The 4 Top Natural Beauty Tips To Make You Glow On Busy Mornings

Maintaining radiant skin doesn’t have to be an arduous morning routine filled with expensive beauty products.

According to Dr. Willem Marsman of the International Food Safety Consultancy, the shelf life on most skincare products is only 3-12 months.

Now is the perfect time to ditch expired products and replace them with these natural staples and easy beauty practices that are free of potentially harmful chemicals.

1. Sleep

Let’s face it, a few sleepless nights can leave your face looking lifeless. University Hospitals Case Medical Center has confirmed through a new 2013 study that “beauty sleep” is more than an old wives tale. Experts say a lack of sleep dehydrates the skin and eyes causing a limp appearance. If you wear contact lenses, this could mean red, dry eyes. Trying an oxygen-maximizing contact lens such as the Night and Day Aqua allows up to five times more oxygen to flow through than regular contact lenses. Their hydrogel material can help soothe the reddest of eyes and prevent signs of missed sleep.

2. Hair & Facial Skin Care

Now that your eyes are glowing, how about the lovely locks that frame your face? If your hair and skin are looking lifeless or drab, it may be time to naturally “detox” to recreate vibrancy. All-in-one personal care products from DrBronner.com can provide chemical-free, versatile fixes.

• Hair exfoliant: Mix 1/8 cup of Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Magic Soap with the juice of one lemon and ½ cup of apple cider vinegar. Lather into wet hair while showering twice per week. The combination of these natural ingredients will strip left behind residue from hair styling products while helping add “oomph” for a fuller style.
• Facial exfoliant: Mix 1/8 cup of Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Magic Soap with two tsp sea salt and two tbsp coconut oil. Gently apply in a circular motion and rinse face. Try this twice weekly to lift dead skin cells and restore facial vibrancy.

The Ewg.org has created a handy personal care products resource called Skin Deep that applies a rating system to beauty care items such as makeup, shampoos and topical skin products. If you are questioning whether or not a product is safe to use, you can look up the brand in the online database or download their free app to help simplify shopping.

3. Diet

What you apply to the outside of your body only goes so far. Your skin’s health largely relies on what you feed your body. Because healthy skin relies on its ability to generate new cells, adequate water intake helps vital organs like the liver to “clean out” old cells. Omega-3 fats, known as good fats, found in salmon, eggs, nuts and seeds are essential for glowing skin and hair, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

• Skin care snack: For an easy snack, layer smoked salmon, capers and pine nuts on top of cucumber slices to get your healthy fat fix.

4. Whole-body Beauty

Remember, beauty care goes beyond what we slather onto our faces. To maintain healthy skin and overall health, try facial rejuvenation acupuncture. Facial rejuvenation is not only painless, it has been shown to reduce wrinkles without harmful chemicals.