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10 Natural Ways To Achieve Smooth, Glowing Skin

Published

1 year ago

July 13, 2024

Editor

Glowing skin means different things to people. Many people use the term to refer to skin that looks healthy and “awake” rather than dry, dull, or unevenly textured. For some, healthy skin results in a natural sheen or “glow.”

Healthy skin is something that most people can work towards our body is our identity. Therefore, it must be nurtured and taken care of by people who oftentimes complain of acne, pimples, dry skin and all sorts.

However, everyone can have that radiant skin if they follow these simple tips.

1. Eating healthy

It is important that we eat healthy because the nutrient that goes into our body goes a long way to keeping our skin clear.

People need to normalize eating a balanced diet and discarding junk food.

2. Stay hydrated

Water is very important in the body. Drinking at least 8 glasses a day will help rid the body and skin of toxins. People often avoid water because they are addicted to carbonated drinks, which is not so healthy. Reports have it that increasing your water intake gives your skin that perfect radiant glow.

3. Bathe at least twice daily

When you head home from work or that serious workout session, ensure that you have a bath. Leaving sweat on the skin and allowing it to dry can cause your skin to be irritated, so it is best to wash the skin as soon as possible after sweating.

4. Use gentle products on your skin

Most people would usually link this to makeup lovers alone but that shouldn’t be the case as everyone needs to get products that suit their skin.

Using harsh products on especially sensitive skin can cause irreparable damages on the skin e.g rashes, sunburn, dark knuckles, green veins etc.

Get good hypoallergenic products to avoid bitter results when used.

5. Moisturise

Moisturising every day can be very helpful as it reduces the chance of developing extreme dryness or oiliness.

Fruits for glowing skin
Although, some moisturisers can cause more harm than good, if you don’t have a specific one that works for your skin type, instead of using damaging moisturizers visit the nearest dermatologist.

6. Get quality sleep

Sleep is your body’s time to repair itself, and this includes your skin. While you sleep, your skin will turn over dead skin cells and create new, healthy skin cells. Your skin will also produce new collagen while you sleep, which helps the skin stay plump. More collagen means fewer fine lines and wrinkles and less sagging.

Start going to bed earlier at night, including on the weekends. If you’re not comfortable at night, do what it takes to make sure you’re sleeping more comfortably. Invest in a high-quality mattress, buy sheets that are soft and cool, and hang blackout curtains if light and noises are waking you up at night.

7. Manage stress

It’s normal to experience some stress from time to time. However, long-term stress can have serious health consequences because it causes you to have high levels of cortisol all the time.

Find ways to effectively manage and reduce stress. This may involve taking a warm bubble bath or listening to quiet, relaxing music. Sometimes, reducing stress may require you to make major life changes. In any case, do what it takes to eliminate the largest stressors in your life. This can improve your overall health including your skin health.

8. Refrain from touching your face

Hands and fingers usually contain high amounts of oil and dirt, even if you recently washed them. When you touch your face, this debris will transfer from your fingers to the skin and clog pores increasing the risk for acne.

Try to avoid touching your face with your fingers and the palms of your hands at all costs. If you have an itch on your face, try to use the back of your hand or a shirt sleeve to relieve it.

9. Avoid too much sun

Spending time in the sun may seem like an effective way to get a healthy-looking glow. Sunlight does offer health benefits for your body and skin but only if you’re in it for a short period. Too much sun can lead to sunburn and exposes you to radiation that increases your risk for skin cancer. Excess sun also contributes to wrinkles, discoloration, and other signs of aging.

Avoid exposing your skin to the sun for long periods. When you do spend time in the sun, wear broad-spectrum sunscreen, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses to protect your skin and your eyes. You should also consider wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants to protect the skin on your arms and legs.

10. Drink less alcohol

Alcohol dehydrates your skin and body. It can make fine lines and wrinkles more pronounced and leave your skin looking gray and dull.

Drinking high amounts of alcohol regularly can also lead to nutritional deficiencies. This can prevent your skin from getting the nutrients it needs to maintain a healthy looking glow.

Headline

Trump Administration Proposes New Rule Limiting Nigerians, Others

Published

5 hours ago

August 28, 2025

Editor

The Trump administration has unveiled a proposal that would restrict the length of time international students can remain in the United States for their studies.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the regulation, which is expected to be published on Thursday, would impose a four-year cap on student visas and other categories of temporary admissions.

According to Fox News, the DHS said the proposal is part of efforts to curb “visa abuse” and strengthen the government’s ability to “properly vet and oversee these individuals.”

It added that some students have “taken advantage of U.S. generosity” and become “forever” students by staying enrolled in colleges to prolong their residence.

“For too long, past Administrations have allowed foreign students and other visa holders to remain in the U.S. virtually indefinitely, posing safety risks, costing untold amount of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging U.S. citizens,” a DHS spokesperson stated.

“This new proposed rule would end that abuse once and for all by limiting the amount of time certain visa holders are allowed to remain in the U.S., easing the burden on the federal government to properly oversee foreign students and their history,” the spokesperson continued.

Currently, F visa holders may stay in the U.S. for the “duration of status,” meaning the period they are enrolled full-time. The new proposal would allow stays for the length of a programme but would not permit them to exceed four years, generally less than the time needed for postgraduate studies.

Foreign journalists would also be affected. Under the plan, they would receive an initial admission period of 240 days, with the possibility of a single extension for another 240 days, but not longer than their assignment.

The DHS said regular assessments would provide “proper oversight” and help reduce the number of people residing in the U.S. on temporary visas.

But education experts warned the measure could hurt universities financially. International students typically pay higher tuition and have fewer opportunities for scholarships, which contributes significantly to the financial support of American colleges.

“It will certainly act as an additional deterrent to international students choosing to study in the United States, to the detriment of American economies, innovation, and global competitiveness,” Fanta Aw, executive director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, said in a statement to Politico.

Headline

Russia Hits Ukraine With ‘Massive’ Deadly Overnight Strikes

Published

9 hours ago

August 28, 2025

Editor

Russian forces launched a “massive” attack on Kyiv on Thursday, hitting the Ukrainian capital with strikes that killed at least four people and wounded around 30 others, Ukrainian officials said.

The attack came as Moscow and Kyiv traded blame over an impasse in diplomatic efforts towards a peace deal spearheaded by US President Donald Trump.

AFP journalists in Kyiv witnessed powerful explosions that illuminated the night sky and left behind a column of smoke.

Ukraine’s Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said the strikes killed four people and wounded “about 30 people.”

Those killed included a 14-year-old girl, while five children aged seven to 17 were among those who sustained “injuries of varying severity,” Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the city’s military administration, said.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the strikes as a “massive attack” that caused damage in several districts of the capital.

Tkachenko said Moscow had fired ballistic and cruise missiles as well as Iranian-designed Shahed drones from different directions to “systematically” target residential buildings.

Red tracer bullets sailed through the night sky in an effort to intercept drones above the city centre, an AFP journalist saw. At least one missile appeared to be shot down.

Around 100 people took refuge in a subway station, with some lying in sleeping bags and others holding their pets.

A five-story building in the Darnytsky district had collapsed, and a shopping mall was hit in the city centre, Klitschko reported.

– Ukrainian attacks on Russia –
Kyiv suffered one of its worst attacks of the over three-year war on July 31, leaving more than 30 people dead including five children.

Ukrainian officials also reported a Russian strike in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region on Thursday.

Russian authorities said they destroyed over 100 Ukrainian drones overnight. A Ukrainian attack sparked a fire at an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region but caused no casualties, according to local officials.

Russian forces have been slowly but steadily gaining ground in Ukraine in recent months, as diplomatic efforts have accelerated.

Trump held a high-profile summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this month, followed by a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and European allies.

But there has been little progress since then.

Before concluding any peace agreement, Ukraine wants security guarantees from the West to deter any future Russian attacks.

Moscow has cast Kyiv’s demands as unrealistic and has raised particular objection to the notion of stationing Western peacekeeping troops in Ukraine.

Zelensky said on Wednesday that members of his administration would meet with US officials in New York on Friday.

The Ukrainian leader said he saw “very arrogant and negative signals from Moscow regarding the negotiations”, urging extra “pressure” to “force Russia to take real steps”.

AFP

Headline

Two US Pastors Arrested In $50m Human Trafficking, Fraud Case

Published

9 hours ago

August 28, 2025

Editor

Two church leaders in the United States have been arrested in an alleged multi-million-dollar conspiracy after multiple Federal Bureau of Investigation raids across the country on Wednesday, including one in Hillsborough County’s exclusive Avila neighborhood.

In a statement issued via its website on Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice said Michelle Brannon, 56, was arrested at a mansion near Tampa, while David Taylor, 53, was arrested in North Carolina over allegations of multi-million dollar money laundering, forced labour and human trafficking.

According to the DOJ, Taylor and Brannon are the leaders of Kingdom of God Global Church, formerly known as Joshua Media Ministries International.

The Justice Department said Taylor referred to himself as “Apostle” and to Brannon as his Executive Director.

FBI officials said law enforcement arrested Brannon early Wednesday at 706 Guisando De Avila in Hillsborough County, which is owned by the church, according to property records.

Investigators arrested Taylor on Wednesday morning in North Carolina, while SWAT and FBI agents also raided a hotel owned by the church in Houston.

A 10-count indictment alleged that Taylor and Brannon ran call centres in Florida, Texas, Missouri, and Michigan to solicit donations to the church.

The pair convinced their victims to work at the call centres and work for Taylor as personal servants – referred to as “armour bearers” – for long hours without pay, according to the indictment.

Federal investigators said Taylor and Brannon “controlled every aspect of the daily living of their victims,” who slept at the call centre or in a “ministry” house and were not allowed to leave without permission.

The indictment also says the suspects forced the victims to transport women to Taylor and ensure that those women took Plan B emergency contraceptives.

The church received about $50 million in donations through its call centres dating back to 2014, according to the DOJ.

Taylor and Brannon are accused of using much of that money to buy luxury properties, luxury vehicles, and sporting equipment such as boats, jet skis, and ATVs.

Taylor and Brannon face charges of forced labour, conspiracy to commit forced labour, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Each alleged crime carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Michigan returned a 10-count indictment against two defendants for their alleged roles in a forced labour and money laundering conspiracy that victimised individuals in Michigan, Florida, Texas, and Missouri.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said the two defendants were arrested in North Carolina and Florida in a nationwide takedown of their forced labour organistion.

“Combating human trafficking is a top priority for the Department of Justice.

“We are committed to relentlessly pursuing and ending this scourge and obtaining justice for the victims,” he said.

Also speaking, U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. for the Eastern District of Michigan, said, “We will use every lawful tool against human traffickers and seek justice for their victims.

“A case like this is only possible through a concerted effort with our federal partners across the country and the non-governmental agencies who provide victim support. We thank them all.”

“The indictment of David Taylor and Michelle Brannon demonstrates the FBI’s steadfast efforts to protect the American people from human exploitation and financial crimes, including forced labour and money laundering.

“The alleged actions are deeply troubling. I want to thank the members of the FBI Detroit Field Office, with strong support from our federal and agency partners in the FBI Tampa Field Office, FBI Jacksonville Field Office, FBI St. Louis Field Office, FBI Charlotte Field Office, FBI Houston Field Office, and the Detroit IRS-CI Field Office, in addition to several local, county and state law enforcement partners, for their role in executing this multi-state operation.

“The FBI in Michigan will continue to investigate those who violate federal law and remain focused on ensuring the protection and safety of our nation,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Reuben Coleman of the FBI Detroit Field Office.

“Money laundering is tax evasion in progress, and in this case, the proceeds funded an alleged human trafficking ring and supported a luxury lifestyle under the guise of a religious ministry.

“IRS-CI stands committed to fighting human trafficking and labor exploitation, and pursuing those who hide their profits gained from the extreme victimization of the vulnerable,” said Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of IRS Criminal Investigation, Detroit Field Office.

According to the DOJ, conspiracy to commit forced labour carries up to 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000, while forced labour carries up to 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000.

It noted that conspiracy to commit money laundering carries up to 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine up to $500,000 or twice the value of the properties involved in the money laundering transactions.

It was gathered that Brannon appeared in federal court in Tampa on Wednesday afternoon, but an attorney for Brannon wasn’t present.

A judge asked where her attorney was and whether she had representation.

Brannon told the judge that she had two private attorneys, out of St. Louis and Oklahoma, who were already working with them. However, she said she hadn’t heard from either of them.

The judge said the attorneys were not able to be reached through the phone numbers provided to federal prosecutors. It’s not clear if Brannon has legal representation at this point.

The judge continued Brannon’s hearing to Thursday afternoon. He instructed Brannon to find an attorney in the Tampa area in the meantime.