Get Naturally Smooth Skin

It is as important that our skin looks beautiful as it is soft to the touch, and for this we must nourish it on the inside and take care of it on the outside.

In this article we explain the harmful and beneficial foods, and some natural cares that will help to achieve smoother skin for your entire body.

Foods that make skin rough

A poor diet affects our health directly and is evident in our skin, showing a dull appearance and a rough texture with impurities. Although this is a symptom that the body reacts well, if we avoid these foods we will also achieve cleaner and smoother skin:

• Harmful fats: sausages, red meat, fried, sweets, trans fats.
• Sugars and sweets
• Refined flours
• Precooked foods and fast food
• Additives contained in prepared food: preservatives, colorants, flavorings, etc.

In some cases, some people have a degree of gluten and lactose intolerance, which causes their skin to appear rough and gritty. We can confirm this by performing medical tests or by eliminating these foods from our diet.

Foods that nourish the skin

On the other hand, there are very healthy foods that nourish the skin and help it have a silky and hydrated texture. They are as follows:

• Fruit
• Nuts
• Avocado
• Olive, sesame and flax vegetable oils
• Blue Fish
• Yellow vegetables
• Beer yeast
• Whole grains like rice or oatmeal

Let’s not forget also water, a food that hydrates our skin. Those people who do not usually drink it regularly will notice a great improvement when they manage to drink at least one and a half liters of water a day, separate from meals.

Remove dead cells

To soften our skin we must remove dead cells periodically, performing a natural exfoliation. The result will be immediate. If we have normal or oily skin we can do it once a week, and if we have it dry we will do it every two weeks, to prevent it from drying out.

It is not necessary that we buy an exfoliating cream, since we can make it at home using a natural ingredient according to the peeling texture we want:

• Sodium bicarbonate
• Fine salt
• Coarse salt
• Sugar
• Coffee grounds
• The inside of an avocado skin

When we are in the shower, we will take the opportunity to massage our entire body with one of these foods. When we get out of the shower we will dry and hydrate the skin well.

An oatmeal bath

Oatmeal is an excellent ingredient to soften our skin, so we recommend making this special bath. We will need ground oats and a gauze or porous cloth bag that we will fill with the oats.

We will have to bathe with quite hot water (we can do it after exfoliation) and we will use this bag with the oats inside as if it were a sponge. As the hot water enters, the oats will dissolve and we will nourish our skin in depth.

Daily hydration

It is essential that we hydrate our skin every day, and if we have it very dry we will do it in the morning and before going to bed.

To soften our skin we recommend a natural product based on one of these ingredients:

• Calendula
• aloe vera
• Honey
• Lavender
• Almond or sesame oil

Prepare your homemade softening cream

We can prepare our own moisturizer by mixing some of these ingredients that we have mentioned:

• 50% almond oil
• 40% aloe vera gel, if possible natural

• A splash of fresh lemon juice
• 10 drops of lavender essential oil
• 3 capsules of vitamin E (sold in pharmacies) that will act as a preservative.

We will mix the ingredients well, beating them a little with the help of a small spatula, and we will keep them in a well closed jar. To keep it better, we will keep it in the fridge and use it up in a month.

It is best to prepare a small amount, since it is very easy to prepare and that way we will make sure it does not spoil.

If we have dry skin we will add more percentage of oil and less of gel, and if we have fat we will do it the other way around.
Images courtesy of Xavi Talleda, hepp and tom pagenet

Elena Martinez Blasco

Degree in Journalism from the Ramon Llull University of Barcelona (2005). He has collaborated with different agencies and media such  as Europa Press and Com Ràdio. She has worked in the publishing sector as a writer, editor, translator and proofreader of books (Edicions 62, Editorial Comanegra, Ara Llibres, Océano Gran Travesía). Graduated in Naturopathy (Natural Medicine) from the Heilpraktiker Institut de Barcelona (2011), specialized in nutrition, flower essences and natural remedies and therapies. He has practiced as a naturopath for centers in Catalonia and also on his own. He has worked in the organic and vegetarian food sector for the Vegetalia company. He has taken a course Nutrition and obesity: overweight control , offered by the National Autonomous University of Mexico.