Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Winter skincare suggestions (body)

What you do to care for your face in the winter should be part of your regimen for your body in addition to other tips I may offer:

- Avoid washing your hands and body with soap with Sodium Laurel/Laureth Sulfates - these are harsh cleansing agents that may strip your skin of its natural moisture. 

-I have a huge problem with picking at my dry cuticles. One thing that I try to keep me from doing that is when I feel the need to pick, I apply an emollient cuticle cream.  It's pretty hard to pick at supple skin! Right now, I am using QTica's Cuticle Repair Balm and I think it is pretty darn good.  It is composed of lanolin, glycerin, and beeswax among other things.  What I haven't liked so far is Burt's Bees' Lemon Cuticle Crème and CND Cuticle Eraser.  I found that these two did nothing.  Dior's forthcoming rose balm is on my list (a link to the apricot  crème is here). 

More tips after the jump...




-After moisturizing your hands and feet, wear socks and gloves to lock in the moisture.

-Massage oil into your skin 15 minutes before getting into the shower - the heat from the shower will melt some oil into your skin, while you wash off any excess.  Some oils you can try include sesame, coconut, almond, and apricot kernel.  This practice is encouraged in Ayurvedic tradition.  You choose the oil that is best suited for your type, or dosha.  I know how hard it is to roll out of bed on a dark, cold morning, so make this your reason to get out of bed or just do it on the weekends! 

-Try to apply body lotion as quickly as possible after stepping out of the shower in the morning.  The more emollient, the better because we may be prone to dry, itchy patches. It would be my dream to apply Crème de la Mer all over to get the J.Lo Glow, but that is not my life.  Another European luxury cream is Fresh's  Crème Ancienne ($250).







Some lower-priced heavy creams include Nivea Soft (which I tried and am not crazy for, but reviewers all over LOVE it), Molinard's 24  Crème (this stuff will keep your moisturized all day! has a strong lemon scent),Kiehl's Crème de Corps (I have yet to try this, but it is one of the company's most famous products), and Yu-be Moisturizing Skin Cream (a Japanese import.  I ordered the small tube to throw in my sister's Christmas present, I may try a squeeze!).  Care for a self-administered hand massage?


 
 
 

photos courtesy of cremedelamer.com, drugstore.com, luckyscent.com, kiehls.com, and sephora.com

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