Skin Solutions for the body

I have to admit that when I do a facial I mostly do consider what’s going directly on the face. But as you can imagine, since skin covers the whole body it isn’t the only place in which we can experience imbalance. The skin is a communicator of what is going on internally so it can be difficult to determine why we all of a sudden could be experiencing a rash or breakout in an odd place. Skin conditions that aren't on the face can be just as damaging to our self-esteem. With these weather shifts and increase in the holiday celebrating there are a few pesky skin conditions that most of us struggle with but never talk about. Today I want to talk about how to support your whole body for best body skin practices.

Sweat - A common misconception is that sweating is what breaks out our skin out. In all honesty, the sweat is just a release of toxins that are already stuck in our skin but we give ourselves the chance to eliminate them by getting activity. The only reason we would break out from exercise is not cleaning the skin well enough post-treatment or avoiding water intake. Beyond exercise, you can always sweat it out by going to an infrared sauna. One of my favorite LA spots is Sweatheory. Just be sure to supplement yourself with a lot of mineralized water (such as adding drops of the Beauty Water Concentrates by Sakara Life to your water) and wear loose clothing so your skin can continue to breathe post-treatment.

Dry brushing - I talk about dry brushing all the time because it’s great for your lymphatic system and can eventually help with cellulite. However, it’s also as wonderful for daily exfoliation. Lightly moving the brush over your skin gently lifts away build up which can help you from experiencing frustrating flaky and dried irritation. Since this method does stimulate lymph, think the lighter the better. I love PurSoma as well as Living Libations for daily dry brushing use before your shower or bath. This is a great practice for people with cellulite, poor circulation, ingrown hairs, and keratosis pilaris.

Avoid too hot of water - I seem to say this every year but it’s worth mentioning since I find myself guilty of doing it too. When the weather shifts into a colder temperature it’s easy to want to just test out how powerful our water heaters are in order to warm our muscles up. As much as creating our own steam room in our bathroom feels like a good idea, the skin can experience heat sensitivity that can lead to redness, slight burning, or even micro-tears. This eventually leads to irritation and infection. So keep your water temperature as neutral as you can tolerate regardless of the temptation of the scolding hot. Also make sure you have a great shower filter too such as the Omica shower filter so your skin will be able to avoid lots of excess water contaminants.

Oil massage - After each bath or shower, I like to massage an oil into my skin while it is still damp. This allows for my skin to fully absorb the nutrients of the oils as well as leave it silky smooth. Massaging the oil into the skin can also help you move away from any lingering toxins floating in your lymphatic system. If you massage lightly you can help smooth out stagnations and help your body with any minor pains. A self-massage is also a very loving practice that finishes off your at home treatment that started with dry brushing, and cleansing. I love the Nucifera Balm as well as the Soapwalla Luxurious Body Oil for this practice but feel free to pick whatever feels and smells best to you, even if it’s just a simple oil. This is a great practice with those suffering from eczema, stiff muscles, or chronic dryness.

Internal supplements - Water intake is crucial to help keep your system nourished from the inside out so be sure to start treating your skin with an increase of it. If nothing is really changing with the water increase that is when the supplements can be a great addition. When it comes to conditions such as dandruff or eczema you want to make sure that you are supporting your liver. A dandelion and milk thistle blend is great here. For inflammatory conditions, you want to try eliminating excess sugars and sodium but also promote an anti-inflammatory effect with ingredients like ginger and turmeric. Lastly, if you are having a major body breakout it’s important to start with a food journal so you know if you need to add a digestive enzyme. Immediately incorporating a probiotic and algae can help such as the HealthForce Vitamineral Greens. It’s always best to get a personalized recommendation here so feel free to reach out with specific questions or ask your nutritionist or acupuncturist for help.

Lastly, it’s okay to ask for help here and get a proper body treatment done. You don’t want to avoid what is going on with your body because your systems are simply calling out to you. The winter season can be one where those conditions pull out the most so it’s important to remember that there are solutions to everything here. Switch up your body care rituals and get some treatments done to support yourself fully. If you have any questions comment below and until next week, take care! Xo - Hayley

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