When you think about me and what I do you mostly think of facials and maybe waxing. What you may not think about is that I specialize in repairing and maintaining your skin – all of it. Look down at your arms. Notice your hands. Feel your back. Interestingly enough you have skin all over! So why aren’t you taking care of it?
There are many different kinds of skin on your body. Sure they all share the same name and many of the same features, but each section is unique. The skin on your face and neck are thinner and finer than the skin on your arms and legs. The skin of your palms and soles of your feet do not produce oil and therefore can callus easier to protect themselves. Just because your face is oily doesn’t mean your body is too.
To take proper care of all your skin you will want to give each section its very own assessment. Section your skin into 5 zones.
Zone 1: Face, neck, chest, and ears
Zone 2: Front of body, butt, and limbs
Zone 3: Feet and hands
Zone 4: Scalp
Zone 5: Back
Look at zoned sections of your skin. For places, like your back, that you can’t see, try to feel it. Notice if you seem dry and flaky, or if there are areas that are broken out and oily. Do you have sections that are ashy in color? What about calluses or rough patches? Make sure you pay close attention to your elbows and knees! Can you see how each section has its own personality? Maybe your hands are very dry, but your back is oily. Or maybe you have rough elbows, but your feet are soft and supple. Each zone is different and, like the face, will often change with weather, stress, and hormones.
Okay now that you’ve had a chance to notice your skin – all of it – lets learn about taking care of it. Care of the skin is actually very simple and generally the same for every zone. Cleanse, exfoliate, and hydrate. But just like the skin on your face each area needs it’s own routine.
Zone 1: Face, Neck, Chest, and Ears
Since zone 1 contains the face this is obviously the most complicated area to take care of – hence the reason you see someone like me! But take a moment to think about your neck, chest, and ears. Do you extend your daily face care to those areas? If you do, excellent! If you don’t, well let’s start. By adding just a little extra product to your application you will be able to exfoliate, moisturize, and SPF those areas along with your face. That way your neck, chest, and ears will stay just as young and healthy as your face.
Zone 2: Front of Body, Butt, & Limbs
The skin on your body needs help shedding, hydrating, and detoxifying just like the skin on your face does. There are a ton of different ways to accomplish this task, but this is what I recommend. Find a body wash gel or a bar soap that is mild and, if possible, pH balanced for the body. My favorite is Kiss My Face Olive Oil bar soap. It’s PH balanced for my most delicate areas, but is still strong enough to make me feel clean. At least 3x a week exfoliate with either an exfoliating body scrub, a manual scrubber, or my favorite way, body brushing (get a natural bristled brush or use a Bioelements Cactus Cloth dry. Before you bathe, stand in the shower and brush in light, vigorous, strokes from the outside of your body in. Start at the fingers and swipe in towards your heart, from toes to your groin, from your chest to your heart, etc. This brushing not only sheds dead skin, but helps you detox by promoting lymphatic drainage and stimulating oxygen supply to the surface of your skin.) When choosing a scrub, use something that has surgically rounded particles. They don’t tear the skin. If you are using a loofah or sponge be sure it’s very scrubby and don’t let it get moldy! Finally, use a body lotion daily either as soon as you get out of the shower since all your heated skin will suck in the product better, or right before bed so that while you sleep the heat of your body helps the product penetrate. Don’t use anything too heavy. I know we often think we are very dry so we need something thick, but if you exfoliate and use a light lotion on a daily basis you won’t need those heavy, often clogging, creams. Save those for spot treating only on places like elbows, knees, hands, and feet. Think about getting body treatments. Body treatments not only feel amazing, but are a facial for your whole body! Imagine that, happy, healthy skin all over!
Zone 3: Feet and Hands
This zone is a difficult one. The skin on our hands and feet is designed to try and protect us. Hot water, soap, shoes rubbing, walking barefoot, etc. All of these factor into how the skin reacts. The best way to manage this zone is like any other, regular maintenance! A manicure and pedicure once a month is great, but what about the time in between? On a daily basis use an exfoliant on both the hands and feet. For the hands you can use your body exfoliant, but for the feet get a pumice stone or specialty foot scrub. You don’t need to get every callus off. You probably need a few of them since they were created to protect you! Besides, daily care will help whittle them away and keep them thin and manageable. Once this is done be sure to use a thicker cream or oil. My favorite for feet is just organic virgin coconut oil, or shea butter. If either area gets really bad slather the cream on at night and put socks or gloves on and go to sleep. You’ll wake up to much softer skin. Be sure to put spf on your hands and if you are wearing open shoes, your toes too! You can also get hand and foot treatments added to almost any spa and salon service these days. This type of service can really boost the health of the skin in this zone.
Zone 4: Scalp
I am not a hairdresser or scalp specialist, but I did want to touch on it since it’s skin. Use a good shampoo that doesn’t build up. My personal favorites are the Giovanni line sold at most “Whole Foods” type stores and Epicuren’s Propolis shampoo. Both are great for controlling dandruff, stopping buildup, keeping your color true, and making your scalp and hair shaft very, very happy. Once a month be sure to give your scalp some TLC with a scalp treatment. Your hairdresser or esthetician can do this for you, or you can find some good essential oils and hair masks and give one to yourself.
Zone 5: Back
The back is a tricky area because we can’t see it ourselves and in some people it reacts very much like the face. If you don’t have problems with acne in that area treat it as you would zone 2. If you do, then see a skin care specialist for back facials and a special skin care routine.
Your skin covers your entire body and taking care of it makes you feel good all over. Once you start treating all your skin as well as you do the skin on your face you will see many positive changes in your appearance. It takes a little more time, but it’s time well spent.