Healthy, vibrant, beautiful looking skin is smooth skin. When skin is rough or dry, it appears more dull and less clear, bright, and supple. When you don’t take care of our skin, dead skin and bacteria can get trapped in your pores, causing blemishes and breakouts.
There are a few beauty secrets that work from both the inside and out to promote healthy skin, and I’m sharing my top 10 for soft smooth skin that are all tried and true!
1. Exfoliate Regularly
You may be cleansing and moisturizing, but if you’re not exfoliating, your skin can still be rough or dry. Exfoliation is one of, if not the most important thing you can do to ensure soft and smooth skin. Exfoliation physically removes built up dead skin cells, and as soon as you exfoliate, your skin is instantly smoother!
You can perform mechanical exfoliation by using products that physically break down dead skin using abrasive ingredients, or you can do chemical exfoliation, which uses ingredients to eat away at dead skin without scrubbing. I suggest always using all natural and organic products when possible in your skincare routine for the healthiest skin. If you’re using a mechanical exfoliator, use a natural product that isn’t too rough or abrasive, and be especially mindful if you have sensitive skin. If you’re using a chemical exfoliator, use an all-natural product that uses enzymes to dissolve dead skin, rather than artificial ingredients that can be harsh on the face.
How often should you exfoliate? Frequency will vary depending on the person. I personally have always had skin that is on the dry and rough side, and my skin benefits greatly by exfoliating around 3 times weekly. If you have normal skin with minimal concerns, exfoliate once per week for maintenance. Play around with your skincare routine to see what makes your skin happiest.
2. Cleanse Morning & Night
Aside from exfoliation, it’s important to cleanse the skin daily in the morning and at night night. Regular cleansing is also important to remove dead skin cells, as well as clean the skin from sweat, excess oil, and bacteria that accumulate during the day. Cleansing freshens the skin and promotes new skin cell growth.
Again I suggest using all natural or organic skin care products that are suitable for your skin type. If you have dry skin, use a cleanser that is moisturizing. If you have oily skin, use a cleanser that is meant to balance an oily complexion without drying out your skin.
3. Eat A Healthy Diet
Your skin health is a window into your body’s overall health. If your skin is dry and rough, there is a good chance that you might be missing out on critical nutrients. Certain foods and nutrients are important for promoting healthy skin and skin cell renewal. Healthy foods with omega 3 1 and vitamin E 2 will help to bring moisture to the skin.
Consume healthy fats by eating healthy foods such as
- Avocados
- Coconut
- Nuts and seeds, especially walnuts
- Unrefined oils such as extra virgin olive oil
- Wild Caught Fish
Furthermore, consuming foods rich in vitamin A, vitamin C 3, zinc 4, and antioxidants 5 are proven to improve overall skin health.
4. Ensure Adequate Vitamin D Levels
Vitamin D is another very critical nutrient for overall skin health and especially healthy skin cell renewal 6. It also acts more as a hormone 7 than a vitamin, which helps to regulate the body’s hormones. Balanced hormones are critical for having healthy skin.
Vitamin D deficiency is incredibly common due to many factors. Most people are vitamin D deficient due to lack of sun exposure and little to no supplementation. You can get some vitamin D from food sources, however it’s virtually impossible to get enough from food alone. A combination of adequate, safe sun exposure along with adequate supplementation of vitamin D3 is the only way to ensure sufficient blood vitamin D levels.
5. Drink Plenty of Pure Filtered Water
Dry skin demands hydration. Every cell in the body needs a sufficient amount of water, and skin cells are no different! Increasing water intake helps to improve skin health 8 and reduce skin dryness.
Ensure you are drinking enough water based on your body weight. As a general rule, consume roughly around 1 ounce of water per lb that you weigh but also be mindful of your activity levels which may demand increased water consumption.
6. Wear SPF Daily
Wearing natural mineral SPF when you are exposed to the sun is one of the most important ways to prevent premature skin aging. Sun exposure over time causes the skin to lose elasticity and to wrinkle. Regular sunscreen use protects against photoaging from ultraviolet rays 9, ensuring smoother, less wrinkled skin.
Instead of using chemical sunscreens which can be damaging to the body overtime, I suggest using natural sunscreen with active ingredients sourced from minerals such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
7. Get Adequate Sleep
You’ve all heard the phrase “Get your beauty sleep!” At night while you sleep, the skin switches to repair mode, and skin cells renew and regenerate 10. During sleep, all sorts of chemical processes happen in the body to put it into a rest and repair mode. If you aren’t sleeping sufficiently, cells don’t repair as they should.
Furthermore, lack of improper sleep interferes with the body’s natural circadian rhythm, which throws hormones off balance. Imbalanced hormones often leads to poor skin health which includes blemishes and lack of moisture.
8. Skip The Night Cream
Touching on the last subject, some studies show that night creams hinder the skin’s ability to renew overnight. According to studies and philosophies from Dr. Hauschka, one of the original pioneers in natural skin care, using night creams means that you are keeping the skin moisturized around the clock. While this sounds like a good thing, it actually can interfere with the skin’s natural regeneration and oil balancing processes 11. Keeping the skin constantly moisturized sends a message to the sebaceous glands to cut down on moisture production, resulting in even drier skin that becomes dependant on moisturizers.
I have been practicing the method of simply cleansing at night for a few years now and I can say first hand that it makes a massive difference in the hydration and smoothness of my skin. My skin feels much more rejuvenated in the morning than if I were to moisturize at night.
9. Use The Right Moisturizer
Believe it or not, oily skin can still be rough and dehydrated. Whether your skin is dry, oily, or combination, you need to use the right moisturizer for your skin type in order to ensure soft and smooth skin.
Even oily skin needs moisturizing. A good quality moisturizer or skin oil for oily skin will help to balance oil production and soften the skin. Beware of moisturizers that are too drying for the skin! If you have combination skin it’s also especially important to get the proper moisturizer to balance out oily areas of your skin and at the same time nourish the dry areas of the skin. A good quality moisturizer for dry skin will bring both moisture and replenish hydration as well.
10. Apply Face Masks Regularly
Aside from cleansing, exfoliating, and moisturizing, using a face mask as a treatment for dry skin once or twice per week is another way to significantly increase hydration. You can use all natural store bought products that are right for your skin type.
You can also make a homemade face mask with some ingredients you can buy at your local grocery store. You can use one or a combination of the following ingredients to make a lovely DIY face mask for soft smooth skin:
- Aloe vera gel
- Coconut oil
- Egg white
- Ground oats
- Honey
- Mashed avocado
- Mashed banana
- Yogurt
The Holistic Approach To Beautiful Skin
If you want soft smooth skin, the holistic approaches mentioned above will definitely help you to achieve the best results! Healthy skin is very much a combination of using proper skin care techniques and products, along with eating well, sleeping enough, taking your vitamins, and drinking enough water. Try out all of these tips to get your softest and smoothest skin!
