First, let's look at why your skin could be dry. "Dry skin rarely happens in a vacuum. It is almost always the result of malnutrition, digestive or liver issues, prescription drug side effects or bad product regimens." (Kat James, author of The Truth About Beauty) I used to get dry skin in the winter then I started drinking more water, taking a liquid nutritional supplement (or doing fresh juiced fruits and veggies), and doing my Liver Cleanse. Now, I have no problems unless I run into some nasty hand soap.
Surprising causes of dry skin:
First, we have the obvious--cold, dry, winter wind or dry indoor air that comes from keeping it warm inside (or cool in the summer). A humidifier can often help even this out. Actually, adding some moisture to the air in the winter will make it feel warmer inside (save on that heat bill).
Do you get those nasty cracked heels? Do you know that that is not necessarily a sign of dry skin (it is augmented by it, but not due to dehydration)? It is actually usually a sign of systemic candida! You can do an easy spit test to see if you have candida. Upon rising, fill a clear glass with filtered or spring water (not tap water). Collect saliva in your mouth and spit it into the glass. Now you can go brush your teeth, do your hair, etc. Come back and look at the glass of water in 15 minutes. If you see any of the following then you have yeast colonies (candida) in your body:
Saliva stays at the top and thin strands that look like strings extend downwards.
Saliva floats to the bottom and looks cloudy.
Saliva is suspended in mid-glass and looks like little specs are floating.
Before you tell me everyone's saliva will fall into one of those three categories, I have had several classes of people do this test and have actually had one person whose saliva did not do one of the above. (Fighting candida is another article topic.)
Hormonal imbalance (use Mars or Venus Be Young essential oil blends to even out)
Toxic liver (do your Liver Cleanse)
Your hand soap. I make my own, I mix Castile liquid soap, filtered water, a splash of Ecover dish soap, and then the essential oil of my choice. As long as I don't run out of this and cheat by buying some soap at the store I have no problems with my hands in the winter. However, if I run out and use something else I will have chapped, cracked, rough hands within 1-2 days.
Hot water will make your hands and body dry. Fight this by using a good soap (like above) or when doing soaks make sure you include salt and if you add a little bit (1/4 cup) powdered milk it will make your skin silky soft.
Spicy foods, caffeinated beverages, and alcohol.
Getting older, the skin becomes thinner and less effective if you don't take care of it.
Chlorine can make your skin dry. You may want to consider installing a filter in your shower that removes chlorine.
Remember, if you put something on your skin it will be absorbed into the body, it's just like eating it. Try to use things that are natural, wholesome, and clean. The fewer ingredients the better.
How do you hydrate?
Drink plenty of water (at least 64 ounces a day--that's water, not some other liquid. I know you've heard me say this before, but some of you don't listen very well. I actually increase my water intake during the winter. Feel free to add a drop of Be Young Orange essential oil to your water, it encourages your cells to use the water, a.k.a. rehydrate.)
Consume plenty of EFA's (Essential Fatty Acids--those Omega 3's we hear so much about). How do you do that? You can buy a supplement (keep them in the freezer, then when you take them you don't tend to burp fish oil as much); you can eat yummy omega 3 foods like salmon, spinach, broccoli, flax, and walnuts. Essentially nuts and plants have them, with the highest levels being found in fish and fish oils.
Eat good foods, you've heard it before--fruits and vegetables are your friends--juice a bunch and drink them up!
Moisturize your skin with cocoa butter or grapeseed oil. Avocado oil or primrose oil are some other good options. Read your lotion labels--I saw one the other day that had aspartame in it! Some common skin irritants that are found in many cosmetics and lotions are: parabenes and synthetic preservatives (these usually start with methyl-, propyl- or are called butylparabenes). Avoid petroleum-based moisturizers, harsh exfoliants (a gentle cleanser is fine, watch out for those that make you feel like you have no skin left), perfumes and perfumed products as they will strip moisture from the skin. They use alcohol as a stabilizer. Use an essential oil as a perfume and you will be providing health along with a pleasing scent.
Consume a good liquid nutritional supplement with lots of antioxidants and vitamins in it. (Vitamin C, E, K and A as beta-carotene are especially good).
A study was conducted by Greg Arnold, CD, CSCS, to determine the benefits of flaxseed oil and the skin. Flaxseed oil users found over a 12-week period that the flaxseed oil prevented water loss in the skin by 25%. Roughness and scaling of skin also decreased significantly. (Reported online in the British Journal of Nutrition, October 6, 2008)
Essential oils that are especially good for the skin:
Basil (dry skin)
Birch (flaky skin)
Black Cumin (dry, chapped skin)
Chamomile (marvelous for all skin problems)
Eucalyptus (chapped skin)
Fennel (dry or oily skin, it balances)
Frankincense (dry, mature skin)
Geranium (dry, flaky skin)
Gratitude Be Young blend (this is one I use a lot for any type of skin problem and it seems to work remarkably well.)
Lavender (simply incredible on the skin--dry, burned, itchy, mature, young, wounded, rashed, inflamed, wrinkled, and more)
Loving Care Be Young blend (Created for the skin)
Myrrh (chapped or cracked skin)
Myrtle (cracked heels)
Orange (overall skin health, especially in cell hydration) Do not apply to skin that will be exposed to the sun, it will make it photosensitive.
Peppermint (helps retain moisture in the skin, itchy skin)
Quiet Scent Be Young blend (dry, dehydrated, itchy, mature skin)
Rosemary (softens skin)
Sandalwood (dry skin)
Tea Tree (itchy skin)
Thyme (itchy scalp)
Recipes:
5 drops of Lavender
5 drops of Chamomile
1 Cup of cream.
The cream will help to disperse the essential oils in water. Add to a tub of warm water. This is very relaxing and also great for dry skin.
Make your own lotion:
Use a base like cocoa butter for a thick lotion (you'll need to melt it, add the essential oils, and then let it set back up)
Add Peppermint for a soothing foot lotion.
Add Lavender for a body lotion or after-bath moisturizing.
Add Lavender and Tea Tree for a bacteria fighting lotion.
Add Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, and Peppermint for a natural decongestant lotion.
Start with 1% dilution of essential oils. That's 1 ounce of base (cocoa butter) to 6 drops of essential oil.
You can play with your "lotion" by adding flax seed or grapeseed oils to your cocoa butter and essential oils. This will help thin it out and keep it from setting up. I know one lady who adds the essential oils to the cocoa butter, then pours it into those cute little candy molds making small "lotion bars," you just rub them around in your hand and you'll get some "lotion" on your hands (just be careful they don't get left some place warm enough to melt them).
An amazing lotion recipe:
4 ounces Shea or cocoa butter
2 ounces organic olive oil
2 teaspoons organic vitamin E oil, 5,000 IU
1 teaspoon active royal jelly (refrigerated section of health food stores)
6 drops Lavender essential oil
Mix all ingredients on high until smooth and creamy. Store refrigerated in an airtight container. It is necessary to make small amounts of this at a time and keep refrigerated because of the active royal jelly. This is an awesome ingredient for its healing properties and well worth the effort.
Hydrosol:
1 oz Filtered or spring water
5-6 drops of the essential oil of your choice
Put in a 1 oz spritzer bottle, use to spritz after showering to hydrate the skin.
Cuticle lotion:
2 ounces Grapeseed oil
3 drops Lavender essential oil
3 drops Geranium essential oil
1 drop Frankincense essential oil
Massage into cuticles as needed.
Remember, the skin shows us what's going on inside the body. If giving yourself a little extra loving care doesn't quickly start showing through soft, supple skin you need to look a little harder at yourself to see the underlying cause. Our bodies are trying to communicate to us each and every day what we need; we want to listen while things are simple and easy to deal with. We don't want to wait until our body is screaming diseases at us in order to get our attention.
(Expert=Penny_Swann)
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