This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Nottingham chapter.
As university students, we often struggle between studying and socializing. In the quest to successfully manage both, we often neglect the needs of our body and skin. For healthy and glowing skin, there are seven easy tips to follow that can fit around your uni schedule:
- Make-up: After a night out most of us are too lazy to remove our make-up – but that is the worst for your skin! Leaving your make-up on overnight clogs pores, which may cause blemishes, blackheads and excessive dryness. So, even though the bed looks quite appealing, try to remember to remove your make-up for your skin’s sake.
- Exfoliate: Our pores appear bigger when they are filled with dirt, oil and dead skin cells. Exfoliating once or twice a week is important as it can help clear out the clog and our pores appear smaller.​
- Chemicals: Artificial fragrances can mess with our hormones and skin, so next time you buy any skin care products, fabric softeners or laundry detergents check that they are fragrance and dye free.
- Bath: Limit your bath time and use warm water rather than hot. Long showers in hot water remove oils from your skin. If after you showered your skin feels dry, it would be best to use a moisturiser suitable for your skin type. I personally use cocoa butter as it smells nice and leaves my skin soft.
- Smoking: For all of you smokers out there, smoking damages collagen and elastin which are fibres that give your skin strength and elasticity. So, is it time to quit?
- Exercise: Exercising accelerates the cleansing process of our entire body and helps with blood circulation.
- Nutrition:
- Water: We should drink eight glasses of water a day as it assists in transporting nutrients and oxygen to skin cells and helps in clearing the toxins that cause inflammation and blemishes.
- Fish: It is high in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E which reduce inflammation.
- Red bell peppers: Contain vitamin C which is an antioxidant and skin-boosting.
- Spinach: Contains beta-carotene and vitamin A which can help remove dead skin.
- Coconut: Water from coconuts contains potassium which helps move nutrients into our cells.
- Avocado oil: Contains a lot of vitamins (vitamin A, D and E) and omega-9 fatty acids which help even out the skin tone over time if eaten regularly.
Edited by Niamh Perry