Saturday, December 17, 2011

I'm so vain. I'll bet I think this post is about me...

Well... it is. I know. It's totally vain but... so many people comment on my skin and ask me how I have managed to avoid most wrinkles and have such a clear complexion. It's easy. It's because I'm lazy. I've been too lazy to ever learn how to properly apply make up and I am too lazy to be one of those women that goes through multiple steps in the morning and at night to wash my face. So... laziness has paid off for me.

I have tried different things throughout the years because my skin is pretty sensitive. I would just find something that would work for my summer skin and then winter skin would set in. By the time summer rolled around, what worked last year didn't work any more. I am lucky though - the issues that I've dealt with really are just about getting too dry, never acne or a ton of breakouts etc. I know that I am VERY lucky and I'm grateful. Again, I'm lazy and therefore the painstaking approaches to dealing with acne or multiple breakouts would not work well for me.

A few years ago I figured out the year-round combination that, knock-on-wood, has continued to work for me regardless of the weather. It's easy! I wash my face in the shower every morning with Dr. Woods Shea Butter & Tea Tree soap (I've tried other brands but this is the only one that doesn't burn my skin or dry it out beyond repair). It's a liquid soap that I buy in the natural section of Stop & Shop. I don't use a loofa or any other specialized puff, I use a good old fashioned wash cloth. As soon as I get out of the shower, I pat my face very briefly with a towel and immediately apply pure coconut oil - not coconut butter (lots of those lotions that smell so good are actually loaded with synthetic fragrances etc and that's bad all around!) - and I put a thin layer all over my entire face. I then brush my teeth and by the time I'm done with that, I rub off the excess oil from my face and rub it into my hands or other dry spots on my body.

That's it! Easy as can be which again, is good for me because I'm lazy.

I have only tried one brand of coconut oil - CoPure. It is made in Newport, RI by two very cool people that I met at a trade show a few years ago. I buy the 20oz jars and use it every day but it lasts a really long time!

Some things you should know about pure coconut oil. First, depending on the ambient temperature, it will change from a solid to a liquid and back again. Having this happen over and over is fine - it doesn't damage the oil at all. That's totally natural. It is also great for a ton of other things in addition to moisturizing your face. Swallow a teaspoonful for a sore throat, apply it to cuts to help avoid or heal infections, massage it into your scalp for dandruff, use as massage oil, cook with it... the list goes on and on!

My last skin "trick" is that I drink a lot of water. It's pretty much the only beverage that I drink - occasionally I'll drink a decaf coffee or some milk but water is most often my beverage of choice.

So there you have it!

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