Healthy Skin: comes from the inside, but

[Stars in my Pocket]

taking care of the outside is important too!

rock salt detox scrub
ingredients: handful of coarse/rock salt + 2 tbsp or so of olive/sesame oil
(rose essential oil optional for fragrance!)

Warm up the shower before you start. Don't make it scorching hot, but really warm feels good after a long day at work.
After 1-2 minutes of soaking (I wash my hair, then apply conditioner and do this as the conditioner soaks into my hair) in the warm water, step out of the stream and take a little bit of the salt/oil mixture. Starting at your feet, rub it in using your whole hand (mainly broad surface of your palms) and rub your feet, soles, calves, and up. Pay attention to and use a bit more force on your buttocks and thighs, the stimulation is good and prevents/helps cellulite. Be gentle on your abs, chest, and try to get as much of your back as you can. You can do this to your neck, but use lighter salt for your face, and don't skip the oil even if your face gets oily. The salt counteracts it and the oil nourishes the skin.
Step back under the stream and massage the skin until the salt has all been rinsed away. If you do how I do, rinse the conditioner out of your hair and then turn the shower to cold for a minute. Uncomfortable, I know, but it gets your circulation going.
Hop out of the shower and into a warm, cozy towel. Dry off a bit, grab a robe, and lay down in bed for a few minutes to relax. You'll feel GREAT.

Note; Exfoliate your body 1-2 times per week, and your face only once a week. Not more!

hydrotherapy shower

benefits: circulation + well-being.

Simply shower as normal. For the first two minutes the shower should be as hot as you can stand it. Then for thirty seconds: turn the water very cold, count out loud and breathe normally, don't hold your breath. Then for another 2 minutes switch to hot again. Then switch to cold. Then hot, then one more cold. That's it. Just 3 colds. On the last cold, count in your head and immerse your face in the water (assuming you take breaths out of the stream when needed!). It's great for your complexion.
Warm towel, wrap up, relax. You should feel really energized in only 10 minutes!

Do this once a week, at least.
 

[Sunsway]

I use a Neutrogena (sp?) scrub on my face whenever I wash my hair, usually every three days; and a gentle wash on the other days. Does using a scrub more than once a week damage the skin? O_O

I'm a firm believer that the best thing you can do for your skin is drink lots of water and use sunscreen. I think fish oil (omega3) helps too. =3

Interesting topic, thanks for the info!  

[Ligand]

Cool beans :] I'll try this.  

[Roslin]

The alternation of hot and cold water is good for your hair too, or so says a magazine. Right before you get out of the shower you're supposed to blast your hair with cold water. It supposedly keeps the moisture inside the hair.

I use ProActiv which keeps my acne down but I still kind of have red scarring even though I don't pick at my acne. Does anyone have any suggestions for getting rid of the redness?  

[Tandahda]

Another note about skin stuff.

Cellulite is something you can't get rid of, but it is easily prevented by bringing blood to your skin, exfoliation does that very handily. The hot and cold shower will also do that I think.

I exfoliate every day, I actually use these.


But not on my face, I use a less harsh loofa type thing on my face.

: P

I love the bit about the shower, I usually start really hot and then go cold.  

[Sunsway]

I think a hot-cold shower is good for your system in general! biggrin

Off-topic, but when I was a child there was one guy living in the same building who would go outside and pour a bucket of cold water over his head everyday (including winter -- and it does snow there [in Ukraine]). Last I heard, seven years on and he's still at it.