This post is not just going to address the skin on your face. Most of the post on the blog teach how to balance your skin, pop your pimples, choose the right cleanser. In this post were not just addressing the skin on your face were going to address the skin on your body too. Do you realize that you can use the best products on your face and do a daily skin care routine but that the skin on your body needs attention as well? Do you realize the skin on your body also ages you? Unless you plan on wearing long sleeve tops and long pants, if you don’t take care of the skin on your body the aging will catch up with you. I am going to cover some issues about the largest organ on your body which is your skin. Were going to aim to keep that skin on our body young looking. But how? Know that being the largest organ on your body your skin ABSORBS EVERYTHING. Think about that. Everything you put on your skin is absorbed into the body through your skin cells. Within 20 minutes whatever you put on your skin is hitting your liver and going into your bloodstream, which then triggers your lymphatic system to work to get out all the excess chemicals your body does not need and cannot process. Always here for the visuals.

Acid Mantle Stripping

First I want to address something that has been driving me crazy for years. The water we use on our skin. Back to explain the acid mantle in easy terms. Every morning when you wake up and wash your skin, whether it be your face or a shower/bath it sets your skin on a tone for the day. Between 12 and 3pm you will see your skin start to produce a shine. That shine is your acid mantle. This is a natural defense created by your body to protect you. Different climates cause the shine to be stronger, or you can produce more “oil” or sheen we can call it.

The skin on your body also produces that sheen. That sheen is going to protect your body. If you are in a hot sunny climate your acid mantle helps protect you from the sun. If your in a cold climate the acid mantle will help keep your skin from drying out. So what happens when you strip your acid mantle? You essentially loose your protection and put your skin into a mode of over working to protect you, which can sometimes cause super dry skin issues or sunburn for example?

What causes the stripping? To harsh of chemicals on your skin. Translation your soap is to strong. If a cleanser you are using on your face is to strong for your skin type right after you wash your face it will feel tight. That is not the feeling you want. However, there can be an issue with the water where you are cleansing and there can be a lot of chlorine in the water. This will naturally strip and dry your skin. The same for your body.

There’s Something In The Water

Lets talk about the elephant in the room, or should I say bathroom. Do you realize that most unfiltered water in the bath or shower is loaded with chlorine? Do you realize that as you shower you are breathing in chlorine? This is a toxic gas definitely having a negative effect on your lungs. The off gas of chlorine is chlorin which was banned in 2017 from using medically. If you bathe in the bathtub with no filter are you aware that you are soaking in chlorine? What about the children? If your child is bathing in a bath water that is not filtered it is full of chlorine. Effects of chlorine exposure include……

Eyes, nose and throat irritation
Shortness of breath
Pulmonary edema
Skin irritation
Redness
Blisters
Dry Skin
Hair Damage
Exacerbate asthma symptoms

Studies show that if you swim in a chlorinated pool or you relax in a jacuzzi for just 15 minutes your body absorbs an equivalent of drinking 8 glasses of water with chlorine in it. Very dehydrating and now your full of this chemical. So yes you probably feel dehydrated after being in a pool or jacuzzi all day. Why? Because your body is absorbing the chlorine through your skin. Its the same as if you were drinking the chlorine in your glass. I imagine if you were to drink regular water from the tap you may just get the same effect.

The reason I’m addressing these two issues for the body is because how do you keep your skin young looking? How do you keep the skin on your body young, if you are bathing in massive chemicals, not just chlorine? What kind of effect is that having on your skin? City water systems are known to have bacteria, hormones such as estrogen from birth control, and pesticides to name a few flowing through them. You can be bathing in all those chemicals? Most of us shower or bath everyday so imagine the viscous cycle you are putting your skin through? Your getting unwanted chemicals in on the daily, putting the body in defense mode and essentially with all that chlorine stripping your skin.

Creams, Oils, Lotions & Filters

Now yes you can invest in creams and lotions and body oils to counterbalance the effects of the chlorine exposure you have received from the shower. But you also want to consider your in a viscous cycle. Just investing your time and money to slather on another cream to have it stripped off the next bathe session and more chemical exposure? By all means please DO put on the body cream as the skin on your body needs that to stay supple and young looking. Two of my faves are here: https://www.100percentpure.com/products/coconut-nourishing-body-cream?variant=39707518271566

https://bubbleandbee.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=368&feed=123 (Affiliate Link)

What if we could take this anti-aging vibe a little deeper? What if we could keep the skin on your body in check and at its utmost prime? If your goal is not to get pruney and wrinkly skin on your arms and legs you will need to invest in a quality shower filter.

I recently invested in the most AMAZING shower filter. Its hands down untouchable. I was going through A LOT of chlorine exposure in the shower. I had been traveling and everywhere I was staying did not offer a shower filter. My hair was getting so dry and my skin was actually getting ashen. I couldn’t handle how bad the skin on my body was looking and I finally said, that is it I am going to invest in this filter.

None of that chlorine exposure can be good for my body or anybody. My hair was in the worst shape I had ever seen or felt it. Dry like straw. Imagine the chemicals my hair was absorbing and that was not even including any chemical hair treatment exposure it had gotten? Every hair wash my hair was getting worse and worse. So I will link the shower and bath filter here.

https://missellen.kangendemo.com/

If you have any questions you can contact me on the contact form.

Vitamin D (Sunlight)

Now, this part isn’t going to be your usual esthetician make sure you use your sunscreen advice. I do not believe in sunscreen (spf) and I can explain why. First of all your skin has its own internal protective measures (aka your acid mantle) They say the best sunscreen is a base tan. I am taking this from Andreas Moritz owner of the Ener-Chi Wellness Center. I will link the interview on Youtube here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1V7qcsuV3k

To paraphrase the interview what Mr. Moritz is explaining about SPF is that the chemicals they put in sunscreen would be illegal if they put those chemicals in food. Yet they put the chemicals on the largest organ in your body that immediately absorbs those chemicals and they end up in you liver. He has stated that skin cancer didn’t exist before sunscreen. When you are loading on “sunblock” you are essentially blocking your chance to absorb Vitamin D. Whether you realize it or not vitamin D is a very “healing” vitamin. It comes from the sun and the body needs it.

When you go out into the sun and sunbathe you are absorbing the suns rays and absorbing Vitamin D. The body does not immediately process the vitamin D into your cells. It needs up to 48 hours to absorb the suns rays and send it throughout your system. If you go and take a shower and use soap you are going to wash off your vitamin D and again strip your skin. Mr. Moritz of Ener-Chi Wellness Center states it is best to wash your underarms and private parts that aren’t exposed to the sun and then let the body do its thing and process the vitamin D.

Another thing that I would like to state, there are foods you can eat that internally block the sun. If you consume these different foods before you go out in the sun these foods will help to block the UV rays on the internal side of your skin. The list of internal sunscreen foods are………

Blueberries
Broccoli
Carrots
Cacao
Celery
Dark Leafy Greens and Cruciferous Vegetables
Fish
Green Tea
Hemp Seeds, Chia Seeds, & Flax Seeds
Pomegranates
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes
Watermelon

Each one of these foods has various properties in it that are designed to work with the sun and your skin to protect you. So imagine if you will you go out into the sun and absorb the suns rays. Of course you do it naturally and in a healthy way of say, your exposed for 1 hour. If you come back inside and shower with a chlorinated chemical shower again you will strip that acid mantle that now has vitamin D exposure. What happens? Your body needs 24 to 48 hours to absorb and utilize that vitamin D. However, if you strip it in the shower you will loose that vitamin D. It explains a lot as to people who live in the “sunshine” state and when tested, they are vitamin D deficient.

Also note, the sun is very healing. Back in the early 1900’s hospitals used to offer sun decks to heal with. If a patient could get sunlight exposure daily they had a time they would put the patients bed out on the deck and help to heal with sun exposure. Vitamin D is very nurturing to your bone health and overall well being. Also note, back in the 1900’s sunscreen did not exist.

Conclusion

Just bringing awareness here to the viscous cycle your skin goes through on the daily and how important the water that touches your skin is. For me I could see how out of balance my skin and hair had been getting when exposed to all those chemicals and I felt I needed something extreme to put my skin back in balance. The Anespa DX doesn’t just filter the water it adds minerals back into your skin. I know that I needed something to really help my hair and scalp to rebalance itself. The Anespa filter definitely gives you the feeling that you are showering in a waterfall with clean filtered water and getting nature put back into your skin, hair and body.

I added the section on vitamin D because I feel it is important we realize how much our skin absorbs. Both from the sun and the chemicals we put on our skin. Most people don’t know that the sun exposure you do get is either blocked by sunscreen or stripped, thus causing a negative balance of vitamin D exposure. If I want to protect my skin when going in the sun, if I know I’m going to be out for an extended period of time I will 1) wear a hat, 2) wear some kind of long sleeve loose clothing like flowy linen pants or top, 3) use a mineral makeup base on my face and again cover my body.