Planner Perfect Beauty/Continued Organic Series

I will confess that I am the type of woman that goes to bed with a full face of make-up on. I gauge my quality of sleep on how my mascara looks in the morning. If it's mangled and matted together...I've slept hard and well. If I look the same as when I went to bed, I know I'm going to need a lot of coffee.

I know this is bad. Very bad. If I was going to let something slip in my busy life full of children, that one was going to be it. But not anymore. I can't afford to. I'm going to be forty soon (oh that hurts to write!) and pretty soon my skin is not going to be so forgiving. I've got to take care of my skin. My Italian mother doesn't have a wrinkle on her face and we've figured it's because she's made of olive oil. She's always naturally moisturized, including her hair, and it does have a downside being so greasy, but thank heavens she's shared some of that Italian oil with me.

But there are more reasons to take care of our skin than just smoothing our skin of our wrinkles. Just like we need to care what we put in our bodies, we need to care for what we put on it. The skin is the largest organ on our body and absorbs everything we put on it. (And that includes our laundry detergent which has proven to cause learning disorders in adults and children, yikes!) and what we put on our skin; from our skin care to make-up.

Here are some tips taken from my favorite holistic doctor, Dr. Joseph Mercola:

Avoid or minimize damage from hot water and chlorine. Although taking baths and showers may seem like it’s health-promoting and relaxing, your skin may disagree – especially if you have chlorinated water, which is almost certainly the case (unless your water comes from a well). Chlorine causes oxidative damage. The hotter the water, the more potential for damage – because the rate of chemical reactions increases with temperature. Hot water may cause your skin to age faster.
So what can you do? Adjust your water temperature to be a bit cooler, limit your showers to one per day, and decrease your soak time in the bath.
Use gentle and safe skin care products – organic whenever possible. Your skin absorbs it all. Don’t compromise your health and the health of your skin by using potential poisons.
Be very sure to remove your makeup each evening. It's a really bad idea to flop into bed, leaving makeup – not to mention environmental grime – on your face while you sleep. Take a couple minutes to remove it, and you’ll find your face looking and feeling younger.
Sleep on your back. Gravity creates a downward drag on your skin all day. Give your skin a break at night. By sleeping on your back, you reduce gravitational pull on your face. If you press your face to your pillow, you will likely experience increased puffiness in the morning.
(Sleeping on your back reduces gravitational pull on your face. Be sure you remove your make-up before sleeping. Leaving it on during sleep creates extra stress on your skin. Use botanicals from nature for a nutritional approach to your beauty.)
Don’t smoke… for your general health’s sake, and for younger looking skin. Smoking causes free radical production, which is one cause of the signs of aging.
If you will be in the sun for extended periods of time, use sunscreen with safe and effective ingredients, such as Mercola Natural Sunscreen.
Limit exfoliation to twice per week and use a gentle exfoliator. Exfoliation refreshes your skin’s surfaces and brightens your appearance as it removes dead cells from the surface of your skin. But if you exfoliate too often or too aggressively, you risk damaging living cells.
Apply your skin care products to warm skin in order to help your skin appear healthier. This maximizes absorption. If your skin is cold, use a warm towel to warm your skin.
Never pull or rub your skin. Apply your skin care products gently, and lightly tap for a few moments to help your skin absorb them. Rubbing stretches your skin and can promote sagging and wrinkles. (Note: This principle includes leaning your face on your hand while sitting at a desk, which also stretches your skin.)
Don’t expect overnight changes. Even if you start doing everything right today, don’t be discouraged with seeming lack of progress tomorrow. It may take a month or even two to three months to notice changes. Plus, it’s quite possible that others will notice your increasingly youthful-looking face before you do.
Remember: it took years to get where you are today, so show patience when expecting changes and improvements.

Click, here, to find out more on skin care. It doesn't have to be expensive, either. I have found great natural skin care, click here, that is inexpensive, and with Tropical Traditions. The prices are amazing and all natural; my face feels fantastic!

My next step is all natural make-up, and Aubrey Organics sells that, too. I am going to be ordering that next month (It's in my November goals!).

Here's to us and beautiful skin!

Labels: health and beauty, how to eat organic on a budget