7 steps to achieving flawless skin

Some women are genetically blessed with flawless skin. For the vast majority of us, maintaining clear skin takes work. Your face is often a reflection of your overall health so flawless skin comes from the inside out. Here are seven key practices to clear skin.

1) Diet. Eat your way to clear skin. Include generous portions of raw fruits and vegetables to maintain glowing skin. If you suffer from breakouts, consider doing an elimination diet. Wheat, dairy, and sugar are the biggest culprits. Try leaving out each one for at least four days and see if you notice a reduction in breakouts.

2) Balance your hormones. If your skin is suddenly breaking out, check your contraceptives. If this is not the cause, consult a qualified naturopath to get options on hormone balancing. Cleansing your liver as well as including certain supplements is known to help. These include raspberry leaf tea, milk thistle, vitamin B complex and others.

3) Manage your stress levels. Make time for exercise due to its stress-fighting capabilities. Exercising enough to work up a sweat three times a week helps flush out toxins from your skin. Getting to sleep before 10 pm is also vital in regulating stress. Meditate, walk and write in a journal to help moderate stress.

4) Avoid toxic skin creams. They may promise clear or fair skin in their advertising, but many of these products actually backfire over time. Opt instead for natural products. Your skin absorbs everything you put on it, so whatever you put on your face should ideally be safe enough for you to eat.

5) Try oil cleansing. Whether you have dry or oily skin, oil cleansing has been said to help produce clear skin when done consistently over time. It may initially result in worse breakouts as layers of toxins are dumped out but with time many women report smooth clear skin (to oil cleanse, massage a blend of 20 per cent castor seed oil and 80 per cent sunflower oil and then hold a face towel soaked in steamy water over your face until it cools. Repeat two or three times.)

6) Keep your face from contamination. Wash your face twice daily - you need to remove the environmental dirt from your face before bed. Also clean your make-up sponges and brushes weekly to avoid infecting your face. Keep your hands and mobile phone off your face as they carry a lot of germs.

7) If your face remains problematic, seek medical advice from a dermatologist.