Show Some Skin!...some love.

This particular form of self-care helps your skin's natural repair process, reduces your chance for blemishes, improves your skin's texture, allows your skin to easily absorb and retain moisture and vitamins from your skincare products, AND (my personal favorite) Elle Macpherson and Christie Brinkley claim they owe their gorgeous, youthful skin to this regimen! No, it's not some expensive laser treatment or high-dollar magical product, it's EXFOLIATING.

Some may avoid scrubs because they have dry, problematic skin, but, really, using it during these winter months is one of the best times of the year to keep up...and the kind of exfoliator is everything. Removing layers of dead skin removes the barricade blocking your skin product's healing powers and allows your body to ramp cell-turnover (producing new skin cells, repairing damaged skin).

Finding the right kind of exfoliator is important because the bad stuff, full of harsh, drying ingredients is why this regimen sometimes gets a bad rep. Some of my favorite options are Himalaya's Purifying Neem Face Pack, available at most health food grocers, and Joanna Vargas's Exfoliating Mask, available online. They're my top picks because of their pure ingredients and both double as a mask + scrub.

My other favorite option is good ol' DIY: coffee grinds and coconut oil. What's great about this homemade coconut coffee scrub is that it costs very little and it comes with the same fabulous benefits of many pricey store-bought options. You can utilize your used coffee grinds from that day, the caffeine will give your skin a nice temporary tighten, and both ingredients offer your skin antioxidants! The coconut oil also offers loads of moisture, antimicrobial power, fighting bacteria that causes blemishes, and it contains nourishing & protective vitamin E, reducing the effects of aging. Hopefully, you have quality coffee and coconut oil at home-- if you don't, I would suggest opting for organic...remember: you're detoxifying your face so, the last thing you want to do is dampen your efforts by attempting to do so with products containing toxins. Simply take a spoon full of grinds with a spoon full of oil, mix together by rubbing hands together over sink, and rub mixture onto face and neck (or entire body) in circular motions-- then, rinse clean with warm water! 

Remember: your face shouldn't be the only part of your body receiving this loving attention! Spoil yourself by scrubbing yourself from head-to-toe! Since I have sensitive skin, I typically only exfoliate once a week-- although, Elle and Christie's skin secret is doing it each day.  Not only is this routine great for your skin, but, it also increases circulation (great for keeping you warmer in these freezing temps). SUCH a win, win, win...

Let me know how it goes! (And please, don't be shy! I have really enjoyed receiving private messages from those of you who enjoy this blog, but I would love for you to step out and comment!)