I've been playing around with my shower-time skincare routine since moving to an excessively dry climate two months ago, and I've finally found my "happy place." I've always had dry skin - in fact, my skin has a number of pretty serious issues.
First, I had a stage one Melanoma removed back in 2010, so while I don't consider myself a "cancer survivor" (a quick removal took care of things), I do have to keep an eye on every mole and dark spot on my body. Second, I have psoriasis - it's plagued me since childhood and is currently flaring up pretty bad on my fingernails, shoulders, and arms. Third, I have sensitive skin, so the vast majority of skincare products irritate my skin to the point of rashes.
So when I say that I've got a CAREFUL skincare routine, please know that I genuinely have to take a great deal of care in what products I use on my body.
I have typically have a certain amount of DIY scrubs and creams on hand, but work has been so nuts lately that I've been pulling long hours and don't have the time to make any right now. That being said, I do try to be as healthy and natural as possible without breaking the bank.
Shaving
I hate shaving - my skin gets SO irritated if I'm not careful. Years ago I found the Schick Intuition razor and I haven't used anything else since. There are a few different options within the Intuition range, but I stick with the Naturals Sensitive Care. The way that the razor itself is surrounded by a natural aloe and vitamin E moisturizer helps to sooth my skin as I shave. The razor itself is usually about $10 at the drugstore, with the refills pack going for $15-30 depending on how many cartridges you're buying.
Body Wash
If I had to pick one natural ingredient as my "favorite," coconut would probably be it. I recently found the OGX Coconut Milk & Hibiscus Body Wash and I absolutely love it - I use the same brand for my shampoo and conditioner and these products are really impressive for the price, with really great organic ingredients. This product usually sells below $10 a bottle.
Facial Wash / Scrub
While I generally use only coconut oil to remove my makeup (see the link below), I still need a little something more to give my face a deep clean. Simple is another brand I love - Really affordable and they acutally make a facial scrub that I can use (in addition to very limited chemical ingredients)!
Usually my skin freaks out with scrubs and I have to DIY something that doesn't really provide a lot of exfoliation... The Simple Smoothing Facial Scrub is so mellow on my skin that have used it multiple days in a row before and not had any issues (I generally try to limit myself to twice per week with a scrub). The Moisturizing Facial Wash by Simple is also really great and provides a gentle clean for sensitive skin. Both products cost under $10 each.
Moisture
While everything that I use is "moisturizing," I still have to lather my entire body in lotion both in the morning and at night. I use Aveeno products... I'll be the first to admit that neither is ideal from a "Safe Cosmetics" perspective, but because of my psoriasis, I have to use them - nothing else works on me without the assistance of a corticosteroid cream... and I don't like to use corticosteroids unless its a serious flare-up.
On my face I use the Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion - It moisturizes without feeling heavy and you can find travel sizes for $2 in addition to the regular bottles, which retail for around $10. On my body, and probably the most important product in my entire skincare routine, I use the Aveeno Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream. This cream changed my life - it costs $15 and you can find it at any drugstore. It allows me to treat my psoriasis without steroids or a doctor's visit, plus it helps to control flare-ups all together.
No comments:
Post a Comment