Are You Cleaning Yourself The Right Way?

from bath and body

So many skin problems (such as flaking and itching) that people blame on everything from diet to weather to indoor heating come down to the soap they use. If your skin is always dry, it's probably the fault of your cleansing bar. To counter the dryness, you probably over moisturize and find yourself in a cycle that will never really correct the problem, especially if you use a mineral oil- or petroleum-based moisturizer.

Now that many of us are going to the gym, working up a sweat, and taking two or more showers a day, dryness has become even more of a problem. We don't have to bath or shower every day, especially during the winter months, and doing so is one reason we suffer from lizard like skin. But if you do shower often, a simple change like switching to a vegetable-based soap will make your skin feel hydrated and smooth.

A good soap should leave your skin feeling and smelling fresh. It should not leave a greasy film, it should not clog your pores, and it should not dry the skin. Like good foundation and face powder, a good soap is a necessary splurge, and the very best is a milled vegetable-based soap. I love the heft and tactile quality of a sweet-smelling almond, lavender, rosemary, or sandalwood bar. Milled vegetable soap is gentle on the skin, it's long lasting, it's a pleasure to use because it smells so irresistible—and it leaves you smelling that way as well. These soaps contain extra oil, which tempers their stripping action and seals moisture into the skin.