Healthy, beautiful, glowing skin. Who doesn't want that? We see it in kids every where, but less and less as we age. Why is that?

Skin Enemies

Enemies of our skin are found every where. Things like the air, water, our food, pollution, the sun, medication, alcohol consumption, coffee, soap, chlorine and the list goes on.

There are a lot of things that we just can't avoid. In those situations the only thing you can do is to protect your skin. For cleansing, use a high quality cream cleanser for your face and a mild soap for your body. Also, don't forget to moisturize. For your face, use something that is designed just for the facial skin, which is different than the rest of you. On your body, use a body lotion. There are many available. Read the ingredients. Don't use anything that has alcohol in it. In the winter, if you live in the north, add a little baby oil to your moisturizer. This holds in your natural moisture better. Using a little oil will keep you warmer as well. It holds in body heat as well as moisture.

When I say that water is a skin enemy, I'm referring to the water you consume and/or bathe in. If you are drinking bottled water or tap water, please consider a water filter that filters out 90% of harmful chemicals. The stuff added to tap water are SO bad for you. Chlorine is absorbed through your skin as well as drinking it. Even if you are lucky enough to live in the country and have a well, (you are certainly better off), but, you should still consider a filter. There is stuff leaking into your well all the time that you are consuming.

Our food is the next enemy to our skin health and beauty. How many of us are eating for health? Many more people than ever are learning how to eat for health. This healthy way of eating is also good for skin health. Your skin is your largest organ and the most exposed one. Everything that goes into your mouth will eventually show up in some form or fashion on your skin. You may want to take some type of course to learn what to eat for health and what to avoid. You will be amazed at what you learn. Some of the stuff they put in our super markets shouldn't even be called food. It's more like poison. There are so many ";food"; products that are literally killing us slowly. Ever wonder why more people than ever are chronically ill?

Medication, at times, the necessary evil. Medications can have SO many side effects that you have to wonder if it is really worth taking. One of the side effects can be skin disorders. They can range from just being dry to things like excema, psoriasis, etc. I really can't tell you to stop taking your medication, but I can suggest that you consider going to a doctor of natural health. Many doctors now are jumping in on natural health because they see the over all benefit. They are learning how to treat wellness instead of waiting until a person is already sick and then putting medication, like a band aid, on the sickness.

The sun can certainly be a hazard to your skin health. A little sun is good, but too much, as we all know can cause any number of problems. As I'm sure you've heard, keep your sun exposure to a minimum. No more than 15 minutes in a day. If you must be in it longer, use a sunscreen with at least 30 SPF and/or keep you skin covered with long sleeves and pants. Also, wear a hat.

Alcohol consumption. There are some that say a little wine is good for lots of different things. There are some that say, don't drink at all. I believe that everything should be done in moderation, so I say, have a glass of wine now and then. It only becomes a problem when it is something you do every day and you have more than one glass. Wine has many beneficial properties, in moderation. Other alcohol beverages have little or no benefit. Limit your alcohol intake to no more than one glass per day.

Coffee, now this is a big one. Every where you go these days, people are drinking some sort of coffee. I love coffee, but I've given it up except for the occasional cup. Coffee makes your entire body and all body fluids become acid.Bodily fluids include tears, blood, sweat, urine and saliva. When your bodily fluids are acid, disease flourishes. Think of just about any disease you can. It is probably closely linked with acid forming food and beverages that we are consuming every day. Coffee is at the top of that list.

Skin Friends

Your skin can stay healthy, glowing and beautiful. With a skin care regimen as follows, it can happen. Give it time, at least 3 months, maybe as much as 6 months.

Skin care from the inside is the best place to start. Please read my hub about colon cleansing When you start here, you have a clean slate and can build a healthy foundation from there. You can not continue to consume anything and everything you want and expect to put on some cream or salve and have great skin. It just does not work that way. It starts from within.

While you are doing a cleanse, you may find that you have some breakouts. That is a normal part of cleansing. Your skin is being cleansed as well. Consider a facial at this time. It helps pull junk out of the skin. Also, how about treating yourself to a massage. This also helps pull impurities out. You might just decide to have one an a regular basis. They are great!

After you are through with the cleanse, you will want to start on a more healthy way of eating, maybe add some supplements, get some exercise. Start using a high quality, natural cream cleanser for your face and a mild soap for your body. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Use one designed for the facial skin on your face. There are many good ones out there. I'd be happy to recommend some. As much as possible, avoid the skin enemies listed above.

Of course, don't forget, drink lots of filtered water. The recommended amount is 64 ounces a day. Some think that you should take your body weight, cut it in half, change that number to ounces and drink that amount of water every day. Which ever works for you, but, at least 64 ounces. BIG cleansing assistant and great health benefits.

If you would like more information about healthy beautiful skin, read my blog about Beauty From Within

Thanks so much for taking time to read this hub. If you want beautiful, glowing, healthy skin, I'm here to help you achieve it. How can I help you?