We’re almost a month into our ‘staycation’ at home… just a little less than 4 weeks before we cross the finishing line.
While some of our social privileges have been temporary revoked, many other privileges have also opened up to us.
Privileges like waking up at your own time and working out of your jammies without having to worry about what to wear to work, the luxury of more time to pamper yourself with enough sleep… and midday showers that keep feeling so fresh, so clean, all day every day.
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Fresh, But at What Cost?
Stepping out of the shower is one of the best feelings ever, one has to admit. The feeling of smooth, grease-free skin and hair is a sensation we’ll all welcome… but too much of something can never be all that great, including showers.
Most of the shower gels or soap that we use contain two key ingredients: Parabens and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).
Parabens are a form of preservatives that can actually disrupt the balance of our hormones, increasing the eventual risk of breast, skin, and even prostate cancer.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, on the other hand, is a harsh chemical that disrupts the natural moisture of the skin, stripping your skin of that natural layer of oil that is intended to be protection for your skin, causing severe dehydration and making your skin susceptible to acne-causing bacteria.
The same two ingredients can also be found in your shampoo, and inflict the same amount of damage on your scalp, eventually leading to hair loss.
These two staple chemicals are just the tip of the iceberg. There are some ingredients in our shampoo or shower foams that may even cause kidney or liver abnormality with excessive usage.
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Doing it Right
Now I’m not advising you against taking the showers which we all enjoy so much, but there’s a way to feel fresh against the humidity of our weather and take as many showers as you desire – just without using shower gels or shampoo every time you do it.
Your first and last shower should be a ‘full service’ one, but for every shower that you take in between, rinsing your skin or hair with water can feel equally refreshing without damaging your skin or scalp.
If you feel like the damage has already been done and you’re taking up to 4 showers a day with soap and shampoo, fret not. The damage can be reversed with a little bit of effort at rehydrating your skin.
Cultivate the habit of applying moisturizing agents daily, once in the day, and once before you sleep. Supplement your skin with a midday facial mist can also go a long way in undoing the chemical damage dealt to your skin.
Dry skin can accelerate the sagging effects of your skin, so throw in that skin-firming activator that you will sorely need to keep your skin tight and taut.
So, go ahead and shower away, but just don’t forget to supplement your skin if you’re doing so – you got all the time at your disposal anyways!
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