While January might be the most popular month for detoxing, sometimes you’re not ready to kick your New Year’s resolution into action until well into the New Year.  That’s why Spring Cleaning exists though, right?  March is the perfect time to get a jumpstart on that summer glow by spring cleaning your skincare regimen.

After the holidays, you probably focused on what you were putting in your body and got reacquainted with salads and smoothies, but did you pay attention to what you were putting on your body, more specifically, the different toxins you may be applying to your skin?  Diet and exercise are both super important when it comes to detoxing, but by revamping your skincare routine as well, you can set yourself up to go into summer feeling your freshest.

Here’s a couple things you can do this spring to purge your skin of chemicals and toxins and spring clean your skincare routine.

1. Know what your products are made of

This probably seems like silly advice, but a lot of people actually aren’t aware of the different chemicals in their skincare products.  That’s because most moisturizers, deodorants, and body washes have chemicals in them that we aren’t necessarily familiar with, but that we just assume are necessary to “get the job done.” 

While the chemicals in these body washes and moisturizers may be effective in getting our skin clean and soft, they are also effective in altering our body’s natural bacteria, which isn’t what we want. 

Most big brand body washes and lotions contain chemical and alcohol based ingredients, which can kill the natural bacteria our bodies produce.  Without these natural bacteria, our skin stops producing what’s necessary to clean and protect itself.

So, what do you do?  You want to detox your skin, but you also want to feel clean and moisturized.  Easy, just shop natural products.

2. Know what natural skincare products are out there

Only shopping natural products feels like incredibly general and incredibly obvious advice…and that’s because it is, but it is also very true.  There are enough options out there now that it is simple to only shop natural products.  You aren’t even stuck with “slim pickings.”  There are numerous natural skincare lines to choose from. 

While ditching your old skin care regimen and replacing it with an all-natural one may feel a little drastic, we want you to think about it this way: the number of different products you use on your skin can be as high as ten, and even if those products are from the same brand – one that you like and trust – that’s a lot of different chemicals you’re using on your skin. 

So, if you are someone who has an extensive skincare routine, you could actually be hurting your skin in the long run, rather than helping it, making it even more important to explore natural skincare options.  If you identify as the person packing more than five face lotions for a weekend, then it is also important to be aware of how much skincare is too much skincare.

3. Know how often to treat your skin

Something we’re sure you never thought you’d hear, but yes, there is a such thing as too much skincare.  Even if you are using all natural products, you can oversaturate your skin and actually reverse the good you’re trying to do.  There are certain things that you need to do every day, such as washing your face with an all-natural cleanser and even applying a daily moisturizer, but that’s about it. 

Washing your face at the end of the day is necessary to cleanse your skin of all the toxins you encounter just out in the world every day, but washing your face more than once a day can dry out your skin. Same with applying a daily moisturizer; if you’re using it just once each day then it will help keep your skin feeling soft, but more than once a day can actually clog your pores. 

Other treatments you can consider for your skin more sparingly include all-natural face masks and detoxifying baths.  Both of these treatments should be done no more than three times a week, seeing as they can actually dry out your skin if performed every day.

So, while you have this relaxing little lull that is spring, do yourself a favour and don’t just detox from the inside, give your body some love on the outside too with a more natural skincare routine.

We become a lot more aware of the overall look and feel of our feet as warmer months begin to approach.  It might not even be until we are busting out the sandals that we realize how dry and cracked our feet have really gotten.  When it comes to feet, we usually put them at the bottom of our list of priorities.  Probably because they are kind of “out of sight, out of mind” in a sense…but, our feet are actually the workhorses of our bodies.  They are literally holding us up every day, so they really deserve some love year-round.  

Keep Them Clean

This probably sounds obvious, but the cleanliness of our feet can often be overlooked.  It is important to not only cleanse our feet of dirt, but also of dead and dry skin.  Take some extra time in the shower to really scrub them.  The dead and dry skin can build up easily on your feet and become harder to tackle if you don’t tend to them regularly.  And plus, no one wants dirty feet. 

Moisturise with Foot Cream Regularly

During the winter, our skin tends to dry out even more because of the colder weather.  Yes, even though your feet are covered up, the weather does still affect them.  So just as you moisturize your face and body, moisturize your feet regularly as well. 

Our feet require a heavier moisturizer than our face and body, so finding a foot cream that works for you is important.  It also helps to pick a time that works best for you to apply your foot cream…maybe it’s right before bed or when you wake up in the morning before you put your socks on.  You don’t have to apply foot cream daily, but by doing so three-four times a week, you’ll instantly notice softer, healthier feet.    

Give Yourself a Mini Pedicure

Make the time to give yourself a mini pedicure once a month.  This doesn’t have to be some extravagant thing—however, if you want it to be, we are all for a little self-pampering, too—but you can keep it nice and simple by buying yourself a foot pumice and giving yourself a footbath.  The foot pumice will work harder on your feet to scrape away all that dead and dry skin that may have built up that you weren’t able to get off simply by scrubbing in the shower.  After your foot pumice leaves you with already noticeable softer skin, apply your foot cream as well, so the new skin on your feet is moisturized.  And, there, mini pedicure finished.

Choose Your Footwear Wisely

This part’s especially fun: New Shoes!  Just kidding, but having sturdy footwear is an important part to having healthy and happy feet.  Obviously, we’re not saying you need a new pair of boots every single winter, but it is important to be aware of when your shoes are just a little too broken in or have completely just run their course.  

It’s also important to make sure that both your shoes and socks are clean, dry, comfortable and fit right.  If your shoes and socks are constantly rubbing or squeezing your feet in an uncomfortable way all day, then, one, that’s honestly just unenjoyable for you, and two, it’s really not good for your skin. 

Lastly, Make it a Habit

If you do most of the things we’ve suggested, regularly, then they’ll become habit.  When it comes down to it, cleaning and moisturizing your feet really does not take long at all.  Not only will your soft and happy feet thank you, but they’ll look so good once that sun finally comes out.

With the holidays long behind us, but the weather still not really what we would consider ideal, sometimes it feels as though winter will never end, and even though it’s still a little chilly and chances are you’re wearing pants or tights anyways, there are things you can do to help you have softer and smoother legs for the spring. 

For starters, why do our legs get so dry and scaly in the winter?  You would think that because you’re covered up all the time that your skin would be holding in moisture and getting a little break, but our legs actually dry out more during winter months.  This is because of the constantly changing temperatures our bodies are encountering when we move from inside to outside, in and out of the shower, and to and from central heating.  

While there’s not too much you can do about the changing temperature, (aside from waiting out the cold weather in one, heat-controlled room, essentially like a bear in hibernation), there are a few things you can do to help soften your dry skin and make it much smoother. 

Here’s three easy tricks to try in order to have softer, less irritable legs during this final stretch of cold weather leading us into spring.  

1. Stay Hydrated

You obviously can’t keep your skin hydrated without keeping yourself hydrated, that’s just science.  On average, you should be drinking about two liters of water a day, which is easier to do if you have a cute water bottle.  We recommend treating yourself (make hydrating fun) and getting yourself a new water bottle you like.  Then, sport that thing around everywhere.  Staying hydrated will not only help with the dry and itchy skin on your legs, and all over your body, but drinking water also burns calories, so it’s a win, win.

2. Wear Soft, Natural Materials

Our skin is easily irritated by synthetic fibres and material blends, especially in these colder months when we are constantly covered up.  While it might be hard to swap out our everyday wear with all natural and comfortable materials, there are some areas of your life that should be purged of synthetic fibres before spring.

Harsh fabrics love the hide in our bedding and pajamas unfortunately.  This is probably because we don’t check the material blend of our bedding as often as we just “feel it” and are drawn to the overall look of it in our homes.  Since you are spending 6-8 hours a night in your bed and pajamas though, making sure that at least those blends are all natural materials will give your skin some much-needed rest after taking on the day.

3. Moisturize!

Real cutting edge stuff here, but yes, if you do moisturize regularly, your skin will be less dry and itchy.  Let the key word here be “regularly.”  Most people only moisturize after getting out of the shower, or once their skin already feels dry, and while, yes, this is helpful it is not as helpful as getting in the habit of moisturizing every day. 

Not only will moisturizing everyday penetrate your skin to treat the dryness itself, but also natural oils protect your skin by acting as a barrier between it and the elements or temperature.

By being aware and incorporating these three simple steps into our everyday routine, we can combat dry and itchy skin in these final winter weeks.  And, if our skin is feeling softer and more comfortable, then chances are we will too!