4 tips to stay hydrated for healthy skin.

I suffer from chronic dry skin. Which means that I am more susceptible to skin conditions like eczema, dermatitis and rosacea. 

I have to be very careful of what I put on my skin. That's why I came up with KindGirlco. skincare.

Here are some tips to have healthy skin:

1. Drink water

Yes! Water is essential! I can't stress how important it is to drink water. Our skin is the largest organ of our body meaning that it needs the most water. When we are dehydrated, we tend to notice it first in our face: lines appear under the eyes, around the mouth and next to our nostrils. It used to be recommended to drink 2 litres of water a day. I say, use that as a guide and if you are still thirsty, drink more. 

Extra tip: Spruce up your water with electrolytes, unsweetened herbal iced-teas and fruits. 

2. Exercise! 

This is imperative for a fully functioning healthy body. To be your healthiest, you must release toxins somehow. Exercise is the quickest and most effective way to do so. It also releases endorphins which give your skin a boost of collagen- leaving your skin more youthful. It is recommended to exercise 5 times a week. 

Extra tip: You must sweat to release toxins of your body so choose an exercise routine that gets your body dripping.

3. Meditate!

Meditation has been around for at least 5000 years. Amongst the many great things that meditation does, it reduces stress. And, we all know that happier people have more vibrant skin. If you are a beginner, start with 3-5 minutes a day in the morning and overtime you can meditate for longer at different times of the day. 

Extra tip: YouTube has some great guided meditations that are free. 

4. Moisturize! 

When your skin is dry, it needs moisture. I recommend body oils over creams as creams tend to have synthetics that can irritate the skin and dry them out more. Use oils that have argan oil for extra moisture. Also, tea tree oil is great for restoring dry skin. 

Extra tip: Try swapping out your soap for oils when you shower. It will leave your skin more hydrated afterwards.

12 reasons to be grateful

Image by Getty images

Life can be challenging sometimes. It may even feel like it is challenging most of the time, that's why it's important to uplift yourself with positivity. 

A lot of research backs up the practice of gratitude to enhance your mood. 

So, if you are feeling low, here is a list of things to be grateful for that might lift you up:

1. Your breath :it's literally keeping you alive. 

2. Your body: it allows you to do so many things. 

3. Again, your body: it's a well-oiled machine that works on its own. 

4. Your smile: it will carry you through hard times. 

5. Your parents: they are always doing their best. 

6. Your job: it provides you with financial stability or allows your passion to thrive- sometimes it's a combination of both. 

7. Your family: as a whole, they will always be there for you. 

8. Humankind's history: it paved the way for us to be where we are. 

9. Our mistakes: we learnt and, maybe we are still learning, which is totally okay. 

10. Your ex: they didn't love you a certain way so that you could find out the way that you want to be loved a certain way.

11.  Nasty people in your life: they challenge you to be more patient and have a true understanding of suffering by seeing them suffer.

12. The person in your life that you never seem to be good enough for: they can teach you that true validation comes from within. 

Reduce your carbon footprint by following this list:

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Some may say that we are living in some scary times. Whether you are political or not, it is evident that it is up to us to be the change that we want to be- especially in regards to the environment. 

So, here is a list of things that will help you do your part for the environment:

1. Take 2 minute showers or less or take a bath.

- To reduce water consumption. Baths use less water.

2. Use less plastic

- So that there is less plastic to recycle or fill our lands with. 

3. Take public transportation, if you can. 

- public transportation is a big contributor to air pollution. 

4. Buy local as much as you can!

- less travel for your delivery to travel means less pollutants in the air.

5. Use your bicycle every now and then!

- also reducing pollutants in the air.

6. Eat less meat!

- to prevent damage of natural vegetation and reduce methane gas in the atmosphere. 

7. Plant a tree!

- A lot of them are being cut down.

8. Eat Organic!

- Pesticides are air pollutants.

9. Buy recycled paper!

- So that a few less trees get killed. 

10. Recycle!

- It's the right thing to do.

4 Dos and DONTs about skincare

I get asked so many questions about skincare and skin. To be honest, I entered into the skincare industry, as the owner and CEO of KindGirlco., because of my love of the human body. 

A lot of feedback that I have gotten is that there is little-to-no information on the skin, which is why I went back to school to study skincare. I wanted to find out more about the skincare industry and what these products are doing to our skin. 

These are just a few things that I would like to share with you:

1. DO wash your face in the morning and at night.

Regardless of recent evidence that has shown that it is better to keep your makeup or grime on at the end of the night, to avoid drying out your skin, I highly recommend washing any unwanted toxins off your face when you wake up and before you go to sleep. You don't want any bacteria or germs to interfere with your skin cellular reformation. 

2. DON'T use products that have many ingredients in them. 

Just like with anything else, you want to simplify what you put on your skin. I see what I put on my as skin food and, just like food that we eat, the simpler food we eat, the better. That's why in our product line, we don't more than 5 ingredients in our products. This also reduces your chances of having an allergy breakout and, if you do, you are more likely to figure out what caused it. Scientific evidence has also shown that simpler product lines promote skin cellular growth because the nutrients are absorbed better into the skin.

3. DO use oil based products. 

One of the reasons why I got involved in skincare is because I had developed eczema and rosacea. I am also a hot yoga teacher and needed to wash twice a day- this, I thought was drying out my skin. However, after my studies, I found out that it was the products I was using that were drying out my skin. I had been using products that were water-based- which is not hydrating on the skin. Water, H2O, is great for internal moisture but not for external moisture.

4. DON'T confuse natural for organic. 

I am a firm-believer in organics, particularly with skincare, as what we put on our skin is absorbed into our bloodstream. Unfortunately in the US, there is no regulation on natural so it can mean anything. However, once a product is labelled organic, it must be organic. Meaning that it has seen only 2% chemical processing, if any at all. Even if it doesn't have certified organic; if it is labeled as such, it must be organic. Simplify what you put on your skin by choosing organic.

See www.kindgirlco.com for more information on their organic skincare line.

3 reasons why you need to choose organic.

As most of you may know, I am a certified health coach. The health-coach training that I went through was very informative and rigorous. 

However, a lot of what we learnt was depressing. What we learnt about what the commercial agriculture industry is doing was so upsetting that I would prefer not to share it with you.

What I would like to share with you, however, are reasons why you should eat organic. Organic means that the product has come into contact with little-to-no hazardous chemicals interaction. I highly recommend eating organic fruits and vegetables. And, this is why: 

1. Pesticides have been linked to diseases like cancer. 

In 2015, CNN reported that there were links between pesticides and cancer, particularly in children. Over the past thirty years, several studies have shown that there could be a link between the two. Pesticides contaminate soil and therefore, it is necessary to eat all organic fruits and vegetables. Although the FDA released a list in 2012 of a few foods to eat that are organic, I am here to tell you otherwise. Pesticide contamination affects the soil and therefore can contaminate all fruits and vegetables grown in the same soil. 

2. Pesticides can cause allergies.

Pesticides are a chemical and some chemicals can have negative health affects. In the early 1990s, there were a few studies that revealed some food allergies- particularly to berries. Healthy Homes Collaborative found that there was a link between children with asthma and the use of pesticides in fruit. Other sources say that pesticides found in fruit can lower the immune system and  make people susceptible to diseases that they wouldn't normally have- particularly respiratory diseases. 

3. Pesticides ruin the environment. 

The effects of pesticides on soil are very damaging as these chemicals can strip the soil of its nutrients. Soil takes approximately 7 years to replenish its nutrient value. That's why farmers who have decided to move towards organic from farms that previously were not end up having to wait a few years to start to farm again. The Sustainable table reported almost 80% of farms use pesticides. Imagine the damage on the environment? We can change this by putting our money where our conscious is and buying organic.

Courtesy of The Fashion Spot

3 ways to cleanse your system when you wake up in the morning.

As a holistic professional, I have studied and tried various ways to cleanse my internal system after I have woken up in the morning. In holistic science, it is believed necessary to do so as your body needs to wake up just as your brain does. 

I like to describe it as, you wouldn't expect to run a marathon when you wake up. So, why expect your body to do a ton of digesting as soon as you wake up?

I recommend drinking one of these teas when you wake up, and as always, opt for organic:

1. Ginger tea

Ginger has been known by ancient Chinese and Indian culture to aid the digestive system. That's why they recommend it when you are feeling nauseas or have a tummy ache. Ginger is an anti-fungal so it clears the digestive tract of any unwanted bacteria hanging around. 

How to make: Place a piece of ginger in hot water and leave for 5 mins. Leave ginger in as you sip it down.

2. Garlic tea

This may sound crazy! However, this potion has been around for thousands of years in the eastern world of healing. Particularly, rare black garlic, is an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. Which supports the digestive systems natural releasing of toxins.

How to make: Place three cloves of garlic into hot water. Let steep for 3-5 minutes and then drink water. You can also chew on garlic once you have sipped the tea.

3. Lemon tea

You've probably heard this before because it's true. For a light digestive boost, drink some hot water with lemon when you wake up. Lemon equalizes alkalinity which can be helpful with the digestive tract as, our bowels' Ph levels tend to fluctuate because of all the work that it has to do. Having a cup every morning will help put your digestive area at ease. However, if you already have high acidity in your bowels, opt for another tea mentioned above. 

How to make: Place a wedge of lemon in hot water. Let it steep for 3-5 minutes and then sip on the water.

* This is not medical advice. If you need medical attention, seek it through a doctor. 

Morning cleanse