspoon of matcha powder. If you want, you can also add some honey. Just put everything into a blender and blend until smooth. (Here’s the full recipe.)
READ NEXT: BEST PEACH SMOOTHIE FOR GORGEOUS SKIN, HAIR AND NAILS
10. De-stress
Stress affects your skin in many, many horrible ways. It gives you dark under eye circles. Acne breakouts get worse. It makes the fine lines more pronounced. And it is a major glow killer.
Of course, there are also many other health and well-being reasons to take a deep breath and try to chill out. That is often easier said than done, but there are many simple activities we often forget about that can truly help you relax.
Try taking a 10 minute walk. Put on some relaxing music. Step away from the screens (even the small ones, like your phone). Exercise. Get your beauty sleep. Go play with your pet. Have coffee with your BFF. Simply enjoy anything that relaxes you and makes you feel good.
Help from the nature:
Aromatherapy has proven to have beneficial effects on the way your body and mind deal with stress. There are several essential oil blends that can help you soothe your senses, calm down and make you feel more emotionally balanced. My favorite blend – 3 drops of lavender, 2 drops of frankincense and 3 drops of sweet orange essential oil.
So, these are the 10 most important tips on how to get glowing skin. Hope you find the article helpful, that you’ll implement the tips into your own skincare routine and that you’ll get that glowing skin and dewy complexion in no time…