Out With The Old, In With The New...Part One

That's right everyone it's time to get down with it! I know all you sun worshipers out there had a rockin summer, so now it's time to take care of that skin until next year. Out with the old, in with the new. That is the theme of the fall season, and it shouldn't be any different with your skin. Exfoliation is the removal of dead skin cells that cling to your skin's outer surface. Removing these dead cells leaves your skin softer, brighter, and prepped for moisturizing.
Read on...

1. Body Scrubs: I have to say that I am not a fan of salt scrubs. They burn my skin, especially after shaving, and waxing. I tend to seek out sugar scrubs, or I just make them myself. Sugar cane produces glycolic acid, one of the natural alpha hydroxy acids that exfoliates the skin. So what better way to start off the cold season than to scrub down with sugar?! Doesn't that sound delish? You can safely use a body treatment twice a week. Below is a homemade recipe from The Vermont Soapworks...I found it on a wonderful site called Care2 under "healthy and green living"...here's the link: http://www.care2.com/

Ingredients
• 50 percent white cane sugar (note that organic sucanat, while the best choice for food, doesn’t work as well for this recipe)
• 50 percent vegetable glycerin to moisten the sugar ( you can use avocado oil as a substitute)
• Small amounts of aloe vera gel, vitamin C crystals, or anything healing that dissolves in water
• 1 or 2 drops of essential oil if desired (try combining lavender and tangerine with a drop of chamomile for a relaxing dreamy blend OR nutmeg, clove and cinnamon for a spicy fall blend)
• Enough ground hibiscus powder for pink color (if desired)

Combine the ingredients in a bowl. Scoop some of the scrub onto your hand and massage gently onto your skin for a minute (the scrub will actually tighten onto your skin like a masque). Leave on for 3 to 4 minutes before rinsing.

     2. Facial Scrubs: It is so important to exfoliate the dead skin cells off of your face all year round. If you are not exfoliating you are not giving your facial serums, lotions and fancy eye creams a fighting chance. In Part Two of  "Out With The Old...." I will talk about the following...

• gentle abrasives
• microderabrasion
• chemical peels

Hot Tip: When I'm flying a lot I try to keep up with my skin more than normal. On a long flight I make up hand scrubs made with honey and sugar. Just mix the 2 ingredients together until you have a paste. Scoop a tablespoon amount into hands and scrub. Let sit for a few minutes, rinse with water, apply a good hand cream and put on some gloves. In my case we have powder-free plastic gloves on the plane. I wear the gloves for about an hour. You can easily do this at home too.