With the summer approaching, you may be starting to think about getting beach ready, which means you’ll be looking to show off beautiful skin that makes you glow from head to toe. There are a number of ways and things you can do easily at home to get the silky soft skin you crave and it involves creating a self-care routine; a number of practices you can implement to boost your body’s natural glow while improving your health at the same time.

Your skin is the body’s largest organ, which absorbs everything you put onto it so it’s important you choose skincare wisely. Many of today’s beauty products are loaded with chemicals derived from petroleum products, which are proven to be harmful to health as well as leaving a toxic layer preventing your skin from breathing. Make the conscious upgrade to chemical-free skincare.

A great tool for sloughing away dead skin cells is dry skin brushing. This is the simple act of using a firm natural body brush and brushing over your skin, always in the direction of your heart. This helps to boost immunity and toxin removal by stimulating the lymphatic system which relies on us to get it moving as it doesn’t have it’s own pump. By helping to eliminate toxins from the body, your skin will naturally become more vibrant and healthy-looking.

The old adage suggests, “You are what you eat”, which means that what you put into your body also plays a major role in how healthy your skin looks and feels. Consuming highly-refined junk foods devoid of nutrients will leave your skin looking dull and lackluster so it’s important to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of quality water and eating life-affirming whole plant foods bursting with vitamins, minerals and enzymes. By consuming plenty of raw and cooked plant foods, you help to maintain optimum health by giving the body exactly what it needs to stay well. An easy way to flood your body with nutrients is to drink fresh juices made from fruits and vegetables. I like to include cucumber in most of my juices as they are 95% water making them very hydrating and they contain silica which helps nails and hair to grow, and skin to glow.

If you live in a cold country and don’t have the luxury of basking in sunlight very often, you may want to consider supplementing with Vitamin D as this is a vitamin produced in the skin when we are exposed to sunlight and plays an important role in protecting us from disease. Vitamin D can also be obtained through consuming foods such as salmon, sardines and egg yolks.

When buying your fresh produce, you may have seen food packaging with the words “Omega 3” on them and this is something else that can help to improve the elasticity and plumpness of the skin. Omega 3 is an essential fatty acid, which the body requires for healthy cells so be sure to add flaxseeds, hemp seeds, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, winter squash, sardines and salmon to your shopping list to ensure you’re loading up on the nutrients needed for beautiful looking skin.

Article by Polly Noble, wellness writer, health coach and author passionate about helping people to make the upgrade in their diet and lifestyle so they can experience more health & happiness in their lives. Polly is also the creator of The Conscious Life Guide.