Winter Help for Dry Skin and Lips
Yes, it's that time of year when the cold and dryness can really show up on our skin so here are some internal and external supportive measures ...
1. Get hydrated!
Having a glass of water/water bottle handy and take sips throughout the day. One glass on waking, one while preparing meals, one before leaving home, one when you get home .... find a doable rhythm with it.
* 1 L for every 100 lbs body weight daily or another recommendation is to drink in ounces half your body weight in pounds. Add a cup extra for every cup of coffee, sugar and other dehydrating substances.
* add fresh lemon juice to your morning water to aid liver function and detoxification or after dinner to curb that late night dessert/carb craving.
* avoid gulping down huge amounts of water when eating - this dilutes your digestive enzymes and further weakens digestion. Sipping is fine.
2. Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)- healthy oils - key not only to immune system health and brain power but a key nutrient in skin health. Super EFA Liquid and Super EFA capsules are my favourite fish oils and are available at the office in Canmore (403) 609-8385. Whichever EFAs you get just make sure they are clean from contaminants/heavy metals - asking the company if they have third party testing and getting a copy of current evaluation is a way to make sure you are buying one that is healthy for you.
3. 100 % Natural Oils/Lotions/Lip Balms for topical use - Antioxidants are protective and strengthen our skin - pick oils/lotions free of chemicals you can't pronounce and high in antioxidants - Rocky Mountain Soap Company, Uriel and Weleda are our family's favorites.
* For cracked lips and painful, cracked skin on the fingers the Universal Ointment R30 (I special order this for clients) has gotten rave reviews! $24.95 for a tube. (403) 609-8385.
4. Skin brush daily before your shower - aside from being a powerful daily way to support your immune system, skin brushing sloughs off dead skin cells and increases circulation to your skin. Increased circulation brings increased nutrients and of course healthier skin. Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoTBP_WJy9E for a basic short video on skin brushing.
5. Decrease daily chlorine exposure - chlorine in our water is drying. Especially is you have children, a chlorine filter for your shower is a good, simple investment to help your skin and body be healthy - it's easy to install and a client told me that they are available at home hardware. I had bought mine through www.aquasmart.com.
6. Lastly, make sure your dry skin isn’t a sign of something bigger like a subclinical hypothyroid state or a call for some support adrenally. Stress can have a drying effect on the tissues of the body and when the thyroid is low your mood, weight, energy and digestion can be affected. Your Naturopathic Doctor is trained to look at the big picture of your health. She/he can do tests that preventatively test for the health of the thyroid and adrenals and help you get to the bottom of symptoms so your whole system can thrive. (-:
