Cellulite is a problem that most women suffer from. Regardless of your weight or body shape, you can develop cellulite if you don’t take care of your skin. Luckily, minimizing that dimpled skin on your thighs and stomach isn’t as hard as it seems. Read on to find out how you can reduce cellulite naturally.

What causes cellulite?

Cellulite forms when fatty tissue presses up against the skin, making itself visible. That fatty tissue creates the dimpled look that cellulite is known for. Thighs are the area most prone to cellulite because of the high concentration of fatty tissue. Other causes of cellulite include:

• Ageing
• Genetics
• High estrogen levels
• Tissue inflammation
• Weight gain
• Loss of collagen
• Poor circulation
• Poor lymphatic drainage
• Thinning epidermis (outermost layer of the skin)

Natural Home Remedies

Regardless of why you have developed cellulite, there are remedies, exercises, and dietary tips that can help you reduce its visibility.

Dry Brushing

This natural remedy helps you exfoliate, open up pores, stimulate blood flow, and facilitate lymphatic draining. All you need is a brush⁠—a natural, vegetable-derived brush is preferred—and some time. Dry brushing needs to happen when the skin is dry. Although you can do it in the shower, take care that neither your skin or the brush are wet. When brushing, you should make long strokes towards your heart.

Massage

Massaging can also help reduce the signs of cellulite. Massaging regularly can help improve lymphatic drainage and stretch skin tissue, which makes cellulite less noticeable.You can use a cream if you like, but the massaging is what really makes a difference. The massage can come from yourself or a trained professional. However, the most important thing is that you be consistent with how often you massage.

Coffee Scrub

A homemade coffee scrub has the perfect combination of benefits to treat cellulite. The exfoliating effect it provides helps remove dead skin, as well as improve blood flow. Not to mention, the caffeine in coffee has a tightening effect on the skin. This fresh cosmetic scrub can easily be made with some coffee grounds, brown sugar, a bit of coconut oil, and a few drops of grapefruit and lemongrass essential oil. 

This particular product will store for long periods of time, as long as it does not come in contact with water or humidity. Take care not to use it with wet hands or leaving the container open in the running shower. It’s also important that the container is sealed tight to maintain freshness. 

Moisturize Naturally

Creams that thin your skin out can actually make cellulite more noticeable. Therefore, it’s essential to use natural moisturizers to avoid this. By reducing the number of toxins that enter your body through the skin, you can help it stay stronger longer. If you’re not sure whether your moisturizer is entirely natural, check out our tips for reading cosmetic labels. Otherwise look for body oils and creams that contain: lemongrass, grapefruit, lemon, juniperberry, rosemary, cypress, clary sage, clove, and the best anti-cellulite ingredient, birch oil. Olive oil and coconut oil are also excellent natural moisturizers, if you find yourself in a pinch. 

Exercise

Exercising the areas of your body where cellulite tends to gather is helpful to reducing its appearance. Working out your hips, thighs, stomach, and buttocks helps increase blood flow and burn fat in those areas. People who don’t mind dedicating time to working out should focus on squats, step-ups, side-to-sides, and leg kicks. For busybodies who prefer a more straightforward approach, kettlebell exercises will do the trick. Again, it’s essential to be consistent in order to really have results.

Change Your Diet

Preventing cellulite isn’t just about what you put on your skin, it can also be about what you consume.

Avoid Processed Foods

Processed foods can be full of toxins that remain in the tissues of our bodies. The best way to reduce them is to swap these foods for fruits and veggies. Fruits and vegetables are alkaline, which means they can actually draw out the toxins from your body. Juicing is a great way to get your daily dose of fruit and veg without too much work.

Hydrate

Staying hydrated is vital for your body to maintain equilibrium. Not to mention, drinking water regularly helps flush out toxins from your body. The toxins can come from either food or our environment. If you’re not a fan of plain water, then try fruit-infused water for an added taste. While tea is also a good option, be sure that it’s herbal and not full of caffeine.

Reduce Salt Intake

Salt adds flavour to our lives but also dehydrates us immensely. It’s important to reduce the amount of refined salt you consume to help reduce and prevent cellulite. Some healthier alternatives to refined salt are crystal salt and sea salt. These types of salt add flavour to food but are also alkaline. That means that they are full of helpful minerals that your body can benefit from.

Detox

When all else fails, it’s time to detox. Detoxing now and again is a good idea for people who want to ‘reset’ their bodies. After all, sometimes changing your diet isn’t enough to remove all the toxins in your body. While the way you choose to detox is up to you, some common forms are eliminating alcohol, juicing, and doing vitamin treatments. No matter how you decide to detox, you are sure to be feeling better than ever after you do.

The Takeaway

Cellulite can ruin our self-esteem and make us feel self-conscious when bikini season rolls around. However, with these natural tips to reduce cellulite naturally, you’ll be on your way to saying bye-bye to that dimpled skin. To learn more about making your own skincare at home, consider signing up for WapoBeauty’s Soapmaking Workshop for Beginners. If you’re unable to attend the live workshop, please consider signing up for WapoBeauty’s Complete Facial Skincare Workshop online.