dry winter skin.

It's winter.  Everything is dry.  Everybody's skin is itchy, dry, tight.  It almost feels like your skin is getting older before your eyes.  I have this theory that most of our ageing occurs in winter.  Makes sense to me...

Living on the Gold Coast I probably can't complain too much about the cold.  But the dryness?  Crazy!!  I'm used to humidity.  And to make things a little worse, I spend a lot of time in a chlorinated swimming pool so my skin does not like winter.

Luckily, I have an incredible hippie solution, one I have been using for years.  This is simple, cheap and EXTREMELY effective.  And, did I mention this is a completely organic solution?  My solution is body oil. 

All you will need for this one is your favourite oil, an essential oil and a pump bottle.  The essential oil will make it smell nice as well as give you a couple of special benefits depending on which one you choose.  Fill the bottle with your oil and add a few drops of essential oil.  If you want more fragrance add some more drops of essential oil.  Pretty easy.

Grapeseed oil is my favourite carrier oil and you can pick it up from the oil section in any supermarket.  The reason I love it is because it has no smell, it is hypoallergenic (so there is an extremely low risk of having any adverse reaction) and it is full of antioxidants which mean it is great for your skin.  

As for essential oils there are loads to choose from.  If you're confused, here are a couple of suggestions:

Frankincense - one of the most luxurious of the essential oils, mostly due to it's incredible smell.  It is great for anti-ageing, reported to smooth out wrinkles.  It also has a soothing effect on your mind and body. 

Lavender - there is no other essential oil that has so many uses.  Lavender is great for skin as it promotes cell growth, encourages relaxation and assists with ageing.  You can use lavender on all different skin types.

Neroli - smells good and is great for skin elasticity .  It assists with skin cell growth and it is best for dry, sensitive skin.

Sandalwood - this is the essential oil I am using at the moment.  Sandalwood has been used as a fragrant oil for centuries.  It has a softening effect on your skin, which makes it good for eczema, dehydrated and ageing skin. 

The success to body oil is as much about application as it is about the ingredients.  If you use too much you will feel greasy and your towels will start to smell.  Keep your body oil in the shower.  Once you have showered and turned off the water, rub the oil all over your body.  I only use about 2 pumps for my whole body.  As it is going on wet skin, it is very easy to apply and you don't need much at all.  Pat yourself dry with your towel.  Much easier than cream or body butter, loads cheaper and far, far, far less ingredients. 

If you change from a typical moisturising cream to this body oil, you are removing parabens, mineral oils, added fragrances, fillers, preservatives and other rubbish from your lifestyle.  I could safely say anywhere from 7 to 15 ingredients will no longer be absorbed into your body. 

Now my hubby isn't a huge fan of a lot of my little hippie solutions but this one he loves.  And my kids?  Even my two year old walks around pulling his shirt up asking for oil.  Because it's all natural and beneficial with no nasties, they can use it as much as they like!