Your skin is a reflection of your overall health, so by looking after it from the inside out, you will be sure to glow with radiant happiness as you walk down the aisle.
We asked Louise Garland, a Naturopath, Nutritionist and Medical Herbalist living and working in Auckland, for her top 5 tips on how to achieve glowing skin:
1. Diet
Focus on foods with a high fibre content such as fresh fruit and vegetables; antioxidant rich foods such as green tea, berries, and other dark red and purple fruits and vegetables, and lastly good fats, such as coconut oil, hemp seed oil and oily fish. The bulk of your diet should be made up of unprocessed whole foods.
2. Sleep and Exercise
Sleep allows your skin to heal and regenerate. Aim for 8 hours of quality sleep each night. Exercise stimulates blood flow to the skin providing a healthy glow, it also helps minimise stress and therefore skin flare-ups associated with stress.
3. Water
Start every morning with half a lemon squeezed into a large glass of water 20 mins before eating your first meal. This will kick start your liver, give your digestive system a good clean out and you’ll get a head start on hydration for the day. Continue to drink 8-10 glasses of water/herbal tea a day to keep your skin plump and hydrated.
4. Fermented foods
A healthy gut equals a healthy complexion. Make sure you have enough good bacteria by eating a variety of fermented foods throughout the week such as miso, kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha and kefir. Most of these are easy to make at home so no need to spend loads at the health store.
5. Skin brushing
Before showering use a loofah or a naturally bristled body brush to lightly exfoliate your skin. Working in circles towards the heart, starting close to the body and moving out to the limbs. This removes dead cells and stimulates new skin production leaving you silky smooth and glowing and also assists your lymphatic system to remove toxins reducing cellulite.
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