Tips for Winter Skin!

Hello!

Since I have become a Licensed Skin Therapist I get tons of questions about skin care. I thought I'd offer some of the tips I share with clients, friends, family, and those who email me. Right now the most common question is about dry winter skin. So here is my advise if you would like to know:

1. I can't say it nough, Water, water, water! Take your body weight, divide it in half, and that is the number of ounces of water you should drink per day. Not only will it help your skin, but it wil also help your weight loss efforts.

2. A warm mist humidifier works wonders. Cool mist humidifiers are helpful, but the warm mist in the winter time is the best. Run it at nighttime while you sleep. It will also help your allergies if you have them.

3. This is my favorite! Dry brushing. A dry brush can be found at the H&B section of almost any store. I bought mine at Target for under $4. Make sure is has natural bristles and don't ever get it wet, it will get stinky and fall apart. (Buy a serperate one for each member of the family)
*Before you shower, brush your skin gently TOWARD YOUR HEART . Start at your feet and work your way up.
*On the abdomen, brush in a clockwise motion around your belly button.
*Get even the bottoms of your feet and palms of your hands. Not much pressure is required and it will only take less than a minute to do the entire body.
*Do this before every shower. Make sure you are not showering in really hot water as this only dries the skin more.
You will notice a difference in a matter of days and find that you don't even require lotion anymore.

What dry brushing does is release dead skin cells from the epidermis and stimulates cell renewal. This is a natural process and all you are doing is helping it out. This will also help with the symptoms of eczema and psorisis, but be extremely gentle in those areas. Also if you have skin conditions you should definately check with your dermatologist. Personally, I do have eczema and this has worked wonders for me.

Another tip: Check your moistuizers ingredients. SD alcohols, Lanolins, Mineral Oils... those are all ingredients that could worsen dry skin in most people. Lanolin is derived from a sheeps wool and is a product of thier oil glands. It is an allergen and found in most lotions, creams, and makeup. I say yuck to this, but thats just me.

Hope you fnd these tips helpful! If so, I may post more in the future.

Holly:flowerforyou:

Disclaimer: These tips are my professional advise only. I am licensed professional, but I am not a doctor. These tips are not a substitute for medical treatment and should be followed at your own risk.