Real moisturization must be real food Our skin eats! Our dermal (skin) system eats and extracts nourishment from the sun, the atmosphere, and from substances we apply topically, just as our digestive system eats and extracts nourishment from solid and liquid food and our respiratory system eats and extracts nourishment from our breath. For our body to extract nourishment from all the various things we eat - from the mouth, the lungs, the skin - one thing must be completely acknowledged as true and accurate. And that one thing is. . . . what we eat must be 'biologically appropriate'. In other words, food! Commercial moisturizers are marketed mostly via 'feel'. They are advertised as silky, smooth, etc. Unfortunately, they don't offer true skin cell hydration, only a temporary, surface texture manipulation via chemicals. This is why people must use so much in one application and also feel the need to apply the moisturizer so often.

Feed your living skin cells Each individual skin cell has an intriguing dual structural organization. The interior of the cell is watery, while the exterior surface is oily. The skin cell can efficiently receive nourishment three ways because of this hybrid arrangement - via water, via oil and finally, via an oil and water combination. The last approach is more commonly known as a lotion, which is oil and water held together in suspension by an emulsifier. Understanding this process through a holistic perspective highlights the importance of choosing ingredients for each phase and function that are biologically appropriate. Grateful Body uses only whole, real ingredients - no shortcuts. For example in the water phase we use aloe vera leaf juice, genuine plant hydrosols, herbal extractions & infusions. For the oil phase w e use pure botanical oils that haven't been refined, bleached, decolorized, de-scented or otherwise stripped of their nutritive profile. We emulsify with tree gums, neem seed, seaweed, and rice bran, and we preserve with ingredients like turmeric, marigold, gooseberry, wasabi and olive leaf.

Love your water Our body has a strict hydration organization that follows a water distribution system based on bodily survival needs. In other words, the body ranks itself in order of importance of allocating hydration. At the top of the list are the brain, the heart and lungs. At the bottom of the list are terminal appendices like toes & fingers, and the skin. When the body intakes water, it will first convert it to the important bodily fluids like cerebral spinal fluid, blood, hormonal secretions, breast milk, and plasma. Only then, if there is sufficient quantity, will the skin cells and dermal layers will be hydrated via sebum and cellular fluids. What does this all mean? Simply, that an extremely important part of a healthy skin ritual includes drinking sufficient quantities of water.

Hydrating Dry Skin What are the actual causes of dry skin? Dry skin is often due to environmental factors, improper diet, insufficient water intake, emotions and genetics. Another cause, unfortunately, is that many commercial 'dry skin' products actually dehydrate the skin or don't contribute to skin hydration in a genuine way. Inappropriate synthetic ingredients can clog the skin and block normal hydration channels. By applying a comprehensive, dermal diet of healthy, "whole food" skin care, drinking plenty of water, and avoiding contact between chemicals and our skin, we can expect dry skin to be properly hydrated in a healthy and authentic way.

Powerful Solutions Every single Grateful Body product provides real food to your skin. Grateful Body's Moisture Monsoon Restorative is a phenomenally rich oil elixir for chronically or acutely dry skin. You can add it by the drop to your daily Moisturizer (mix them together in the palm of your hand) to custom-boost your skin's hydration intake for the day. Choose our Hydrating Cleanser for the most moisturizing wash you can get. All our Moisturizers and Serums can be used day and night to feed and strengthen your skin. Eat well, inside and out, and you'll put your best face forward!

I was inspired to write this post when I woke up and took a look in the mirror this morning and thought “Wow, my skin looks so much better than yesterday!” 

You see, on Tuesday afternoon here at the Grateful Body office my skin was beginning to show the effects of hormonal changes and a few “less than ideal” food choices that I've made over the last couple of days.  My chin was looking congested and a little red due to some inflammation. 

While I haven't included Clear Skin in my routine lately, I applied some yesterday afternoon, then again during my evening facial routine, and low and behold- I woke up this morning and the breakouts and redness were significantly calmed!  I shouldn't have been so surprised because I know firsthand what goes into our products, but I was truly impressed!

So if you are experiencing acne breakouts, blemishes, blackheads or general pore congestion, try our Clear Skin treatment.  It's my new favorite for summer!

Alison

Over the years the skin care industry has effectively changed our relationship with our skin and how we care for it.  Rather than being viewed as a living and interdependent part of our bodies, our skin has come to be viewed as more of a shell that requires powerful cleaning, buffing, and polishing to keep it smooth and flawless.

One of the skin care world's favorite type of products are exfoliators!  Imagine- your skin can glow with the same deep clean as your kitchen counter and all you need to do is regularly scour it with a scrub or dissolve that build up with an acid treatment!  Only then can you achieve clear, even, soft skin.

At Grateful Body we believe it is this philosophy that is flawed, not your dear complexion.  Your skin is not a shell that requires constant exfoliation, it is simply the outermost vital organ in your body.  It is living, breathing, eating, and drinking every minute of the day.  Consequently, it will truly thrive when treated to the same loving care that you give to your body.

Symptoms of Over-Processed or Over-Exfoliated Skin:

- Skin that is oily yet dry at the same time.

- Feeling the need to exfoliate very frequently

- Flakiness, itchiness, and redness or red patches

- Excessive dryness or excessive oiliness

- Peeling and irritation

- Chronic acne breakouts

- Pore congestion accompanied by general inflammation

- Heightened sensitivity to the sun

- A feeling of thinned skin over time

Giving your skin a break from excessive exfoliation can yield a clear, plump, smooth complexion that maintains its natural balance and defies premature signs of aging.

Tips for Breaking the Cycle:

- Try backing off gradually.  If you exfoliate everyday, cut down to every other day, and then ease off to less and less frequent treatments.

- Massage instead.  Facial massage actually helps lift away build up, enhances circulation, stimulates the skin for increased collagen production, and improves pore function.  If you are using a Grateful Body cleanser, you can massage for a full minute or more while cleansing.  You can also massage with a light oil or an organic and very emollient cream or lotion.

- Drink enough water.  That feeling of needing to exfoliate to work through congested or rough skin is often a result of insufficient hydration.  At least 64 oz per day of pure water can do wonders for the skin.

- Resist the urge!  If your skin has become addicted to exfoliation, you may find yourself just dying to exfoliate.  During the process of allowing your skin to find its equilibrium, it may be very hard to abstain from your scrubs and peels at first.  But your skin will gradually come back into balance and feel healthy and calm.

Now, we're not saying exfoliation is a bad thing.  Every now and then our skin can benefit from a little extra help.  The key is moderation and the right exfoliator.  We recommend avoiding "chemical" exfoliants like retinoids, alpha and beta hydroxy acids (including lactic, glycolic, tartaric, and salicylic acids), as well as isolated enzymes like papain and bromelain unless they are literally in the form of a whole food such as yogurt, strawberries, papaya, etc.  These potent ingredients are too active and have a negative impact on healthy skin.  We also warn against aggressive "physical" exfoliants like scratchy scrubs (especially those with ground kernals or nut shells) as these can cause tiny tears in the skin that can spread acne infection or produce imperceptible scar tissue.  Even overzealous use of cotton balls or washcloths on the face can be a bit much.

As someone who has recovered from exfoliation addiction myself and has finally achieved my healthiest complexion while exfoliating just once a month, I love to recommend the method used by my holistic facialist (otherwise known as my skin savior):

Occasionally add a small amount of organic brown rice flour to your cream cleanser (including any Grateful Body cleanser) and very gently massage it onto the skin.  Rinse with warm water and continue with the rest of your topical regimen.

Over time, your skin will thank you for giving it what it needs in moderation.  You will notice that when you keep exfoliation to a minimum and emphasize nourishment with deeply nutritious products, your skin will become balanced enough to support itself more effectively and to communicate its needs more clearly so that you regain a healthy relationship with your beautiful complexion.

To learn more about Grateful Body skin care, go to www.gratefulbody.com and email us at skincare@gratefulbody.com for a skin consultation.

Genuine, virgin, botanical oils are truly incredible. To see and work with them in their unadulterated state is to be entranced and inspired. They have rich, majestic colors, and when you close your eyes and smell them, it's like suddenly gaining entrance into secret glens of deep nature. They smell powerful and multi-dimensional and seem to scramble the analytical parts of ourselves, allowing us a blessed moment of awe.

But honest-to-goodness plant oils are rare and almost never found in commercial skin care. Most of the plant oils used are refined, bleached, deodorized, processed, heated - plundered of their inherent goodness and nourishing value. These are the oils valued by the cosmetic chemist - devoid of smell & color, cheap, common and easy to work with. They can be sticky and comedogenic, result in shine, and feel greasy (you know the feeling!).

GratefulBody loves and is devoted to using beautiful, authentic plant oils. We use them extensively in our products, for we value their contributions to the health and function of the skin. Each oil is like a different person, with a distinct nutritive profile and set of strengths. Oils of avocado, walnut, green tea, borage, meadowfoam, jojoba, primrose, sesame, hemp, olive, pumpkin (to name a few); they all speak a precise, unmistakable language - the vocabulary of nature's profound gift to the cute little bipeds who inhabit this thin strip of gaia.

True plant oils, with their bountiful nourishment, are versatile in their contributions. They balance both oily and dry skin, provide relief from eczemas, provide excellent hydration, bring life and color to tired skin, and fortify aging skin; for they feed the skin cell with important, essential lipid nutrients. They contain naturally occurring antioxidants, vitamins, carotenoids, tocopherols, linolenic and linoleic acid and certainly the powerful and valuable plant lignans and sterols. They even contribute to balanced emotional and mental states.

GratefulBody uses only the finest plant oils that can be found. These carefully selected oils play a crucial part in all our Moisturizers, Serums and Treatments. That they are expensive and rare does not deter us, because they bring such essential vitality to the skin. Three of our most popular products are blends of pure botanical oils: Moisture Monsoon for dry skin, Oil Embargo for oily & combination skin, and of course, Midnight Oil, our exquisite body oil.