Skincare Tips: Beauty From the Inside Out

October 9, 2019January 1, 20237min read

For Wellness Wednesday, let’s chat about beauty from the inside out today!

In the past, I’ve talked about skincare products, but realized I hadn’t talked about skincare tips! And what’s skincare without talking about tips and tricks, am I right?

I’ve been battling some skin issues for what feels like ages now. From uneven skin tone to milia to unsightly pimples, I feel like it’s been a never-ending war. However, I’m also extremely aware that it has to do with what I’m putting inside my body.

You may have heard about some (or all) of these skincare tips, but here’s what I believe what you need to be doing if you want beautiful and glowing skin:

NEVER GO TO BED WITH MAKEUP ON.

I cannot stress this enough, you guys. When you sleep at night, that’s the time your body rests and your cells regenerate. Since your skin is the largest organ, you need to let it breathe. So take off that makeup (and make sure you double cleanse) and give some time for your skin to regenerate.

Pro tip: Go makeup free at least once a week to give your skin extra time to breathe!

GET A LOT OF SLEEP.

Speaking of sleep, the more sleep you get, the more time your skin gets to regenerate its cells. Personally, I’m working my way up from 5-6 hours of sleep to 7, 7 1/2 hours. Aside from beautiful skin, you can think clearer the more you sleep you get. The clearer you think, the more productive you are so find your magic number and get to hitting the hay!

Pro tip: If you have a hard time sleeping, do a brain dump (write down everything that’s on your mind) before bed.

WHAT YOU EAT MATTERS.

Beauty from the inside out is just what it means. Whether it’s acne, gaining weight, or even bloating, what you put in your body shows on the outside. Take note what you’re eating/drinking when you have super clear skin and do the same vice versa. For me, kale gives me such amazing skin, it’s unreal! Too much fried foods and cheese gives me severe acne. And as much as Brussels sprouts are healthy, I get very bloated (which actually happens to a lot of people). Knowing what foods your body likes/doesn’t like helps if you want glowing skin.

Pro tip: An elimination “diet” helps more than you think. If you plan out your meals, you’ll get the answers you need quicker. Check out the Eat Beautiful book and Eat Pretty book too. Aside from recipes, the authors go into depth on what foods do what to your skin.

KNOW YOUR FACE’S GEOGRAPHY.

Speaking of, if you get acne often, where you break out matters. Take note of where your zits pop up (pun intended, ha!) most often. If you know where your acne’s favorite hangout spots are, you’ll know what’s causing it to get your breakouts under control.

Look at the face map below. For me, I break out most often at 2, 4, and 5. That tells me I need to cut back on rich foods like butter, cheese, junk food, wine, and sugar and eat more “cooling foods” like winter melon, cucumber, etc.

Pro tip: I’ve referenced this face mapping article by Byrdie for a few years now and they just updated it back in May too. You can also click on the picture below to take you directly to their post. Check out this Well+Good’s skincare tips article too as it dives deeper into the root causes of acne-prone skin and what to do about it.

DRINK TONS OF WATER.

Beauty from the inside out started with the basics. You know what’s basic? Water. If your skin is the largest organ of the body and your body is made up of more than 50% of water, wouldn’t you need to drink a lot of water? Need I say more?

If you can’t drink plain water, try infusing your water with mint and fruits like strawberries. And if you’re trying to cut back on soda, go for sparkling water with lemon/lime. That way, you still get the carbonate you need without the added sugar.

Pro tip: To know the amount of water you need to intake daily, take your weight and divide it in two. The number you get is the number of ounces of water you need to drink daily. For example, if you weigh 100lbs, take 100 and divide by 2 and 50 ounces of water is what you should be drinking every single day.

TAKE HIGH-QUALITY VITAMINS.

And since we’re talking about beauty from the inside out, let’s talk micro-nutrients. Over the years, I’ve learned from friends (who are scientists), that eating healthy foods (marco-nutrients) is not enough. To close the gap on the amount of vitamins and minerals your body needs, you need good, high-quality supplements.

As for vitamins for beautiful skin, I take USANA’s BioMega (fish oil), Proflavnol C (vitamin C), and Procosa (joints) on top of pre-natals (I do this to replenish iron without eating too much red meat). Procosa not only helps me with my joints, but it has tumeric in it to reduce inflammation in the body. Aka, redness.

Pro-tip: Not all vitamins are equal. Vitamins are not regulated so as long as companies are putting the bare minimum in their products required by the FDA and it doesn’t kill people, you may be paying and taking crappy vitamins. Check out my tips on what to look for when choosing vitamins.

WASH YOUR SHEETS.

Dead skin cells are everywhere, including your sheets. So if you share your bed with your significant other or kids, you’re likely to have a lot more dead skin cells on your bedding. And if you have milia like I do, you have to make sure you’re taking every step to keep them at bay.

In case you don’t know what milia is, it’s skin-colored bumps (which doesn’t hurt and isn’t acne) that is caused by a number of things. One of them? Dead skin build-up trapped in pores near the surface of the skin.

Pro-tip: Washing your sheets and pillow cases once week to once every two weeks in hot water to make sure your face is sleeping on super clean bedding.

CLEAN YOUR CELL PHONE.

You guys already know this one. Two words: germ central. If you lend your phone for someone to use, don’t use it the normal way until you clean it. I will tell you my friend has given my phone back to me and no offense to her, but it’s so disgusting at how oily the surface of my phone was, ew!

Pro-tip: Don’t use antibacterial or disinfectants wipes as they are actually abrasive and can damage/scratch your phone. Instead, make your own screen cleaner. All you’ll need is bottled or distilled water, 70% isopropyl alcohol, a mini spray bottle, and a microfiber or lint-free cloth. Fill half a spray bottle with distilled or bottled water and the other half with 70% isopropyl alcohol. Screw the spray pump back on and shake to mix the solution. Last, lightly spray the solution on a microfiber or lint-free cloth and wipe. It’s important to note that this is for once-a-week disinfecting, not everyday cleaning. I’ve been told that overusing this solution can result in some slight damage to your cell phone’s screen’s coating, so don’t want to do it more than once a week.

DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE.

Speaking of germs, your hands have tons of germs and bacteria. From cell phones to computers, doors, cash/coins, and gym equipment, your hands are a lot dirtier than you think. Don’t transfer those germs to your face if you want clear skin.

Pro-tip: Not really a pro-tip, just a regular tip, haha! Refrain from touching your face! Germs can enter through your eyes, nose, and mouth so the less you touch your face, the more you’ll help yourself from getting sick too.

INVEST IN GOOD SKINCARE PRODUCTS.

Beauty from the inside out is important. And what’s equally important is what you put on your skin. It’s important to note that your skin is different now than when it was when you were a teenager. Products like Clean & Clear won’t do the job if you’re close to hitting 40. Instead, “upgrade” and invest in good skincare products that work for your skin now. It doesn’t have to be expensive either. This AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution is under $10 and works for me!

Just look for non-comedogenic products (to keep those pores from being blocked) without parabens.

And for the love of God, wear sunscreen, always! Here’s another great skincare article from Well+Good about the amount of skincare products you should use!

Pro-tip: Go to a department store like Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus and talk to their beauty associates. They’re trained for a reason. And don’t let them sell you on anything. Get samples to try out to see what works best for you. If you feel bad for not buying from them, ask for their business card and tell them that you’ll keep in touch. Less pressure for you!

A place like Sephora can give you a skincare consultation too.

I hope you enjoyed today’s post because in the future, I’ll be sharing a before/after after putting these tips into action myself! In case you’re interested, I’ve linked products below that I use and love. Feel free to check them out!