Infinite Indulgence - Good For You - Tips For Treating Yourself The Way You Deserve

3 Tips to Help Restore Your Skin in Winter
by Ann Karcich

Too much rich food? Or maybe a little too much to drink? A few too many hours in the sun or tanning booth? All of these are just a few of the way stress accumulates in our bodies. And when our bodies are stressed, this stress is often reflected in our skin. But we can minimize the wear and tear of our lifestyles on our skin. Here are a few ways to help restore that healthy, radiant glow.

Warm Up Your Skin
Poor diet and other excesses increase inflammation and stress hormones in the body. The stress hormones increase our craving for sugar, alcohol and other not-so-good-for-us foods. See the vicious cycle here? A great way to reduce these effects on our face is a mini-spa treatment with the herb chamomile, which has anti-inflammatory properties. Heat some boiling water in a large bowl and open 2 or 3 chamomile tea bags. Pour the herb from the tea bags into the boiling water. Place a towel over your head and hold your head over the bowl for 5-10 minutes. Breathing the infused water will relax you and the warmth will add some moisture to your skin making your skin look healthier.

Honey - Sweet in a Lot of Ways
There are a lot of reasons honey was part of Cleopatra's beauty routine. Honey's moisturizing or humectant qualities make it a key ingredient in skin care products as well as in shampoos and conditioners. Honey attracts moisture and holds it in the skin which makes your skin softer and smoother. Honey also has anti-oxidant properties which help overcome the effects of pollutants and other chemicals on our skin. These antioxidant properties also help protect against ultraviolet sun damage. For an easy skin treatment, mix a little honey and some oatmeal and apply the paste to your face. Leave on for 15 minutes, rinse off with warm water and pat your face dry with a towel or soft cloth. Then notice how healthy your face looks! Or for an all-over 'sweet' moisturizer, add a few tablespoons of honey to your bath water. Then soak and relax.

Don't Forget the Basics
That long-ago reminder from our parents to "wash your face" wasn't just a mindless ritual. Our faces are magnets for environmental pollutants and many of us use skin care products that contain chemicals. So a thorough skin cleansing routine is a must. The first step is to remove all makeup. A simple, natural way to do this is with cotton makeup removal pads and jojoba oil. Jojoba oil has healing properties and can even be used in the fragile under-eye areas. Gently remove your makeup with the oil-soaked pads. Then rinse your face with cool water and pat dry. About once a week use a gentle exfoliant on your face to remove the thin layer of built-up oils and dry skin cells. Oatmeal, corn meal or bran are natural exfoliants that most of us have in the house. Mix one of these with a little warm water and pat on your skin and rub lightly. Remove the mix with some warm water. Then apply your favorite moisturizer. Making these simple steps part of your skin care routine will help keep your skin at its best.

These are just a few simple and inexpensive ways to help renew your tired, stressed skin. Finding a few minutes each day to try one or more of these methods will help you look better. And when we know we look good, we receive the added bonus of feeling better about ourselves.