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The epidermis, which is the outer layer of skin, shed’s millions of dead skin daily. To help keep your skin healthy it is important to help remove some of those dead skin cells from your body by exfoliating the skin. One form of skin exfoliation is dry body brushing.
Dry body brushing is brushing your body with a brush that has natural fiber bristles. Make sure to avoid nylon bristles for they can irritate the skin, and when choosing a brush it is also recommended to have a long handle to get those hard to reach spots.
You will want to dry brush before showering while your skin is dry. Always brush toward your heart. Brush each part starting with you feet and working your way up. Brush lightly with a few stokes especially on tender areas. You do not want to brush too hard; doing so will irritate the skin. When brushing your back, come up and over the shoulders and around the neck. Once you have completed dry brushing your entire body you then rinse off in the shower. It is recommended to change the temperature on the water from hot to cold, to stimulate blood circulation.
When you get out from the shower make sure to massage your skin with a good moisturizer such as a goat’s milk lotion, and always remember to wash your brush with warm soapy water at least every two weeks, allowing it to dry completely before re-use.
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Drastic changes in temperature leads to drastic changes on our skin.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
posted by Rob 4:00 AM
Drastic changes in the temperature can have drastic changes on our skin, especially our lips and hands, and there are several way you can maintain healthy skin during the winter months. Here in Up-State, NY we have just experienced it being nearly 40 degrees one day, and the very next below zero. Kind of crazy, I know! When the weather changes like this we tend to notice that it is not only us who do not appreciate the freezing cold change, but our skin as well. Washing with handcrafted soaps that still contain all its natural glycerin, exfoliating on a weekly basis, applying body lotions, and using natural lip balms are all important applications for maintaining healthy and vibrant skin during the winter months.
The epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin that consists of three types of cells, keratinocytes, melanocytes, and langerhans cells. The predominant cell in the epidermis is the keratinocyte, which makes the protein karatin. Once these cells have divided and matured they move to the upper layer of the epidermis which is called the stratum corneum; this is where they die and become hardened proteins and lipids forming a protective crust. The dead cells from the stratum corneum are constantly sloughed off and replaced with new ones. As we get older this process tends to slow down which is when exfoliating your skin, such as with a loofa sponge is extremely helpful.
The melanocyte cells in the epidermis produce melanin, which is the pigment that gives the skin its tone and color. Melanin is found not only in the skin but the eyes and hair as well. Finally the langerhan cells are the cell that are in direct relation to the immune system. They prevent unwanted foreign substances from entering through the skin.
The dermis is the middle layer of the skin that consists of two layers the upper and lower. The upper layer is the papillary and the lower is the reticular dermis. The dermis contains blood vessels, nerve endings and sebaceous glands that are always producing sebum. Sebum is the skins natural oil that rises to the epidermis lubricating and protecting the skin.
Finally, the hypodermis (subcutaneous fat), is the bottom layer of the skin made mostly of fat. This is where the skin is attached to the bones, and muscles, supplying them with blood vessels and nerves. The subcutaneous fat acts a heat insulator and shock absorber protecting the tissue below from trauma and cold.
Well, winter is here again, and although these past few days of Indian summer were most enjoyable we know that the cold and bitter air will be here to stay for a while. With humidity levels at a low this usually is the time of the year most of us suffer from wintry dry skin and begin applying more chap stick, lip balms, lotions, creams and salves. These are all good and do help treat dry skin and chapped lips, especially goats milk lotion, and lip balms with Shea Butter and therapeutic oils in them, but I would also like to mention; by introducing skin exfoliation as a bathing routine will help prevent dry itchy skin as well.
What is dry skin, and what does it look like? Dry skin, is skin that has low levels of Sebum, which is an oily substance secreted by the glands in your skin that helps protect it from drying out. There are many variables that contribute to dry skin conditions such as, change in climate, genetics, poor diet, nutritional deficiencies, and exposure to sun, wind, chemicals, cosmetics, and harsh soaps. You will know if your skin is dry if you’re constantly itchy and experience skin cracking. Signs to look for in dry skin other than the itchy feeling; are increased visibility in the fine lines of the skin, cracking of the skin, and dry flakes.
What is Skin Exfoliation? Skin exfoliation is the removal of dead skin cells from the (epidermis) which is the outermost layer of skin allowing new skin cells to develop from the (dermis) the lower layer of skin. It is said that the Egyptians were the first to practice such skin care practices, which interestingly enough is the native home to the Loofah gourd that is still used today as a popular sponge for skin exfoliation.
There are three different types of skin exfoliation; manual, chemical and enzyme exfoliation. Manual exfoliation of course is manually scrubbing off dead skin cells, by using sponges, creams, lotions, scrubs and cleansers. Chemical exfoliation is used to treat the surface of the skin using chemicals such as Alpha hydroxy acids and Beta hydroxy acids. This form of exfoliation is most often used in treating acne, age spots, sun damage and wrinkles. The third form of exfoliation is Enzyme exfoliation which is used for people who have very sensitive skin. These products, rather than scrubbing off or using chemicals, dissolve dead skin cells by using powders, pads, cleansers, and mask that have proteolytic enzymes in them.
How often should I exfoliate? Although skin exfoliation is great skin care practice for maintaining healthier skin, you do not want to over exfoliate. Due to the great effects exfoliation has on the skin can lead many into the trap of over exfoliating. Exfoliation does feel great and leaves your skin feeling healthy, but too much can actually cause even more damage causing the skin to be more sensitive and vulnerable to skin damages.
For face exfoliation it is recommended to only exfoliate twice a week and less than that if you have sensitive skin. Also keep in mind that the skin on your face is more sensitive than the skin on the rest of your body and should use gentler products with less abrasiveness. For body exfoliation you can get away with doing it 2-3 times a week; if you have sensitive skin you might prefer to exfoliate less.
There are so many different types of exfoliation products on the market today; I prefer to use the most natural products for all my skin care needs. I have really enjoyed growing my own loofa gourds and making my own loofa sponges as well and molding my handmade soaps into these sponges. This of course is a lot of work but so worth it! Other natural ways I enjoy exfoliating my skin is using milder soaps such as goat milk soap with natural ingredients in them such as oatmeal, ground almond and cinnamon.