So Fresh and So Clean Can Be Bad?

By Jacqueline Davis Moranti

If you're like me, then you love to keep yourself fresh! I'm all about smelling like roses, fresh citrus fruits, and feeling like a smooth baby's bum! I love to shower and keep myself extra clean, but did you know that showering daily is bad for our bodies?! In an article I read at Refinery29, it stated that soaps and hot water can strip our skin of it's essential oils that can result in overly dried, cracked skin and even infection! I've heard that showering too much can be bad, but I never really considered it until the article. I cannot help that I love to shower and make myself feel so fresh and so clean but I definitely want my skin to keep it's elasticity and be able to protect itself

I've made a list of initiatives that I'm going to take to avoid dry skin and feeling dirty...

- Take cooler showers. Hot water can be stripping and can make our skin's natural defenses weaken. 

-Wash with a non sulfate containing soap. So far i'm loving the body gels from Lush!

-Use jojoba oil more often in place of lotion. Jojoba is actually an oil that is very similar to the natural oils and sebum that our bodies produce making it the perfect body oil!

-Wear more updos! As with the skin on our bodies, our scalps need their natural oils too, plus dirty hair holds more styles easily. 

-Use my cleansing wipes more often. For those busy days, when we're constantly on the go, cleansing wipes are a smart idea to get rid of any residual sweat. The Body Shop's cleansing wipes are a good alternative to soap and water and leave you smelling quite fresh!

-Take shorter showers, my usual is 20 minutes, but if I can cut it down to 10 then I'm on track to beautiful skin!

-Tap skin dry, rather than rub skin dry with the towel, the mixture of water and lotion can maximize the moisture on our skin. 

I'm all about good personal hygiene but now I know that my daily routine can be detrimental to my health. I will be making sure from now on to work on being better about taking care of my body. Dear readers, what is your personal hygiene routine like? Is it coinciding with your health?