Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Winter Skin Part 2 #Our AuthorGang

Winter skincare
While we would love to have winter skin like this:
Most likely, it feels like this:

I studied Natural Healing and my philosophy as a Naturopath is that “If you can’t eat or drink it safely, don’t put it on your skin either”. 

In my first Winter Skin post, I talked about how I clean and exfoliate my skin: https://asmallgangofauthors.blogspot.com/2018_01_04_archive.html

In this post, I'll talk about how I moisturize. I’ve been using my grandmother's special blend of oils.

Why do I use oils?
Our ancestors used base and essential oils for centuries with great success. The first documented beauty was Cleopatra, she used almond and rose oils to keep her skin supple and beautiful. Only the past 50 years or so since the cosmetic industry developed thousands of creams and lotions, using essential oils to moisturize skin became taboo. Why? Simply because selling natural oils is not profitable.

The cosmetic industry provides us with thousands and thousands of skin care products. The question is: do you want to use them if you’re conscious about your health?

Let’s talk about creams and lotions:
When you try to read and understand the long list of the ingredients on creams and lotions, I bet you give up after reading the second line.

We’re so careful nowadays with what we’re putting into our stomachs. What about our skin? Everything that we apply to our skin goes right into our body as well. The long list of chemicals can affect not only your skin but also your organs by creating yet unknown chemical bonds and reactions as well as hormonal changes. Nobody would suspect an innocent looking moisturizer 15 years from now as a cause of some of your health or autoimmune problems.

They say, don’t put oil on your skin, but the truth is that in order to make a cream, you need base oil, stabilizer, and preservative to cook it into a cream. So, you have been putting oils on your skin, just not the right ones.

The truth is that all most creams and lotions do is just strip the natural sebum and dead skin from the top layer of your skin and add a thin layer that gives you the feeling of soft and moisturized skin.

However, just staying in a dry room for a short time makes your skin dry and thirsty for moisture, because below the top layer, your skin is stripped and dehydrated.

The myth that facial oils cause breakouts and clog your pores is nothing but a myth. Quality facial oils, when used correctly, can protect and nourish your skin without clogging your pores or affect your health.

“If you can’t eat or drink it safely, don’t put it on your skin either”.

BASE & ESSENTIAL OILS PROPERTIES:

Rose oil - promotes cell turnover and has anti-wrinkle properties
Sweet almond oil - excellent antioxidant, very absorbent, emollient, softens, soothes and balances the skin. High in vitamin B17 that is known cancer preventing vitamin.
Rosehip oil - smooths wrinkles and softens dry, dehydrated skin, high in essential fatty acids
Hazelnut oil - astringent, anti-inflammatory, rich in vitamins
Avocado oil - deep moisturizer, rich in vitamins
Jojoba oil - a natural antioxidant, its absorption properties are similar to the skin’s own sebum, deep moisturizer
Vitamin E oil - anti-oxidant, smooth scars and heals acne
Geranium essential oil - balances oily skin helps heal acne, eczema, dermatitis
Lemongrass essential oil - anti-wrinkle properties, hydrating, nourishing
Lavender essential oil -balancing, rejuvenating
Neroli essential oil - helps restore skin's PH balance, rejuvenates wrinkled, weathered skin
Chamomile essential oil - soothes dry, inflamed skin, anti-inflammatory
Frankincense essential oil - rejuvenates, balances all skin types
Juniper essential oil - clears oily, congested skin
Orange essential oil - lifts and tightens slack skin, wrinkle reducer
Ylang-ylang essential oil - excellent toner, rejuvenates skin, wrinkle reducer
Apricot kernel oil - softens and protects the skin without leaving an oily residue, smooths existing wrinkles and prevents new wrinkle formation. It contains a high amount of vitamin B17 which is a cancer-prevention vitamin.

My favorite blend is still grandma's recipe:
I add a few drops of rose, lemongrass, apricot kernel, and lavender oils to a base almond oil.
I apply a thin layer to my skin, head to toe, in the shower, after I washed, and then give it a quick rinse and tap dry my skin.

I'm a writer too, I write children's books and fantasy novels.
If you have a few minutes, click on this link and take a look at my books:




COMMENTS

Erika M Szabo via Google+

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Winter Skin Part 2 #Our AuthorGang
Winter skincare By Erika M Szabo While we would love to have winter skin like this: Most likely, it feels like this: I studied Natural Healing and my philosophy as a Naturopath is that “If you can’t eat or drink it safely, don’t put it on your skin either”....
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Ruth de Jauregui

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Oh, I am already in love with your recipe. This sounds great! I will have to tag my sister, who uses all natural ingredients to make soaps and creams.
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Awesome!

Rich Feitelberg

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Nice list of oils. If nothing else, good source material for the wise women in my fantasy world.
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Guys have skin too Rich :) Give it a try, you might like it

Nikki McDonagh

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Natural is best.
 
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Mary Anne Yarde

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Such an interesting post!
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Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Dry winter skin and commercial products aren't helping? Erika Szabo shares natural remedies to help you. And hey, she writes children's books too!!
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Toi Thomas

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Another great post that'll help keep my skin healthy. Good tips for anyone looking for a healthy alternative to dealing with dry skin.
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Joe Bonadonna

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Thanks for more excellent tips, Erika . . . some of these I'm already doing!
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Joe Bonadonna via Google+

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today on A Small Gang of Authors, Erika M. Szabo tells us more about the natural ways of taking care of our skin.
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Rebecca Tran

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Great skin care tips from author Erika Szabo
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Rebecca Tran

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly
 
I'll keep this list close. I always have people asking about essential oils and tips on dry skin in the pharmacy.
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Grace Au

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Wonderful information for our winter skin treatments. I use an all natural product that I purchase from a Master herbologist that is fabulous at keeping the alligator skin at bay. Thanks for sharing this information about essential oils.
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