Skin Care Advice
Beauty is indeed skin deep!!
Normally, healthy skin contains about 10-20% water. If the skin’s water content is less than 10%, it will become hydrated, and is likely to chap and crack. In the normal course of a day, the average body loses at least 1.5 litres of water – so it's essential the skin is constantly re-hydrated!
Mushatt’s skincare experts bring us these top tips for soft and supple skin from tip to toe...
1. Hydration, Hydration, Hydration
Water is essential in everyday life to keep both your insides and outsides clean and healthy. Whether you are detoxing or not, you should drink about 1.5 litres of filtered or bottled water every day, taken in small amounts regularly throughout the day. In cooler weather drinking this quantity of water will ensure that the skin obtains a certain amount of hydration. However, in warmer weather, an extra half litre a day is recommended.
2. Skin Brushing
You need only a body brush with natural bristles, such as a loofah, and then a much softer brush, or a flannel for the face. Start at your feet and work upwards, brushing the legs, then buttocks, up the arms, then onto the chest and stomach and finally the face. Brush more gently where the skin is thinnest and always brush towards the heart. Skin brushing should preferably be done immediately before you have a bath or shower so that the dead cells are washed away. Skin brushing is a relaxing, therapeutic way to softer skin. The skin will feel awake and tingling and will welcome some cooling Mushatt’s Skin Lotion!
3. Hands Up
If you have problematic dry hands apply a moisturiser after washing them and ensure that you wear gloves in cold weather to protect them. Spread plenty of moisturising Skin Lotion over your hands, put on cotton gloves, then snug-fitting latex surgical gloves. Leave the gloves in place for at least two hours, but preferably overnight. In the morning, remove the gloves and you will have beautifully soft and supple moisturised hands.
4. Face Facts
Your face needs a thorough cleansing at least once, preferably twice, a day to remove grime and dead skin cells. Use warm, not hot, water for washing your skin; hot water can encourage extra blood vessels, resulting in a ruddy complexion. If you risk thread veins, avoid steam baths, excessive alcohol, hot spices and caffeine.
5. Soap Story
Cheap, compact and versatile, soap is the most fundamental of all toiletries. However, soap and water can strip facial skin of its acidic film and dry it out. Try using the versatile Mushatt's Macwash , a natural, non-foaming herbal cleanser formulated for maximum re-hydration of dry skin. It leaves skin feeling refreshed, clean and soft. Macwash replaces conventional, detergent-based soaps and gels for bathing and showering. It contains the natural antiseptic and softening essential oils, tea tree and chamomile.
6. Issues with Tissues
Avoid using tissues for cleansing as they are made from wood pulp and contain microscopic splinters of wood that can become embedded in the skin. Use flannels or cotton wool pads instead.
7. Lock in the Moisture
If you have particularly dry skin, apply a hand and body lotion while your skin is still damp from the bath or shower. Let your skin dry without toweling yourself to allow the moisture to be absorbed.
8. Breathe Deeply
Most of us breathe in a shallow, superficial way that uses only one-third of lung capacity. Circulation is compromised and cells do not receive sufficient oxygen to reproduce at their optimum rate – which leads to dull lifeless skin. Spend a few minutes each day doing full healthy breathing. Lie on the floor, placing your hands on your abdomen, fingertips touching. Take a long slow breath through the nose, counting to five. Your lungs and abdomen will expand making your fingertips part. Hold your breath for a count of five and then very slowly this time on a count of ten exhale through your mouth. Feel your fingertips touching again and repeat.
9. Exercise
Any exercise will help the appearance of cellulite if it is regular and over a prolonged period of time. Regular exercise improves your circulation, which in turn benefits your skin. Try to exercise 3-5 times a week for about 20-30 minutes at a time, building up slowly. If you are not a gym person, take a walk! Always take the stairs!!
10. Moisturise from the tip of your nose to the tip of your toes
As with facial moisturising, your skin’s response to moisturising treatment is cumulative. So, the more frequently you use your moisturiser, the better your skin will look and feel. If you are still looking for the perfect moisturiser, try the Mushatt’s product range which includes creams and lotions that cater for both dry and extra dry skin. The formulae contain a wide range of natural moisturising factors, coupled with natural botanical extracts and skin oils, and are available from pharmacies nationwide.