Sometimes we forget that our bodies have many openings beyond the obvious.  Our pores, small openings that are found on our outer skin layer, serve as a means of releasing sweat and therefore cooling our bodies.  But these same holes may also absorb what is applied to our skin.  So the next time you reach for lotion, think twice and read ingredients.  If you don't know what each ingredient is and does, consider looking for a more natural option.

The most ideal lotion to rub into your skin should sound almost edible.  The simplest way of keeping moisture in our skin is to apply oil to slightly damp skin.  So buying unrefined shea butter or cocoa butter or any unrefined oil would be best.  The butters or oils such as coconut oil that are somewhat solid at room temperature can be rubbed between your hands to warm and soften and them.  Sweet almond oil or sesame oil are nice options too.

If you prefer a lotion, Aubrey Organics is a company widely available both on the internet as well as in natural food stores.  They offer many options  that are relatively reasonably priced.  For those of us that choose to avoid animal products, most of their moisturizers are labeled "Vegan".  The one exception I noted is "Collagen and Almond" which contains "Elastin" by its nature animal derived.   Although these more natural moisturizers are more expensive than the ones in the discount and grocery stores, remember, something that will likely last you several weeks if not longer, is really minimal in light of where all our other money is going!

Would you like to have skin that is naturally moist, eliminating the need for moisturizing lotions in the first place?    Check out tomorrow's post!