Tips to Make Your Skin Glow
As we age, our bodies begin to slow down. We make less human growth hormone and our hormones change in general. Our circulation, cellular metabolism, cell turnover and oil production all tend to slow. This can cause our skin to look dry, dull and we lose that youthful dewy, radiant glow. Years of sun damage begin to show up as dark spots and patches, resulting in uneven skin tone. We look in the mirror and we look, well, older.
While we can't turn back the clock and erase everything our bodies and skin have been through (who wants that anyway? we worked so hard to get to where we're at in life!), we can do several things to get back that vibrant, healthy glow. I'll share with you my favorite, simple tips to get glowing skin!
How is your skin circulation today?
Is your skin already a bit pink or red? You have plenty of circulation already and you should stick with calming skincare products.
If your skin is anything but pink on the regular, remove any makeup and do a quick test. Very gently pinch the apples of your cheeks a few times. If your skin pinks up, you have good circulation.
If you don't see pink rise to the surface easily, resist the urge to pinch any harder. You'll want to boost circulation and I have some great tips to do that.
1. Boost Circulation with Stimulating Ingredients
- Lemongrass
- Lemon Balm
- Green Tea Extract
- Eucalyptus
- Peppermint
- Citrus essential oils (lemon, orange, bergamot, grapefruit)
- Vitamin C
Check out our Ingredients Field Guide to read more.
2. Exercise Regularly
You don't have to get crazy about it, but getting your heart rate up every day for 20-30 minutes not only boosts blood flow in the skin, it supports many of our body functions. When we exercise, our breathing rate and volume increases, oxygenating our skin. Working up a sweat detoxifies our tissues (bye bye cellulite!) and cleans out the pores in our skin.
3. Hydrate
I feel like I say this to every client who walks in the door. Drinking more water is absolutely necessary to getting that healthy glow! Aim to drink at least a gallon every day.
4. Get Upside Down
No, you don't have to find some monkey bars to hang on, although that may be fun again. Simply hang your head off the side of the bed, going into a yoga pose like Downward Dog, bend over at the waist and let your head hang. Get fancy and hang on an inversion table. However you want to do it, hang your head upside down for just a few minutes each day. You'll feel blood rushing to the area, flooding your skin and underlying tissues with oxygen and nutrients. Side benefit- your brain gets oxygenated too! Reversing the effects of gravity for a few minutes each day keeps us looking younger too.
5. Exfoliate regularly.
As we age, our cellular turnover slows down and our skin doesn't slough off dead cells nearly as quickly. One of the best anti-aging tricks I know is to remove that dead skin with a gentle chemical exfoliant like our Coconut Lactic Peel and then follow that with a gentle scrub like our Cucumber Face Polish or Seaweed & Mint Exfoliating Scrub.
6. Use a Soap-Free Cleanser
Overdrying our skin during the cleansing step of our daily rituals is a great way to get dull, dry skin. Switch to a more gentle face wash. I love our Apple Chamomile Cleansing Gel in the summertime because it's soap-free, but the addition of oats and apple enzymes create a gorgeously velvety lather and it leaves my face feeling clean, but not harshly stripped.
If your skin is chronically dry and dehydrated, you may want to opt for a cream cleanser like the Youth in Bloom Hydrating Cleanser. Oil cleansing is popular these days and I'm seeing more and more clients asking for the Apricot Cleansing Oil. Whichever cleanser you choose, just be sure to avoid added "fragrance" and sulfates, both of which can be very drying and irritating to our skin.
7. Vitamin C to Brighten
Vitamin C not only brightens dark spots and patches, it also helps gently exfoliate and stimulates collagen production, making our skin stronger and more supple.
In our Ultra C Serum, we use two kinds of vitamin C with the sun-sensitizing components removed, so you can use it morning or night.It's like a vitamin pack for your skin, so I recommend using this power-packed serum every day to lighten age spots and feed your skin all the goodness on a regular basis.
8. Breathe Deeply
Take a moment right now and notice your breathing. Are you breathing hardly at all? Slouched down? Are your breaths shallow? Probably- we tend to hold our breath a lot more than we realize. I've been practicing yoga for thirty years and the breathwork is one of my favorite components. While teaching classes to a wide variety of populations, I noticed that just about everyone hardly breathes at all!
Breathing deeply has several benefits and is one of the easiest things we can do throughout the day. Just like exercising, breathing increases blood flow and oxygen to all parts of our bodies. It calms our minds and helps release stress and anxiety. That leads to a decrease in cortisol and supports our general health. Our skin glows with more oxygen!
A Little Meditation You Can Do Anywhere
Take a long, deep inhalation. Allow your breath to fill your belly and your chest completely. Let it out slowly. Close your eyes if you are able. Release the muscles between your eyebrows. Relax your mouth and let the corners lift up ever so slightly. Remove your tongue from the roof of your mouth. Repeat and repeat. Do this anywhere, anytime. Your mind will start to quiet and those deep lines and wrinkles on your face will soften.
9. Strengthen Your Moisture Barrier.
The stronger your skin's moisture barrier is, the more radiant it will look, because light will bounce off of it. If your skin is dry and flaky due to a damaged moisture barrier, it means it has developed tiny, invisible cracks that are allowing moisture to escape and light to penetrate. The result? Your skin can start to look dull and tired. Avoiding harsh cleansers and synthetic fragrances while including nourishing oils like evening primrose, shea butter, rosehip and carrot seed oils. Our facial oils (see the next tip) and our Apple Stem Cell Radiance Serum can help build back a depleted skin barrier.
9. Give Your Face a Loving Massage
Start by massaging in your facial cleanser. After rinsing it off, apply a few drops of your favorite facial oil. I've been partial to the Calming Facial Oil as the temperature rises, because I tend to get red in the face and I need more soothing ingredients. If you want deeper hydration, reach for the Herbal Facial Oil that has a slightly heavier feel. Treat yourself and add a few drops of the Blue Sapphire Facial Oil and mix them in the palm of your hand.
Rub your hands together and then place them against your cheeks, chin, forehead. Sweep up the neck with open palms. Using your fingertips, make little circles, working upwards and outward. This is the perfect time to integrate some deep breathing and consciously relax your facial muscles. Spend some time on the areas where you feel the most tension. You deserve to nurture yourself to health.
10. Wearing Powder? Renew Your Dewy Glow
After applying your facial moisturizer, sunscreen and makeup (if you wear it), try this trick my daughter, Josephine, taught me. I love wearing a powder sunscreen to really protect my skin. For me, more layers are better! But powder really makes my skin look dry and dull- exactly the opposite of what I'm going for. Josephine showed me to use a few drops of facial oil, spreading it by rubbing my hands together, then pressing them gently on cheeks, forehead and chin. You won't want to do this if you have oily skin, but for super dry folks like me, it gives a fresh, dewy look.
Please check out my article on how to Restore Your Glow if you have clogged pores.
