Faulty diet. Refined foods like white flour, sugar and products made with them, tea, coffee, and soft drinks deplete energy, bring about wrinkles, unattractive skin and premature aging.
Lack of healthy blood. Healthy blood adds a glow to the skin and keeps it well-nourished, moist, and free from dryness and roughness.
Inadequate cleansing. Very often, our skin looks superficially clean; but they really are not. Dirt and dust particles can hide in the pores of the skin and clog sweat and sebaceous glands. Proper cleansing not only removes all the dust, dirt and make-up, which accumulate during the day, but also stops the oil-secreting sebaceous glands from getting clogged.
Diet. Diet plays an important role in maintaining the health of the skin. Diet should supply all the nutrients needed to build health, namely, protein, carbohydrates, fats, essential fatty acids and all the essential vitamins and minerals. Such a diet will consist of liberal quantities of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits, supplemented by special protective foods like milk, vegetable oils, yogurt, honey and yeast.
Nutrients play an important role in maintaining a healthy skin.
Vitamins And Minerals
If your skin is unusually dry and rough. You have blackheads and whiteheads. You are probably lacking sufficient vitamin A. You could also be suffering from the deficiencies in iron, iodine and the B Vitamins. Adequate amounts of protein and vitamin C are also important.
B Vitamins: The vitamins of the B group are important in producing beautiful skin.
Vitamin B1 aids skin health by helping to keep the circulation normal.
Vitamin B2 or riboflavin deficiency can lead to brown pigmentation, or liver spots on the skin. These ugly spots usually disappear if generous amounts of vitamin B2 are given over a period of six months. Severe riboflavin deficiency can lead to oily skin and hair and small deposits of fat under the skin of the cheeks and forehead and behind the ears. More severe deficiency of riboflavin causes the skin under the nose and at the comers of the eyes and mouth to crack and become sore.
Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine deficiency can result in dermatitis or eczema.
Niacin deficiency can also cause an eczema type of skin eruption with brown pigmentation, largely on the face, forearms and legs.
Deficiency of pantothenic acid, para-aminobenzoic acid, and biotin: This also leads to types of eczema. The symptoms will go away completely when these vitamins are generously added to the diet.
It is clear that Vitamin B plays a pivotal role in maintaining a healthy skin. So, diet that is rich in Vitamin B can go a long way in skin health. One of the important food in this connection is brewer’s yeast. Even the person whose skin seems smooth and healthy usually notices improvement in texture and glow, a week after adding two or more tablespoons of brewer’s yeast to the daily diet. Persons with eczema should, for an entire month, take a tablespoon of yeast stirred into citrus juice or water after each meal, between meals, and before retiring. If the diet is adequate in all other respects, the eczema is usually cured in a month ‘s time.
Anemia and Pale Skin : Anemia results from lack of protein, iodine, calcium, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid, cobalt, copper, and iron. Take diet rich in Vitamin B. Folic acid and vitamin B12 are especially important.Zinc: Zinc is an effective anti-oxidant protecting against UV radiation, enhances wound healing, contributes to immune and neuropsychiatric functions, and decreases the relative risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. It has also been implicated in the treatment of acne.
Chromium: Chromium helps to fight acne and reduce infections. You can find chromium in whole grains, ready-to-eat bran cereals, seafood, green beans, broccoli, prunes, nuts, peanut butter, and potatoes.
Natural Aids For Beautiful Skin
Several natural aids have been found to help promote healthy skin after our treatments.
Limes
Lime juice is an important natural aid for healthy skin.
Lime Juice: Squeeze lime into a bowl. Add a glass of boiled whole milk and a teaspoon of glycerin to it. Stir well and let it stay for half an hour. Apply this mixture on the face, hands and feet before going to bed at night. This treatment every night will help you to look young and beautiful. It will also help cure pimples.
For Oily Skin: Squeeze lemon juice in a bowl of iced water. Splash this over the face, massage for five minutes and then wash off with water.
Dull or Greasy Complexion: Mix half teaspoon of lime juice with one teaspoon of cucumber juice and a few drops of rose water. Apply on the face and neck and leave on for 15 minutes. Remove with water.
Dry and Rough Skin: Take an egg yolk and mix in a few drops of lime and olive oil. Spread on the face and leave it till the skin feels dry. Wash off with ordinary water and splash on cold water.
Tired Eyes: Take four tablespoons each of lime juice and iced water. Saturate cotton pads in this water and place over your closed eyelids for 10 minutes.
Freckles: Blanch and grind two almonds. Mix it with white of an egg to which half teaspoon of lime juice has been added. Spread on the face and leave it on till the skin feels dry. Then, wash off first with warm water and then with cold water.
Anti-Wrinkle Cream
Mix a teaspoon of olive oil with an egg. Smoothen the face and neck with it. Let it remain till the skin gets dry. To Remove The Cream: Add a teaspoon of soda bicarbonate to hot water. Stir. Dip a piece of cotton-wool to this mixture and use it to remove the cream.
Natural Beauty Mask
Ingredients 1 tablespoon of gram flour 1/4 teaspoon orange peel powder 1 tablespoon beaten yogurt 1 teaspoon olive oil
Mix the ingredients well and apply the paste to your face and neck. Let it remain till the skin starts feeling a little dry and then rub your face with your hands till it glows. Wash your face first with warm water and then with cold water. This will remove all the embarrassing blemishes from the skin and make the skin soft and smooth.
Honey Mask
Honey masks are used for deep cleansing of pores and therefore are recommended to help control acne and pimples. The mask will give your face a facial glow.
Ingredients 1 tablespoon of honey 1 teaspoon olive oil Yolk from a raw egg
Whip these three ingredients into a creamy mixture. Apply “goo”to a freshly scrubbed face and wait twenty minutes. Wash off the mask with a warm wash cloth. Splash your face with some cold water. Look in the mirror and smile at your pampered face and rejuvenated skin.
Cleansing Lotion
To one-fourth teaspoon of lime juice stir in one teaspoon each of milk and cucumber juice. Apply on the face and neck and wash off after 14 minutes. This lotion cleanses and purifies the pores of the skin.
Mint Juice
Application of fresh mint juice over the face every night, cures pimples and prevents dryness of the skin. The juice can also be applied over eczema and contact dermatitis with beneficial results