Keep your skin on fleek !!!

Howdy folks *waves and giggles* unuh wave back at me nuh cho? I have been slacking, my last blog post was sometime in June but I have just been super busy, I have not given up blogging. For awhile now friends and family has been complaining to me that they have skin issues such as constant dryness, pimples, etc and basically I give them all the same advise. So the thought occurred to me that I have a blog so why not put it out there so other people can benefit too. First off I would like to point out that I'm no dermatologist and I myself don't have perfect skin it's a work in progress for me. Below are some little things I try to do in order to keep my skin looking healthy and radiant. You ever see some people and dem skin just have this glow? Yes that's what I'm talking about. Some of them may have this due to genes but for those of us like myself who God forgot to give beautiful skin here are some tips to accomplish just that. Just a little side note: HEALTHY SKIN STARTS FROM WITHIN.

Detoxification

Simply put detoxification is the process by which toxins are removed from your body whether it be substances such as medications, alcohol or just the toxins we ingest from food. These toxins are poisonous and harmful to our body so we need to effectively remove them.The first time I heard about detoxing and for my fellow Jamaicans "wash out" is somewhat of a detoxing practice except not everything that runs your belly is detoxing.The first time I heard about detoxing I was at a point in my life where I just wanted to shed a few pounds. Anyway I was looking for ways to do so , I was adamant I had to loose at least 10lbs and I wanted to do it fast while cleansing my body too. It was a tweet I saw on twitter that opened my eyes to detoxing, of course I was interested so I asked the fellow for more details and voila, he put me on to the lemon detox that Beyoncé had done some years ago. Did it work? Of course it did but it was a bit extreme you couldn't eat solid food and in the morning you have to do the warm salt water flush, to remove the toxins the lemon mixture had broken down the day before. If you want to read more about the lemon detox read here:lemon detox. I added detoxing as part of the post because, it is my opinion that once you are going to change your eating and drinking habits, one should cleanse their body kind of like starting afresh. Don't just detox once per year do it at least biannually. If you want to know more about detoxing you can go here and also don't overdo this remember too much of one thing good for nothing * wags my fingers*.

Hydration

This is a must !!! You need to drink water, again for the people who deaf, yah need to drink water !!! Water has so many bodily functions and just to name a few:

1. Water is a carrier, it aids in the distribution of essential nutrients such as minerals and vitamins.

2. Chemical and metabolic reactions - It assist with the removal of waste products such as toxins/impurities that your cells reject through your urine and faeces. If you want to read more about the functions of water you can click here.

You see, just like how you are dedicated to your social media why not be as dedicated to drinking water? Go out and buy your water bottle. Instead of drinking soda with your meals at work or school how about you drink water instead?  Also one cup of water for the day is not enough, you need to drink at least 8 glasses per day. In the beginning you will visit the bathroom more frequently than usual but of course as your body starts to adopt and providing your bladder is working as it should you will be back to normal in no time. 

Fruits and Vegetables

Pretty sure you've heard this one before that your diet should consist of more fruits and vegetables than processed meats and carbohydrates like bread etc but let me not delve into that because this is not a weight loss blog post *Lol*. Most of the vitamins and minerals that your body and by extension your skin needs are locked away in fruits and vegetables. Sometimes substitute that boil banana and brown stew chicken for some banana, pineapples and apples. Don't be worried it wont full your belly it actually will if you eat enough. Nobody says you cannot have more than one banana... If your belly long(greedy) buy enough fruits that will full your long gut. Try a fruits only meal as often as you can and by often I don't mean once per month that wont cut it, how about once or twice per week? What's more fruits taste so good anyway. Let me delve a little more into vitamins more specifically the ones that helps to make your skin healthy. Vitamins A, B, C, E and K are the main skin vitamins and you get them from food such as dark green leafy vegetables(calalloo,broccoli etc) and fruits such as Banana(contains Biotin which forms the basis of nails, skin and hair cells), papayas, berries, citrus fruits, etc. Studies have also shown that the best time, to get the most nutrients from fruits is if they are eaten on a hungry stomach. Just eat yah fruits and vegetables folks it's worth it. People will see you and be like "OMG Felesha you're glowing are you pregnant?"or something like that, you know how people fast already. 

REST !!!

Notice that this heading is in all caps, yah need to rest your body. For some this might not be as easy especially for the ones going to school, when all those assignments, course tests and projects come piling in what even is resting? Time management is important if you want to get your 8 hours per day sleep. I think 8 hours a day is pushing it though especially for some of us who have numerous things to accomplish in 24 hrs, but guess what? Your body thinks otherwise, *inserts that emoji where the girl is holding one of her hand up like she's a waitress* and if you want to get that glowing skin you need to take those beauty naps.

Shower and Moisturize

Last but definitely not least please shower at least twice daily and moisturize your skin after every bath (I don't do the moisturizing thing at night) because I don't have dry skin. For those of you with extra dry skin please adhere to this one and find a moisturizer that works for you. Ever heard of raw shea butter? Yes? No? Well go hunt it down and try it, although I have never tried the raw one, other people have said it worked for them. You can also buy Vitamin E, olive and baby(my favorite) oil and add them to your lotion or body cream. I tend to stay away from soaps. Ever notice how soap leaves off a lot of scum in your bath and your bath looks dull and needs cleaning extra often? It does the same to your skin, it makes it look dull. I prefer using body wash/shower gels that have stuff like cocoa and Shea butter, Aloe Vera, Vitamin E, etc just find a shower gel that works for you. Some people don't moisturize the section of their skin that will be covered by their clothing... please stop this you lazy bugger and moisturize before getting dress that way you have access to majority of your skin. 

My favourite body wash : zest with Shea butter!!!

That's all for now folks. Wondering what my next blog post should be about... Leave your suggestions in the comment sections. Also if you have any feedback about this post please feel free to do so. 

Thanks for reading, I love you all xoxoxoxoxo.

Lana Lavender