FINDING AN OASIS IN THE DESERT OF WINTER
Handmade Soap Helps Quench Winter Skin's Thirst
Middlebury, Vermont – If skin could scream this time of year it would be howling like the winter winds. Cold temperatures and low humidity team up to parch skin during the winter months. Most people lather up with lotions and wait for spring, but here are some natural ways to keep Jack Frost at bay.
TREAT YOUR BODY'S LARGEST ORGAN WITH RESPECT
Healthy skin is very important for overall well-being. Skin is the body's largest organ and the first line of defense against harmful substances, temperature, infection, and dehydration. Severely dry winter skin can split and bleed, and becomes less effective at providing a barrier against infection. Winter conditions rendering facial skin rough and dry can also lead to signs of premature aging, such as wrinkles and fine lines.
THE BATHROOM IS A GOOD PLACE TO IMPROVE SKIN PROTECTION
Avoid long, hot showers during the winter. The hot water may feel good, but every time you wash your skin you strip away critical natural oils that lock moisture in the skin. Natural handmade soaps will help alleviate this effect at the source. Try taking warm showers or baths that last less than five minutes. Gently pat skin dry with a towel and apply a natural vegetable-based moisturizer while the skin is still damp.
Always use natural soaps, lotions, shampoos and shaving preparations. Conventional personal care products usually contain detergents and other synthetic substances that can dry and damage your sensitive skin. Handmade soap makes an excellent shaving cream, and it is often used as a shampoo when flaking scalp is present. Evidence abounds of the healing powers of natural handmade soap, particularly when essential oils, vegetable butters, aloe, oatmeal and protein sources such as goatsmilk are added. Winter skin sufferers, as well as people that have eczema, psoriasis, sensitive or dry skin, often find immediate relief by switching to natural soap. Handmade soap is very mild due to how it is made, and also because of what is not included. With few exceptions, there are no artificial colors, fragrances, or preservatives used in the manufacture of handmade-style natural soap.
HOW IS NATURAL HANDMADE SOAP MADE?
At Vermont Soapworks, Master Soapmakers do things the old fashioned way. Natural plant-based ingredients are blended in small batches and poured into wooden block molds. The molds are then warmed for several days, which forces the soap to set up very slowly. Excess or" free" alkali rises to the top like cream and is skimmed off. When ready, the soap is wire cut into bars, placed on oak drying frames and aged in a special curing room for nearly a month. Only this 200 year-old process removes excess alkali from the soap, a major cause of dryness and irritation often found in conventional bar soaps.
WHAT MAKES SOME CONVENTIONAL SOAPS HARSH AND HARMFUL?
Many people complain about soap making their skin feel dry, itchy, or worse! Trapped free alkali is a common source of irritation and dryness in bar soap. Remember, soap is made from oils (an acid) mixed with water and alkali (a base). Acids and bases neutralize each other to form a salt - in this case soap - with glycerine as it's by-product. Oils that did not find the alkali are "free oils" or "superfatted" which makes soap milder. Alkali that does not find oils is "free alkali", which makes soap harsh and drying. This is what makes your face feel dry and puckered up after using a cheap bar of soap. Other commonly used soap ingredients such as Isopropyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol (anti-freeze) and Triclosan (anti-bacterial agent) have been proven harmful to human health and can cause severe skin irritation in some people.
SELECTING THE RIGHT SOAP
To improve skin health, you should carefully review the ingredients in the soap you are using. If you can't pronounce the ingredients, reconsider your purchase! Instead, try using a natural handmade soap specific to the needs of your skin type. Don't be surprised if your skin type changes with the seasons! Visit www.vermontsoap.com to learn more about how to determine skin types and which natural soap ingredients are recommended for different skin types.
TIPS TO WINTERIZE YOUR SKIN
- Use natural, vegetable oil handmade soap. Conventional extruded bars and so-called "glycerin soaps" can dry out your skin.
- Maintain a reasonable humidity level in your home and office. Install a humidifier or boil water on a stove and leave open crocks of water in rooms. Aim for a household humidity of at least 30 percent, gauges are available at most electronics stores.
- Limit external exposure to water as much as possible. For example, wear waterproof gloves when washing dishes and limit the duration of showers and baths.
- Wear sunscreen protection containing natural moisturizers like aloe vera, vegetable butters and herbal oils. Look for a minimum 15 Sun Protection Factor (SPF). Also, protect lips with vegetable-based lip balms that have SPF.
- Drink plenty of water to keep skin moist from the inside out!
- Eat a proper diet, healthy skin depends on proper nutrition. Vitamins C, E and B Complex and a diet that includes plenty of dark green, leafy vegetables will help prevent dry skin conditions. Consider supplementing essential fatty acids (flax seed oil or EPA enriched fish oil).
- Avoid topical products containing alcohol, as it will dry out the skin.
- Add moisturizing oils to baths.
- Apply natural vegetable oil ointments and lotions after showering while the skin is still damp. This helps the moisturizers penetrate skin and traps water in the upper skin layers.
- Layer on your skin care like you layer in warm winter clothes, especially in areas directly exposed to the winter elements.
- While layering clothing, avoid having abrasive fabrics (like wool) directly on sensitive skin.
- Gently exfoliate your skin. In colder weather your body processes slow down and your skin does not slough off dead skin cells as efficiently.
- Remember, Handmade Soap is good for your skin!
Larry Plesent is a Master Soapmaker living and working in the Green Mountains of Vermont
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