While most of you think that springtime is when we want to air out our homes and do a thorough deep clean to shake off the winter blues, let’s not forget about our face and body. Have you read the ingredients that you are using on your dry, irritated skin in the pursuit of a false advertisement dream fountain of youth? Take a look. You are basically taking a chemical bath with a dash of SLS (Sodium Laurel Sulfate) bubbles to psychologically make you think you are getting clean.
When beginning your Spring Skin Cleaning ritual you will want to keep it gentle. Avoid harsh chemical based soaps , scrubs and foaming agents. Look for products that are high on the skin food chain with ultra moisturizing ingredients like shea butter, goat’s milk, glycerin, medical-grade lanolin and hyarulonic acid. For ‘skin foodies’ that are not fans of bar soap, use a chemical free oil based liquid bath and shower wash for smooth, supple, hydrated skin. Liquid Castile Soap and Rustic Country Body Wash contain one or two ingredients, olive oil and/or coconut oil. Coconut oil is used to make suds for those who may be ‘bubble’ conditioned to think that if there are no bubbles, you can not be getting clean. Also using products that contain light oils will cut down on episodes of eczema and dry itchy skin patches.
After bathing or showering, moisturize to lock in hydration using natural body butters containing shea butter, mango butter and lotions containing light oils like; sweet almond oil, grape-seed oil and goat milk. Use radiance boosting formulas that contain gentle dead skin exfoliating AHAs.
We all know that eating a healthy diet also equates to looking good on the outside. You can supplement healthy eating with fish oil for hydration, Vitamin C for collagen loss, Vitamin D for lack of sun.