Love your skin: Tips for smoother, softer, sexier Winter Skin - Part 4
Part 4: Moisturize
Moisturizing is the final step in taking care of Winter Skin
Body Layering
Just as with winter clothing, my motto in moisturizing winter skin is: Layer it! Layering will give your skin much more protection, more nourishment, and keep more moisture in your skin while still allowing it to breathe. I find that if I use lotion alone or an oil by itself I use more product and experience less desired results than when layering the two. A cream or lotion will be your bottom layer, and oil goes on top to seal the deal. If you are in a hurry you can mix the two in the palms of your hands to apply both in one fell swoop. Slather it on all up and down your body. Massage it in. Spend a few minutes loving your skin. And if someone intimate is on hand, have them do this; it’s so much more that way.
Keep in mind, I am writing this from Colorado which is basically a high-desert climate. If you are in the wetlands, adjust your usage to suit.
Mmmm . . . yummy.
Lulu’s Raw Chocolate Alchemy Luscious Body Butter and edible skin food is simply the bomb. As Lulu says, “Put on your body the pure nectar you would put in it.” I wholeheartedly agree. This truly luscious body butter is 100% Raw and Organic. Ingredients are: cocoa butter, coconut oil, & love. Technically this is really not a cream since it’s made only of oils, but it comes in a solid form until you put your body heat to it, then it melts. So I’m putting it in the cream category. It’s both easy to apply and sinks right into the skin. All by itself it’s very moisturizing, but I still like to layer an oil on top. Call me greedy.
Lulu’s Luscious Body Butter is also great for massage and sensual play. I haven’t played with it yet, but I’ve heard . . . I was turned on to this body butter by our resident Sacred Sensualist, Lauviah Rose!
And Lulu just made all of her gorgeous products available online at: http://www.luluschocolate.com/.
Annoint yourself with oil.
Serpent and the HoneyBee makes my favorite new oil this season. It’s called Heroine Massage Oil and contains: jojoba oil, apricot kernel oil, vitaman e, and therapeutic grade essential oils of lavender, grapefruit, wild sweet orange, birch, bergamot, clary sage, and vetiver. The scent blend is enlivening and soothing all at once – ahhhh.
It’s no wonder this one’s my favorite oil right now. It does double duty as an ultra-moisturizer as well as a tight muscle relief. Just a little self-massage around the shoulders with this and you’ll be right as rain. There’s also a Hero massage oil. Like Lulu’s Body Butter, these oils are very easy to apply and sink right into the skin. The Heroine Massage Oil is heroic as a stand alone body moisturizer. I just like to double-up.
Face
Since faces are so much more fickle than bodies you’ll want to take more care with your layering in this arena. Too much is not a good thing when it comes to facial creams and oils. Any of you prone to blemishes have experienced that. Doubling up on the moisturizer is only for those of us who are really dry.
In our American culture moisturizer means a cream or its lighter counterpart, lotion. But in many cultures older and more experienced than ours, moisturizing comes from pure oils. There really is no advantage to using a cream or lotion over using oils – it’s just what we’re used to. However, when the weather turns cold and dry those lotions might not provide enough moisture and the creams might not allow your skin to breathe. If you just can’t live without your favorite daily dose, then think about layering a beautiful hydrating serum underneath for an extra moisture boost. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, skip your tried and true and try out something new by using a facial oil straight up.
I highly recommend an oil that doubles as an antioxidant-rich anti-aging treatment such asPangea Organics Himalayan Geranium & Pomegranate Balancing Oil. This oil is great for all skintypes, just adjust the amount you use to what your skin needs; it really does balance your own oil production, just like the name says. And the scent blend is simple, light and earthy with only geranium, helichrysum and rose essentials in the mix. You can smell the healing goodness . . .
INGREDIENTS: ROSA CANINA (ORGANIC ROSE HIP) FRUIT OIL, ARGANIA SPINOSA (ORGANIC ARGAN) OIL, SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (ORGANIC JOJOBA) OIL, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (LIQUID SHEA) BUTTER, CALOPHYLLUM TACAMAHACA (ORGANIC TAMANU) OIL, PUNICA GRANATUM (ORGANIC POMEGRANATE) SEED OIL, OENOTHERA BIENNIS (ORGANIC EVENING PRIMROSE) OIL, BORAGO OFFICINALIS (ORGANIC BORAGE) OIL, SQUALANE, MIXED TOCOPHEROL (VITAMIN E), PUNICA GRANATUM (ORGANIC POMEGRANATE) EXTRACT, CAMELLIA SINENSIS (ORGANIC GREEN TEA) LEAF EXTRACT, ROSA GALLICA (ORGANIC FRENCH ROSE) EXTRACT, PELARGONIUM GRAVEOLENS (WILDCRAFTED HIMALAYAN GERANIUM) OIL, PELARGONIUM GRAVEOLENS (ORGANIC GERANIUM) OIL, HELICHRYSUM ITALICUM (ORGANIC HELICHRYSUM) OIL, ROSA DAMASCENA (ROSE OTTO) OIL * ESSENTIAL OIL
Lips
If you read my “Love your Lips” post last week, you’d know that lips needs extra-special moisturizing. I always layer an ultra-protecting lip balm underneath my lip color, be it a lipstick or a gloss.
This organic cupuacu butter and Tahitian vanilla monoi lip balm by Nude Skincare moisturizes and protects your delicate and delectable lips with ingredients that are good enough to eat: butyrospermum parkii (shea butter)*, theobroma grandiflorum seed butter (cupuacu)*, cera alba (beeswax)*, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, vanilla planifolia*, vanilla tahitensis fruit extract, gardenia tahitensis (tahitian gardenia) flower extract, tocopherol (vitamin E). *certified organic ingredient
Hair & Scalp
Don’t forget your scalp–it’s part of your skin too! And even though hair might not be part of your skin, it’s at least an extension of your self-esteem. Dry hair equals bad hair day.
Leave-In conditioners are great because they nourish your hair and scalp throughout the day as opposed to their rinse-off counterparts. Intelligent Nutrients Certified Organic Leave-In Conditioner nourishes hair naturally, without the petrochemicals found in most traditional conditioners to help them slide through your hair. Instead, this USDA certified organic formula combines Rice Bran, Palm oil and other natural ingredients to help retain moisture, without weighing your hair down. It’s also great for color-treated hair.
Ingredients: Water/Aqua, Glycerin*, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract*, Nigella Sativa (Black Cumin) Seed Oil*+, Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Kernel Oil*, Lecithin*, Glucose*, Maltodextrin*, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Seed Oil*+, Rubus Idaeus (Red Raspberry) Seed Oil*+, Vitis Vinifera (Red Grape) Seed Oil*+, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Seed Oil*+, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba (Guar) Gum*, Ceratonia Siliqua (Carob Bean) Gum*, Xanthan Gum, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil*, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil*, Lavandula Angustifolia(Lavender) Oil*, Elettaria Cardamomum (Cardamom) Seed Oil*, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil*, Pogostemon Cablin (Patchouli) Oil*, Cinnamomum Cassia (Cinnamon) Leaf Oil*, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Oil*, Vetiveria Zizanoides (Vetiver) Root Oil*, Rosemary Leaf Oil*, Everlasting Flower Oil*, Cinnamomum Camphora (Ravintsara) Leaf Oil*, Marjoram Leaf Oil*, Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Flower Oil
Enjoy your newly smooth, soft, sexy skin (and hair)!