In my search for excellent skin care products and after trying many commercial and even some “natural” products, I found that my dry, sensitive skin was not improving. This led me to create my own skin care products. I’m not a doctor or medical authority in any field, but I have learned some common sense elements of good skin care and want to pass them along to you. Apply your own common sense in adopting these practices for yourself.

 

Cleansing

• Germs abound. Try to keep dirty hands (and other objects) off your face. Doing so will limit the germs you transmit to your skin, helping you remain healthier. Shared cell phones spread germs from face to face these days, so try to clean any part that touches your face with an alcohol pad at least every 1-2 days.
   
• Water, water everywhere!  The body needs moisture to work properly, and lots of it. Drink plenty of clean, fresh water, and use clean water to wash your face and body. Water helps wash away dirt externally, and toxins internally.
   
• What we eat comes “out of our pores.”  Ever notice how when you eat garlic or onions, sometimes your skin smells like them afterward?  That’s because the body gets rid of waste products in many ways, even through the skin. Looking at it another way, what we put on the outside of the skin goes into the skin, too.
   
• Oil is not usually the cause of blemishes, but it traps dirt and bacteria, leading to blemishes. Wash your face gently 2-3 times each day, as skin needs to stay clean to stay healthy.
   
• Easy does it - just say “NO!” to artificial exfoliation!  All those advertisements telling you to “slough off that old, dead skin” or “dermabrade your skin at home” are actually encouraging you to damage your skin (so you’ll have to use their products to restore it to a healthy state). Think about it: if you scrub your skin with something designed to scrub it off, aren’t you also scrubbing off healthy skin?  At the same time, you’re making microabrasions (tiny scratches in the skin), leaving you vulnerable to bacterial attack, leading to possible systemic (whole body) infection, and definitely more skin trouble! Another little known fact: the more you scrub and strip your oily skin using chemical abrasives, the more oil your skin produces to protect itself. Knowing all this, it doesn’t make much sense to exfoliate now, does it?
   
• If you feel that your skin is dry and flaky and needs to be refreshed, purchase a soft complexion brush (around $5 at most beauty supply stores). On your dry face using the dry brush, gently brush upward on flaky areas. Any skin that’s ready to come off, will. The healthy skin will stay on. That’s the way it should be. Gentle skin care makes good sense. You can use this same concept with a larger soft brush on your entire body.

Moisturizing

• Heat takes away moisture and is your skin’s enemy. Try to use warm-enough water, but not hot. Wear appropriate gloves if immersing your hands in hot water, like when washing dishes.
   
• All soaps remove oil. The purpose of all soap, even our gentle goat milk soap, is to wash away the skin’s old layer of oil that has trapped dirt and bacteria. Most commercial soaps are actually detergents that strip away moisture, one way sensitive skin gets into trouble. My Organic Goat Milk Soap replaces some of your natural moisture after gently cleaning it, which is why your skin feels softer after bathing with it.
   
• Adding moisture helps with dry skin. Dry, delicate skin needs additional help to replace lost moisture, and adding our natural moisturizers provides that help. After bathing you might use my Shea Skin Silk or Magic Cream all over to help your skin. My new Rose Dream Cream is an extra treat for sleep time.

Healing

• Used in common sense amounts, Tea Tree Essential Oil can be your skin’s friend. This oil comes from Melaleuca alternifloria, a plant that grows in Australia and New Zealand. Naturally anti-bacterial, anti-viral, antiseptic, anti-fungal and anti-pruritic (anti-itch), research shows that it can help heal blemishes, soothe insect bites and even dry up poison ivy rashes on the skin! Another way to help skin exposed to poison ivy: lather up my Organic Goat Milk Soap and apply some lather to the affected area. Leave it on until your next bath. Somehow it helps to dry out the blisters, lessening the itch and helping it heal. TIP: You can buy tea tree essential oil, 2oz. for $5, at Wal-Mart’s pharmacy.
   
• Many commercial products dry out your skin. If you read the labels, you will see that many skin care products contain alcohol, mineral oil, and petrolatum (petroleum jelly). Some products to watch out for are bath salts and scrubs, some cleansers and toners, and even many lotions. Consider whether you want these ingredients on your skin, and remember that what goes on the skin goes into the skin. None of my products contain salt, alcohol, mineral oil, or petrolatum.
   
• Help your skin glow from the inside out. Vitamin E and some other nutritional supplements can help skin retain more of its natural moisture. Healthful diet helps the body maintain its proper balance, and drink water often. Consult your health care practitioner and friends at a local health food store for the products and correct dosage that may help you. Most of our products contain natural Vitamin E, an anti-oxidant.
   
• Love your skin. Consult your doctor if you find any lumps, bumps or unexplained rashes, bruises, moles or lesions. Use our natural products only as directed. Gentle washing and moisturizing will help keep your skin healthy. Protect your skin from the sun by using an approved sun block product.
   
• “Less is more” applies to good common sense skin care. The fewer commercial “beauty” products we use, the more beautiful our skin will be.

In good health and with best intentions, Wise Woman Gifts wants to help you keep your skin radiant. Contact me if I can help you with your search for the natural, beautiful you.

Sue Winderweedle
Wise Woman Gifts
706.669.1571

---

 
Directions for using Acne Blend 

 
For use only by those 10 years of age and older.
 

Roll the bottle between hands to mix oils before using. After washing the face, dip a clean cotton swab into the product and dab a small amount on pimples. Bacteria related pimples should begin to diminish within 24 hours and are usually gone with 48 hours. Do not pinch pimples, as doing so can spread more bacteria and cause additional pimples.
 

If a rash or new skin problem develops, discontinue use. Do not get product in the eyes, mouth, nostrils or ears. Keep out of the reach of children and animals. Use only as directed. External Use Only.

Click here for a printable version of this page. (pdf - 276KB)