If your dermatologist or doctor aren’t talking to you about the following items, please question their legitimacy as an advocate for your overall health and longevity. Most everything on this list is free or low-cost. We’d LOVE to have you lathering in Farrow. Consider these additional hacks to boost your skin elasticity, glow, and general health.
1. Sleep – Prioritize for 7-8 hours, preferably in a dark/cool room.
Sleep is free and is arguably the greatest tool to recover, heal and reach homeostasis in the body. Your skin will never optimize if your sleep is lacking. The additional benefits to making sleep important are countless.
2. Don’t Eat Shit.
It starts with real/whole food. Big fan of the Paleo template as baseline. Autoimmune protocols if they are necessary. Just like we encourage you to remove preservatives and chemicals from your skincare routine—the diet is just as important. If it doesn’t spoil, you shouldn’t eat it.
3. Hydrate.
The “go to” formula is half your bodyweight in ounces of water each day. Consider these additional tips. Room temperature water can be consumed faster. Drink as much of it before noon as possible. Strongly consider filtered and/or distilled water, unless you have a reliable source from your tap. We love adding some Drink LMNT to your water to boost electrolytes and add a nice flavor for drinkability. Nearly free life hack. Likely worth the investment to secure cleaner water, in the longrun.
HOW MUCH WATER ARE YOU DRINKING DAILY?
4. Reduce blue light before bed.
This one is related to #1. Quality sleep is difficult when your eyes are bombarded by blue light after the sun sets. Screen dimmers help. Screen avoidance is ideal. We’ve found Swanwick glasses to be incredibly useful at eliminating blue light in the evening. A pair for your car (lots of blue light in most car dashes) and a pair for the house are great.
5. Consumer copious amounts of animal-based protein and fat.
Get your protein and fat from animals. Preferably those raised and fed appropriately. The vitamins, minerals and amino acids found in animals are the most complete form of nutrition found on the planet.
6. Get out in the sun.
The sun sets our biological clock each day and establishes a healthy circadian rhythm. If possible, get direct sun exposure in the morning and evening. 15-30 minutes of direct sun exposure during the middle the day is immeasurably beneficial. Be smart, not scared to get out in the sun. This is another freebie!
7. Be active.
Ideally, you’re lifting weights 2-3 times per week. Add a dose of 20-30 minutes of high heartrate activity 2-3 times per week. Sarcopenia is arguably the most important thing to address as we age. Maintaining adequate muscle, with a healthy dose of cardiovascular health, is critical to skin health. Much like the rest of this list, the benefits go far beyond optimal skin.
HOW MANY TIMES ARE YOU INCREASING YOUR HEARTRATE THROUGH ACTIVITY?
8. Be Grateful.
Another skin health hack that costs exactly zero dollars. Find a way to express gratitude each and every day. Write someone a note to thank them. Send out an email of gratitude. Journal about the blessings in your life. Expressing gratitude, in many formats, will often fill your cup and certainly the person you’re expressing it to.
9. Limit/Avoid harsh soaps, shampoos, and all antiperspirants.
This is a category of Good, Better, Best. For starters, avoid all antiperspirants. They are filled with chemicals and prohibit your body from doing one of its most natural processes—sweating. Shampoos and soaps should be limited. Make sure you’re actually using soap when you use it. If the product doesn’t say soap (examples: beauty bar, cleansing bar), avoid these for sure. They can use many other harsh ingredients if the bar isn’t going through a saponification process (hence soap). You’ll be amazed how glowing our skin will get by reducing the number of times you wash with soap. You heard me right, consider showering/bathing with wash cloth and water only a few days a week. Soaps strip all the natural oils from your body. Same for shampoo. This protocol is also free and might actually save you money.
10. Get COLD!
You won’t believe the skin and health benefits from getting cold a few days a week. According to Andrew Huberman, the target time for cold exposure is around 11 minutes each week. There are tons of advice in his linked article. This is low-hanging fruit too. Bags of ice are cheap and turning your morning shower to all cold is basically free. Go forth and get frigid. Your skin, mind and body will thank you for it.
