Weird Drinks for Amazing Skin

There's something about healthy drinks that have always been really appealing to me. Maybe it's because of the ease of it all — you can chug a coconut water in 60 seconds, but a kale salad takes a little more time and a lot more jaw power. The idea that a cup of tea, juice, or enhanced water can do as much for your face as a really expensive skin cream may be slightly delusional, but why not give it a try? It's a risk-free way of making your complexion a little bit brighter.

As you may have noticed, I've got a bit of an obsession with turmeric going on lately. It represents everything good in the world; it's sunshine yellow, anti-inflammatory, and keeps us all young and bright. In addition to slathering it on my face, I've been making this hot turmeric milk drink on the reg, which is inspired by an old Ayurvedic recipe. It's cozy, warming, and tastes sweet, earthy, and spicy. The black pepper helps your body absorb the beneficial curcumin of turmeric, and the other spices combine to make this an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant-packed little drink. Sounds like some of the adjectives listed on your night cream, no?

Try: Indus Organic Turmeric Powder, $9.99, Amazon

Turmeric Cinnamon Milk

1/4 teaspoon each of ground turmeric, ginger, and cinnamonseveral shakes of black pepper1 teaspoon honey, preferably raw1 cup milk, dairy or non-dairy

Heat all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Bring almost to boiling and immediately turn off the heat (this helps preserve the nutrients in the raw honey). Drink, stirring regularly.

Turmeric milk isn't the only thing I like to drink when I'm not chugging coffee, aka anti-hydration.

Here are some other recipes I've tried and loved:

1. Gwyneth Paltrow's Kale Lemonade. This recipe makes for a super simple, tasty way to get more kale into your system — and you know you want that. Kale is full of skin-friendly Vitamin A, nemesis of wrinkles everywhere; it also boosts the body's detoxification process. You can make this kale-lemon juice without a juicer if you have a blender and a sieve/cheesecloth. It's a bit of a process, but I like to make a huge batch with one bunch of kale several times a week (fine, that doesn't always happen, but it's the idea).

Check Out: Hamilton Beach Power Elite Blender, $34.95, Amazon

2. The Republic of Tea's "Get Gorgeous" tea . I remember buying this tea when I was a vulnerable little 15-year-old with bad breakouts. It comes in a pink tube and it promises to make you "gorgeous" — pretty aggressive marketing, I know. It's full of antioxidants and has really great reviews from acne sufferers. An easy way to amp up your skin regime in the time it takes to boil a cup of water.

The Republic of Tea "Get Gorgeous" Tea, $10.50, Amazon

3. Gabrielle Brick's bone-strengthening, skin-soothing elixir. This is the drink for someone who's ready to make radical changes to their beauty routine. It's a really intense recipe, featuring horsetail, nettles, and oatstraw, which are all incredible for skin, hair, and bones. You can buy the herbs for cheap online, and you can also usually find them in the Whole Foods bulk section. Making this drink requires an hour or two, but the recipe makes enough to last all week. I boiled up a huge batch of it before starting my first real job after college, so it'll always have a special place in my heart.

Try: Starwest Botanicals Organic Oatstraw, $14, Amazon

And three recipes I want to try:

1. Detoxifying parsley juice. Who doesn't want to "detoxify"? Warning: must love parsley.

2. Pure aloe vera juice. It's supposed to be amazing for your whole body, skin included.

3. Ginger cucumber juice. The anti-inflammatory action of ginger pairs up with the skin-friendly silica of cucumber — a refreshing way to keep your skin smooth and hydrated.