As we saw in the previous four parts of this DIY Anti-Cellulite series, cellulite can be minimised or even avoided in certain parts of the body when the skin is strong and healthy. In order to achieve this, you need to keep the connective tissue in your skin functioning properly.
Luckily DIY beauty treatments work from the inside out too and there are plenty of diet and lifestyle changes you can make in order to help your body build up cellulite in the first place. Here are my four top tips for changes you can easily make to help avoid or improve cellulite.
1. Firstly, it’s important to keep your body and your skin hydrated. Drink water and avoid drinking too much alcohol. Your skin needs hydration in order to function properly and without water it might start to look dry and flaky. If you keep your body hydrated then you not only help your skin to look its best but you might also take years off your face.
2. Don’t smoke! Not only is it horrible for your health and the health of everyone around you, but it also decreases the strength of the connective tissues in your skin. Smoking lowers the levels of vitamin C in the body. The more you smoke, the more vitamin C you lose from your tissues and blood as the vitamin is broken down and excreted by the body. Vitamin C plays an important role in making new collagen, so not only will smoking age your skin, it will also increase the chances of you getting cellulite.
3. Don’t get too much sun exposure. A certain amount of sunshine is good for the skin but if you start to overdo it then the radiation decreases the elasticity of the skin, ageing you quicker than you thought possible and helping to form cellulite at the same time.
4. Eat foods rich in antioxidants which can help stimulate your body to make new collagen and strengthen the connective tissue in your skin. Fresh fruit and vegetables are always going to do you good. In particular, look for foods rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin A which help synthesise new collagen. Another good recommendation is to drink green and white tea which contain compounds called ‘catechins’ known to improve collagen in the skin. You may also be pleased to hear that a study done in 2006 found that women who drank cocoa had thicker, denser and better hydrated skin which was more tolerant to UV sunlight exposure, so make yourself a nice hot cup of cocoa occasionally too.
With a few simple changes to your diet and lifestyle, you may find that you can minimise the development of cellulite in the first place. These 4 tips will also do great things for your overall health and wellbeing, so you have nothing to lose!
Previous DIY Anti-Cellulite treatments
Part I – DIY Anti-Cellulite Treatments – Know the Enemy
Part II – DIY Anti-Cellulite Treatments – Body Brushing
Part III – DIY Anti-Cellulite Treatments – DIY Coffee Body Scrub
Party IV – DIY Anti-Cellulite Treatments – DIY Chocolate Body Masque
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About our DIY beauty solutions editor:
Lorraine Dallmeier runs Herb & Hedgerow, an artisan herbal beauty business based in Dorset, UK. She writes for the HerbBlurb blog about herbs for beauty and the science of natural skincare. Herb & Hedgerow sells BeautyCraft app for iPhone – a beautifully illustrated recipe book with dozens of DIY natural beauty recipes. BeautyCraft has been sold in over 50 countries around the world.
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Lorraine is currently offering a free eBook on natural beauty ingredients to people who sign up to her newsletter at www.herbhedgerow.co.uk. Follow Lorraine on Twitter @herbBlurb.
