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Say that 3 times fast! It's the season of sunburns, bug bites, dry lips, and ingrowns, specifically our bikini area. So let's chat about preventing skin issues and natural remedies to address them as they sneak up on us! Since our skin is our largest organ; it's important to take note of what we are putting in and on it. Our skin is absorbing everything we put on it for the body to process and many popular products have some super yucky chemicals that we should avoid.
Amazon Tip: Only buy from trusted vendors, buying from the wrong vendor will leave you disappointed. My links are to the trusted vendors! Check out my Beauty Starts on the Inside blog for my AM and PM routine as well.
Let's start out with this statement, I am not a doctor. This blog is based on my personal experience and what works for my household!
SUNBURNS
PREVENT: Staying hydrated while you're in the sun is beneficial for the moisture retention in your skin! For the face my favorite sunscreen is Organic Coola, I really like the cucumber cooling effect . For the body, my go-to is Sun Bum Sunscreen SPF 50 . If you want join me in trying Elta MD SkinCare face and body mineral-based formula. Literally, I'm sold on the fact that the reviews are insane, not a single negative review! TIPS: As you shop for sunscreen, stay away from Oxybenzone and Octinoxate; these are hormone disruptors. Also, mineral-based sunscreens are the most natural options, but keep in mind that these can be very tacky, leaving a white veil on your face. For that reason, I am trying out Elta MD ;)
TREAT: Stay hydrated on the inside with water, moisturize the skin with aloe vera gel or spray with a body lotion like Shea Moisture Daily Hydration, take cool baths/showers, and no exfoliating! If you've got an aloe vera plant, grab that little sucker, if not BH Aloe Vera is a great choice and if you've got sensitive skin, use MadeFromEarth Cucumber Cooling Gel on your face. I use this for post-wax and shave care. You can literally put this ish anywhere! TIPS: DO NOT EXFOLIATE or PEEL! Do your best to let dry/peeling skin come off slowly on its own. Continue to layer on the sunscreen to protect and prevent more skin damage.
BUG BITES
PREVENT: Wanna live a life in a bug-free bubble! Me too! Check out this hot item Bug Soother OR you can make your own bug repellant! In the beginning it may seem like a lot of work, BUUUUT once you have all the ingredients and spray bottle you will actually save money in the end. Essential oils should be your next best frannnd if they aren't already. However the only thing I will mention; since we are all different chemistry, you may have to tinker with the recipe slightly. Grab yourself a spray bottle! I would buy a few bottles to keep in key areas like yard, pool bag, kids bag, personal tote etc. I buy plastic since I've got kiddos around, but glass in general is better. Base of the formula is a witch hazel toner Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel (fragrance free) and the oils needed, citronella, peppermint, rosemary, lavender, lemongrass, and tea tree. I linked a starter pack since you get a better bang for your buck. If you want to buy them individually find yourself a Doterra rep, my favorite is Michelle Vanderwater who will have products and the knowledge to answer questions.
30 drops of Citronella and 10 drops of the others. The oil-musts for this concoction is the citronella for the mosquitoes and the lemongrass and rosemary for gnats! The others oils have added benefits, tea tree is antiviral, antibacterial and lavender is great for soothing.
TREAT: Tea tree and lavender oils are UHmazing to treat bug bites with. I usually grab a q-tip to soak up a drop of each and treat each bite! My daughter always asks for the oils when she's itchy!!
DRY LIPS
PREVENT: You can either spread your face sunscreen over your lips for sun protection or you can find a lip balm with SPF like SunBum's Sunscreen Lip Balm - my favorite flavor is watermelon. TIPS: Like sunscreen avoid buying products with Oxybenzone and Octinoxate chemicals, due to their negative effects on the body.
TREAT: Get your scrub on with Ultra Sexy Scrub and find yourself a beeswax free lip mask like Melixir Vegan Lip Butter . Beeswax serves its purpose to create a barrier on your lips however it doesn't actually moisturize your lips! TIPS: Only exfoliate your lips twice a week and use a beeswax-free lip moisturizer, make sure to apply it right before bed for a masking effect!
INGROWNS
PREVENT: Ingrowns are caused by dead skin, oil, and debris blocking your hair follicle from opening, causing the hair to grow in sideways. Avoid ingrowns by exfoliating your bikini and other problem areas when you shower! You can simply use a clean wash rag to do this or a salt/sugar based scrub. I personally use saline salt packets for skin treatment and exfoliation. After using a saline rinse for my nose piercing and salt packets to rinse my sinuses; I did some more digging and learned saline has many beauty benefits as well.
TREAT: Do not aggressively pick at an ingrown, much like prevention you will need to exfoliate the area until it's ready to come out on its own. Reach for those oils! You can create your own treatment spray using a small bottle, fragrance free witch hazel, lavender, and tea tree oil. If you'd rather not create a spray; you could use a cotton round, add the toner, 2 drops of tea tree and 1 drop of lavender, then swipe-swipe. TIPS: Do not use saline salt as an exfoliator no more than twice a week on any single area of your body. You can exfoliate the bikini area with a rag each time you bathe or shower.
If you enjoyed this read, another one of my blogs to check out is Beauty Starts on the Inside blog for my AM and PM routine as well.
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