Showering More in the Heat? A Little Thought for Your Skin

Why what we wash our bodies with every day deserves a little more consideration.

With the current heatwave, I feel as if showering has become a priority. First thing in the morning is a given, but then after a hot day at work, after a walk, after the beach, sometimes just before bed to cool off and avoid menopause flushes!

And it got me thinking about how much product we’re actually putting over our skin when we shower.

We’re generally pretty discerning about what we put on our faces these days. We think about the ingredients in our cleansers, moisturisers, serums etc.  We aim for high quality and beneficial botanicals that nourish and help strengthen and detox.

But when it comes to the rest of our body? How many of us are happy to use whatever shower gel happens to be there, lather it liberally over almost every inch of ourselves, rinse and repeat the next day.

Or, during a heatwave, perhaps several times a day.

Our skin isn't just a covering

Skin is our largest organ and has the rather important job of forming a protective barrier between us and the outside world. Part of that barrier is made up of naturally occurring oils and lipids which help our skin retain moisture and keep it feeling comfortable and supple.

Obviously, we need to wash. Particularly when we're hot, sticky, covered in suncream or have spent the day outside.  But there is a difference between cleansing our skin and stripping it and there is an understandable concern that the products that we are applying to our largest living organ, might not be the healthiest or the best that we can use.

A very tight feeling after a shower can actually be a sign that we've removed more of the skin's natural oils than we needed to. Add hot water and several showers a day into the mix and you may find your skin becoming increasingly dry or uncomfortable.

So what should we be washing with?

As many of you know, I'm an aromatherapist and have been formulating natural skincare and body products for many years, so I'm obviously interested in what goes into the things we use on our skin every day - all of our skin, not just our faces.  In fact in many ways our body care products are more important to focus on than our face care, as our body is so much larger with the potential to absorb so much more of what is applied to it.

Some conventional washes can contain harsh cleansing agents, synthetic fragrance and ingredients such as certain phthalates and parabens – substances that have attracted research and regulatory attention because of their potential endocrine-disrupting effects. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are also being studied for possible links with hormone-related health conditions, including some cancers. That doesn’t mean your shower gel is going to cause cancer, but when we’re using something over a large area of our skin every day – and perhaps several times a day in this heat – I think choosing a simple, thoughtfully formulated wash makes a lot of sense.

Our own natural Hand & Body Washes use natural plant based ingredients and we use a certified organic Castile Soap as the base for all our washes. 

Add to this a sprinkling of aromatherapy magic...

This is probably the part of showering that I love most as scent (ie essential oils) has an extraordinary ability to change the feel of an everyday moment. Add warm water and steam and suddenly something as mundane as washing your body can become a tiny aromatherapy ritual.  Essential oils release their full power when heated so you'll find that your aromatherapy body wash works to full effect in a hot cleansing shower.  

On a hot, sluggish morning I might want something fresh and uplifting (think of our Radiance blend, with lemongrass, mandarin, lime, ginger and cypress)_ At the end of a long day, or if i wake up feeling jangly and stressed before the day has even begun I'll naturally gravitate towards something softer and more calming (think of our SErenity blend with Geranium, Ylang Ylang, Cedarwood, Sweet ORange, PAtchouli and LAvender)

You don't need an elaborate wellness routine. Sometimes it's simply about taking an ordinary thing you're going to do anyway and making it feel a little better.

If you're showering twice a day

If this weather has you standing under the shower morning and evening, it's worth being a little kinder to your skin, here's a little ritual recommendation, and just remember you don't need to have fiercly hot water (drying) and you don't need to vigorously wash every inch of your body, but you could love yourself a little more by choosing a body wash that leaves your skin feeling comfortable rather than tight and dry and injects a little aromatherapy love into your day.

• The Ritual: Keep the temperature lukewarm,  lather up, breathe in the bright, uplifting scent notes designed to sharpen your focus and energize your senses.
• The Skin Benefit: Formulated to gently wash away overnight sweat, leaving your skin looking bright, glowing, and ready to face the summer sun.
• The Pro-Tip: End with a 15-second blast of cold water for an instant, natural dopamine hit.

• The Ritual: Dim the bathroom lights, keep the temperature warm and let the heat release the deeply calming aromatherapeutic notes to ground your mind and release tension.
• The Skin Benefit: Soothes and cleans skin that has been exposed to salt, chlorine, and heat all day

  
  

  Perhaps the bottle we're using over almost the whole of our body every day deserves a little thought too.

  And if it happens to smell absolutely beautiful and gives you five minutes of aromatherapy at the same time, even better.

  Marie x