Spring may be just around the corner but Winter may still be drying your skin. The climate varies around the country, but the problems our skin experiences are similar. In the winter your skin is exposed to many harsh environments like dry indoor air, cold and wind outside, and a lack of sunshine. All this causes very dry, flaky irritated skin in the winter months. But there is something you can do to be comfortable in your skin. What you need to do is moisturize, exfoliate, and moisturize again. Your skin reacts differently in the winter so you need to adjust accordingly.

Cleansing: In the Winter one of the most important things to keep in mind is hot water dries your skin. As good as it feels to take a steaming hot shower your skin will suffer the consequences. If your skin is very dry try washing with water that is warm but not hot. You want your cleaning routine to be as moisturizing as possible, so you might want to change to one of our more moisturizing soaps such as Baby Me or Olive soap if you are not already using it.

Moisturize: Replenish Moisturizer is great but if you need something more in the winter try the Shea Body Butter, even though it is a heavier moisturizer, the ingredients are all non-comedogenic, so it can be used on your face without fear of clogging pores.
It is a good idea to use a heavier moisturizer in the winter since your skin has more extreme conditions to deal with. Itchy skin often happens because the dry air of winter is causing the moisture in the top layer of your skin to evaporate.

Exfoliate: This is done to remove dead skin cells and allow your skin to absorb the extra moisturizer you are applying. But don’t exfoliate more than twice per week.

Hydrotherapy: This stimulates your circulatory system for better blood flow to your skin. You can do this at home by using your shower. Start out with a warm shower, before you finish switch the water to cold for about fifteen seconds then back to warm. Repeat the process for two minutes. Try it and see if you don’t feel better.

Moisturize: The best time to moisturize is right after a bath or shower. The bath helps to hydrate your skin and the Shea Body Butter helps to keep it from evaporating.

And remember healthy skin starts from the inside, so eat healthy whole foods and drink plenty of water.

5 Fall Skin Care Tips

1. Choose gentle cleansers that don’t strip your skin of natural oils.

2. Pick “Fragrance Free” if you have sensitive skin. “Unscented” could mean it has small amounts of fragrance to mask the odors of ingredients. (all of Alabu’s unscented products are fragrance free)

3. Skip toners, if you are using a gentle cleanser you don’t need them and they dry out your skin.

4. Moisturize after you cleanse. Plant-based moisturizers that include natural oils, and essential fatty acids penetrate skin better and contain beneficial nutrients for your skin.

5. Hydrate; make sure you are drinking enough water. We tend not to get as thirsty in the fall & winter but our body still needs it.

August is Psoriasis Awareness Month.  Many people find Alabu Skin Care because they are having problems with their skin. One of those problems is psoriasis; an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and typically appears as scaly patches that are red and raised. Psoriasis is can be mild or a very severe disease. Non medical  approaches like diet changes, reducing stress, using a moisturizing soap, keeping moisturizers on your skin and avoiding hot showers can help the condition, but it is often not enough. There are five different types of psoriasis which makes it difficult to self diagnose. If you suspect you have psoriasis you should check out the National Psoriasis Foundation.  They have mountains of information to help.