The Top 5 Free Beauty Habits to live by
- Sleep
- Hydration
- The right dose of sunshine
- Cold showers
- Sex
1. Sleep
They don’t call it beauty sleep for no reason. When we sleep, every cell in our body rejuvenates, including the cells in our skin. Lack of sleep or poor-quality sleep robs you of the so-called fountain of youth, the human growth hormone. That’s why sleep deprivation affects wound healing, collagen production, skin hydration, and skin texture. Inflammation is also higher when you are sleep deprived due to an increase in cortisol, causing outbreaks of acne, eczema, psoriasis, and skin allergies. Get 7-8 hours each night, don’t keep ANY electronic devices in your bedroom and open your window for some fresh air. Stay tuned for our best sleep tips.
2. Hydration
Healthy skin contains between 10-20% water. Skin dehydration (anything less than 10%) is one of the main reasons for premature skin aging and sensitivity. You don’t need a crazy expensive fancy water to keep hydrated. Drink a minimum of 3L of any filtered water at a room temperature daily and add a little bit of pink salt to it. Keep in mind that your body can only assimilate 500ml of water per hour or up to 1L in the most extreme heat conditions and exercise effort. Don’t wait until you are very thirsty; that’s a sign of dehydration. You need to SIP throughout the day and throughout the session. Sculling down one litre of water in one go will just end up with frequent loo visits instead of hydrating you adequately.
3. The Right Dose of Sunshine
Too much or not enough sunshine will have a negative impact on your skin. Excessive UV rays trigger lots of free radicals, which literally blast your collagen fibres, leaving your skin dry wrinkly and saggy. Not enough sun exposure without sunscreen will rob you of vitamin D, which will cause similar symptoms as infection. Staying in the sun for prolonged periods of time while topping up on sunscreen is also not ideal as most sunscreens are full of skin-damaging chemicals. Get in the sun in the morning and walk around without sunscreen and without sunglasses. Stay away from the harsh midday sun and prevent sunburn at any circumstances. The duration of healthy sun exposure varies depending on the season of the year and the type of your skin. Osteoporosis Australia has a great simple guideline here.
4. Cold Showers
A quick cold shower every morning and evening is probably the best, easiest and the most efficient health and beauty habit we know. It improves your blood circulation, boosts your immune system, and stimulates your vagus nerve thus lowering inflammation and cortisol, the collagen slayer. In the morning it wakes you up and makes you feel ‘alive’ without having to drink a coffee and in the evening it helps you to sleep better. Start with one minute in the morning and one in the evening and build up to three minutes. More is better but you also want to save water ;-).
5. Sex
Sex improves blood flow to the skin, leads to increased hydration and reduces the inflammatory stress hormone cortisol. It has pretty much the same effect as a cold shower but it’s way more pleasant. It also boosts your oestrogen levels. Oestrogen stimulates collagen production in your skin thus increasing your skin thickness and plumpness. How much sex do you need for your beauty? You get the ‘sex afterglow’ just after one session. For long-lasting effects, such as brighter, clearer and youthful skin, you should aim for one to three sessions every week.
