The weather is starting to get a little cooler, the humidity is dipping a lot lower and the dry skin issues are starting to rear
their ugly cuticles…!
Even I, a person who preaches daily about the huge impact of exfoliating and moisturizing has become a wee bit lazy over the summer and have noticed that the skin flaking has started already. Nothing like a cold bit of weather to remind us to restart the routine of sloughing off the dead dry skin and slathering on creams to add moisture. What’s that Australian sunscreen slogan? Wiki says it goes like this: Slip-Slop-Slap is the name of a health campaign in Australia exhorting people to "slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, and slap on a hat". Let’s take that for your chemical free skin care routine and get you to slop-slough-and-slather with ellënoire, to keep your skin soft and perfect, chemical free, all winter long.
Can you imagine? Perfect skin all winter long, with no flaking, no itchiness, and no cracked fingers? It’s actually quite easy. You just have to commit. Let’s try to commit for 14 days shall we? I know I know, you’re busy. I hear your voice now, in the store in January with your cracked bleeding hands and your flaky itchy legs… I hear it every season. So let’s start now and save you the PAIN and the ITCH.
Me: “Put your shea butter (chemical free by-the-way) next to your bed and use it every night on your hand, lips face and as often as you can put it on your feet too”
Customer “I never remember” “ I don’t have time”
Me: “Well, then you’ll have dry cracked hands all the time then unless you sleep with shea butter, or any other rich butter on your hands with gloves on”
Customer: “I wish I had nice skin like yours”
Me: “well I put shea butter on my hands, lips and face every night.. and on my feet when I remember… you might wanna try that and see how nice your skin can be”
This one is a good, in the dead of winter scene in my store:
Me: “Where are your gloves”
Customer: “I forgot them at home”
Me: “You need a spare pair at work and in the car so your hands don’t get dried out. Hey, when was the last time you cleaned the snow off the car with no gloves on?”
Customer: “This morning, I was in a hurry, it wasn’t THAT cold”
Me: “Can you imagine anyone from Florida saying snow was not THAT cold? Stop that!”
Or with the men…
Male customer: “my legs are bleeding they are so itchy and dry”
Me: “What do you moisturize with?”
Male Customer: “Nothing”
Me: “Well there’s the problem. Winter skin is like a piece of unfinished wood that needs sanding and finishing, scrub off the rough flaky stuff, add a little oil and wax and it’s soft, shiny and healthier looking”
Male Customer: Light Bulb going off look in his eyes
Having no time is not a valid excuse. Like so many things it takes more time (and more OUCH!) to get things fixed than it does to take the steps towards prevention, AND this is another easy way to start out on our 90/10 rule. MAKE THE TIME!!! Or, your skin will not be as good as it could be. Here’s another way to “work it in” -to your life
My one shower per week treatment trick:
For me, this happens on Sunday mornings before I have to work. Pick a time that fits into your life to take care of your skin for these 3 things: slop-slough-slather
Get in the shower put the plug in the tub to soak your feet(yes, in a second you will know why), get your head and body wet and then:
1) Slop -Deep condition your hair once per week (only do the ends if your hair is really fine) put this on first, then do the exfoliation treatment on your skin.
2) Slough- Exfoliate head to toe at least once per week (twice in winter if you can) then scrub your body with one of our scrubs or a face cloth, then scrub your feet with something more aggressive.
3) Slather- Get out of the shower and slather a heavier moisturizer (like shea, or
body butter) onto wet skin once a week (or twice in the winter) head to toe. Don’t forget your hands! Finish by putting on your favorite robe on to let all that moisture soak in.
In your other baths or showers you can use a lighter lotion because your skin will be soooo awesome from the once or twice weekly deeper treatments. At bedtime, get a rich lotion or butter on your hands and lips EVERY NIGHT before they crack and bleed.
Seriously! If millions of people can commit to a challenge to eat yogurt for 2 weeks to “regulate digestion” or eat bran cereal because Captain Kirk does… can’t you commit to the ellënoire 14 day challenge to better skin?
We’ve even put it in a kit for you: try the ellënoire 14 day challenge skin care kit right here, or buy the separate pieces.
I can help, just ask!
