Sunday, April 17, 2011

March: Moisturize (or Salad Dressing in my Shower)




My second focus for March was to moisturize daily. I get alligator skin on my arms and legs in the wintertime, but won't make the time to slather on lotion every day, nor have I found a lotion that's incredibly effective. They're either to watery, too greasy, or leave me feeling even drier 30 minutes later. I have found one (only one) lotion that I'm willing to keep around because it's pretty effective and not totally overwhelming in the scent department, however I primarily use it on my hands after a couple of my 463 daily washings. I just can't bring myself to carve out the time to do a full body application on any kind of regular basis.

In my quest to simplify my routine, while also generating less waste, I went searching for a homemade solution. And what did I find? Olive oil in a spray bottle!

I'd already been using straight evoo or coconut oil on my cracked and bleeding hands (no exaggeration). And I'd found a mixture of olive and tea tree oils applied daily to a bacterial rash I've had for years (not nearly as frightening or dirty as it sounds!) to be completely and quickly effective, even after countless attempts to treat with harsh (and certainly not baby friendly) OTC medicated sprays and ointments had failed.

So, when I came across the suggestion to mix olive oil with some distilled water in a spray bottle, it sounded perfectly logical to me! I'm still testing the concoction (I think I'm finding a mixture with more water than oil to be best for me) but so far I've been pleased!

Pros:
*It takes just seconds to grab the bottle, shake, and spray before reaching for my towel after the shower.
*It's quite effective. While I'm still not perfectly plump, I'm no longer dry, crackly, or ashy. My skin feels super soft. And I'm pretty sure a summer wardrobe that allows some air and sun exposure is really the final touch I need to get my skin looking lively.
*It's cheap and easy: I already have evoo in the kitchen!
*I'm generating less waste by shying away from commercial lotions and their nonstop stream of plastic bottles.
*I'm putting 100% safe and natural ingredients on my body (no petroleum infused concoctions here!)
*It even helped with the unnerving bumps I get in the wintertime on my upper arms and legs.
*Did I mention how easy it is yet?? Seriously! Spray and then your normal dry off routine rubs it in and removes any excess.

Cons:
*Umm...?
*Well, you kinda smell like roasted veggies, but that only lasts about 20 seconds til it's dry.
*I still haven't landed a "she's got legs" modeling contract, but I'm pretty sure the paperwork is just lost in the mail.

Feeling adventurous? Or cheap? Give it a try and let me know if it works for you!

Ok! Now maybe I can get on to telling you what I've been up to in April...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2 comments:

Ryan and Gena said...

I have been using coconut oil for a few months now as my lotion. I even use it as deodorant and follow up with the baking soda! But I have not done it in summer weather yet. We shall see!

brooke said...

smart deodorant shortcut, Gena!!