Yea, inner beauty is important, but lets be honest - outer beauty is kinda a big deal...
Hair, skin, nails - besides our figure, us women have a lot to worry about when it comes to beauty. If you are anything like me, you've got a stockpile of creams, lotions, conditioners, scrubs, masks, toners - and the list goes on of various beautifying products. And despite the economic crisis, sales of such beauty products has not decreased, but rather increased!
 |
| Women and their beauty products - transcending decades, if not centuries. |
On top of the products themselves, I pay upwards of $75-100 for a deep-cleaning facial when I feel like I can afford the luxury - and I won't even start on the waxing, pedicure, and hair appointments. And despite all of this, in the past few weeks it seems as though my teen years have had a renaissance on my face with a blemish or three, everyday feels like a bad hair day, and my skin is drier than normal.
The conclusions I came to was that, despite all the products us women buy, most women (myself included!) are neglecting the most basic form of beauty care out there: Our diet! Right along side all those magazine advertisements and articles highlighting our new favorite beauty products, there are dozens of articles telling us how what we eat can has a substantial effect on our skin, hair, and overall glow.
 |
| Best foods for your hair! |
Most detox diets are designed to cleans the inner organs and digestive system, but my plan now is to try a new kind of detox - this time focused on cleansing my skin, hair, and nails (from the inside out)!
Here are the basics:
Best foods for healthy hair:
- Salmon (and other fatty fishes)
- Dark green vegetables (think spinach, kale, broccoli)
- Nuts
- Oysters
- Carrots
- Eggs
- Bananas
- Yams
 |
| You can wear it AND eat it! |
Best food for healthy skin:
- Yellow and orange fruits and vegetables (also red bell peppers!)
- Blueberries and pomegranates
- Tomatoes
- Legumes
- Nuts (especially walnuts and almonds!)
- Salmon (and other fatty fishes)
- Olive oil
Many of the same foods are found on both lists, and most foods I like. Oysters, however, I will have to pass on, and legumes I find difficult to enjoy. Even so, I will try to incorporate at least 3-4 of these foods into each day, and at least one from each list in every meal.
Also:
- Green tea every morning + 1 small cup of coffee at some point in the morning. Dermatologists are increasingly agreeing that caffeine is beneficial for skin, especially with regard to calming redness.
- Body scrub twice a week!
- I'm using the olive body scrub from The Body Shop
- Natural hair mask twice a week!
- 1) Eggs! That's right, eggs are excellent for your hair. And in fact, eggs + mashed bananas makes a great hair mask - add a little bit of water and let sit for 20-30 minutes. Then shampoo out.
- 2) Avocado mask: Avocados + 2 tablespoons olive oil + dash of honey - leave on for 20 minutes, then shampoo out.
- All natural face mask twice a week, recipes found here: http://beauty.about.com/od/skinflaws/a/facemasks.htm
- A LOT of water - I don't drink sodas, and rarely drink juice, so this shouldn't be a problem. Even so, I'm going to up my H2O intake like it's my job!
- SPF everyday. I'm guilty of often "forgetting" to put on sunscreen -or at the very least, a daycream with SPF - as I run out the door in the morning.
Check back in two weeks to hear about my results!
 |
| Not only is it better for the body, but a healthy diet is the cheapest beauty remedy there is! |
