Confused about what you need to drink to manage skin breakouts? Here’s our top tips for drinks that benefit the skin!
The good news is that there are many, many choices for good things to drink instead of caffeinated tea with dairy and sugar, or a large glass of fizzy pop!
Are caffeine, dairy and sugar affecting your skin?
Having said that, there’s no clear evidence that ordinary tea or coffee is ‘bad’ for you as such. It might be a case of some people being more sensitive to problems with caffeine, sugar or dairy than others. It’s certainly true an ingredient that triggers for one person might be fine for another.
There’s also a lack of evidence that what we think of as ‘healthy drinks’ are actually all that effective against acne or eczema. A lot of the work in this area is anecdotal or as yet unproven.
The best drinks for clear skin
But while you might not be able to treat a cup of herbal tea or a smoothie as medicine, it will be feeding your skin the antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients it needs to stay healthy.
Every glass of carrot juice you have is one less fizzy sugary drink, plus it packs a vitamin punch that your skin will thank you for!
So think of these delicious drinks as practical ways of loading up on the good stuff and avoiding the bad stuff, rather than as treatments for skin issues.
Water
A drink of water - whether tap or bottled, fizzy or still, ice cold or warm with a slice of lemon - is brilliant for your skin! Drink water often, especially in hot weather and keep yourself and your skin hydrated.
Herbal teas
Herbal teas that are said to be good for inflammatory skin conditions like eczema, acne, rosacea and psoriasis, include chamomile, calendula, mint, rosehip, nettle and red clover. You can also try teas such as green tea and matcha, which are full of antioxidants and nutrients.
If your skin flares up under stress, consider herbal teas that promote restful sleep, such as sleepy blends containing valerian, hops, chamomile and lime.
Smoothies
A sugarfree, nutrient-rich smoothie can play a part in a healthy diet, and will count as one of your five-a-day! Try smoothies with different combos of oat milk, EFA-rich hemp seed, vitamin-rich green leafy veg such as kale and spinach, avocado, antioxidant berries, and anti-inflammatory turmeric.
Juices
You can pack a lot of vitamins into a glass of freshly-made juice! Avoid juices with citrus or strawberries if your skin doesn’t tolerate those fruits, and stick to milder fruit and veg such as melon, pear, beetroot and cucumber instead.
Many eczema-sufferers swear by the powers of celery juice to clear flare-ups, and cherries are full of natural anti-inflammatory flavonoids.
(It's worth noting that people who have ‘oral allergy syndrome’ might also have problems with celery, apples, carrot and pears.)
Fermented drinks
One of the latest lines of research into eczema and other inflammatory skin conditions is the part played by the gut, so it could be worth exploring drinks that are designed to balance your microbiome, such as kefir, kombucha and kvass.
Non-alcoholic alternatives
Choosing alcohol-free drinks as an alternative to beer, wine or spirits can have a profound effect on the skin, if you’re one of those whose skin breaks out after a night out! Choose natural, low sugar options, rather than those packed with artificial sweeteners.
Drinks that might be worth avoiding
Coffee, alcohol, squash, additives, sugary drinks, milkshakes.
Read our article Top 7 Foods To Boost Skin Health for more tips about diet and skin! And don't forget that Skin Salvation works over time as a supplement for your skin: a daily application of Skin Salvation is going to be feeding your skin with vital nutrients, and supporting its natural cycle of repair and regeneration.
Recommended products for clear skin
Balmonds Skin Salvation
with hemp and beeswax
Balmonds Omega-Rich Cleansing Oil
with rosehip and calendula
