What a FLAKE!!

Hey Beauties!

Wow, we are in that weird time of year, in my part of the world, where we got a good hard freeze Saturday night and today it is supposed to be 70 degrees! My skin is totally showing the change of seasons. I was getting dressed the other day and I noticed my shins were actually flaky! My hands are also starting to get that winter eczema scaly patches too. Time to tweak the old daily routine for the season!

In winter the heating in your home can reduce the humidity to Saharan-like levels! Unless we've put a protective humectant layer on our skin, the moisture will leave our skin and hydrate the air! But to make our skin look it's best, we have to change some habits and use some different products for the winter season.

Exfoliate! I use ARBONNE Aromassentials Awake Sea Salt Scrub. It is simply the best salt scrub I've tried. I bought it for the first time about 6 years ago, and thought, "this stuff better be good for this price!" I was stingy with it, but when I managed to use it all, I couldn't see spending the money to get more, so I went on a quest to find an appropriate, comparable, cheaper alternative. I just have to say that there are a lot of yucky scrubs out there. Many are weirdly scented, some are too coarse, some are too fine. None of them worked like the ARBONNE product. So I went back to it, and still can't figure out why I bothered to stray! The only one anywhere close was Philosophy's Lemonade Hot Salt Scrub, which really isn't abrasive enough, but it smells wonderful. If you have sensitive skin, look for a sugar scrub instead...they tend to be less abrasive. I like to use my salt scrub in the shower after I'm all clean and I've rinsed the conditioner out of my hair (learned the hard way that hair has to be washed again when coated with oil), and shaved my legs. Be careful if you accidentally cut yourself shaving if you use a salt scrub...it is literally putting salt in the wound!

Cleanse Gently! If you like a really hot shower, you are not doing your skin any good, especially in winter. The warm water tends to let the water evaporate more quickly, leaving your skin parched. Take a cooler shower an you won't be as likely to suck all the water out of your skin! Then use a milder cleanser or soap, like Dove Beauty Bar, that won't dry you out. Rinse well, so there is no soap film on your skin to aggravate it. Pat yourself dry, don't rub.

Moisturize! Switching to a moisturizer that penetrates the skin and leaves a protective barrier is a must. My favorite is Curel Ultra Healing (I have this in my purse, on my desk...) but I've recently re-tried ARBONNE"s RE9 Body Serum and Lotion. This two part system is amazing for solving all those rough patches, or in my case, rough shins! After just 2 days, no more flakes!! And it has a nice mild citrus scent that doesn't linger. If your feet are getting cracked and scuffed up, apply your moisturizer to your feet and sleep in socks (if you can stand it!) You can do the same thing for dry hands: apply moisturizer and sleep with cotton gloves on.

I apologize for taking so long to post! I am preparing to host a couple of launch parties for my new ARBONNE business, so I've been crazy busy!! If you are ever interested in any of the ARBONNE products mentioned, let me know and you can try it to see if you like it!

Until next time, Stay Beautiful!!

Suz