Fall is almost here! With the arrival of nearly everyone’s favorite season, we are rejuvenated with thoughts of PSLs and leggings, plans for Halloween and Thanksgiving, and ultimate coziness potential. However, with the chillier weather and fun activities also come some unwelcome consequences for your skin, hair, and even your metabolism. In order to maximize your enjoyment of this amazing season, I’ve put together a few ways to fight those autumn beauty bummers.
Coconut Oil for Your Skin and Hair:
With the changes in humidity and precipitation, it’s better to be moisturized than sorry. Coconut oil can do absolute wonders for restoring your hair’s natural shine and bounce after a bout with humidity. Just wet your hair, coat it in coconut oil from root to tip, and let it sit for an hour as a 100% natural hair mask. When your time is up, wash the gunk out of your hair as many times as it takes for your locks to be de-greased but still happy and healthy.
If your skin is either drying up or breaking out, all you need is a tiny dab of coconut oil spread on the affected area to clear breakouts and give a nice, healthy glow.
Sugar Scrubs for Your Skin
At least for me, Fall is inexplicably the time when my skin starts to rebel against me. I think it misses the summer sunshine that dries up any breakouts, because I always starts to notice blemishes right around the time mid-September rolls around. If coverup and foundation aren’t for you and you would rather get right to the source, I recommend a natural, homemade sugar scrub. You can make one with just olive oil, honey, and sugar, and try different ratios depending upon how coarse you want your exfoliant to be.
A Daily Walk or Run (or Exercise of Choice) for Your Health: When the pumpkin spice lattes and Halloween treats start to surface, my willpower tends to run the opposite direction. Instead of forgoing the sweet treats for which we wait all year long, I try to incorporate an extra light exercise into my everyday routine, even if it’s only stretching or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
It’s not about watching your waistline – it’s about feeling good and maintaining a healthy balance in your life, as well as promoting better sleep from giving your muscles a workout. During a busy semester, the last thing anyone needs is a compromised immune system because of the student trifecta – poor diet, lack of exercise, and no sleep. Which brings us to…
Sleep! (Everyone’s Favorite Thing)
The semester is in full swing and you have a hundred things to do at all hours of the day and night. What should you do first? That’s right: get some Z’s. It sounds counterintuitive – how can you get your projects done and responsibilities handled when you’re peacefully dozing? Well, true, you can’t work in your sleep (trust me, I’ve tried). What you can do is rest up to make sure that the work you do get done while you’re awake is top-notch quality because you can focus instead of falling asleep at your desk and drooling on your paper. A bonus, in case that’s not enough: those dark circles under your eyes will start to disappear and your whole body will feel a lot better.