Everyone wants to look and feel their best. We spend money on treatments and special serums to make us look refreshed and get rid of insecurities like stretch marks, acne, wrinkles, etc. when all we need to do is look for organic alternatives that get the job done. Here are ways to increase your natural beauty!

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1. Shea butter 

Shea butter, a fat removed from the nuts of West African Shea trees is high in vitamins and fatty acids which create many benefits for skin. Shea butter is very common and has a lot of uses like moisturizing dry skin, reducing stretch marks, treating acne, etc. 

2. Coconut oil

Coconut oil just like Shea butter is high in fatty acids making handfuls of benefits for people. Some of the benefits of coconut oil are reducing symptoms of eczema, good for preventing hair damage, acts as a weak sunscreen, can kill harmful bacteria in the mouth, etc. 

3. Sleep 

This might be super obvious, but you’d be surprised at how little people actually sleep for. It’s important to get a maximum of 8 hours of sleep to wake up feeling refreshed and energized for the next day. Without the proper amount of sleep you will wake up feeling grumpy and lazy. 

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4.Go makeup free

This might sound like something that can’t be done, but it’s important that you take a break sometimes from wearing makeup so that your pores can breathe. Also make sure that you take off your makeup before you go to sleep because it can cause your pores to become clogged and make you break out. 

5. Drink water 

Another obvious one, but it’s really important that you drink enough water so that you feel hydrated throughout the day. This is especially important when the days get really hot and humid, you should always be hydrated. Lastly try to avoid drinking coffee or anything like that because they make you dehydrated, but if you must have your coffee fix drink water before and after to balance out. 

6. Exercise 

It’s very crucial that you take the time to work out and sweat. Sweat is very important because it lets you get rid of all the bad stuff in your body. Before you work out, make sure to wash your face because when you work out your pores open up which can let dirt in and also take a shower after you work out so that you keep yourself clean after all the sweat you released .

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7. Eat good food

You are what you eat. Yes, that burger and fries looks delicious, but in order for you to look and feel your best self you must refrain from eating greasy and ultimately bad foods. Try to eat more vegetables and fruits and get plenty of protein and vitamins. Maintaining a good diet will help you be your best self.  

8. Self care

Life is very stressful with all of the things you have to take care of. You have work, school, finals, applications, etc. that keep you on your feet, but it’s important that you take some time out for yourself to relax and unwind. Read a book, take a calming bath, watch a movie, go to a spa, whatever makes you feel relaxed and not stressed. When you’re stressed you can break out and find yourself unhappy and upset so put down your laptop or phone, ignore your responsibilities for a moment and just do what makes you happy. 

9. Olive oil 

When you see olive oil, what do you think of? If you said cooking or food I would tell you that I thought of the same thing, but it turns out that olive oil has other uses. Olive oil fights dandruff, removes makeup, softens cuticles, helps nails grow, good for moisturizing, etc. 

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10. Wash your face 

We touch so many things throughout the day and sometimes we end up touching our face making it dirty and causing us to break out. So remember to wash your face when you wake up and before you go to sleep and exfoliate 2-3 times a week to get rid of dead and dry skin.

~Melanie Santiago, teen intern