The Lavender Pig Blog

Many men completely forgo the notion of skin are, passing it off as unnecessary or feminine. But the skin is the first line of defense against disease and infection, and healthy skin will serve you best. Here are some skincare tips for men:

~ The face should be washed every day with a mild, natural soap, such as oatmeal or shea butter soap (it’s okay to do this in the shower).
~ Once or twice a week, wash the face with warm water and a deep cleanser to flush out the pores. Apply a moisturizing lotion or aloe afterward.
~ If you’re planning on being outside for an extended amount of time, apply sunscreen.
~ Take care when shaving; make sure the face is wet before applying shaving cream, and allow the cream a few moments to settle in. Apply after-shave cream following shaving.
~ Eat a balanced diet and stay active.
~ Drink plenty of water and limit alcohol intake.

It is important to exfoliate your skin regularly. This helps remove dead skin cells and impurities to give you softer, fairer, blemish-free skin. There are many exfoliants available in beauty stores, but it is crucial that you choose the right one for your skin type.

There are some that are too abrasive, some that have too many chemicals, and even others that have no effect at all. The safest ones to choose are those that are made from all-natural ingredients, like oatmeal soap. You can even make your own oatmeal scrub at home. Just make a paste out of oatmeal and water, and apply it on your face: instant exfoliation!

The chemicals and additives in most soap make them inherently harsh on the skin. It’s unfortunate that when trying to keep your hands clean you also have to deal with the resulting dry skin and chaffing. It can really become an endless cycle; the dirty, grubby hands, the lathering up, the washing, the drying off, and the scaly, parched skin. This vicious cycle doesn’t have to continue forever.

Switching soaps could very well be the answer that frequent hand washers are looking for. When purchasing soap, look for handcrafted soap that uses only natural products. This will ensure that there aren’t any potentially harmful chemicals are synthetic products that can dry or irritate your skin.

If you know that you have a propensity to get chapped lips, it can be a frustrating and even painful condition. After all, if the chapping is severe enough, it can actually cause your lips to split and bleed, which makes everything from eating to smiling painful. Therefore, if you know that you’re predisposed to chapped lips, make sure to avoid some common activities that can increase your likelihood of worsening the condition. With that in mind, stay out of extreme weather, such as heavy wind, extreme heat, or extreme cold.

If you are going to be in these conditions, make sure your lips are entirely covered with fabric or at least covered with an effective lip balm. In general, use lip balm on a regular basis as well as sunscreen as sunburned lips are sometimes erroneously called chapped lips. Also make sure that you avoid licking your lips too much. If you do get chapped lips and need chapped lip relief, make sure to continue to follow this advice. Also, hydrate often and avoid smoking, as smoking significantly evaporates your body’s natural oils.

To be healthy and happy people, we have to consume healthy and happy things.  The foods we eat as well as everything else that we put on our bodies are so important that they should not escape consideration. Using mass-produced products exposes us, and the environment, to harmful chemicals and pollution.
 
Using natural handmade bath products is one way in which we can be conscious of our consumption.  Natural things are thing that do not have any unnatural chemicals in them.  These toxins are what we want to avoid when we want to be as positive and vibrant as we possibly can be.

I have really sensitive skin and during the winter I am always looking for products that can provide me with some relief. Even though I apply moisturizing lotion every day I still suffer from itchy and dry skin. Recently I read somewhere that traditional soap was rife with harmful chemicals that can dry out your skin.

I bought some homemade body wash that was only made with natural ingredients, and it really seemed to work. I used it in the shower and immediately afterword I noticed my skin felt soft and smooth. After a few days of using it the patches of dry, red skin had disappeared. I also enjoy taking baths, so I think I will try some natural bath oil next.

Whether for the holidays, a birthday, or just for the heck of it: a gift of health and beauty products is a great way to reward your female spouse.  Here are a few ideas sure to delight her:

~Handmade Soap – handcrafted soap comes in scintillating flavors and smell great during and after washing.

~Bath Salts – add exquisite scents to bath water and also provide the healing benefits of natural salinity.

~Skin Moisturizers – proven to promote healthy skin and also to help combat dryness and itching in colder winter months.

~Sensual Oils – though not a traditional health and beauty product, these are great for a relaxing massage administered by a loving husband.

Many of the household items that we use today are made from chemicals that may have harmful effects on our children and the environment. It is not healthy to use too many artificial products, especially if we are unsure on their long-term effects.

Natural products, such as handcrafted soap, are better than products that come off a factory assembly line. The manufacturers of these unique products use research and science to prove the effectiveness of their herbal-based products. For a cleaner and greener planet Earth, go natural!

Flu season is now upon us, and everyone is more concerned about staying germ-free. We’ve all heard the advice about washing your hands and properly covering your sneezes, but there are some other precautions that will help ensure your health through the chilly fall and winter months.

The soap you choose when washing your hands has a big impact on how sanitary your cleaning routine is. Bar soaps can sit in unclean and mildew-ridden holders, and who knows how many other people have rubbed their infected hands with them? Liquid soap is a more hygienic option and will prevent you from being contaminated. After you wash your hands, always you the towel to open the door, as the doorknobs are a cesspool of bacteria.

The people of Western Africa have long enjoyed the benefits of shea butter, and their secret to moist, luxurious skin has since been passed to the rest of the world. Shea butter is produced from an extraction of the large seeds of the wild shea tree. In its raw state, the butter is white or yellowish in color, and its texture and consistency are similar to that of real butter.

Handmade shea butter soap has actually been found to contain healing properties as well. It restructures the skin, treats eczema and dermatitis and even soothes sore, aching muscles. Shea butter soap can be made at some expense from home with the use of raw, unprocessed butter, but it’s also widely available online. It represents an all-natural alternative to the mass-produced soaps that can prove harsh and even detrimental to the skin.