Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Remedies For Summer Skin Congestion
Summer in the city so far has been a lot like a batch of cinnamon
buns...hot, steamy, and very sticky. There is no worse feeling than
melting one second then going into an air conditioned office to have
blasts of freezing air "set" your sweat. These severe weather conditions
can really take a toll on your skin health and instantly brew up a
batch of stubborn acne, blotchy skin, unsightly blackheads, and dullness
comparable to your last Match.com date. I call it "summer congestion"
and it happens to the best of us, but especially city dwellers who are
surrounded by environmental pollutants stressing out your skin in
conjunction with inconsistent weather. (Never stand too near the rear
of a bus and not expect an expression of exhaust to render you
breathless and cover you in black smoke. Learned the hard way.)
Last fall I began to give myself herbal facial steams at home
experimenting with an array of healing herbs, flowers and spices best
suited to my skin issues at the time. I fell pretty hard for my at home
treatments and Sunday evenings suddenly became fun as I created new
blends for the steams. A good facial steam is meant to swell up your
pores, detox the skin, and allow dirt, bacteria, and blackheads to
easily dislodge. I often would take this opportunity to exfoliate, as
well as add nutrients and vitamins to feed my face, if you will. After a
gentle upward massage and moisturizing with a serum and facial oil I
often awake to a fresh face and skin renewal that makes me smile in
delight. The best thing about creating a facial steam is you get to
blend as many soothing ingredients as you like and if that's not your
thing pulling out herbal teas from your cupboard will work just as well.
Here is a step by step guide to relieve your skin from summer
congestion. You can add more steps or make them simpler by purchasing
already prepared kits. Honestly, it's just as easy to do it yourself
with healing ingredients like marshmallow root, chamomile flowers, rose
petals, or lavender.
Step 1-Prepare A Facial Steam:
Mix your soothing ingredients into a large bowl. I like using German
chamomile flowers, marshmallow root, lemon peel, and a dash of turmeric
from my spice rack for a summer cleansing steam. Heat water in a teapot
until it is very hot and pour into the bowl with your dry ingredients
allowing the healing components to steep for a minute before draping a
towel over your head and letting the steam work its magic on your skin.
Add hot water into the bowl as needed to create more steam and continue
for 5-10 minutes. If your skin is oily do this one or two times a week
to control sebum production.
Step 2-Exfoliate
After you have finished a facial steam is when I think exfoliating is
most effective. Skin has sweated out some toxin buildup and blackheads
are more likely to dislodge when pores are hydrated and swollen. It's so
important not to be tempted to extract blackheads with fingernails as
bacteria from nails can make acne worse and scarring and pitting can
also occur. Use an exfoliator that does not contain walnut or apricot
shells which are too abrasive. A seed or plant based exfoliator is best.
I love making my own, but use what works best for you and with slow,
firm circular motions exfoliate skin. Pat skin slightly damp and move on
to Step 3.
Step 3-Manuka Honey Enzyme Treatment
Congested skin loses its luster quickly. Replenish skin with this lovely
nourishing enzyme treatment. You may use any type of honey you wish,
but I prefer manuka honey for its plentiful anti-microbial,
anti-bacterial, and antioxidant properties. True manuka honey is native
to New Zealand and stems from the manuka bush which also produces manuka
essential oil. It is thick, deep caramel colored, and smells of rich
active vitamins. (I like ingesting a spoonful when my throat feels raw
for immediate relief.) Try this recipe as a mask once a week when skin
is congested. The combination of manuka honey and Vitamin E and zinc
rich barbary fig seed oil helps calm inflamed skin and clear it right up.
1 tablespoon of raw manuka honey
5 drops barbary fig seed oil
1/8 teaspoon of pure cinnamon or tumeric
2 drops lemon essential oil
2 drops rose oil
Mix the honey with all the ingredients until incorporated well and with
clean hands apply in a thick layer over a clean face. Leave on for 20
minutes and rinse with warm water. This treatment recipe is especially
beneficial for acne sufferers and blemish prone congestion. For normal
skin plain manuka honey works just as well.
Step 4-Floral Misters
Flower waters contain many healing and soothing nutrients for skin
suffering summer congestion. You can purchase pure hydrosols which stems
from the natural steam distillation process that occurs when making
essential oils or make floral waters at home using dried organic flower
petals and distilled water. Infuse dried petals in a glass spritzer
bottles and pour hot water over to steep. Once cooled put into fridge to
store. Spritz as needed and to hydrate skin before moisturizing.
Spritzing cool floral water can make a muggy summer day very delightful
indeed! So refreshing.
Step 5-Lock In Moisture And Repair
If you have gone through all these steps and don't repair and protect
with a natural moisturizing treatment, it's almost all done in vain.
Sensitive and irritated skin can over produce sebum causing oily skin
that contributes to acne. Using a quality facial oil or serum that
contains plant based oils can balance sebum and normalize skin. For best
results moisturize with oils and serums at night when skin is naturally
repairing itself and the active ingredients have a better chance of
penetrating and performing its best.
These simple steps will have you looking like a glowing summer Goddess
instead of a raging Medusa in no time. Since most of us are too busy
during the work week use Sunday evenings to get yourself in tip top
shape. Keeping in mind to follow my skin saving tips for even better
healthy skin results.
Skin Saving Tips:
1. Avoid touching your face when shopping in a grocery store, using
public transportation or exchanging currency. Ever notice blemishes
flourish after being at the grocery store? It's no coincidence, carts
are bacteria hotspots. Wipe them down and wash your hands as soon as you
get home and definitely before putting away fresh food!
2. Wear less makeup or go makeup free on hot, humid days. Avoid silicon
based products that contribute to skin clogging. Allow your skin to
detox and breathe, that's what skin is supposed to do!
3. Clean makeup brushes, sponges, and applicators weekly.
4. Eat plenty of water based and antioxidant rich foods. Watermelon,
coconut water, fresh pressed juices all help to aid in skin health and
revitalize naturally.
5. Use cleansing wipes or DIY wipes to cleanse dirt, sweat, and avoid bacteria buildup.
6. Drink mate or matcha tea in summer to increase antioxidant support.
It's delicious and you can switch to cold matcha lattes or smoothies.
7. Use non-toxic, chemical free, and all natural skincare products to
keep skin clear and beautiful. Wear a light sunscreen that is zinc oxide
based. This tip is the best we'll give as many conventional products
contain so many harmful ingredients that contribute to skin congestion
and chronic flareups.
Happy Summer! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for more tips on modern organic skincare to reveal radiant skin.
xo-Victoria
La Bella Figura
2 Comments
Hi Lindsay,
Thank you for asking. I;m going to have to be honest and admit I’m not really a fan of such harsh exfoliation. The main problem is that too many people use this tool incorrectly and end up either with microscopic abrasions on the skin or self induced acne from not cleaning their brushes properly. Over time the little abrasions cause uneven skin tone and redness.
If your skin is more congested during the summer try facial steaming and using gently exfoliators like honey. You can even add a little baking soda and turmeric to your honey to provide soft exfoliation that will do the trick! What’s helped me a lot this summer is taking probiotics and chlorophyll tablets. They help oxygenate your skin! Once in a while I use those Japanese facial puffs with activated charcoal to decongest my skin if it feels clogged. I think too much exfoliation is bad for the skin and often the reason for uneven skin tone.
I hope that helps you a bit. And seriously if you’ve never facial steamed you’ll be amazed at how well it works to draw out dirt and blackheads and clear up your skin! All you need is hot water, a bowl, towel and some time. We have a few posts on how to do it on the blog.
Cheers,
Victoria
Victoria, what do you think about exfoliating with the Clarisonic skin tool? I know there are many conflicting opinions about this and I value yours so I wanted to know what you thought. My skin is very prone to congestion so I think I should be exfoliating more regularly. This tool seems like it could really get those areas that are hard to reach manually.
Thank you Victoria!!