All Dried Up

Nothing is more comforting in the fall/winter than coming in from the brisk outdoors and running a hot bath. Sinking into that tub is one of the best feelings in the world. Unfortunetly as you may or may not know, this is extremely harsh on your skin.
Ever wonder why your skin is so dry and itchy in the winter months? The constant temperature change from outdoors to indoors and the hot baths and showers takes all the moisture out, and because you aren't sweating it's not getting put back in.
I'm a sucker for a hot bath and shower. An extremely hot bath is my favorite. I know it's bad, but I'm a cold person! But because I have very dry skin normally it would itch and flake so badly when the weather turned cold.
There are solutions:  When you take a bath use oils--baby oil is great, but of course the Body Shop, Shoppers, etc will have some as well. Your skin will feel so soft and amazing after! (When you get out, try not to rub it all off, dab your body)
If you're using a soap or gel based body wash switch to one that is cream based. Oil of Olay with the ribbons in it is the best I've found.
As soon as you get out of the tub or shower, put on lotion!!!!! Because your skin is moist, it will suck up and trap the lotion. The best brand I have found is Clinique's Deep Comfort Body Butter. It's wonderfully thick and not at all greasy. You don't need a lot! (Also, spray your perfume on at this time as well--it will stay on longer)

We need our skin to be comfortable so we can wear those beautiful itchy wool sweaters! ;)

Scrub Me Down!

Do you know why you should exfoliate? Even though it's the end of summer, you still want that glow on your skin. But there's more to exfoliating than that. When you exfoliate you get rid of all the dead skin cells on top of your skin, erases fine lines, and it evens out the rough patches and helps with ingrown hairs.
If you use it for your face, the grain texture should be very fine. Almost like sand. A lot of people use St. Ives Apricot scrub, and I cannot stress enough that that product will rip your face up! You can't see it on the surface, but because the grain is so big (and sharp!) it's tearing your most sensitive skin.
I love the Eminence line, and one of my staple items is the Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant. It's super fine, and it lasts FOREVER! Here's more information: http://us.eminenceorganics.com/Strawberry-Rhubarb-Dermafoliant_p_323.html

The best way to use this product is to start washing your face, then while your wash is still on put a small amount of dermafoliant in your hand, and another small amount of your wash, and gently apply in a circular motion. Do this for about 30 seconds to a minute. You can use this product every day, it's that mild--but so effective at the same time! This is how fine it is...a mix between fine sand and flour:

      

If you're going to exfoliate your body, any type of product will do. The best result is exfoliating while your skin is dry. That way you don't create a barrier of moisture between your skin and the product. Hop in the shower and scrub down, then proceed to leave it on while washing your hair, etc. The best product I found for the body is Clinique's Sparkle Skin body exfoliating cream. Not only does it last forever, but it has this amazing mint smell to it. And your whole body feels tingly and minty after.

Glow on!