Skin Care Routine for Dry Skin

Taking care of dry skin is my specialty! I have dry, sensitive skin and eczema. Living in the Chicago area does not help my skin at all. Especially when we are having a winter like we have been having. Anyone know how I’m feeling?? Let’s dig in on how to help that dry skin look glowing and dewy!  If you want me to do another post on eczema, just let me know :)

The first thing about dry skin, #1 importance- Do not use any products that will dry you out more.  All products that I use are gentle and adding moisture to my skin, never taking moisture away.

On that same note- Hydrate!  Water!  Drinking enough water every day really does make a huge difference!  Things like caffeine and alcohol are dehydrating.  For every cup of caffeine or alcohol, drink 2-3 glasses of water to make up for it.  This is on top of the regular amount of water you are drinking.  What is the “regular amount”?  I’m so glad you asked!  For the average person, 8 glasses.  But you have dry skin and you need more hydration.  So I would aim for 10-12 glasses.  I know you will feel like you are drinking water all day long.  And that’s because you should be drinking water all day long.  I put my water in a “sippy cup” and drink from a straw.  It seems to go down a lot easier.  Add a splash of lemon or lime, tasty!  If you are busy and can’t sit around sipping water all day, I want to extend a challenge to you.  Every hour on the hour grab a glass of water and chug it.  At the end of the day you should have drank about 15 glasses of water.  Yeah!
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I Buy Everything I Can On Amazon

It’s been a week since I’ve posted, and it’s been a looooong crazy week!  It started off with a trip to the ER (everyone is ok).  Then everyone in the family got sick all at the same time with a high fever cold/flu bug.  John and I got better in a couple of days.  Then the week ended with a visit to the doctor to find out Caleb has an ear infection and Sofia has pneumonia.  I am so happy last week is over and I’m starting a new week.

I normally do most of my shopping online.  With me being stuck inside all of last week, I really learned just how much I love shopping online.  Especially on Amazon!  They make shopping so easy and convenient and they always have the lowest price!!!  Even if their price is the same, you don’t pay tax so it’s actually cheaper.  I don’t have to leave the house and it’s delivered to me in 2 days.  Seriously amazing!!

So why do they have the lowest prices and why do the prices fluctuate?  After one phone call to them I found out all the answers.  They have thousands of retails, stores and individuals they get their products from.  With the volume of inventory they sell, it demands a competitive price.  Then they always sell the lowest price first.
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Exfoliation – Everything You Need to Know & Why It’s So Important!!!

Exfoliation is a very important step in taking care of your skin and it’s often skipped. Let’s talk about why exfoliating is so important and how to do it!

5 Layers of Epidermis - Skin Cell Life

Step into my science class for just a minute and learn why exfoliation is necessary. The part of skin, called the Epidermis, is made up of 5 layers. Skin cells are produced in the bottom layer. When skin cells are brand new they are plump and beautiful. As they work their way up through the layers of skin they start to flatten out. By the time they get to the top layer, which is what we see on the outside, the skin cells are dead, completely flat and dull. See the diagram to the right.

Without exfoliating these dead skin cells off, they just hang around like your dirty laundry that doesn’t ever go away on its own. They will get comfortable in any open pore, nestle themselves in there and cause blackheads and break outs. They give you that “texture” and an over all dull look. They cause your foundation to crease and settle in places you don’t want. They also give you an uneven complexion. Yeah, we all hate those yucky dead skin cells!!
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Date Your Husband

My husband and I have been married for 10 years.  Still after 10 years of marriage I love him so much.  If I could go back in time and have a redo, I would marry him all over again.  With so many divorces happening and people having the worst luck in love, I have to ask myself, what are we doing right?  We are just normal people, no better than anyone else.  Why are we still so happy being married to each other after 10 years?

Of course over 10 years we have had ups and downs, highs and lows, good times and bad.  We are by no means perfect.  In a marriage, the good times are always the easiest.  Who isn’t happy when everything in their life is going perfect?  But I’ve had to reflect on how we have gotten thru the bad.  There are a few key things that my husband and I always live by:
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Tips & Tricks #5

  1. Steaming your skin before extracting (removing blackheads) helps prepare the skin to let the blackheads go.
  2. The first place wrinkles appear is around the eye area.  If you are not using an eye cream start using one immediately.  You are never to young!
  3. Prevention is Key!  Don’t wait until you have wrinkles, age spots, sun spots, etc to start taking care of your skin.  They way you take care of your skin between the ages of 18-30 years old will show up when you are 40’s and 50’s.
  4. 3 things that age the skin most: sun exposure, smoking, alcohol
  5. Most skin conditions can be improved by diet.  Limit things like: caffeine, alcohol, sugar, chocolate, dairy.