Life. Love. Beauty. Paradise: 7 Things You Need To Know To Achieve Healthier Skin

We all want to have clear, healthy skin, and in order to achieve that there are some things your skin needs every day to look its best. Just like you need certain beauty products and tools to properly apply your makeup, there are specific things your skin desires in order to be healthy and happy. Think about it, if you never exfoliated, your skin would look dull and beg you to give it a scrub. I'm here to share with you 7 amazing tips on how I take care of my skin by just following these easy steps below!

One of the most important things your skin needs every day is to make sure you are getting at least 6-8 hours of sleep. I know for most of us is very hard to achieve. We all have busy lives, but it's very important to relax your mind and body. Constantly being stressed out and overworked can wreak havoc on your skin too. You might not be able to treat yourself to a spa day every day, I know I can't, but there are plenty of little things you can do to help de-stress. I personally try to take naps on the weekends, even if it's for an hour. I try to find time to meet up with my girlfriends and go see a movie, maybe go for lunch or dinner, grab some coffee, go for a walk or just spend a few hours at the beach. It's an amazing time to catch up and unwind. Taking a relaxing bath once a week is a must for me. Reading a book or catching up on blog posts of other bloggers is also very relaxing time for me. Every night, I drink a cup of herbal hot tea with some honey, which helps me sleep better.

You might not think exercising has anything to do with skin care, but staying in shape and being healthy is reflected through your skin! When I exercise I'll get my blood flowing, which gives my skin a healthy, radiant glow. Don’t stress if you can’t commit to working out every day of the week. On the weekdays, I typically try to walk for at least 20 minutes on my lunch break at work. On the weekends, I try to go to the gym and take a yoga class for an hour. I also like to take walks at the beach or park for at least an hour. I feel amazing afterwards!

If you haven’t heard already, water is a skin care essential! We need to keep ourselves hydrated in order to have supple and smooth skin. You don’t have to drink truckloads of water every day, but if you frequently consume coffee or alcohol, they can be drying your skin. I've had a hard time to committing myself doing this. But overtime I've noticed a huge difference in my skin when I drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. My skin was glowing and I always stayed hydrated. I don't drink soda and try to stay away from concentrated juices!

I’m willing to bet that cleansing your skin is part of your skin care routine and it’s certainly something that our skin requires on a daily basis. Most skin types will benefit from twice daily cleansing, once in the morning and once in the evening. Even if you don’t wear makeup, it’s important to wash off any dirt or grime from the day and open up your pores.

Antioxidants are another skin care essential. We’re often encouraged to use skin care products and eat foods that contain antioxidants in order to protect our skin from free radicals, help repair skin and decelerate the aging process. Look for skin products that contain antioxidants, or eat foods like berries, broccoli or carrots.

A healthy diet is vital for a healthy mind and body and the things we eat can directly affect our skin. Aside from eating antioxidants, you also want to fill up foods that are high in vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. These nutrients help our skin retain moisture and prevent skin cell damage. Some tasty skin-friendly foods include fatty fish, nuts and green, leafy vegetables.

Even if we’re in the winter season, our skin is still exposed to the damaging UV rays of the sun. Always keep your skin protected with a good sunscreen and limit your time in the sun. You don’t want to spend the entire day indoors and hide from the sun but you don’t want to spend too much time in it either. Our bodies naturally convert sunlight to produce vitamin D, so be sure to get in some sun time!