- Drink Up: Help yourself to a glass of water before bed, workouts, and between classes. Your skin craves hydration to stay stretchy and smooth.
- Soap Matters: There are thousands of body wash products on today's market but most of them contain waxes and plastics that stay on your skin- even after you rinse. Choose soaps that have ingredients you can pronounce so you can avoid these nasty chemicals! I use Kirk's Castile bars made with coconut oil and vegetable glycerin.
- Limit the Lotion: Any moisturizers you slather on in the morning stay on top of your epidermis all day. They clog your pores from producing natural oils and attract dirt and bacteria like a magnet. Try using aloe or plant oil-based lotions that your body absorbs fast when you need a little help getting softer skin.
- Be Chemical Cautious: Smoking, alcohol, and drugs is a good recipe for flaky discolored skin, like that person in junior high with the bad spray tan. Any chemicals you inhale, eat, or put on your skin get absorbed into your blood and sent back to your poor dermal cells.
- Sun Bathe, Not Bake: Whenever you head to the beach to soak up the last warm rays of summer, bring an umbrella and sunscreen! Lots and lots of sunscreen. It's recommended you don't get more than 30 minutes of direct sunlight every few hours to avoid excessive sun damage. Having a friend check to make sure you don't turn pink while you're out never hurts either! Unless you want melanoma, please be aware the uv rays you love can be harmful.
- Exfoliate: Free yourself of clingy old dry skin cells! Scrubbing your skin causes blood to flow through skin capillaries, stimulating your body to nourish and repair your dermal layers faster. Exfoliating once a week keeps skin supple and refreshed for the week ahead!
- 3/4 c sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp coarse sea salt
- 1/3 c olive oil, honey, or aloe gel
Chocolate Mudslide Fudge Scrub:
- Sugar scrub paste (above)
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- Dash of cinnamon
Honey Lavender Scrub:
- Sugar scrub paste (above)
- 1 tsp lavender petals (or use green tea leaves)
- 2 tsp honey
- Dash of sage
- 1/2 tsp vinegar