Let’s face it. Our skin can take a beating during the summer months. The lure of the great outdoors and a bronze tan, and exposure to the sun can wreak havoc on our skin, especially our face. Factors like humidity and heat can put your oil glands in overdrive, creating excessive shine on your cheeks, nose and forehead as well as those unwanted breakouts. Sunscreens can add to the buildup, blocking pores as they block out the UV rays, and sun damage and skin blotches can creep up on you, year after year, before you realize it. Add the use of masks, often uncomfortably hot and sweat-filled when temperatures soar, and the alcohol-based sanitizers and anti-bacterial soaps that tend to be drying, your skin might welcome a break from the summer season.
It’s time to get back to the essentials to ensure a more flawless complexion as we transition from summer into fall, and the winter months beyond. Here are a few tips to help make it a healthy one too!
Tip # 1. Silver Soap & Crème
If you’ve noticed that your summer skin is prone to blemishes, clogged pores, dryness, redness or flaking, consider washing with a cleansing soap that’s gentle, moisturizing, and germ-free. You want one that won’t be harsh or drying, but one that effectively keeps bacteria at bay. Most anti-bacterial soaps can dry out your skin, leaving it prone to reddening cracks and sores painful to touch. We’ve found that infusing a gentle soap with silver not only washes away bacteria and germs on your skin, it sanitizes it too. Silver is proven to disinfect and help sanitize, which is why we developed our portable purse-size Silver Soap and Silver Crème, perfect companions for your hands and body – on the go. They both combine silver with softening emollients to keep your skin fresh and clean while inhibiting bacteria.
Tip # 2. Essential Oils for Skincare
As you may have learned the hard way over the course of the past year, excessive hand washing can really dry out your skin. Essential oils can rehydrate your skin, providing the moisturizing and nourishing properties it need to stay soft and healthy. Stated simply, essential oils are highly concentrated plant extracts distilled into oil. Popular in complementary and alternative medicine, these oils, derived from flowers, leaves, roots, and other parts of plants, have been used for multiple purposes in some cultures for centuries.
Certain essential oils are valued for their properties in cleansing and nourishing skin and can help reduce the appearance of blemishes and improve the appearance of healthy- and even-toned skin, no matter the skin type. Tea Tree is one of our favorites, a true multitasker that moisturizes as it cleans. We use it in a lot of our products at TRU 47, along with peppermint, rosemary, oregano, bergamot, and lavender.
Do you know what else was used as an antiseptic on battlefields and hospital operating rooms? Silver! Silver is a well-documented antimicrobial, historically shown to kill bacteria, fungi and certain viruses. Used for six millennia to prevent microbial infections, silver was the most important antimicrobial agent available before the introduction of antibiotics.
Just think of the potential of pairing silver with the benefits of the botanicals listed above, each of which we use, and you’ll have a sense of the skin care power that’s packed in our TRU 47 products.
Tip # 3. Use sunscreen all year round.
Summer may soon be over but the sun will still be out all year long. Protecting your skin from the sun shouldn't just be something you think about only when you go to the beach. Since sun damage can happen even when there's cloud coverage, continue using SPF under your makeup and to any exposed areas of the skin, year-round – especially if you live in sunny regions.
We have a pure mineral sun-shielding powder in a convenient brush on wand that is all-natural and a healthy way to protect against both UVA and UVB rays, with the added benefit of colloidal silver to help inhibit the growth of bacteria. It also provides a translucent sheen to give your skin that inescapable glow. It’s comparable to 50 SPF and totally talc-free. Hypoallergenic, and safe for sensitive skin, mineral-based SPFs are noted for their lightness, breathability, ocean-friendliness and ease of use. The active ingredients in powder sunscreens are mineral sunscreen UV filters. They reflect the heat and energy of the sun's UV rays away from the skin, thereby maintaining the temperature of the skin. As an important added bonus, mineral sunscreen is particularly beneficial in minimizing skin inflammation and redness associated with acne, rosacea and skin sensitivity.
Tip #3. Hydrate your skin.
You know how important water is for your health. Drinking water can prevent dehydration, a condition that can cause unclear thinking, result in mood change, cause your body to overheat, and lead to constipation and kidney stones. By increasing your water intake, you can flush out the toxins in your body to improve overall health, and the appearance of your skin.
For that healthy glow, your skin needs to be hydrated too, inside and out. The best way to do so is to coat your skin with essential oils, serums, and creams. The changing leaves of the season in fall also changes the appearance of your skin, with skin dryness, flaking, and tightness, calming skin sensitivity will be at the top of the list. You can compensate for these changes by adding more moisture to the skin and helping to retain it. Moisturizing cleaners and lotions help hydrate parched skin, while washing away dead skin and bacteria, but many people overlook toners in their skincare regimens. If you aren’t already using one, the fall is a great time to start. The reason for this is because of the hydrating benefits that alcohol-free toners provide. Since the air is getting cooler but not yet very dry, it’s the perfect way to infuse water into the skin. We know how important toners are to the health of your skin which is why we developed a line of Silver Skin Toners that are infused with colloidal silver too. Colloidal Silver has been known to be good for healthier skin. Custom formulated along with pure essential oils our Toners deliver potent antioxidants to the skin that improve moisture and PH balance while also providing refreshing hydration.
Tip # 4. Mother Nature know best.
Our skin is constantly changing and adapting to internal and external changes, including the change of seasons. It’s important to be attentive and observe your skin for signs that it’s not getting what it needs. Tightness, dryness, increased breakouts, and sensitivity are all signs that your current skincare routine is not working. A change is in order. Pay attention to what your skin is telling you. And take a cue from Mother Nature who puts everything you need for healthy skin right into your hands if you know where to look.