I feel like the fight for flawless, timeless skin is a battle that some must keep up with, even after their adolescent years and puberty. Sometimes the advertised face wash products, medications, and creams just aren't doing enough. But over the years, I've slowly collected a few ways on how to achieve the goal of having flawless skin without using chemicals and expensive product sets.

1. Sleep.

Sleep reduces stress and allows the body to rejuvenate itself after a long day of coming in contact with all kinds of pathogens and bacteria and using up all its fluids. Sleep gives the body rest so that it can replenish its fluids and such, or else your skin will start to wrinkle, bags will form under your eyes, and you’ll just look miserable. Give yourself a break, and count those zzz’s.

2. Moisturizing.

I can’t stress enough how critical it is that you keep your skin moisturized by using oils, lotions, or creams. Dry skin is no fun and can become really irritating after a while and can lead to some complications such as cracked skin, rashes, and wrinkles tend to form if this goes on for too long. Moisturizing after a shower is very important since the hot water takes all of the oils and natural moisture from your skin.

3. Essential oils

Coconut oil - this is the holy grails of all moisturizers and oils. It’s great for shaving, moisturizing your body after a shower, and great for a concealer after you wash your face. Lastly, it’s a great hair moisturizer too. I’ve also noticed the toning and clearing it has done for my face and the acne spots.

Aloe Vera - my goodness. It is the clear gel-like substance that comes from the beautiful aloe vera plant. This stuff has done wonders for my face. When my skin extra dry or irritated, I apply this to my face after I shower and after I wash my face. It even works as a barrier to acne. As soon as I see one trying to pitch a tent, I put Aloe vera on it. If you don’t get anything else, get this moisturizer.

Shea butter and cocoa butter- these two butters were sent from heaven to earth, i kid you not. I use this after a really warm shower to restore moisture to my skin as well as get a delightful smell.

4. Washing Your Face

Another thing that I cannot stress enough. Aim to wash your face at least twice a day with lukewarm water, a soft towel, and with moisturizers. Doing this twice a day, or three times if needed, is so essential to maintaining beautiful and healthy skin. Also make sure to use natural soaps, scurbs, and face washes. It's very important to preventing irritation to your skin.

5. Water Should Be Your Best Friend

Drinking large quantities of water is key to flushing out your kidneys of all the solute that builds up in there from juices, sodas, and other beverages or foods that may concentrate the urine. Water is a wonderful aid when it comes to flushing your skin since our bodies are made up of 64-70% of water. I try to drink at least 8-16 ounces of water a day. If you don’t choose to do any of these other tips, please choose this one.

6. Say No To Caffeine, Tobacco, And Diuretics

I know have some have cravings for diuretics such as soda, an energy drink, or that toasty cup of coffee in the morning before a long day or during a long day, and if you smoke, you like to reward yourself with a cigarette. However, these are things that you must consume at moderation or just quit all together, in order to acquire flawless skin. Turn to alternatives such as green tea if you need to stay awake, and turn to vaporizers to slow down on smoking. There are many ways to choose other alternatives. You have Google and YouTube, you have it all.

7. Don’t Pop It

Acne is annoying and no one likes it. Trust me, I know how tempting it is to pop a pimple so you can get rid of it, as soon as possible. But this is a behavior that you MUST quit in order to decrease acne. Popping your pimples will only result in the bacteria spreading to other parts of your face and leave an acne mark. So whenever you get this feeling, do us both a favor and just go get some water to drink.

8. Stop Touching Your Face

Our hands are constantly being used. We touch just about everything with our hands - door handles, steering wheels, our phones, the remote, our pets, should i name more?! Now think about how many germs your hands can contract with in 10 minutes of just trying to leave your house for work or school. Yeah. It’s gross and all those germs and bacteria are transferred to your face, where they get into your pores and produce pimples. So if you’re one of those that just can’t help but admire the beautiful structure of your face, then make sure your hands are clean before doing so.

9. Water Infusion

Help speed up your skin purification/detoxification process by infusing your water with herbs, fruits, and vegetables such as mint, cucumber, lemon, strawberry, lime, orange, etc. I’ve seen a tremendous improvement in the quality and vitality of my skin ever since I start doing this. Research some great combinations so you can add them to your water!

10. Do Not Stress

Yes, stress. See how bad stress is? Stress has the momentum to suppress the immune system, disrupt our sleep, AND even produce acne, worry lines on our foreheads, and it tends to speed up the aging process of our skin, which only causes our skin to start wrinkling. Quit stressing and learn to take a step back when things tend to g et out of hand. Your skin will thank you.

11. Invest In Satin/Silk Pillowcases

Buying satin sheets and pillowcases for my bed has been one of the best in vestments I’ve made for my skin. Cotton sheets, which are normally sold in stores and home decor departments, dry out the skin of it all its natural oils and moistness. Not only are they good for your skin, but they feel WONDERFUL.

12. Change Your Diet

Eating foods with lots of oils and sugar is not helping your skin out, whatsoever. All those oils are digested to your tissues and skin layers which build up and help in the production of pimples. Our skin already has natural oils, so eating oily foods is an overload of oil for the skin. It’s definitely okay to treat yourself to a burger or some fried chicken wings, but like I mentioned earlier with drinks, consume oily foods in moderation.

13. Patience

Nothing comes over night. Just like losing weight or gaining muscles, there’s a process that requires work, time, and patience. The same philosophy applies to skin. It’s going to take 2-3 weeks before you start seeing changes in the way your skin looks. But don’t give up. Remain positive and confident throughout it all.

Hopefully these tips will be handy to some of you as you continue to take of your skin or as you begin the journey. Either way, keep loving yourself and projecting that self-confidence through it all. Keep at it and never give up!