Say Bye Bye to Dry and Hello to Toxin-Free Moisture!
Are you finding yourself in mid-winter doldrums? Longing for a beach, a cabana that serves fruity beverages, an ocean breeze blowing your hair, and a bathing suit covered by a thin layer of linen? Or, maybe you would just settle for a slight increase in humidity to mitigate the dry, itchy, flakey-skin that comes with high-altitude living, especially in winter? Mud season, ‘er I mean Spring, will be here before we know it, so rather than wishing our powder-filled dreams away, here are some do-it-at-home, practical tips to keep your skin healthy and glowing underneath all those layers.
DRY BRUSHING
This is a wonderful way to improve circulation, gently exfoliate, and even promote lymphatic drainage.
Choose a dry brush made with natural materials. Bamboo with natural boar bristles is a nice combination.
First thing in the morning, before your shower, spend about 5 minutes dry brushing.
Start at your feet and work up to your hip level. Divide your belly in half. From the midline, brush down towards your groin followed by up towards your underarm. Brush from your fingertips in towards your underarms. Utilize a long-handled dry brush to get your back, and trust me, don’t skip this last step.
C L E A N S I N G
Soaps are great for ridding your body of mountain bike grease, dirt, mud, and sweat – however, they can be harsh, striping your skin of its natural oils. After a nice exfoliating dry brush keep your cleansing gentle. Only utilize soap where you need it most, like groin, underarms, and feet. The bulk of your body most often won’t need deep cleansing, so keep it light and even opt for an in-shower moisturizing step like a body polish or an oil. Cleansing oil is a nice way to cleanse and moisturize all in one and can serve as your moisturizing step too.
M O I S T U R I Z I N G
Morning moisturizing probably means clothes are imminent, and hence, a nice creamy moisturizer will absorb the fastest and allow for dressing quickly and easily. Mixing an oil and a cream moisturizer is a good way to get a little extra glow without the grease. Evening moisturizers can get a bit more luxurious. A body butter or a body oil self-massage is a great way to continue promoting circulation, lymphatic drainage, human touch, and a lot of self-love right before you go to bed.
KEEP IT CLEAN
Toxic ingredients are not only, well, toxic, but can also dry out skin and disrupt your natural microbiome. Find products with limited ingredients that you can read and understand. There are so many lovely options at all price points that are perfectly clean (meaning safe for repeated human use) and do the job just as well as their toxic twin. At Free Living Co., we are big skin health fans, and because of this, have many options in the soaking, dry brushing, cleansing, and moisturizing categories if you don’t know where to look or don’t want to decipher what is or isn’t safe. Everything we carry has been verified to only contain ingredients safe for repeated human use, and have been through many dirty, grimy, dry, and flakey skin tests.
HYDRATE
As a final word of encouragement, moisturizing from the inside out is a great way to keep your skin healthy, blemish-free, and glowing. Before you pour your coffee, squeeze 1⁄2-1 lemon in a glass and drink every last drop. A dash of cayenne is a nice way to kick in some heat if you can tolerate it. Your gut will thank you and that initial burst of hydration will get your daily drink-more-water quest started on the right track. Carry a refillable water bottle with you everywhere you go, you’ll take sips without even knowing it.
Live free,
Dana
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