I’ll be honest…
Some of them are weird.
Some of them I do everyday and have done for a year, or more.
All of them have helped heal me in some way.
And some of them will help you too.
You pick and choose 🙂
1. I change my pillowcase every two days.
This may seem obsessive, because, it is.
I lie on a fresh pillowcase the first night, and flip it over the next, then change to a fresh one the night after.
This routine is meant to help prevent breakouts that occur in the night.
The theory is, that the oils, bacteria, and dead skin rub off on our pillows and accumulate – causing unnecessary breakouts or blemishes. Makes sense.
I read this whilst frantically scanning the internet for ANYTHING that might improve my skin. At a time where my skin was declining and I felt like I was out of control. And now, it’s ingrained.
2. I douse my face with fresh Aloe Vera EVERY NIGHT
Aloe Vera is a beautiful multipurpose wonder-plant for the skin and gut.
It repairs the gut lining when ingested, and used topically – spreads up the healing of wounds and burns, locks in moisture, and reduces redness and inflammation.
I bought about four medicinal Aloe Vera plants, to begin with, now I have too many to count. I use it EVERY NIGHT.
They’re low maintenance plants and can be grown indoors or outdoors.
And Aloe Vera gel has been a life saver for me whilst traveling.
If you don’t Aloe in your life right now, I’m going to say, you’re missing out.
3. I only drink water first thing in the morning, and 2 hours or more after my last meal.
I met a lady 3 years ago who had amazing skin. She was in her fifties, so often got asked – “what’s your secret?” She’d go on to say with absolute certainty – “I don’t drink water with my meals.”
At the time I thought this was absolutely absurd! I had pretty nice skin — but admittedly, a lot younger than her — I drank litres of water with my meals. Besides, isn’t water great for the skin? I rolled my eyes and didn’t think of it again…
Until I started to have bad skin and gut issues. Now after researching everything I could get my hands on, it turns out she was onto something…
I found most liquids dilute the stomach acid used to break down our chewed up food, which puts a strain on the entire digestive process.
And if the gut is already compromised, it can do further damage to the gut lining and can create inflammation in the skin! Like mine.
Yes, water is great for the skin – drink up! But no, you don’t have to do as I do, it turns out you can drink water a half hour before eating without compromising your skin and gut.
But for me, when I started this routine — at a time when the littlest things would set me off — I worried I’d forget to drink enough water to hydrate my skin or forget I drank, then eat with diluted stomach acid. So I restricted myself to only drinking morning and night.
Logically I know I don’t have to, but still, do.
4. Oil pulling in the morning and sometimes before bed
After reading a few surprising studies on the link between oral health and skin symptoms Oil pulling became another essential addition to my non-negotiable routine.
Oil pulling benefits the skin whitens the teeth and freshens the breath.
Not convinced? In this previous post, I share a mind-blowing study that helps explain why.
5. Humidify the night
Back in the early days of my ‘skin horror story’ I was told that blocked sinuses and congested lungs could be a contributing factor.
Is this true? I don’t know for certain, but what I do know is I had trouble breathing at the time, and my sinuses were blocked up. I struggled with this, especially at night.
Salt rooms helped, and so did humid climates such as steam rooms.
Now, I have my own diffuser/humidifier next to my bed and I love it!
Humidity is great for dry skin and breathing problems.
Even though I don’t have trouble breathing anymore, I love it so much and it helps me sleep. I diffuse DoTerra and Young Living essential oils for the smells. 😉
Now I want to know what routines you swear by! What do you do daily that you can’t live without? I’d love to know in the comments below!
It doesn’t have to be skin and gut related, I’m just curious to know what thing help you in your day-to-day!
xx Jess