3 ways to soothe dry, chapped skin

We feel cold, but we don’t mind it, because we will not come to harm. And if we wrapped up against the cold, we wouldn’t feel other things, like the bright tingle of the stars, or the music of the Aurora, or best of all the silky feeling of moonlight on our skin. It’s worth being cold for that. ~Philip Pullman, Northern Lights

Winter is a beautiful time of year.  Unfortunately my skin doesn’t have the same attitude about the cold temperatures and biting wind.  The constant fluctuation between the cold  outdoors and the dry, warm heat of the indoors deals havoc on our skin.  To combat these conditions we have 3 ways to feed, heal and deeply nourish the skin.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

 

“Dehydration makes your skin look more dry and wrinkled, which can be improved with proper hydration” –Kenneth Ellner, Dermatologist, WebMD

Water is essential for your complexion and your health, make sure you are getting the recommended 5-8 glasses per day.  Remember, alcohol depletes the water in your body, so if you imbibe this holiday season, drink even more water!

Moisturize

Lipids perform by locking natural moisture into the skin. Lipids work best when applied soon after soaking, bathing, or showering. At this time, your skin will retain some of the moisture from the water, and a lipid-based moisturizer will provide a barrier to excessive moisture loss.

Areas of the body should be treated differently, the thin, sensitive skin around your eyes is not the same as your legs because of tissue and fat layers that lie underneath.  Get specialized nourishing products to really focus on your problem areas.  Our favorite for the eyes and face are found here.  A great recommendation for the body is this one.

Vitamin Boost

Starting from the inside, out we need to provide our bodies with vitamins that will amp our skin’s ability to renew itself with protective antioxidant vitamins, and restore moisture for fewer fine lines or damaged skin.  Omega 3’s, Avocado oils and Vitamin C infuse needed nutrients into the skin allowing for radiant, glowing skin all winter long.  2-3 times a week boost the health of your skin with a night-time treatment of RAO essential oil that will help to restore much needed hydration to the skin.

RAO – the Must have Winter Skincare product

Cold, dry, winter weather is coming!  Prepare your skin with products from those who understand winter well – the Swiss!

The high altitude of the Swiss Alps has some of the most frigid and deadly winters in the world but also let skin care innovators to create leading moisturizers and skin care products to protect us from those extremes.  One of these products came from the First Lady of Swiss Skin care, Madame Spillmann, over 60 years ago!

RAO Essential Oil

RAO combines anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antifungal, antimicrobial and bactericidal properties of bergamot and lemon peel oil with the strength of orange essential oil to strengthen epidermis, to increase the cell hydration and to support cell regeneration. The composition is also design to obtain a crisp fresh scent.  Together these ingredients relax and restore the skin’s strength and vitality.

Formulated with Sesame Seed Oil, Orange Oil, Lemon Peel Oil, Citrus Fruit Oil, and Vitamin E, R.A.O. promotes moisture retention and acts as a barrier to harmful environmental irritants. The use of botanical, natural essential oils allows R.A.O. to be a non-greasy, fast absorbing formula that will not leave your skin feeling heavy or oily. Individuals with severely dry, mature or damaged skin can begin to see a balanced, moisturizing effect on their skin after just the first application. It also helps to reduce discomfort & redness from sunburn, treatments, or shaving-for men & women! Even great for sensitive skin!

Daily use of the R.A.O. and circular massage can also help to soothe away acne scars, burns, stretch marks and deep cracks in the heels or elbows by sealing in moisture, preventing any further loss of critical hydration necessary for the skin to regenerate itself.

From the GS Archives when RAO was introduced in the late 1940’s:

We needed a replenishing, regenerating oil for the “problem zones” such as the belly and the thighs (cellulite!), an oil to take care of sunburns on any part of the body, to counteract developing stretch marks in pregnant women, and to positively influence the natural healing process of scar tissue (after the wound had closed and healed).

In my youth we only knew of fruits like apples, pears, prunes, plums, apricots and peaches, and although the fantastic scent of oranges, lemon and other tropical fruits were known, we rarely had them on the table, maybe as a dessert on a very special occasion. The aroma of these fruits was truly inspiring to me.

I wanted to build this inspiring scent into the new oil: a combination of orange oil, lemon oil and bergamot oil (bergamot is a pear-shaped orange having a rind which yields an essential oil). My oil should have a natural fragrance like a dainty.

Furthermore, because at that time there were no “light” preparations to be found in any of the leading cosmetic brands, I wanted an oil that would be yielding and “go a long way” for the customer. Remember, these were the years of the 2^nd World War, and precious raw materials would not be readily available on the market. The consumer did not have a lot of cash for luxury goods.

While the post-war world was believing more and more in modern technology and its achievement I deliberately turned to the past for answers. I wanted to rediscover the true values for lasting and sustained results. I looked to the Egyptians where natural cosmetics and herbal treatments had been eminently respected, and I found old formulas that gave me the basis for the modern preparation.

BENEFITS OF RAO:

• Helps to rejuvenate dry, damaged skin. • Aids in reducing the visible effects of burns, scars, and stretch marks. • Helps to reduce discomfort and redness caused from sunburn. • Provides additional protection from razor burns when applied before shaving • Helps soothe redness and swelling after laser treatments.

 

For more information about the RAO Essential Oil visit our website or call us – 1-800-282-3223.  Join us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram too!

 

The difference between Dry Skin & Dehydrated Skin

Do you know the difference between Dry and Dehydrated skin?  Take our mini-quiz to find out!

1. Which one is a Skin Condition?

2. Which is a result of a lack of internal moisture?

3. This condition is a type like “Problematic/Oily” or “Combination”.

4. _____________ causes makeup to settle into fine lines and wrinkles.

5. Crinkly, fine lines are a result of this: ___________.

ANSWERS:

1. Dry Skin is a Skin Type; Dehydrated skin is a Skin Condition

Your skin type is determined by how much — or how little — oil your skin produces.

2. Dehydrated Skin is the result of a lack of water.

“Dehydrated skin results from lack of internal moisture, whereas dry skin is from insufficient or reduced sebum production, from natural aging or health issues” says Anna Sforza, Director of Education at Somme Institute (ref: DaySpa Magazine, Jan2014).

3. Dry Skin is a classification like “Oily Skin” or “Combination Skin”

4. Dehydrated Skin causes makeup to settle into fine lines and wrinkles, causing those pesky crinkles to stand out instead of blend in.

5. If noticing dry, wrinkly patches show up suddenly on your skin causing your skin to look like crinkled paper, likely, your skin is very dehydrated.

Now that you know the differences, how do you combat dehydrated skin?  Hydration!  Both internal and external hydration is best.  Drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day and applying a balanced moisturizer twice a day to clean skin.  Taking these simple, yet effective steps, year round is the best way to achieve beautiful, glowing skin.  Winter skin can be the result of weeks or months of hydration neglect combined with cold air outside, dry warm air inside, additional alcohol consumption, and too-hot showers.

Gerda Spillmann’s Skinfood Ultra Vital is indeed vital to helping to balance the skin’s pH and keep hydrated skin year-round.  This silky anti-aging moisturizer helps restore vitality and youthful elasticity to the skin with botanical ingredients including Tamarind Seed Extract, Swiss Edelweiss, Wheat Germ Oil and Apricot Kernel Oil. Tamarind Seed Extract is an antiseptic herb that is rich in citric nutrients, malic acid and potassium. Combined with organic Swiss Edelweiss, used for its natural anti-oxidant and free-radical eliminators, this unique blend of ingredients work synergistically to deeply hydrate and nourish the skin while stimulating the collagen to fight fine lines and wrinkles.

To order your own Skinfood Ultra Vital visit our website at www.GerdaSpillmann.com, for questions call our Customer Service team at 1-800-282-3223 or send us an email at Info@GSskincare.com.  You can also join us on Facebook & Twitter.

Be our Friend on Facebook! www.facebook.com/GSproducts

Follow us on Twitter too! @GerdaSpillmann

Why having nourished and moisturized skin is important

How we treat our skin and our body is clearly evident in relation to our appearance.  Feed your skin with hypo-allergenic essential oils, vitamins and hydrating proteins that will help maintain healthy levels of moisture, control excess oil and conceal imperfections while maintaining the skin’s natural radiance and results will show. 

What Gerda Spillmann moisturizer do you use?  Post your answers below!

Well hydrated and nourished skin reflects a radiant, youthful glow and moisture content in the skin helps to fight the aging process, reducing the fine lines and wrinkles that often come with mature and damaged skin.  Applying moisturizer every day, both in the morning and at night, is a critical step in aiding our skin to look its very best for years to come.  The skin will naturally rejuvenate itself throughout the night, thus applying moisturizer before bedtime is crucial to feed our skin with important anti-aging and emollient ingredients.  Applying moisturizer in the morning before your makeup will provide protection to your skin from damaging free-radicals and moisture loss which will leave your skin looking dull, sallow and dry.

What about those of us with problem skin, should we apply moisturizer too?  “It’s a common myth that people with acne should not use moisturizers, when in fact the opposite is true. If they do not use a daily moisturizer, the skin can become red and peel easily due to the drying effect of acne medications. Adding moisture back into the skin can counter the effects of these medications. People with acne should use a light, oil-free moisturizer that is non-comedogenic, meaning it won’t clog the pores.”   –WebMd; Diane S. Berson, MD

Gerda Spillmann Swiss Skin Care and Cosmetics has multiple products to help alleviate the symptoms of dry skin and to help you maintain a youthful glow.  http://gerdaspillmann.stores.yahoo.net/   Check out these nourishing creams:

Mayfair – Providing essential daytime nourishment, Mayfair also gives the skin protection from elements and helps to control excessive oil through the day, leaving you with a soft, matte finish.

Skinfood – Designed for normal-to-dry skin types, the medium range moisturizer is used for day and night hydration and protection.  Skinfood helps to achieve balanced moisture so your skin looks and feels healthy.  Our most popular moisturizer!

Coronation – Combining protection and anti-aging, Coronation adds a layer of essential protection from damaging elements in the environment and includes essential lipids to help keep your skin supple and wrinkle-free.

Extra Riche – Highly concentrated, this cream is specifically formulated for deep hydration for use with very dry, mature or damaged skin.  Aids in repair by delivering essential nutrients deep into the skin tissues and shields the skin from additional damage and protects against further damage.