Hydrate your Skin 5 Ways | Drink your moisturizer

At the start oƒ my skin care journey, I often frequented beauty counters in search of miracle cures.  Countless hundreds of dollars were spent on high and low end creams that to promise to make all my dreams would come true.  My biggest concern at the time was cystic acne and scarring.  Every time someone would shove a product in my hand and proclaim that this product would take care of my issues, I believed them.  Because I wanted it to work so badly.  But alas, I finally learned a difficult and expensive lesson, that most topical products  just didn't do it for me.

Serious change in my skin occurred when I finally decided to focus on my internal health.  When I gave up wheat, increased my water intake, and began juicing, things really turned around. So now I'm reading that, as the years pass, our skin will begin to lose its internal moisture at rapid rates.  "No biggie", I think to myself, "I'll just make sure I address that."

Instinctively, I wanted to begin an arduous search for the perfect skin cream.  I quickly came to my senses after realizing that I was moments away from going down that same path of seeking salvation in topical products.  What if I focused my strategy on internal moisture? That way I'm addressing the root cause of the issues versus just treating a symptom.

It turns out that we have lots of options for keeping my skin looking moist, dewy and hydrated from the inside out.  Let's discuss.

First and foremost, the number one way to hydrate your insides is the most obvious.  Water.  We've gone on and on about drinking ample amounts of water on this blog.  I still keep bringing it up because even if you do an amazing job at drinking lots of water this week, and you fail to keep things up, you can still find yourself with dry skin.  Drinking lots of water should be a daily priority.   So if you haven't elevated your water drinking, don't read the rest of this post without first making a commitment to consume at least 2 liters a day. Maybe more.

 Now let's get to the internal "moisture" supplements.  A must have on the list is collagen. When I'm consistent in taking these supplements (as directed on an empty stomach),  my lips are plumper, my face looks fuller, everything changes.  As each year passes, our bodies loose a little bit of collagen.  The rate of loss declines more rapidly in our thirties.  So, at a certain point, taking a collagen powder is almost a must.

Next on the internal moisture list hyaluronic acid.  You see this ingredient in a lot of topical moisturizers.  Like collagen it occurs naturally in the body and declines over time.  When people get fillers for plumper skin, they're getting hyaluronic acid injected directly where it's needed most.  Sure, you could pay hundreds of dollars for fillers or you can get it the natural way and save yourself the money and build your levels from the inside out.

Since I already have both collagen and HA supplements,  I'm ready to focus on the next must have for creating internal moisture.  Recently I learned that we can also supplement our skin with  plant ceramides.  Also known as phytoceremides.  Basically, they promise to help replenish ceramide levels on the cellular level.  When our skin lacks in ceramide levels, the protective skin layer is compromised and it has an issue holding on to water.   We can drink lots of water to hydrate, but the key is holding on to the water to retain its healthy appearance.  I'm already plottin' on picking up a bottle from Amazon and adding it to my rotation.

Last but not least, we can promote supple glowing skin with regular intake of omega 3 oil. Taking a couple of Omega 3 pills each day just won't cut it. I suggest you try in liquid form or invest in fermented cod liver oil to get the most impact.  Back in the day, when I would suffer from dry, itchy skin, all I had to do was commit to taking my fish oil regularly and everything would be alright.

I'm not saying that one should never buy a jar of rich, creamy moisturizer but, why focus on the external treatments when you could be doing something that could create even greater, lasting results.  Once you've done the basics like drinking water, and taking your hydrating supplements, then you can buy an amazing moisturizer that only supports the work you've already done.