Sunday, October 18, 2015
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Winter Dry Skin Care
My skin gets sooo dry in the winter. Especially now that we live in a small apartment, everything dries up like you wouldn't believe it. It's convenient when drying laundry, but not when your skin starts itching!
I wear a lot of tights in winter, and nothing more horrifying than noticing white, powdery skin flakes on the tights after I take them off at the end of the day. Yuck!
I've gone back to using a variety of exfoliators in the shower: an exfoliating glove, St Ives Sea Salt body wash, St Ives Even and Bright Lemon and Mandarin body wash, Spa Bon Vital sugar scrub with pink grapefruit, Tasha & Co Organics scrub in red currant. I've also used moisturizing body washes in alternation with these scrubs: Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash, St Ives Oatmeal and Shea Butter Body wash, and more.
My latest cure-all for dry skin is mixing my St Ives Intensive Healing lotion with a dry oil like Philosophy Pure Grace satin finish body oil. I apply it while still damp from the shower. I didn't believe it made a difference until I was in a hurry one day and didn't do it. Itchy as all get out!
I try not to forget to put cuticle oil on my cuticles, so I bought a cuticle oil pen and keep it on my desk at work.
Another important tool in my cold and dry defense kit is a new hand cream I accidentally bought at Walgreens, the Gold Bond Ultimate Intensive Healing Hand Cream. It has a soft citrus smell, absorbs right up, and provides a lovely an soothing feeling for the remainder of the day without being greasy. It's perfect for my needs.
I've also upped my intake of water and tea vs. coffee and bought a small Satechi USB humidifier for work since I get winter nosebleeds.
I can't wait until winter is over, it's been a rough one this time around.
I wear a lot of tights in winter, and nothing more horrifying than noticing white, powdery skin flakes on the tights after I take them off at the end of the day. Yuck!
I've gone back to using a variety of exfoliators in the shower: an exfoliating glove, St Ives Sea Salt body wash, St Ives Even and Bright Lemon and Mandarin body wash, Spa Bon Vital sugar scrub with pink grapefruit, Tasha & Co Organics scrub in red currant. I've also used moisturizing body washes in alternation with these scrubs: Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash, St Ives Oatmeal and Shea Butter Body wash, and more.
My latest cure-all for dry skin is mixing my St Ives Intensive Healing lotion with a dry oil like Philosophy Pure Grace satin finish body oil. I apply it while still damp from the shower. I didn't believe it made a difference until I was in a hurry one day and didn't do it. Itchy as all get out!
I try not to forget to put cuticle oil on my cuticles, so I bought a cuticle oil pen and keep it on my desk at work.
Another important tool in my cold and dry defense kit is a new hand cream I accidentally bought at Walgreens, the Gold Bond Ultimate Intensive Healing Hand Cream. It has a soft citrus smell, absorbs right up, and provides a lovely an soothing feeling for the remainder of the day without being greasy. It's perfect for my needs.
I've also upped my intake of water and tea vs. coffee and bought a small Satechi USB humidifier for work since I get winter nosebleeds.
I can't wait until winter is over, it's been a rough one this time around.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Seasonal Allergies and Dryness: Eyes
I suffer from some allergies and dryness due to seasonal changes. My eyes are the victims this year, some other years it's my skin, others it's my lips. From speaking with friends and co-workers this seems to be more common than I previously thought. Here are a few steps that I'm taking to help improve my symptoms.
What are my symptoms?
Old cosmetics
Gentle skincare
As my skin gets drier and more sensitive this season (as always) I'm focusing on:
If my eye symptoms get worse, I'll schedule an appointment with an eye doctor to see if there is a micro-scratch or something that needs some steroidal eye drops or antibiotics (which I'll need a prescription for).
Keep in mind that some people think their sensitive eyes are natural and they apply a prescription and keep using their cosmetics as normal. Sometimes it's the cosmetics that aggravate a sensitive eye. It's a case of the egg or the chicken.
Make your decisions wisely, tailored to your own needs. Keep your health and well being #1 over any fads or trends. And remember, you are beautiful because you are you. What society thinks of beauty is mostly airbrushed on a magazine page. Pie in the sky.
Additional resources and Info
What are my symptoms?
- Incessant weeping eye corners (especially my left eye)
- Stinging and burning
- Sensation there's sand in my eyes
- Swollen eyes
- Dark circles
Old cosmetics
- I've been going eye makeup free except for some Neutrogena mascara I just bought
- cleaned out my makeup bag to make sure that it's fresh and clean
- threw away all eyeliners and mascaras so only very recent eyeliner and mascara is included (1 month or less)
- wiped my eyeshadows with a wipe soaked in alcohol (these are sold near electronics and cameras in shops; by the way, use a fresh wipe per shadow, else you're spreading germies and colors!)
Cleanup
- soaked all my tweezers and cosmetic-dedicated pencil sharpeners in warm soapy water (dish detergent) then rinsed them and poured 91% alcohol over them, and let them air dry
- washed all my face and eye makeup brushes in warm soapy water (face wash)
- threw away my old eyelash curler and am looking to buy a replacement (I see you WalMart!)
- washing my eyeglasses with dish soap and warm water on a weekly basis, in-between wiping with alcohol wipes. Washing all my microfiber eyeglass wipes to make sure they're fresh
Gentle skincare
As my skin gets drier and more sensitive this season (as always) I'm focusing on:
- making sure I remove all makeup prior to going to bed
- Washing my pillow sham often
- exfoliating the dry flakes of skin using gentler products
- no primer, no special treatment moisturizers, just a simple easy moisturizer
- no special eye care except a gentle moisturizer
- scheduling professional skin care appointments
- using a dedicated face cloth to pat dry after washing
If my eye symptoms get worse, I'll schedule an appointment with an eye doctor to see if there is a micro-scratch or something that needs some steroidal eye drops or antibiotics (which I'll need a prescription for).
Keep in mind that some people think their sensitive eyes are natural and they apply a prescription and keep using their cosmetics as normal. Sometimes it's the cosmetics that aggravate a sensitive eye. It's a case of the egg or the chicken.
Make your decisions wisely, tailored to your own needs. Keep your health and well being #1 over any fads or trends. And remember, you are beautiful because you are you. What society thinks of beauty is mostly airbrushed on a magazine page. Pie in the sky.
Additional resources and Info
- How often to replace your cosmetics
- Sensitive eye cosmetics suggestions (La Roche Posay, by Jezebel)
- Sensitive eye tips and tricks (by Bobbi Brown, by Paula's Choice)
- Tips for dry eye sufferers (Huffington Post)
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