7 Smooth Tips for Healthy Skin!

If there is one thing I can't stand it's dry skin. And onions, but that's another post.

With the winter months inevitably comes the effects of dry, itchy, flaky skin. "Tight skin" as I like to call it, can leave you feeling less than comfortable and worried about your appearance altogether.

There's actually ALOT that goes into keeping your skin safe and healthy and as you can imagine some were blessed with better skin than others. But follow my simple tips and you won't be a prisoner of this situation any longer!!

(Recommended for all skin types)

1. Exfoliate
The skin acts as a protectant barrier for the body; pollutants, toxins, excessive heat/cold weather. Using a gentle salt scrub to exfoliate your skin once a week will work wonders by shedding the dead skin that tends to linger. Dead skin or cells will make moisturizing a little bit harder for you. Get rid of the dead and replenish the new.

Some amazing scrubs:
Bath and Body Works Sea Salt Scrub
L'Occitane Verbana Body Scrub
Bliss Hot Salt Scrub

2. Facial Mask
Twice a week, apply a soothing aloe mask to your face to help rehydrate skin and reduce redness and inflammation. Open a fresh aloe vera leaf and rub a thick layer of the sap onto clean skin (find the plant at a nursery or at a housewares store such as Home Depot). Leave it on for 15 minutes, then rinse off. Or try a mask that's packed with aloe, such as Yes to Cucumbers Calming Facial Mask.

3. Moisturize after the shower
This is the easiest way to stay hydrated and moisturized. After a shower (with medium temp water) pat dry yourself, do not rub the skin, and apply a non-scented lotion to the skin. This will ensure that the lotion "locks in" the moisture from your shower.

4. Avoid scented lotion
Scented lotions tend to carry many harmful ingredients for the skin, including alcohol. stay far away from these type of lotions as they will dry up your skin faster than you can imagine.

5. Protect yourself from the sun
Yes, mom knows best. Applying SPF daily to your skin will ensure that you are protecting yourself from harmful elements. In the winter months, appkying a moisutrizer to the face with SPF in it should suffice.

6. Keep lotion handy
Think of all the times when you were in the middle of nowhere and felt that skin tightness after washing your hands; keeping a small lotion bottle in your bag/work/locker etc. will ensure that you are safe wherever you go. Right now I am using Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion (travel size). This lotion is frangrance free and always leaves my hands feeling fresh and soft after using.

7. Stay hydrated
This might seem quite obvious BUT it's not. I frequently read that 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated and given the fact that our bodies are made up of about 70% water it is no coincidence that a dehydrated person will be more susceptible to having dry skin. Therefore, make sure you're drinking 8 8oz. glasses of water a day!

Hope you're all staying warm out there! Let me know your thoughts and any other products that you can recommend for the winter.

xoxo, stefy

Dont forget to follow me: @stefyyleon
www.ambitiousglam.blogspot.com