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Keeping Up Appearances
Posted on December 4th, 2009 @ 11:57 am

This is the time of year when everything seems to get dry and flaky. Even people who don’t typically have dry skin issue, suddenly the dry heat, the winter cold and the constant hand washing seem to take their toll. So here are a few of my favorite winter skin tips to keep you looking your best!

HandsHand it to You 8oz with glove

These guys seem to take the brunt of the abuse in the winter. So to keep them looking (and feeling) their best, try these quick tips:

  • Keep hand lotion EVERYWHERE! I have it at our sinks, in my purse, the car and at my desk. With all of the handwashing going on, your hands will quickly look like they belong on the Winter Warlock if you don’t keep them happily moisturized. Hand it to You hand cream wins absolute raves from customers. The fresh clean scent from essential oils of lemon, lime and bergamot keep you smelling fresh and bright, while the antioxidants and rich butters and oils moisturize, protect and heal your skin. And it comes in 1 oz travel size (perfect for your purse or the car), as well as 4 oz jars and 8 oz pumps.
  • Exfoliate once a week. Use Pucker Up sugar scrub to scrub away dry, dead skin and leave it moisturized and smooth. Follow immediately with hand cream.

Feet

zippitydodah_footcreamNEWFeet also take a lot of abuse, and let’s face it – even though they aren’t as visible, no one likes to have dry, rough feet.

  • Use a quality foot scrubber like our Not So Rough foot smoother once a week after showering to scrub off the dead, thick skin on heels, toes and soles of feet.
  • Every evening, refresh and hydrate your tired dogs with a rich layer of Zippity Do Dah peppermint foot cream. The natural peppermint oil rejuvenates feet and legs, tea tree oil fights fungus, and the aloe, shea, jojoba and hyaluronic acid deeply moisturize. Put on a pair of socks or our Tootsie Tamers cotton booties and wear them overnight, revealing soft and smooth feet in the morning. Nice!

Face

Clearly your face gets exposed the most to the wind and cold. That, plus the dry heat can make your skin look and feel dry and flaky in a flash. Check out these quick solutions:Starting Over microderm

  • If your skin is oily but in the winter you find that your skin is flakier than normal, it might be a good time to switch to a gentler cleanser. If you’re using At Long Last, maybe try You’re Fresh for the winter months. Using You’re Fresh? Might be a good time to switch temporarily to Oasis for Faces. Also – definitely steer clear of cleansers with sulfates which can further dry out your skin.
  • Exfoliate (ok – sensing a trend?). Check out Break Free (a fantastic all natural “at home peel” made from 3 fruit acids) or Starting Over (a creamy microderm scrub). Both will rid your skin of the dry flakies and keep it smooth and soft all winter long. Use 1 to 3 times per week.
  • MOISTURIZE morning and evening – and any time in between that you find your skin is getting tight or dry. Our face creams – we have one for every skin type – come in 2 oz jars as well as .5 oz travel sized jars. Keep one in your purse or at your desk so you can reapply during the day if needed.

Lips

LipBalmBrightSmI don’t know about you, but it drives me crazy to have dry, flaky lips. Here’s what I suggest to fight that not-so-cute look:

  • Hydrate your lips with a quality lip balm. Check out Garden Girl’s lip balms in fresh Minty Smooth or Berry Silky flavors. Rich jojoba and apricot kernel oils keep lips smooth and soft.
  • If your lips start getting flaky and icky, exfoliate them (I know, broken record…) with either a clean face cloth or another trick – sugar! You can even do this when you are out in a restaurant or at the office (seriously – I have been this desperate!). Grab a sugar packet and head for the ladies room. Apply your lip balm and then rub a little sugar over your lips until they are smooth. (If you are in the comfort of your own home, scrubbing with sugar and olive oil works great as well.) Remove the sugar, then reapply lip balm. Voila! Sooo much better.

So face this winter season armed with great tips to keep your skin looking its best. Now, if I could just get my kids to do a couple of these too…


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face care · face cream · face wash · winter skin
Fighting Off Dull Winter Skin Blues
Posted on January 28th, 2009 @ 10:48 am

Yep – we’re right smack in the middle of winter and for most climates, this is the time of year when your skin can start looking a little beat – dull, dry, icky. Outdoors – the wind and cold take a toll, and indoors you have dry heat that robs your skin of essential moistures. So I thought I’d review some quick tips to keeping your skin fresh, clear and happy during these colder months:
1) WARM water – I know, you hear this all the time. But it’s true. Hot water saps your skin of it’s moisture and drys it out. So if you must – have a shot of hot water when you first get into and out of the shower, but otherwise keep it warm. This is true for when you wash your face as well.
2) Moisturize Moisturize Moisturize – Morning and evening – and as quickly after showering as possible to trap the moisture. Shea butter, Jojoba and Aloe are key ingredients that keep skin fresh and hydrated so be sure to look for those. And absolutely avoid mineral oils and petrolatum. While they are good for protecting skin (like when you are skiing and your skin is getting wind-burned) they are not great for your skin over long periods of time as they block pores and can inhibit your body’s ability to produce its own oils. Garden Girl products: Hugs or Smooches body butter, Chill Out/Mellow/Jump Start/Alive body lotions

3) Exfoliate – this goes for your face and your body. Garden Girl has a fantastic sugar scrub (Pucker Up Coconut) that allows you to exfoliate and moisturize your body at the same time. You use it in the shower and after a quick rinse-off your skin is left smooth, soft and deeply hydrated. For your face – we offer Starting Over microdermabrasion scrub which has natural microcrystals (the same ones used by the crazy-expensive in-office microdermabrasion treatments). It’s hard to find a natural microderm and this one is fantastic – plus it doesn’t dry out your skin like some can. Need even more help? Try Break Free fruit acid gel that uses a combination of pyruvic, lactic and glycolic acids that remove dead skin cells, unclogs pores and reveal softer smoother skin. And be sure to moisturize immediately after exfoliating!

4) Layer Face Moisturizers – don’t necessarily go out looking for a really heavy face cream, as those typically are filled with petroleum products. Instead, just like with clothing, you want to think about layering. Use a serum as your base layer – serums are intensely packed with typically oil-free hydrators (Like Magic has hyaluronic acid and a peptide complex) and soak in immediately. Then add your face cream over the serum. We recommend No Worries for sensitive/dry skin, Nature Nurture with AHA’s for normal or oily skin, and if you are looking to brighten skin even further – try using Bright Idea natural brightening cream. A very effective system is to use Bright Idea during the day and Nature Nurture or No Worries at night.

5) Don’t Forget Hands and Feet! – keep hand cream “handy” – at your sink, in your purse, at your desk etc. Use it throughout the day to keep hands moisturized and prevent cracking etc. And always wear mittens or gloves when you are out in the cold. Try Garden Girl’s Hand it to You hand cream for truly one of the best natural hand creams available. Just ask anyone who has tried it! (and it’s yummy lemon/lime/bergamot scent is clean and fresh). And for feet, treat them to rich moisture and revive them with Zippity Do Dah peppermint foot cream. Throw on a pair of cotton socks at night and you’ll be amazed at how smooth and soft they will be. And of course, don’t forget to exfoliate your feet in the winter (with something like our Foot Smoother).

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natural skin care · winter skin