SKIN TLC

No matter the season, tending to your body’s skin with routine care is important.  After all, skin is your body’s largest organ and takes up approximately twenty square feet of surface.  Skin does a body good, by protecting everything that’s under its mantle, so be extra careful taking care of the mantle.  Following are a few tips from outside experts on ways to tend to your body’s skin and its needs.

~ Ole Henriksen, Skincare Guru ~

“You should exfoliate before going out in the sun to rev up circulation, facilitating the elimination of toxins or impurities that may be trapped in the skin. In addition to detoxification, exfoliation leaves the skin luminous, smooth and soft in texture, and it removes any excess dead skin, allowing for better absorption and easier application of sunscreen or lotion.”   http://www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/news/articles/summer_skin_care_tips.php

Shower Smoothie DIY by Ole Henriksen: 

4 oz. of Epsom salt; 4 oz. coffee grounds; 1 T eucalyptus oil; and, enough sesame oil to form a smooth paste.  Mix the Epsom salt and coffee grounds in a medium bowl, then add the oils and stir thoroughly until you have a smooth, but not runny paste.  Get in the shower, get wet and turn off the water. Use the entire palm of each hand to vigorously scrub your body for several minutes, from your neck to your feet.

Afterward, just rinse and glow. Your skin will feel smooth, and you’ll notice an immediate lifting and constricting of the skin.

~ Marsha Bialo, Award-Winning Celebrity Manicurist ~

This award-winning celebrity manicurist recommends bi-weekly pedicures to ease aches and pains, reduce swelling and disinfect blisters or lesions.  http://www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/news/articles/experts_share_summer_beauty_tips.php

At-Home Pedicure Restorer: 

Give your feet a comfortable place to rest by folding a bath towel and positioning it at the bottom of a bucket.  Mix half a cup of Epsom salt with some warm, soapy water to soften skin and calluses and dry out the bacteria from blisters.  Remove old polish with a cotton pad soaked with nail polish remover, cut nails straight across with clippers then file them square to remove sharp edges.  Soak for five minutes, dip a file into the water and use it to smooth your heels, the balls of your feet and the outer edges of your pinkie toes.  Add a calcium nail fortifier and ridge filling base coat, and finish off with a topcoat.

~ Julie Ricevuto, YouBeauty Expert ~

Lemon Poppy Seed Cookie Scrub ~ 

The natural vitamin C in highly acidic lemons helps rapidly turn over and brighten skin cells. Plus, the energizing citrus fruit helps deodorize and clean skin. This blend plays off a popular muffin recipe, with the added gentle exfoliation benefit of tiny poppy seeds.  You’ll need 4 lemons, 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, 1-cup sugar, 1-teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ cup cornmeal, and ½ cup coconut oil.  Zest the lemons, then leave the zest to dry for one to two hours. (If you don’t have a zester, remove the lemon peel with a vegetable peeler and then mince the peel with a knife.) In a bowl, mix poppy seeds, sugar, cornmeal, vanilla and lemon zest. Pour the oil over the ingredients and mix to combine. Store in a sealed jar for up to three months.

~ In Closing ~

Sometimes the simplest things, like Epsom salt, which have been a mainstay in homes for many years continues to be a natural wonder.  For years, people would add generous amounts to their bath water.  Not only did the mineral salts soften the water, but it also alleviated stiff and sore muscles.  Epsom salt is also great for soothing irritated skin, as a hair volumizer, and as an exfoliator.  Don’t overlook your kitchen and cupboard for other natural and simple remedies for minor skin issues.  Take time to take care of your skin.

That’s it for this edition.  Until the next one, remember to take care of yourself and those you love.

By Terry Herman

TERRY HERMAN is a recognized expert in the industry, and regularly covers issues that include business, management, operations, customer care, treatments, products, and trends. In the 1990s, she authored an extensive "Glossary of Spa Terminologies" and holds two copyright registrations.  Consumer and trade publications have also interviewed her as an expert.  She also conducted an extensive nationally broadcasted interview tour on aspects of creating an at-home spa, interior design, music, stress and time management.  Her work has been published extensively in print and digital in both consumer and trade publications.  In addition to writing, reviewing and being interviewed as an expert, she is also a management consultant and motivational speaker.  She also served on the International Advisory Board for the former EXPERIENCE | PREMCHIT Journeys In Retreat To Wellness; the Advisory Board was comprised of ten international experts in various fields of wellness and spa.  She also served as a Group Manager for the popular LinkedIn group, The Spa Buzz.  Her social media outreach includes Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Tripatini.  Be sure to read her food, wine and culinary digital magazine, TERRY’S SECOND HELPINGS.  Please note that the “Comment Section” has been disabled.  Don’t forget to “Like” her Facebook Page, “Terry’s Second Helpings”.  You can email her at terrysspabeautywellness@gmail.com, or terry.herman@gmail.com.

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(Introductory and closing photo credits by Epsom Salt Council; middle photo credit by Julie Ricevuto.)