November is National Healthy Skin Month!

When I began to consider my post for the month of November, I was very surprised to learn about Healthy Skin Month!!! Okay, well we missed National Skin Care Awareness Month, but Healthy Skin is close enough...lol!
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You all have no idea how excited I was when I found out that there is actually a month set aside for a discussion about skin care! This is one of the few things that many people overlook as being very important, especially for us ladies with sensitive, dry, or over oily skin. So, let’s get started!

​There is so much information that I can put into this post, but for the sake of time, space, and your losing interest I will keep it short and sweet. =)

With winter right around the corner (and some of us already feeling the bite), dry skin may be the more common skin issues for many of us. That being the case, take a look at this quick video posted by the American Academy of Dermatology. For those who are interested, there are a ton of videos on YouTube on skin care for all types of skin. I am keeping it basic by sharing the one below. 

Just to reiterate and to add a few more suggestions, please continue to read…and please, please apply these suggestions to your daily skin care regimen. 

I think I mentioned this in a much earlier post, if so, it is worth repeating. Keep in mind that although we need to focus on cleanliness, showers and baths can play a role in the dryness of our skin. Consider the following suggestions:
***Close the bathroom door to keep any humidity in the bathroom
***Limit the amount of time you spend in the tub or shower (suggested time is 5-10 minutes, I know for us bath lovers that is absolutely devastating but important)
***Use warm water instead of hot (again, devastating but necessary)
***Use gentle, preferably fragrance-free cleansers (the fragrance thing I know is difficult but you should definitely use gentle cleansers)  

***Avoid using cleansers with a lot of lather (generally have less lather with more natural ingredients)
***Blot your skin dry gently instead of rubbing; this will keep you from removing all of the moisture from your skin
***Add moisture immediately; it is suggested that you add moisturizers (oils in particular) to your skin before blotting dry, but if you do dry off first, add your moisturizer immediately after

When adding moisturizers be sure to do so immediately after your shower or bath so that the moisturizer will trap your natural oils preventing them from escaping and causing more dryness.

Using lotion may not be the best moisturizer for your skin. Consider using oils, ointments, or creams that have natural ingredients such as olive oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, or shea butter. It is very important to stay away from ingredients such as alcohol, lactic acid, urea, hyaluronic acid, dimethicone, glycerin, lanolin, mineral oil and petrolatum (always though lanolin, mineral oil, and petrolatum was good for the skin…geez!). 

Okay, so there is much more information where this came from but I will end here. If you are interested in learning more about this and other ways to care for your winter skin please visit the American Academy of Dermatology. They have a ton of great tips…and share with your loved ones. The skin that we are in, it is all we have so we must take care of it! 

Free being me, naturally!
Smiles