I often get requests to make a video
about my skincare routine, and how I take
care of my skin.
And for the longest time I didn't make a
video about it.
But today is the day. And I'm going to
share with you my healthy skin care
habits and my tips for clear and glowing skin.
I want to start this video by being very
upfront and honest with you about
something. Because yes, I do have a lot to
share when it comes to the things that I
do to take care of my skin.
But I also want to say that I'm just
very lucky, and I have very easy skin. My
skin is pretty clear by itself, I hardly
ever break out.
I did used to have quite a bit of acne
when I was younger, when I was going
through puberty.
But lately, I hardly even get a zit
anymore.
And the only thing with my skin, is that
it tends to get a little dry. Especially
in the winter time. So
that is something that I do need to take
into account. But other than that, I'm
just
really lucky to have easy to manage skin.
And it's not really a big issue
for me. However, I do realize that there
are definitely some healthy skin care
habits that I have been doing
consistently
that have helped with my complexion. And
I started taking better care of my skin
in my early 20s. And these habits are
really starting to pay off
now that i am in my early 30s. so I'm
going to share all of that with you
today.
I also want to quickly say that I am not
going to go too much in depth about the
products that I use.
First of all, because they work for me,
they might not work for you.
Second is that the products that I use
are only available here in the
Netherlands. So it wouldn't make much
sense to share them.
But most importantly I feel that if you
want to have healthy looking skin
the best thing that we can do for it is
not to buy expensive products and
lotions, but to take really good care of
it from the inside out.
And I'm happy to say that this video is
sponsored by my friends over at Native.
More on them later. But for now, let's
begin with my tips for clear and glowing skin.
Our skin is our biggest organ and it
gets affected by the things we put into
our body and onto our skin.
So keeping our skin hydrated for a very
large part comes from the inside out.
When it comes to hydration, there are
many people who are sharing different
quick fixes or wonder solutions to help
with our complexion.
Maybe certain teas, or detoxing drinks, or
celery juices or vitamin supplements.
But I'm sorry, I personally do not
believe in any of these
magical solutions. I think it comes down
to what we are doing
overall and how much liquids we are
drinking in a day.
Many of you probably don't know this, but
I actually graduated as a dietitian.
And during my studies we learned that we
can drink fluids in all kinds of
different ways.
Water, tea, fruit juice, soups.
Even the fruit we eat. They all add up.
But of course, it is healthier to stay
away from sugary drinks.
I had to teach myself basically to drink
enough. Because I definitely wasn't.
And once I started doing that, I did
notice a huge impact on my skin. It is
much less dry now
much better hydrated. And I basically
drink water all day, every day now.
And I noticed all kinds of other
benefits also that didn't have anything
to do with my
skin. Not going to go into that in a
video here. But let's just say that it
has been a game changer for me.
Something as simple as drinking more
water. Now let's talk food.
I think a lot of us know or most of us
know how important food is for a number
of things, including
our skin. And just like with staying
hydrated, I personally do not believe
that there is any specific wonder
solution for our skin.
When it comes to nutrients. I think some
are more important than others maybe,
like vitamin c or zinc. But it is more
about the overall balance.
Now when it comes to a healthy diet
there's really no one-size-fits-all
solution.
I personally am vegan, and I did find
that cutting dairy specifically did have
a really good impact on my skin.
But you can eat a healthy diet in so
many different ways.
So I try to eat a very diet, lots of
fruits and veggies from different colors.
Because different colored foods
contain different nutrients. I also try
to eat lots of fiber.
Lots of healthy fats and plant-based
protein sources.
I also learned about the importance of
omega-3 fatty acids for our skin.
Because they help to prevent
inflammation and premature aging.
And since I'm vegan, I make sure to get
them through things like chia seeds
flax seeds and walnuts. My diet certainly
is not perfect. And I will eat junk food
every now and then, or
cookies, or cakes or chocolate, all these
things. And I always notice it on my skin
when I have been eating more processed
foods than usual. Or really fatty, oily
foods. Or foods with a lot of added sugar
in them.
So they are not part of my everyday diet
anymore.
Now that I'm becoming a bit older, I'm 32...
...I am starting to notice just really
tiny wrinkles and changes in my skin.
Especially around my eyes.
But sometimes my friends will ask me
like: Why do you not have
so many signs of aging in your face yet?
And I think, I'm not a dermatologist, so I
don't know the specifics of it, but I
think one reason is definitely that I
don't smoke.
Second reason is that I don't sunbathe
and I always wear a sunblock, which is
something we'll talk about more later.
But I also think that one of the reasons
is that ever since my early 20s, I
significantly reduced the amount of
added sugar in my diet.
This was when I started my studies for
nutrition and I found out that sugar can
actually cause more wrinkles by
making the collagen in our skin less
elastic.
So that was yet another reason for me to
cut things like
cookies and candies and ice cream from
my regular diet. Because I used to eat
them a lot back then.
And now I save them for the occasional
treat. And even then, I prefer to make
them myself so
I know exactly what goes into them.
Before we continue, a quick break for
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big thanks to Native
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They have many different scents and I'm
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And back then, I chose cactus flower
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the description. When I don't sleep
enough, it immediately shows on my skin.
And I feel like my complexion gets a
little bit more dull.
And I just look tired. So if I want my
skin to have that healthy glow, the
number one thing, for me anyway
is sleep. When we sleep, our skin can
start to repair itself from the damages
and the sun exposure of the day. It also rebuilds the collagen in our
skin, which is very important.
And it can also help to lower the stress
hormones in our blood levels that can
also be harmful for the skin.
More on that later. So it is just very
important. I started making sleep more of
a priority in my life also in my early
20s.
Not so much for my skin necessarily, but
more for just my overall physical and
mental health.
And I am just the type of person who
needs a lot of sleep. And if I
don't make sure to get it, I will pay the
price for it in one way or another. So I
always try to go to bed on time and get
my eight hours.
Another thing that can have a big impact
on our skin is stress.
And just like with a lack of sleep, I find
that if I'm really stressed,
my complexion can get a little dull. And
kind of grayish looking.
But actually with stress, I can get
breakouts. And I can get irritations,
especially around the area of my nose
and mouth. Because this area tends to get
a little oily.
Now, stress is a little bit of a tricky
subject I always find. Because most of us
experience stress. Sometimes little bits,
sometimes we experience
more. And it is not so easily
controllable. We cannot just toggle the
switch
off and be done with it and not be
stressed anymore. Especially
if it is being caused by outside
circumstances. But I do find that there
are things that we can do to manage our
stress better. And also to just
reduce the overall stress levels of our
daily life.
And I actually have a video dedicated to
this topic, so I will leave a link to
that video in the description box below.
For anyone who's interested in reducing
stress in their life.
I remember a few years ago, I met
this woman, and she was a dermatologist.
And basically from the second she looked
at me, she came to me and she asked me
Are you wearing sunscreen? Are you
protecting your skin from the sun?
And it was kind of funny, because we just
met. But she was right.
And it is very important to wear
sunblock and protect our skin.
Not just if you have a fair complexion
like me, but for everyone.
I think most of us know the importance
of sunscreen and the fact that sun
damage can age our skin, and even cause
serious health problems if we're not
protecting our skin well.
But I also think that a lot of people
don't really take it that seriously.
And probably that's because it takes a
long time, it takes years and years, for
sun damage to show
on our skin. And even for me, I only
started doing it regularly
applying sunscreen, in my later 20s.
Before that, I was still trying to make
my skin look more
tan. Especially in the summer. And if I
wear sunscreen, that's just
not something that's going to happen.
Actually it's not really going to happen
if I don't wear sunscreen either.
Because it's just not something that my
skin does. But for example, I would go to
play tennis and not wear
sunscreen on purpose. Very bad habit, and
now that I've accepted the fact that my
skin just does not get a pretty tan
I make sure to protect it well and use
sunscreen. And I also try to stay
out of the sun when it is really strong,
so I will stay in the shade as much as
possible.
And I also just do not go tanning or use
a tanning bed and things like that.
This is something that I used to skip so
often. And
I am very much a morning person. So I
wake up early. And then by the time I go
to bed, I am usually
one blink away from falling asleep
standing up.
So when I was younger, and I would go to
bed really tired...
I would just not take off my makeup. And
then the next morning, I would wake up.
And there would be like mascara on my
chin.
And I would just do a quick touch-up and
then wear yesterday's makeup.
So it is not something that I'm proud of,
but I did do it.
And sometimes I did it like three, four
days in a row. Until I got really
irritated skin around my eyes. And I
could no longer deny that that was
because I wasn't cleaning my face.
So I made the rule for myself never to
go to bed without cleaning my face. And
that is something that I have been doing
for the last 10 years or so.
And it really makes a world of
difference. I just use a very simple
makeup remover and then a cleanser.
We do need to clean our skin. And I don't
think we need expensive products for
that.
All I have is just a very simple makeup
remover for days I wear makeup. And then
a cleanser, a moisturizer, and a sunscreen.
And
again, this is what works for me, but if
you are using a skincare product that
you love
absolutely keep using it. Now let's talk
about exercise.
I used to be someone who really hated
exercising, was
not good at it, would never be able to
enjoy it. And then luckily in my early
20s
I had some positive experiences. And I found
out that exercising can
actually be really wonderful. Of course
we know exercising is very important for
a number of things.
But it can also actually help us with
our complexion.
First of all, it improves blood
circulation, bringing more oxygen to
our skin. It can also help to build more
collagen and promotes the
production of new skin cells. And it can
also decrease the stress hormones that
are causing skin problems.
We all exercise in different ways, and
for me, I find that it always changes
every few years or so. And right now I'm
doing regular yoga,
I'm also walking a lot,, and I'm playing
tennis.
If the weather permits, maybe once or
twice a week. And that works for me.
And I recommend trying to find something
that works for you, instead of trying to
do what you think you should do.
Because otherwise, it can be really hard
to make exercising
and moving a part of our daily lifestyle.
Lastly, I want to talk about something
that maybe is the most important thing
of all.
And that is self-acceptance. I don't
think that there is any such thing as
perfect skin. And I don't think that we
need to strive for that.
I think as much as we can try to take
care of ourselves and have a healthy
lifestyle,
there are going to be moments when we're
not doing such a good job.
Or maybe our skin gets irritated, or
breaks out or maybe you have skin issues.
Those things can happen. And I don't
think that we need to strive for
flawless skin. Because that doesn't exist.
All we can do
is try to take care of ourselves the
best way we can.
And get our skin to look as good as it
can look. Now maybe you feel that this is
easy for me to talk about, because I have
very easy skin.
And I don't have many issues. And I
acknowledge that.
But I also used to have quite a bit of
insecurities. I get a lot of freckles in
the summer.
That used to bug me a little, especially
on my upper lip. I also have quite a lot of beauty marks.
Not so much on my face, but definitely on
my body. And I was very insecure about
that.
I also have really thin skin underneath
my eyes, and so I get like dark circles
pretty easily.
I was very insecure about that.
Especially in high school.
And then lastly, it took me years to
accept my really super
pale complexion. And the fact that I just
cannot get a tan no matter what I do.
Whatever your skin is like, confidence is
what makes us shine the most. It is corny
but very true.
So do what you can to take good care of
yourself and to improve your skin
as much as you can. But also, try to
accept and honor the things that you
can't change.
The things that make you you and make
you beautiful the way you are.
If you've enjoyed the video, please leave
a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel
down below. I really appreciate it.
Right here I have healthy morning habits.
Right here I have healthy evening habits.
And as always: questions, comments,
conversations down below. Have a
wonderful day my friends, and I'll see
you next week.
Bye bye!
