Skin care picks for Summer, 2016
Healthy Skin Care:
I don't know about all of you, but I'm trying to eliminate as many chemicals as possible from my skin care and beauty routines. I have absolutely fallen in love with Dr. Bronners line of organic, fair trade, all-natural soaps. These are certified organic, castille-based and loaded with natural essential oils, coconut oil and hemp. There are no detergents of any kind, and the products are not tested on animals. Not only will the ingredients and company philosophy appeal to your inner hippie, but the products are packaged with some of the grooviest messages you'll see outside of a revival of the musical Hair.
Dr. Bronners has been around for over 150 years, so the company knows a thing or two about old-world, natural soapmaking. (For all the fascinating, unconventional details of this company's history, make sure to read The Undiluted Genius of Dr. Bronners.)
I can't live without the Almond Castille Soap. It smells amazing. I mean AMAZING. It's great for washing skin, but I also use it for a smooth shave. (I've even used it, in a pinch, as shampoo.) Castille soaps leave your skin feeling squeaky clean but not dry, and I'm not sure how they manage to do that.
Click on any of the pictures for purchasing details.
The peppermint version is great on a hot, summer day. Your skin tingles after you get out of the shower. Yes! The cool feeling lasts for a few minutes even after you dry off, which is excellent for hot flashy pregnant mamas, perimenopausal girls or anyone overheating in the summer weather.
I use the rose soap on my face, and I love it. I've always had super sensitive skin -- I either break out, or get a rash -- so I appreciate that these soaps are free of a lot of the things that irritate skin. Your mileage may vary, but I'm very pleased. I could use any of these for a face wash, but rose essential oil is noted for anti-aging properties -- plus, who doesn't love smelling like a rose? (Don't worry, it's a mild, fresh rose scent. You won't end up reeking of your great grandma's tea rose perfume.)
Dr. B. even has a selection of pump hand soaps that are so much better for you than the chemical-laden variety we're used to. These all organic, certified vegan soaps are are made with coconut sugar, grape juice, essential oils and an all-natural cleanser derived from shikakai -- a South East seed pod that has been used for millennia as a natural moisturizing cleanser. The peppermint one is my favorite.
How about an all-natural remedy for those awful patches of summer dry skin? I use Dr. Bronner's unscented Magic Baby Balm. It's main ingredient is beeswax, with nothing artificial added. It's obviously great for delicate baby skin, and also delicate grown up skin like mine. I particularly like this for the weird dry elbows that always show up this time of year.
As far as the perfect summer lotion, look no further than Skin Trip Lotion made by Mountain Ocean. This light, beautiful coconut-based lotion is loaded with good stuff like aloe vera and safflower oil. I love that it's PH balanced and never leaves me feeling greasy. I also love that the company has been around for over 40 years, making small batches of quality skin care. But all that healthy, feel-good-about-your-purchase stuff aside: Skin Trip smells so sexy, summery, coconut-y that you'll be tempted to slather it on all year. My husband says I smell "delicious" when I use it. Va voom.
All of the above products are kid-friendly, which is a bonus for moms like me who want to take care of our children's skin without using toxic ingredients.
Inner Beauty?
I'm not just talking about your beautiful soul ... but about actual nutrients that might make a difference in the quality of your skin!
One of the best skin nutrients is actually something very few people think about: silica. No, NOT those silica gel thingies that are included in the interior pockets of new handbags, or in the box with a new electronic device. (Please, people. Not for consumption is printed right on the little packages! What's up with those things, anyway?) What I'm talking about is making sure you get this vital nutrient from your diet. Here's some more information about the benefits of silica (and a few other skin nutrients) from Chris Kresser. How do you get silica from your diet? I'm getting to that.
Silica is not just good for your skin, nails and joints but also a way to assist the body in purging excess aluminum. This might prove to be a powerful tool against Alzheimers. Here's an interesting study, and here's a great story about it.
If you're a bottled water drinker, one of the easiest ways to get silica is to choose Fiji water. While most bottled waters have negligible mineral content of any sort, Fiji has a high amount of natural ionic suspended silica.
I can't promise that it will work miracles, but I've been drinking Fiji every day for several years, and I swear it has made a difference in the look of my over-40 skin. Maybe it's partly due to my other skin care, but I think my skin looks more lustrous than before I started drinking Fiji water. I have also noticed that my nails are a lot stronger than they used to be.
I do wish Fiji water was available in glass bottles, since I'm concerned about all of the chemicals that may leech out of plastic and into water, but for my personal cost/benefit analysis getting natural silica wins over drinking out of plastic bottles.
For those of you who avoid bottled water, you can also get silica in various supplement forms. I haven't tried this, and there are pros and cons to the various types available, so please do your own research. I have, however, bought many other supplements from the following manufacturers, and I can vouch for their quality. (I particularly like the NOW brand.)
You can also get natural silica from the herb horsetail (the above NOW product includes it.) Here it is in plain capsules. I have not personally taken horsetail, but I like the quality of the other herbs I have purchase from Solaray, and it's nice to know the amount per capsule.
For more information on silica and the skin, so your research and get on Google.
This article also has some good information.
