10 Ways To Wake Up With Amazing Skin

Just like everyone else, I've had my fair share of disastrous skin problems. From pimples that resurfaced in the same spot month after month to the annoying "bacne" that randomly appears (somehow, out of nowhere), healthy skin has constantly been an issue. Although there are some lucky few who are naturally gifted with a constantly glowy complexion, most of us have to find methods to wake up with amazing skin — or at the very least, wake up with more radiant-looking skin than what we fell asleep with.

Thankfully, there are many ways to slowly improve on this dilemma, Nowadays, there are dozens of products designed to help you improve your skin and wake up looking ravishing. There are products to help combat the harsh winter weather and there are simple nighttime routine changes that can do wonders on your appearance. However, sometimes these additions are not enough.

But, don't fret! Even if you've tried every product out there to fight off those nasty zits and blemishes, there's still hope. Remember that our skin is dependent on how we treat our entire body. If nothing you've tried on your skin seems to be working, the solution could be as simple as some of these suggestions.

1. Drink water!

If you're tired of hearing this, I'm sorry. Water is crucial to helping our skin look amazing. It not only helps to flush out toxins from our bodies, but it also helps to hydrate us. When you don't drink water, your throat isn't the only one crying out for some H2O. According to WebMD, our skin helps to "prevent excess fluid loss." So when your skin is dehydrated, it's no surprise that it will start to look "more dry and wrinkled."

If drinking water isn't second nature to you, try carrying a bottle of water with you to make sure you can drink some wherever you are. You can also leave some water bottles in the places you tend to be at, such as your office or in your room. If you have water around, you're more likely to drink it.

2. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!

Amara Organics Anti-Aging Moisturizer, $20, Amazon

Drinking water is great for hydrating your skin, but make sure you lock in that moisture with some hydrating products that are right for you. Everyone's skin is different, so this one might take awhile to perfect, but it's possible! It doesn't necessarily have to be a lotion or a cream, as there are some natural remedies to fixing dry skin, such as jojoba oil. However, if you're thinking, I wake up with oily skin, I don't need more moisture, as I used to think, YOU ARE WRONG. Oily skin means you actually need more moisture . Your body is producing oils to make sure your skin is hydrated, but it's producing more than it should. The best solution is to moisturize yourself before your skin does it for you.

Try some products or remedies that are designed for your skin type and begin to apply them once a day. If you don't have time in the mornings, try to do so at night so that you begin to form a habit. Soon enough, you'll be doing it without even thinking and helping out your skin in the process.

3. Don't Over-Exfoliate

You can scrub, scrub, scrub all you want, but it won't make those pimples go away any faster. Actually, you might be hurting your skin even more. Sure, your face feels really smooth after you've used a product with those little microbeads or you've single-handedly worn down your loofah, but it's probably done more damage than good. I used to think that I needed to rub those exfoliators really hard on my skin because I thought they were like erasers. Instead, I was also rubbing away good skin and making it more sensitive. Yes, exfoliating is good for you, as it removes dead skin, but if done too often, it will also be taking away some of the good stuff with it.

Try only exfoliating every two to three days and not scrubbing your skin like its a dirty pan. A gentle rubbing on the face or a less abrasive scrub on the body might help your skin keep the good stuff that might actually help to make it look amazing.

4. Face & Body Masks

Sometimes our skin needs a little more love than simply washing and moisturizing. Cue the masks!

There are some great face and body masks out there that can really help brighten your skin, such as Lush's Mask of Magnaminty, which I use on my back and face. It helps dry out those nasty zits with a cool, minty feeling that I love during those hot, summer days. However, if you wanna get crafty, DIY is the way to go! Not only will you know exactly what you're putting on your face, like bananas, but they're also so much fun and save you the trouble of having to buy expensive stuff.

Experiment with some of these great DIY face masks with food found in your kitchen or if you're feeling adventurous, go out and buy these products for a great DIY mask full of natural antioxidants.

5. Use products with more natural ingredients

Following with the trend in the DIY masks, using products with more natural ingredients can be so beneficial to your skin. Yes, sometimes chemicals can help our skin problems, but they can also be really harsh and cause long-term issues — no one wants that. Instead, we should try to ween ourselves off of our dependency on products with all those long-listed chemical ingredients and try the natural approach.

6. Eat clean!

While it's great to put all of these wonderful products on our skin, we should also be taking care of our bodies with more than just drinking water. I won't say that eating that bag of chips or that slice of greasy, cheesy pizza is bad and should be avoided (because no one should avoid pizza and I will never turn it down), but shifting your overall eating habits to some healthier alternatives can really help our health and skin.

I tend to struggle with keeping a healthy eating habit going because I love all kinds of food (and my boyfriend is constantly sending me chocolate from wherever he is in the world). So, if you're like me, try a meal a day approach where you can slowly begin to add in those healthy food choices for great skin. Here are some cool drinks for amazing skin we can try together!

7. Take vitamins

Kirkland Daily Multivitamin, $16, Amazon

Let me remind you that vitamins are not medication. They are supplements for when we can't get all the nutrients we need in our diets (sorry pizza, you just don't cut it). If your skin is not as wonderful as you'd like it to be, maybe you're not getting enough from the foods and products you are using or eating.

Take some multi-vitamins or supplements that are great for skin, like fish oil, which helps skin, nails, hair, and just about everything!

8. Clean Your Accessories!

Brush Cleanser, $11, Amazon

Yes, all of them — including your phone! We might be taking care of our skin by making sure we do all of the above steps, but we could be adding a ton of dirt and bacteria through our accessories. Do you remember the last time you cleaned your phone screen? How about your makeup brushes? All of these can be hosting millions of gross stuff that you're now putting on your skin when you apply that beautiful blush or you talk on the phone.

Try to make it a habit to clean your makeup brushes after each use with a daily cleanser and also a deep-cleaning every one or two weeks (depending on how much you use your brushes). Also important: Clean your phone everyday! And, just overall, your glasses, your sunglasses, your hands when you touch your face... just clean stuff.

9. Change your sheets and pillow cases

This could technically fall under clean your accessories, but I wouldn't say that a pillow case or a blanket is an accessory. However, think about it. You spend about 6-8 hours a night (or however long you do) on your bed. Sure, you went to sleep with a freshly-washed face, but six hours later, your skin has been producing sebum (the natural oils our skin produces to avoid it from drying out), and now they're all over your sheets.

Gross.

You don't have to change your sheets everyday, but try to change them at least one a week. If you can afford it, try to use silk pillow cases as they are less harsh on your face (and stay cooler than cotton).

10. Relax and remember that your skin changes

You can follow all of the rules for making sure you skin is amazing and radiant, but this doesn't mean your skin will always be flawless. Remember that your body is not going to stay the same and that a lot of factors can cause your skin to break out or not look the way you want it to appear. It's normal, so don't be so hard on yourself. Just keep working on it.

And remember that stressing out over bad skin will only keep it from getting better. Stress can cause your skin to break out and keep you from being happy. Relax and remember that you are wonderful even if your skin is a work-in-progress.

Images: David Olkarny/Unsplash; 128117581@N04, demachiyanagi, artbystevejohnson, personalcreations/Flickr; David Di Veroli, Monstruo Estudio/Unsplash; detroitsunrise, 123012464@N05/Flickr; Irene van der Poel, Båo-Quân Nyugén/Unsplash.