Gotta Get It!

November’s Smooth Skin
by Marcia Horn

Keep your skin smooth through the changing seasons.

Summer to fall is a taxing transfer for the body—you’ve got changing temperatures and humidity levels, which can have a dramatic affect on the body—why do you think people get sick around this time? I have listed some pointers for avoiding the worst of it with suggestions and skin-preserving tips.

Bergamot Salt Scrub

How Much: $24.00
Buy it At: TheBodyShop.com

Number one on my list of recommendations is this salt scrub from the Body Shop. Make sure to choose Bergamot, as it is the best scent in this line. I have tried many salt scrubs, but I always come back to this one, with its mixture of bergamot essential oil, sesame oil and soy oils, which soak into the skin as the salt exfoliates. It makes your skin feel incredible, and the container can be reused for storing stuff like hair ties and jewelry—well worth the expense.

Aveda Caribbean Therapy Bath Soak

How Much: $25.00
Buy it At: aveda.com

Bathe in softening ingredients like Caribbean mango and cocoa butters, which hydrate skin, with this Caribbean Therapy Bath Soak from Aveda. Products from this company are always a safe buy, because the all-natural ingredients are plant-derived and great for the skin and hair—plus they smell great! This web site, by the way, is full of designer skin-care products at a reasonable cost.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula with Vitamin E

How Much: $4.58
Buy it At: Drugstore.com

To keep skin in top shape, get in the habit of moisturizing after every bath or shower. I recently learned of a special lotion that now tops my list for many reasons. It’s made by Palmer’s, a company that specializes in cocoa butter-based products. They seem to have it down because this stuff is great as an everyday moisturizer, nice to keep in your purse for hands, can be used for feet and even as an after-sun soothing lotion. Plus the smell is fabulous—like pure chocolate all over you. Yum! Another plus—cocoa butter minimizes the appearance of scars, stretch marks and any dark spots. For all these reasons buyers of Palmer’s products are satisfied buyers.

Emergen-C Vitamin Packets

How Much: $12.99
Buy it At: Drugstore.com

Vitamins are essential for healthy skin. Foods high in vitamin C & E, and foods with rich oils like coconut and avocado, are great for the complexion. I love using the vitamin packets called Emergen-C as a supplement. You just stir one packet into a small glass of water and drink—the fizz makes it taste like a soda, and it comes in a variety of flavors. This is a good alternative to daily vitamins, and a great way to get that extra vitamin C your body needs.

True Blue Spa—Butter-Soft Polishing Hand Wash

How Much: $8.50
Buy it At: bathandbodyworks.com

Trade the harsh antibacterial stuff that’s high in alcohol content for a creamy moisturizing soap whenever you wash your hands. Something that’s going to nourish, not damage. I think Bath and Body Works puts it best in their product description: “Shea butter beads and glycerin keep hands nourished, while gently exfoliating bamboo clears away dull, dry skin for a spa-polished look and feel.”

Rene Furterer Carthame Hydro-nutritive Serum

How Much: $34.00 (Plus Free Shipping)
Buy it At: dermstore.com

Don’t forget about your hair! Summertime can be pretty rough on your locks, so treat them to a rejuvenating, warm application of Rene Furterer’s Hydro-nutritive Serum (a set of six.) Put one tube in a cup or bowl of hot water to heat it up, then wet hair with hot water and massage serum into scalp and hair. Leave the product on for two to five minutes, then rinse and shampoo as usual.

So that’s it—these simple precautions can really pay off in the dead of winter when your freezing hands get dry and uncomfortable.

Stay tuned for next month when I post my TOP GIFT PICKS for the holidays!!

Note: prices and availability subject to change.