Beauty Benefits of the Ocean Blue

One of the most alluring ways to spend the summer days is on a beach vacation, diving deep into the ocean waves. Since the beginning of time, humans have looked at the ocean as being a precious cure-all for physical ailments and psychological distress, and researchers are finding more and more scientific evidence to support this. In addition to contributing to our overall health and wellness,many properties of the ocean lend us significant beauty benefits too.

Magnesium: Ocean water is rich in magnesium. Magnesium is considered by many medical experts to be one of the most crucial minerals for health. It is responsible for many key processes in the body, including calcium absorption, sleep regulation,cell regeneration, and hormone stabilization. As essential as magnesium is for our bodies,though, our intake of it is becoming less and less, largely due to overfarming and the less nutrient-dense nature of the foods we eat. Because our body prioritizes the skin last in allocating nutrients, our skin is often particularly deficient in magnesium. A lack of magnesium in the skin can mean a loss of essential fatty acids (and,therefore, a lack of moisture retention) and can also exacerbate the likelihood of adult acne. Since it’s not always easy to get enough magnesium in our diet, especially to benefit the skin, spending time in ocean water and letting the skin soak in the nutrient that way can be helpful.

Salt and Saltwater: For centuries, civilizations around the world have turned to salt and saltwater in the ocean as a cleanser and wound healer. Salt acts as a mild exfoliant, and like all exfoliants, it also helps to simulate blood circulation throughout our bodies, encouraging, among many other things, new cell turnover in our skin for a firmer, fresher-looking complexion. Salt is also antibacterial and detoxifying and has been shown to help improve existing flare-ups of acne, eczema, dermatitis, and even psoriasis. Some studies also suggest that inhaling salty air is good for lung function and immunological health, which could also help to relieve the symptoms of many of the skin conditions mentioned above which are often also associated with a struggling immune system.

Vitamin D: The best source of Vitamin D for our bodies by far is sunlight. Sadly, however, as our lives become much more sedentary and we spend more time indoors, our absorption of Vitamin D has gone drastically downhill. Statistics estimate that three-fourths of Americans have a significant Vitamin D deficiency. Being near the ocean, however, guarantees spending more time outside in the sunshine. The ocean also reflects the sun's rays to a greater degree, making the Vitamin D easier to absorb as the sun warms your skin. The water itself also contains some deposits of Vitamin D due to the phytoplankton present there. Sufficient amounts of Vitamin D greatly boost our skin’s clarity and glow as well as its ability to heal from infection, inflammation, or injury. Additionally, Vitamin D is key for supporting strong nail growth. Healthy doses of Vitamin D also help to reduce effects of mental stress and promote feelings of happiness and relaxation, and the better we feel on the inside, the more it shows on the outside.

If you are planning an ocean getaway soon, know that you will not only be having a fun time, but your body will also thank you for it and your beauty will radiate as a result. Even if a vacation is not in the cards right now, though, you can still try incorporating things into your routine like adding salts into your bathwater and soaking up the sun in your own backyard to give yourself a similar recharge wherever you may be. For more information on these and the many more benefits the ocean brings to us, check out this article from HuffPost Life.