Food and Supplements that will Help with Dry Skin

Food and Supplements that will Help with Dry Skin

Many of us suffer from dry skin at one point or another in our lives. It may be that your skin is naturally dry and this has been a long-term struggle, or maybe it's a challenge only after you have been outdoors in harsh weather. Perhaps the water in your home is simply too drying for your skin, or you are exposing your skin to chemicals at work or at home. Whatever the reasons you are having difficulties with dry skin, there are some foods, supplements and topical skin care approaches that may help alleviate this problem. Here are some ideas that can help you with your dry skin problems.

Fat Free?

Our first tip is to check your diet to see if you can improve what you eat from day to day with a view to giving your skin the right nutrients. Perhaps you have recently decided to start a weight loss diet and have cut out many fats because they are higher-calorie foods. But before you go completely fat-free, consider the effects it may be having on your skin as we do need some healthy fats in our diet. Our skin has natural oils to protect it, but these oils are nourished from our diet. Therefore, if you are having problems with dry skin, it might just be that you are not consuming enough healthy oils in your diet.

Try to avoid unhealthy trans fats, which are present in fried and baked goods, and use healthy oils high in Omega-3 such as cold-pressed olive or hemp oils instead. These can be easily included in your diet just by adding a salad dressing to your daily salad consisting of olive oil and lemon juice, or taking a supplement such as Omega Love. But even our favorite avocados can supply our daily Omega-3, so it turns out that guacamole is healthy after all!

Vitamins and Minerals for Skin Health

We need a range of vitamins to help protect our skin, such as vitamins A, C, D, E, and the minerals zinc and selenium. If sweet potatoes and carrots are a regular part of your diet, you will already be getting good supplies of vitamin A. Red peppers, citrus fruits and kiwis supply adequate amounts of vitamin C, which helps with skin hydration. Cod liver oil is a good source of vitamin D, but if you don’t like the taste or find it difficult to digest, there are other sources of vitamin D, including nuts such as almonds, oat milks and supplements. Seeds are a good source of vitamin E and are available as a supplement in capsules. These capsules can be broken open and applied directly to your skin once a week as part of your weekly facial. And who knew that zinc can be obtained from many people’s favorite food, baked beans? Oysters are another good source of zinc, and for a good supply of selenium, try to include some brazil nuts, eggs, fish, chicken and liver in your diet.

Skin Care

In addition to nourishing our skin on the inside, we need to take care of our skin from the outside. If your water supply is heavy with lime or chemicals, it could be affecting your skin, particularly in the delicate facial area. Some soaps can be dehydrating, too. If you shower every day, it can be difficult to avoid the delicate facial area in the shower spray. One trick is to apply a moisturizer to your skin before stepping into the shower. The warmth of the steamy atmosphere will enlarge your pores and allow the moisturizer to be absorbed. Then, after your shower, it is easy to tissue off any excess. You don’t need to spend lots of money on expensive lotions, either. Just talk to your local pharmacist, who will be able to advise you on inexpensive skin emollients that are fragrance and paraben-free.

Cleaning Products

Finally, take care when washing dishes in the sink or cleaning your home if dry hands are a problem, as harsh detergents and bathroom cleaning products can dry the skin on the delicate area on the back of your hands, leading to dryness and redness. Remember to wear protective gloves when cleaning and take care of your precious skin.

Dry skin can be a problem for some people, but just by taking care of your diet and treating your skin to the right skincare and protection, you will see many dry skin conditions begin to improve.