How To Have A Clear Face With 13 Practical Tips

Do you know that the condition or health of your hair or your skin is a reflection of your overall health? A friend said to me that what we do or do not do to our health, how we live every day and what choices we make every day - can be reflected in the health of our hair and skin. What are your thoughts?

Personally, I agree with her. In fact, my dad and mum mentioned the same thing. How we take care of our bodies internally, especially, makes the big difference - although it is also important to take care of ourselves every day 'on the outside.'

For example, keeping our 'insides' clean (good digestive system, toxins flushed out and liver functioning well) and functioning at optimum health is a lot more important than just doing our daily 'external' cleaning routines. Here, diet and lifestyle play important roles.

I would like to share with you 13 practical tips of how to 'generally' take care of yourself internally and externally to have healthy and good skin. In fact, for those having problem skin like acne or acne prone skin, should make these tips a daily habit or routine.

1) Water Therapy

Maybe some of you have heard of water therapy? I do this every morning. They say it is good to drink 2-3 glasses of plain water first thing in the morning before breakfast. I do think this works because when I do this, I go to the toilet about 30 minutes later to 'get toxins flushed out' of my body. An hour later, I eat breakfast. I drink water throughout the day too.

Do drink enough water every day and even more so if you have acne skin. It is common that dehydration aggravates your skin and causes acne to flare up. To keep your skin cells healthy, keep yourself well-hydrated.

Besides, water therapy works great to give us optimum health.

2) Clean Hands

Keep your hands clean at all time, especially before washing your face. Imagine what you could have touched - your dog, the dustbin cover knob, the door knob, the toilet seat, the water faucet (may be oily), the broom, your shoes, your socks, your coins and notes and so much more.

Therefore, you do not want to 'transfer' all that bacteria and dirt to your face and it really would be pointless to wash your face when your hands are dirty.

Before washing your face, take just a minute to thoroughly clean your hands. Use anti-bacterial soap. Then make sure your towels are clean.

3) Clean Pillow Cases

How often do you do your laundry? It would be a good idea to put your pillow case in each time you do your laundry. Otherwise, changing your pillow case every other day would be great. I mean, you are rubbing your face (skin) on your pillow case every night.

Hence, it makes good sense to make sure your pillow case is clean instead of being filled with oil, bacteria or dirt.

4)Keep Your Hands Off Your Face

Be aware of your hands - avoid touching your face unless necessary. You do not want to spread the dirt, bacteria and what not to your face. Even rubbing your eyes or resting your face or chin on your palms or hands can get the bacteria to your skin. Your pores can get infected. Your acne can be aggravated and get worse.

Therefore, keep your hands clean at all times or simply avoid touching your face with your hands.

5) How Do You Clean Your Face?

No, please do not scrub your skin. Your skin does not need to be 'squeaky clean' because this dries your skin too much. Instead, wash your face gently - massage gently with your fingers in circles around your face, thoroughly. Use a good quality cleanser. The common practice is to wash your face twice daily.

But really, if you feel your face needs another time, like in the middle of the day, maybe just giving it a 'water rinse' will do. Try not to use too much cleanser on your skin. Still, if you feel you need to use more cleanser and your skin gets too dry, make sure you apply some good and oil-free moisturizer on it.

6) A Healthy Diet

What you put into your body affects not just your overall health but the health of your skin and hair. That being said, diet does not cause acne. However, diet can aggravate skin problems and acne. So eat healthily. Avoid stuff you may be allergic to, stuff that may make your skin itch or dairy food that is said to cause 'hormonal imbalance'. Wacky hormones are one of the common causes of acne to flare up and break out.

It is best to eat fresh food, eat more vegetables, eat more fruits and drink enough water.

7) Get Enough Sleep

How well do you sleep? Do you sleep 8 hours? Do you sleep regular hours or do you have a 'mixed-up or scattered' sleeping schedule? They say, 8 hours of quality sleep is important. In simple words, it is best to 'sleep like a baby.'

As children grow and develop in their sleep, skin heals when we sleep. Our bodies are also recharged. Even hair grows best when we sleep. Good rest and sleep helps acne heal better while easing tension and stress.

8) Take Time To Chill Out

Sleep gives our whole body rest and eases tension and stress. But what about when we are awake? Stress is so common. Extreme stress can lead to deep depression, serious health problems and can even mess up your life.

Though stress does not cause acne or skin problems, stress especially extreme stress aggravates skin problems like acne and makes the problem worse.

Other than sleeping, take time to chill out every day. Make this a habit although not during work hours! Do something you like after work or maybe during lunch breaks. A scalp and body massage before bedtime, feels great too after a long day - essential oils make these massage sessions even better.

9) Do Your Homework

When it comes to getting the right skin or acne treatment, you need to fix an initial evaluation, analysis and consultation with a doctor or skin specialist. Then you need to do your research on all the acne and skin information out there in cyberspace. And how about doing some 'off line' research?

There is no one 'acne fix' for all acne or skin problems. Other than getting your skin specialist advice, you need to know what is out there and what may work best for your skin condition.

Information and review sites are there to guide you. At the end of the day, you know your skin best, you know what ingredients may work and you know what may not work for your skin condition.

10) Treating Your Acne Inside Out

When it comes to healthy skin or skin healing process, I feel the best treatment is a complete, inside-out and natural based treatment. This too works great for your overall health.

I have gone through a few times of detoxification for my health in general. I took herbal supplements and at times herbal tea. I remember each time felt great. I felt 'new', more energetic, more refreshed and just a great overall feeling.

However, during the first few weeks, there will be some small pimples and red spots popping out on my usually clear skin. Then gradually, all that will disappear. Then my skin tone or complexion would look much better.

So if you asked me, I would tell you I really feel this 'getting sorted inside-out' works great. If this works to keep optimum health, it should work for keeping skin and hair healthy too, especially during and after the healing process to maintain good health and skin.

Therefore, it does make the most sense that fighting acne at its root (internally and externally) is the best way to clear acne.

11) Take Your Daily Supplement

Although not taking vitamins and supplements do not cause acne, the skin specialist did say taking vitamins and supplements or giving our bodies the necessary nutrients it needs will help with the healing process and to keep us healthy.

Nutrients play a part in healing, in building and in keeping skin cells healthy to give us a glowing and healthy complexion. Vitamins and supplements make up for the nutrients that we are lack of or if we are not taking like, a good 'dosage' of fruits and vegetables.

But also remember, taking too much of a good thing can do more harm than good. So take just sufficient dosage of necessary vitamins and supplements. And keep to a healthy diet and lifestyle.

12) Exercise Regularly

Some regular exercise is good like maybe 3 times a week - to get your blood and oxygen circulated throughout your body. This is good not just for your overall health but also great for your skin.

But like they say, too much of a good thing can be bad. So exerting yourself too much may aggravate your skin problem or acne condition. Monitor your condition. Do what is best for you.

13) Let 'You' Shine - Stay Positive

I am a strong believer that every person has that something amazing in them. Being positive like a sunflower makes our whole-self feel great and this really does help in healing. Let your amazing personality shine. Even behind an acne face, there can be an amazing personality. So let 'You' shine.

Stay positive. Smile and laugh. Besides, laughter is the best medicine, as many people say. And if I recall this correctly - it is a fact that we use a lot more facial muscles when we frown than when we smile.

I hope the above simple and practical tips can help speed up your acne healing process. And even when your acne has cleared, you should keep to these tips. I mean, they are generally good life and health habits.