Learn how to nourish your skin. Treating just one of the tips below seriously will make a noticeable difference.

1.Drink two litres (two U.S. quarts) of water daily

This must be plain water – preferably filtered.

2.Cut down on tea and coffee

Try to replace at least some of these drinks with herbal teas.

3.Cut right down on alcohol

At the very least swap to good quality organic wines, beers and ciders, and drink in moderation (if at all). It is also wise to know your upper limits for weekly alcohol unit intake. For men this amounts to 21 units a week and for women this is 14 units per week – remember this is an upper limit, not a target to strive for. If you’re not sure how many units are in your favourite drinks, ask your doctor, who may have a unit-calculator; these are useful gadgets which certainly create a shock factor when you realise how much your weekly intake really is!

4. Be Raw-some

Try to include plenty of raw foods in your diet. If you can get your daily intake to be at least 50% raw fruits and vegetables, you will see your skin transform magically before your eyes into super-flawless beauty.

5.Eat the rainbow

Colourful foods have the most beauty nutrients! Eat a wide variety of multi-coloured fruit and vegetables daily:

• Red – cherries, tomatoes, watermelon, grapes, red cabbage
• Orange – oranges, peppers, carrots, apricots, pumpkin
• Yellow – peppers, bananas, lemons, honeydew melon
• Green – lettuces, spinach, watercress, limes, avocado
• Blue – plums, blueberries (nope, blue Smarties do not count!)
• Purples – beetroot, aubergine, purple sprouting broccoli, blackberries

6. Be super

Super-foods are super nutrient-rich foods, such as avocados, brazil nuts, most berries, broccoli and lambs-lettuce, which are not only tasty but will make you glow! There are also some really exotic super-foods such as spirulina, maca, hemp powder, carob powder, powdered wheatgrass juice, raw cacao etc. Try these powerful, health-giving plant extracts whizzed up in fresh juices and smoothies for a super health kick.

7.Essential Fatty Acids

They are indeed ‘essential’ – these are the body’s ‘must have’ fats, and they help keep the skin supple and smooth. EFAs are naturally present in most raw nuts and seeds, but you can also supplement your diet with hemp oil or linseed oil to ensure that you’re getting enough. A teaspoon or two of EFA-rich plant oil in a smoothie is an easy way to add this to the diet.

8.Sprouting

If you’re thinking that eating nutritiously seems very expensive, here is the answer to super-foods on a budget – sprouts!! Not the Brussels type, but the tiny cute ones formed when you add moisture to a seed. Most of us have had mung bean sprouts at some point, but there are loads of other tastier sprouts that give you a mass of minerals and vitamins and, best of all, a packet of seeds and some jam jars cost next to nothing. Eat them with salad, in sandwiches, sprinkled on top of soups, or juice them with fruit etc. Just get those tiny nutrient factories inside your body and your skin will thank you for it.

9. Get nutty

Snack on small handfuls of raw nuts (brazils, almonds, hazels etc.) and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin and flax etc.) for a mineral boost and for quality proteins which will repair and maintain your skin.

10.Feeling juicy

Nothing beats freshly made fruit and vegetable juices for a vitamin injection. Juices are digested fast, and give an instant energy and nutrient boost. Juicers are easy and cheap to pick up these days, and it’s one of the best health investments you will make – keep it handy in the kitchen so daily juicing will be an easy habit to keep. Here’s an energizing smoothie recipe for a start.

For more tips on luxurious, organic and affordable skincare and how to make your own masks, cleansers, scurbs, and moisturising lotions, read Star Khechara’s The Holistic Beauty Book: Over 100 natural recipes for gorgeous healthy skin.

Image credits: Unsplash and Pixabay.