WP_Query Object
(
[query] => Array
(
[category__in] => Array
(
[0] => 21
)
[post__not_in] => Array
(
[0] => 444
)
[posts_per_page] => 50
[ignore_sticky_posts] => 1
[orderby] => desc
[_shuffle_and_pick] => 3
)
[query_vars] => Array
(
[category__in] => Array
(
[0] => 21
)
[post__not_in] => Array
(
[0] => 444
)
[posts_per_page] => 50
[ignore_sticky_posts] => 1
[orderby] => desc
[_shuffle_and_pick] => 3
[error] =>
[m] =>
[p] => 0
[post_parent] =>
[subpost] =>
[subpost_id] =>
[attachment] =>
[attachment_id] => 0
[name] =>
[pagename] =>
[page_id] => 0
[second] =>
[minute] =>
[hour] =>
[day] => 0
[monthnum] => 0
[year] => 0
[w] => 0
[category_name] => skincare
[tag] =>
[cat] => 21
[tag_id] =>
[author] =>
[author_name] =>
[feed] =>
[tb] =>
[paged] => 0
[meta_key] =>
[meta_value] =>
[preview] =>
[s] =>
[sentence] =>
[title] =>
[fields] =>
[menu_order] =>
[embed] =>
[category__not_in] => Array
(
)
[category__and] => Array
(
)
[post__in] => Array
(
)
[post_name__in] => Array
(
)
[tag__in] => Array
(
)
[tag__not_in] => Array
(
)
[tag__and] => Array
(
)
[tag_slug__in] => Array
(
)
[tag_slug__and] => Array
(
)
[post_parent__in] => Array
(
)
[post_parent__not_in] => Array
(
)
[author__in] => Array
(
)
[author__not_in] => Array
(
)
[search_columns] => Array
(
)
[suppress_filters] =>
[cache_results] => 1
[update_post_term_cache] => 1
[update_menu_item_cache] =>
[lazy_load_term_meta] => 1
[update_post_meta_cache] => 1
[post_type] =>
[nopaging] =>
[comments_per_page] => 50
[no_found_rows] =>
[order] => DESC
)
[tax_query] => WP_Tax_Query Object
(
[queries] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[taxonomy] => category
[terms] => Array
(
[0] => 21
)
[field] => term_id
[operator] => IN
[include_children] =>
)
)
[relation] => AND
[table_aliases:protected] => Array
(
[0] => wp_term_relationships
)
[queried_terms] => Array
(
[category] => Array
(
[terms] => Array
(
[0] => 21
)
[field] => term_id
)
)
[primary_table] => wp_posts
[primary_id_column] => ID
)
[meta_query] => WP_Meta_Query Object
(
[queries] => Array
(
)
[relation] =>
[meta_table] =>
[meta_id_column] =>
[primary_table] =>
[primary_id_column] =>
[table_aliases:protected] => Array
(
)
[clauses:protected] => Array
(
)
[has_or_relation:protected] =>
)
[date_query] =>
[request] =>
SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS wp_posts.ID
FROM wp_posts LEFT JOIN wp_term_relationships ON (wp_posts.ID = wp_term_relationships.object_id)
WHERE 1=1 AND wp_posts.ID NOT IN (444) AND (
wp_term_relationships.term_taxonomy_id IN (21)
) AND ((wp_posts.post_type = 'post' AND (wp_posts.post_status = 'publish' OR wp_posts.post_status = 'acf-disabled')))
AND ID NOT IN
(SELECT `post_id` FROM wp_postmeta
WHERE `meta_key` = '_pilotpress_level'
AND `meta_value` IN ('','employee')
AND `post_id` NOT IN
(SELECT `post_id` FROM wp_postmeta
WHERE `meta_key` = '_pilotpress_level'
AND `meta_value` IN ('' )))
GROUP BY wp_posts.ID
ORDER BY wp_posts.post_date DESC
LIMIT 0, 50
[posts] => Array
(
[0] => WP_Post Object
(
[ID] => 4518
[post_author] => 5
[post_date] => 2014-10-14 05:41:54
[post_date_gmt] => 2014-10-14 12:41:54
[post_content] =>
Through my teens and twenties I spent a huge amount of my time devoted to taking care of my skin. My acne was a constant issue and trying to figure out how to get my skin to be presentable was a huge frustration. I tried dozens of different products and treatments. My sister, on the other hand, never washed her face with anything but shampoo or soap (please don’t do this!) and her skin was always glowing and perfect.
Now, as we get older and we’re dealing with a whole new set of skin concerns, I finally have skin care habits that work, and she . . . well . . . she’s still using Dove soap unless I keep her fully stocked on her skin care products. We spent this past weekend together laughing our faces off, and I discovered that she honestly just doesn’t know why she should exfoliate or moisturize. I guess this happens when you’ve been blessed with naturally beautiful skin your whole life. Or when you’re sister has completely failed you. My bad.
As I explained to her the importance of taking care of her skin, not just for graceful aging, but for her overall health, I decided that I would make sure our lovely Dragontree clients also have this information so that at least I’m not failing you.
Even if your skin has been picture perfect your whole life, with no more than soap and water to care for it, the act of exfoliating is good for your health, and it helps you maintain a youthful glow as you age. And whenever we strip, cleanse, or remove a protective surface of the body - inside or out - we must always do a little repair or nourishment, which is why we moisturize afterwards.
When we hear the word “exfoliation,” we usually think of something that is done to remove the surface of our skin. But it’s also a natural process that the skin undergoes on its own to eliminate waste, dead cells, and microorganisms. Our outermost layer of skin, the stratum corneum, is shed as cells move upward from deeper layers of the epidermis. This happens because these cells are being held together in a matrix of desmosomes - basically a skin cell “glue” - and as they move to the surface, this “glue” becomes weaker. Enzymes in the skin and hair follicles accelerate this weakness and break the bonds of the desmosomes, freeing the cells to slough off.
As we age, this cellular “glue” becomes denser, kind of like old Elmer’s glue, and the sloughing off process becomes slower and less efficient. The resulting build-up of cell layers presents as dull, thick, poorly toned skin. Meanwhile, because the body isn’t shedding our old damaged cells efficiently, there’s limited room for new cells to develop. Also, since we rely on this process for detoxification, its impairment translates to a greater toxic burden for our whole system.
Luckily, we have the power to intervene with an exfoliation regimen. This is important not only for our facial skin, but our whole body, especially as it concerns the release of toxins.
There are two ways to exfoliate: mechanically or chemically. Mechanical exfoliation is the process of using a tool, like a brush or a sponge, or an abrasive substance, like salt, sugar, or oatmeal, to remove this layer of skin by scrubbing. There are also more intense mechanical exfoliators, like microdermabrasion, which is incredibly effective, but can cause skin irritation. This method uses suction to lift the skin while it is simultaneously buffed with tiny crystals to loosen and remove surface cells.
Chemical exfoliation employs enzymes and acids to break down the outermost skin and stimulate cell renewal. The enzymes “digest” proteins and are often derived from plants, such as papain from papaya and bromelain from pineapple. Some of the acids used include alpha hydroxy acids (AHA), like lactic acid or glycolic acid, and beta hydroxy acids (BHA) like salicylic acid, or retinol (vitamin A). They vary in terms of their qualities and strength.
Choosing an exfoliant for your face and body - which will be different, by the way - depends greatly on your skin type and sensitivity level. Consult with an esthetician for best results. My favorite body exfoliant is our Dragontree Exfoliating Spa Bar, because it is super easy to use and leaves my skin feeling baby soft. For my face I use Shankara’s Microcrystal Exfoliator, which is so effective that Peter and I both use it, and sometimes fight over it the last of it when we’re running low.
Make sure to exfoliate in a way that renews your skin and increases circulation without causing damage. If you over-exfoliate or use a product that is too harsh for your skin, you can cause micro-tears or chemical burns of your epidermis, which is obviously not what we’re going for. That’s why we don’t recommend nut or shell exfoliants that aren’t highly super refined so that they have an even, non-tearing edge.
When you exfoliate regularly you improve your skin’s appearance, feel, and texture as well as enhancing your circulation and detoxification processes - it’s a win, win, win, win, win. After removing this outer layer, it’s important to nourish your skin with a layer of high quality moisturizer. For your body we suggest our Dragontree Lotions, which have tons of herbs and nutrients to heal and replenish, or our Dragontree Massage Oil. For your face, the selection of moisturizer is more individual, so definitely see an esthetician to get the best recommendation for your unique skin.
Whether you’ve had perfect skin your whole life, like my sister, or you’ve struggled to keep your glow on, like me; and whether you’re a woman or a man (yes, you men need to exfoliate, too, if you want to age like George Clooney rather than Mickey Rourke), exfoliating needs to be part of your weekly routine. Two to three times a week should do you well.
In our Rituals for Living Challenge last week, we challenged people to try out skin brushing, which is an incredible option for body exfoliation. If you want the details on that - just sign up for our Challenge here and you’ll have access to all the past challenges and information, along with the next couple weeks of goodies.
In skin and in life, if it’s not serving you, remember to brush it off.
With love,
Briana and Everyone at The Dragontree
[post_title] => Why Exfoliation?
[post_excerpt] =>
[post_status] => publish
[comment_status] => open
[ping_status] => closed
[post_password] =>
[post_name] => exfoliation
[to_ping] =>
[pinged] =>
[post_modified] => 2014-10-14 05:41:54
[post_modified_gmt] => 2014-10-14 12:41:54
[post_content_filtered] =>
[post_parent] => 0
[guid] => http://www.thedragontree.com/?p=4518
[menu_order] => 0
[post_type] => post
[post_mime_type] =>
[comment_count] => 0
[filter] => raw
[webinar_id] => 0
)
[1] => WP_Post Object
(
[ID] => 4828
[post_author] => 3
[post_date] => 2015-04-14 07:55:09
[post_date_gmt] => 2015-04-14 14:55:09
[post_content] =>
I’m a big proponent of creative expression. Even if your life’s work centers around buying and selling, interpreting, communicating, or destroying, I think it’s worthwhile to make time for creating. Create music, or art, or gardens, or recipes, or whatever feels good. There’s something about tapping into our source of creative inspiration that is good for us in a way that’s different from other activities.
I consider myself lucky to have so many opportunities to get creative in my work. Along with the collection of tinctures, liniments, creams, and patches I created for The Dragontree, Briana and I have developed some really cool body scrubs, and we recently decide to get creative and develop three new scrubs to promote radiant skin.
This process always begins in the kitchen with dozens of bags of raw herbs, salts, sugar crystals, seeds, oils, and bottles of aromatic plant extracts. It’s messy, it smells wonderful, it takes a lot of trial and error, and above all, it’s fun.
First, we wanted to make a scrub that utilized activated charcoal. Activated charcoal is fascinating stuff. When you look at it under a microscope, there are so many minuscule nooks and crannies all over each particle that it has a tremendous surface area. A teaspoon of activated charcoal has the surface area of about half a football field! And all this surface area amount to many binding sites for whatever gunk it comes into contact with – including stinky odors and toxins. Drinking a slurry of activated charcoal in water is a first intervention for many kinds of poisoning, and it’s often taken in capsules for intestinal gas. Once in the Sky Mall catalog, I saw a comforter that was filled with activated charcoal for the purpose of preserving matrimonial harmony when one member of the couple has bad gas.
We combined the charcoal with raw sugar crystals for exfoliating power; coconut oil for a thicker consistency, deep moisturizing, and some antimicrobial activity; vitamin E as an antioxidant and skin conditioner; and our Transcend essential oil blend of amber, vetiver, ginger, and other oils. At first we used way too much charcoal and our skin was stained black. After adjusting proportions, we arrived at a great new blend (that won’t stain your skin).
Next, we wanted to make a scrub incorporating clay and honey. Clay draws toxins from the skin. When it’s hydrated, it becomes like a highly porous sponge. Clay poultices have a long history of topical use for treating acne, boils, venomous bites and stings, as well as certain itchy rashes. In this scrub, the clay particles are so minuscule that they act kind of like the absolute finest grade sandpaper, to “polish” the skin a bit. We decided the clay alone wasn’t scrubby enough, though, so we added some fine sea salt as well, for a combination of “fine grit” and “ultra fine grit” polishing.
The honey was included as a nice soothing agent to promote skin healing and enhance skin moisture (as a “humectant”). We again utilized coconut oil as a thick, moist base and vitamin E as an antioxidant and skin supporter. Due to the finer nature of these scrub ingredients, we decided this blend would be well suited to our Peace essential oil blend, which contains rose, chamomile, sweet orange, and other bright, calming oils.
Third, we wanted to craft a scrub with mother of pearl and pumice powder, since this combination has long been a favorite at our spas. Pearls and mother of pearl are made of a substance called nacre, composed of a calcium rich crystal known as aragonite. This substance is legendary in Asian skin care for smoothing skin and clearing blemishes. Almost as fine as the clay in the previous scrub, mother of pearl powder acts as a finishing “polish” in this exfoliant.
For additional grit to clear dead skin, we used pumice powder that’s just a bit coarser than the pearl. Pumice is a pitted volcanic glass which is widely used as an abrasive for smoothing the skin. Finally, we wanted a third grade of grit, coarser still, but gentle, so we added sea salt. The nice thing about sea salt crystals for exfoliation is that when combined with water in a shower or bath, the water takes off any sharp edges so it’s not too rough. Along with coconut oil and vitamin E, we added our Relax essential oil blend to this scrub, which features, lavender, lime, and ylang ylang. Ylang ylang (pronounced “EE-lahng EE-lahng”) is a delicate flower oil with relaxing properties. In Indonesia, it’s sprinkled on the bed of new married couples.
After lots of experimentation we had our formulatrix, Meredith, make numerous batches and tinker with proportions, and the result was three great new scrubs. We’re proud of them. And you’ll be relieved to know that we’ve been bathing more than ever. If you or a friend are in need of a subtle incentive to get cleaner, smoother, and brighter skin, please give them a try and share your feedback with us.
Be well,
Dr. Peter Borten
[post_title] => Getting Creative With Skin Care
[post_excerpt] =>
[post_status] => publish
[comment_status] => open
[ping_status] => closed
[post_password] =>
[post_name] => getting-creative-with-skin-care
[to_ping] =>
[pinged] =>
[post_modified] => 2015-04-14 07:55:09
[post_modified_gmt] => 2015-04-14 14:55:09
[post_content_filtered] =>
[post_parent] => 0
[guid] => http://www.thedragontree.com/?p=4828
[menu_order] => 0
[post_type] => post
[post_mime_type] =>
[comment_count] => 0
[filter] => raw
[webinar_id] => 0
)
[2] => WP_Post Object
(
[ID] => 4692
[post_author] => 3
[post_date] => 2015-01-27 10:46:49
[post_date_gmt] => 2015-01-27 18:46:49
[post_content] =>
Life experience has taught me that people don’t like to be compared to vegetables. But the thing is, there are some similarities between us and our friends in the plant kingdom that we can learn from. When I was a botany student, one of the best courses I took was called Postharvest Physiology. Once a crop is picked – whether a flower, fruit, vegetable, or grain – the process of dying begins, which is known as senescence. In order for the crop to get to the consumer looking fresh, everyone involved in packing, transporting, and retailing the product should ideally know at least a little bit about how to slow down senescence – without causing an unnatural kink in the process.
Everyone knows about refrigeration, for instance. Generally, the colder we keep our produce, the slower it ages. But if we over chill it, we can stop ripening or cause irreparable damage. If you’ve ever had a peach that was dry and mealy inside, this is called “wooliness” and it means that someone involved in the storage of that peach got it colder than it could handle.
Another major intervention for prolonging the life of harvested crops is reducing water loss. The loss of water from flowers, fruits, and veggies parallels a loss in quality. When leafy greens lose water they wilt. When carrots and celery lose water they aren’t crunchy anymore. When potatoes lose water they get wrinkly and corky. When oranges lose water they become dry and fibrous. Essentially, all of these produce items shrink when water evaporates from them. And humans go through a similar process as part of our own senescence.
Food producers do all sorts of things to reduce water loss. They raise the humidity of storage environments, they pack produce in sealed bags to contain escaping water (this is also the concept behind the crisper drawer of your fridge), veggies that can handle being wet get packed wet (such as baby carrots) or are displayed under sprinklers in the store, many crops are coated with oils or waxes to block water from evaporating (tomatoes, apples, peppers, citrus, eggplant, cucumbers, potatoes and others), and flowers are, of course, always drinking water from a bucket or vase.
In order to preserve your own youthfulness, my recommendations really aren’t all that different from how we treat our crops. Like potatoes, we shrink as we age, making skin wrinkly and saggy. We need to control moisture loss and maximize rehydration.
First, environmental control. Having moved from ultra-moist Portland to ultra-dry Boulder a couple years ago, I’ve been more acutely aware of my skin than ever before. The parched air seems to be sucking the water out of me. And I can’t help but notice that many people who have lived here for a few decades have skin that looks significantly older than that of Portlanders of the same age. Both climates present their own issues.
If you live in a very moist place, you need to watch for mold in your home and workplace, which can cause respiratory problems (which can indirectly affect the skin) and rashes, but for the most part, you should consider your skin lucky. If you live in a dry place, get a humidifier. I have an expensive humidifier and even after it has run for several hours, the relative humidity in the room will have risen by only one or two percent. So, you need to have one running constantly. A better option is a whole house humidifier, which is typically connected to your furnace, and requires less maintenance.
When you live in dry air, the water in the superficial tissues of your body will naturally move from the inside to the outside, attempting to equalize the moisture inside and outside. So, if there’s more water in the air around you, you’ll keep more of the water that’s in your skin. But this doesn’t apply to actually being immersed in water. When you bathe, especially if you take long showers or baths, and especially if you use very hot water, and especially if you use soap, you strip moisture from your skin. Therefore, if dry skin is a problem for you, shorten your bathing time (or take a bath with moisturizers added to the water), use cooler water, use less soap or at least use soap with moisturizers in it, and be sure to apply a moisturizer afterwards.
Another big difference between my old home and my new one is that Boulder is high and sunny and Portland is low and cloudy. Again, Portlanders’ skin benefits from this situation since sun damage is a rarity there, while it’s quite common in the intense sun of Colorado. In any case, a good sunscreen is important. Although we have yet to discover the health implications of applying nanoparticles of metals to our skin, at this point I recommend a mineral sunscreen (titanium and/or zinc based) rather than a synthetic chemical screen. Also, while I think it’s important to avoid sun damage, I believe moderate sun exposure is also a good thing; it’s one of the main reasons I moved to the Mountain West. So, don’t avoid sun altogether. It gives us life.
Finally, Colorado is also a lot windier than the Pacific Northwest, so applying a physical barrier to minimize moisture loss is also important. I’m not saying Portlandians are off the hook here, but it’s much less critical if you forget your lotion for a day. As with preserving the post-harvest life of vegetables, we can use oils and waxes – in the form of straight oil (olive, coconut, jojoba, avocado, macadamia, hazelnut, grapeseed, sesame, or others) or lotion (a blend of water and oil and sometimes bee or plant wax). Some of the most richest moisturizers for very dry or chapped skin include castor oil, beeswax, and shea butter. Aloe, which we hear so much about in skin products, is a nice soother, but not a good moisturizer on its own.
These oils don’t just function as a barrier, of course; they also enter and nourish the skin. Our skin is much more permeable than we give it credit for. So there’s real lasting benefit to regularly feeding our skin and the underlying connective tissue in a direct way.
Meanwhile, rehydration must become part of your lifestyle. I think people can occasionally go overboard with their water consumption, but I see way, way, way more folks who are underconsuming it. As a starting point, divide the number of pounds you weigh in half. (For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, divide that in half to get 80.) Now take this number and divide it by the number of hours you’re awake each day – let’s say 16. (80 divided by 16 equals 5.) This is the number of ounces of water you should be drinking each hour of the day. If you like, you can further divide this number in half to get the ounces of water you should have every half hour. Or divide it by four to get the number of ounces you should have every fifteen minutes. (5 divided by 4 equals 1.25, which means a 160 pound person should drink just over one ounce of water every fifteen minutes.) Don’t go more than an hour without drinking water. Your need for water may be greater than this if you you’re subject to more water loss by living in a dry climate, sweating, having the heat on, being sick, or taking drying or diuretic medications.
In addition to water, it’s important to nourish skin moisture by consuming ample amounts of beneficial fats, since fats are integral in all cell membranes, such as nuts and seeds, oily fish, and high quality egg yolks. It’s also important to consume adequate protein, since part of why we shrink and sag as we age is because we lose muscle and collagen, both of which are protein based tissues.
Give these recommendations a try, perhaps adding one new practice at a time. As with the post-harvest handling of produce, these are mostly preventative measures rather than restorative ones, so you’re not likely to see huge changes, but you will feel better, and someday, when you’re 80 and you look like you’re 40, drop me a line and send a photo.
Be well,
Dr. Peter Borten
[post_title] => Treat Yourself Like a Vegetable
[post_excerpt] =>
[post_status] => publish
[comment_status] => open
[ping_status] => closed
[post_password] =>
[post_name] => treat-like-vegetable
[to_ping] =>
[pinged] =>
[post_modified] => 2015-01-27 10:46:49
[post_modified_gmt] => 2015-01-27 18:46:49
[post_content_filtered] =>
[post_parent] => 0
[guid] => http://www.thedragontree.com/?p=4692
[menu_order] => 0
[post_type] => post
[post_mime_type] =>
[comment_count] => 1
[filter] => raw
[webinar_id] => 0
)
)
[post_count] => 3
[current_post] => -1
[before_loop] => 1
[in_the_loop] =>
[post] => WP_Post Object
(
[ID] => 4518
[post_author] => 5
[post_date] => 2014-10-14 05:41:54
[post_date_gmt] => 2014-10-14 12:41:54
[post_content] =>
Through my teens and twenties I spent a huge amount of my time devoted to taking care of my skin. My acne was a constant issue and trying to figure out how to get my skin to be presentable was a huge frustration. I tried dozens of different products and treatments. My sister, on the other hand, never washed her face with anything but shampoo or soap (please don’t do this!) and her skin was always glowing and perfect.
Now, as we get older and we’re dealing with a whole new set of skin concerns, I finally have skin care habits that work, and she . . . well . . . she’s still using Dove soap unless I keep her fully stocked on her skin care products. We spent this past weekend together laughing our faces off, and I discovered that she honestly just doesn’t know why she should exfoliate or moisturize. I guess this happens when you’ve been blessed with naturally beautiful skin your whole life. Or when you’re sister has completely failed you. My bad.
As I explained to her the importance of taking care of her skin, not just for graceful aging, but for her overall health, I decided that I would make sure our lovely Dragontree clients also have this information so that at least I’m not failing you.
Even if your skin has been picture perfect your whole life, with no more than soap and water to care for it, the act of exfoliating is good for your health, and it helps you maintain a youthful glow as you age. And whenever we strip, cleanse, or remove a protective surface of the body - inside or out - we must always do a little repair or nourishment, which is why we moisturize afterwards.
When we hear the word “exfoliation,” we usually think of something that is done to remove the surface of our skin. But it’s also a natural process that the skin undergoes on its own to eliminate waste, dead cells, and microorganisms. Our outermost layer of skin, the stratum corneum, is shed as cells move upward from deeper layers of the epidermis. This happens because these cells are being held together in a matrix of desmosomes - basically a skin cell “glue” - and as they move to the surface, this “glue” becomes weaker. Enzymes in the skin and hair follicles accelerate this weakness and break the bonds of the desmosomes, freeing the cells to slough off.
As we age, this cellular “glue” becomes denser, kind of like old Elmer’s glue, and the sloughing off process becomes slower and less efficient. The resulting build-up of cell layers presents as dull, thick, poorly toned skin. Meanwhile, because the body isn’t shedding our old damaged cells efficiently, there’s limited room for new cells to develop. Also, since we rely on this process for detoxification, its impairment translates to a greater toxic burden for our whole system.
Luckily, we have the power to intervene with an exfoliation regimen. This is important not only for our facial skin, but our whole body, especially as it concerns the release of toxins.
There are two ways to exfoliate: mechanically or chemically. Mechanical exfoliation is the process of using a tool, like a brush or a sponge, or an abrasive substance, like salt, sugar, or oatmeal, to remove this layer of skin by scrubbing. There are also more intense mechanical exfoliators, like microdermabrasion, which is incredibly effective, but can cause skin irritation. This method uses suction to lift the skin while it is simultaneously buffed with tiny crystals to loosen and remove surface cells.
Chemical exfoliation employs enzymes and acids to break down the outermost skin and stimulate cell renewal. The enzymes “digest” proteins and are often derived from plants, such as papain from papaya and bromelain from pineapple. Some of the acids used include alpha hydroxy acids (AHA), like lactic acid or glycolic acid, and beta hydroxy acids (BHA) like salicylic acid, or retinol (vitamin A). They vary in terms of their qualities and strength.
Choosing an exfoliant for your face and body - which will be different, by the way - depends greatly on your skin type and sensitivity level. Consult with an esthetician for best results. My favorite body exfoliant is our Dragontree Exfoliating Spa Bar, because it is super easy to use and leaves my skin feeling baby soft. For my face I use Shankara’s Microcrystal Exfoliator, which is so effective that Peter and I both use it, and sometimes fight over it the last of it when we’re running low.
Make sure to exfoliate in a way that renews your skin and increases circulation without causing damage. If you over-exfoliate or use a product that is too harsh for your skin, you can cause micro-tears or chemical burns of your epidermis, which is obviously not what we’re going for. That’s why we don’t recommend nut or shell exfoliants that aren’t highly super refined so that they have an even, non-tearing edge.
When you exfoliate regularly you improve your skin’s appearance, feel, and texture as well as enhancing your circulation and detoxification processes - it’s a win, win, win, win, win. After removing this outer layer, it’s important to nourish your skin with a layer of high quality moisturizer. For your body we suggest our Dragontree Lotions, which have tons of herbs and nutrients to heal and replenish, or our Dragontree Massage Oil. For your face, the selection of moisturizer is more individual, so definitely see an esthetician to get the best recommendation for your unique skin.
Whether you’ve had perfect skin your whole life, like my sister, or you’ve struggled to keep your glow on, like me; and whether you’re a woman or a man (yes, you men need to exfoliate, too, if you want to age like George Clooney rather than Mickey Rourke), exfoliating needs to be part of your weekly routine. Two to three times a week should do you well.
In our Rituals for Living Challenge last week, we challenged people to try out skin brushing, which is an incredible option for body exfoliation. If you want the details on that - just sign up for our Challenge here and you’ll have access to all the past challenges and information, along with the next couple weeks of goodies.
In skin and in life, if it’s not serving you, remember to brush it off.
With love,
Briana and Everyone at The Dragontree
[post_title] => Why Exfoliation?
[post_excerpt] =>
[post_status] => publish
[comment_status] => open
[ping_status] => closed
[post_password] =>
[post_name] => exfoliation
[to_ping] =>
[pinged] =>
[post_modified] => 2014-10-14 05:41:54
[post_modified_gmt] => 2014-10-14 12:41:54
[post_content_filtered] =>
[post_parent] => 0
[guid] => http://www.thedragontree.com/?p=4518
[menu_order] => 0
[post_type] => post
[post_mime_type] =>
[comment_count] => 0
[filter] => raw
[webinar_id] => 0
)
[comment_count] => 0
[current_comment] => -1
[found_posts] => 12
[max_num_pages] => 1
[max_num_comment_pages] => 0
[is_single] =>
[is_preview] =>
[is_page] =>
[is_archive] => 1
[is_date] =>
[is_year] =>
[is_month] =>
[is_day] =>
[is_time] =>
[is_author] =>
[is_category] => 1
[is_tag] =>
[is_tax] =>
[is_search] =>
[is_feed] =>
[is_comment_feed] =>
[is_trackback] =>
[is_home] =>
[is_privacy_policy] =>
[is_404] =>
[is_embed] =>
[is_paged] =>
[is_admin] =>
[is_attachment] =>
[is_singular] =>
[is_robots] =>
[is_favicon] =>
[is_posts_page] =>
[is_post_type_archive] =>
[query_vars_hash:WP_Query:private] => 7e64a6dd0886ac72cfd2e2891c78ebbe
[query_vars_changed:WP_Query:private] =>
[thumbnails_cached] =>
[allow_query_attachment_by_filename:protected] =>
[stopwords:WP_Query:private] =>
[compat_fields:WP_Query:private] => Array
(
[0] => query_vars_hash
[1] => query_vars_changed
)
[compat_methods:WP_Query:private] => Array
(
[0] => init_query_flags
[1] => parse_tax_query
)
)