Welcome, Good Good Fam, to our first monthly blog, where we share all the Good Good stuff with you. From updates about what's happening with us to our healthy skincare tips and tricks!
With the new year comes new goals, starting new habits, and change! That said, winter is here, and the cold and dry weather can be a common trigger for people with dry skin or sensitive skin, and especially triggering for those of us who suffer from eczema. Let's start the New Year right by getting into new habits to better care for your skin, regardless of your skin condition!
Knowing your skin type and condition is essential to understand better how to care for your skin. When we know what our skin needs, it is easier to start integrating the best skincare regimen to repair damaged skin or protect it from future issues. Following a skincare routine also makes way for healthier, glowing skin that stays well moisturized and protected no matter the potential external factors that can induce unwanted skin irritation. Even though dry weather and other environmental factors can cause the skin to feel drier and lose its natural moisture, the skincare products you use can also play a significant role in causing discomfort felt on the skin. Skincare products can have harsh ingredients that inadvertently strip the body of its natural oils that help it retain moisture in the skin barrier. That’s why when looking for skincare products, it is always good practice to read the label to find out what its ingredients are.
That Good Good Shea uses raw, unrefined shea butter and additional natural ingredients in all our skincare products. We use unrefined shea rather than refined shea because it is made from dried shea nuts, making the refinement process less intensive on the shea nuts to ensure that the shea butter we produce retains more beneficial natural properties. In comparison, refined shea butter is made from fresh shea nuts, which entails a more intensive refining process that causes most of the shea nuts' color, scent, and natural nutrients to be removed from the shea butter produced.
That is why That Good Good Shea’s star ingredient will always be unrefined shea because of its exceptional natural benefits to all skin conditions. Unrefined shea is loaded with natural nutrients and vitamins that, when applied to the body, can help seal in more moisture and work as an added layer of protection while simultaneously nourishing the skin to build resistance to potential daily external irritants. In this way, consistent use of any of our natural shea-infused products can help eliminate the unwanted appearance and reduce the uncomfortable sensations brought on by skin conditions like dry skin, sensitive skin, and eczema.
However, before we go over some easy ways to improve your dry skincare routine, let’s go over what normal skin, dry skin, sensitive skin, and eczema conditions are so you can better understand these different terms. Once you know what these terms mean, applying the skincare tips we share to your routine can be easier to find the best way to use them to reach your main skin goals and needs.
What is Normal Skin?
'Normal' is a word commonly used to refer to well-balanced skin. The scientific term for normal skin is “eudermic” skin which simply means “good skin.” Most often, normal skin is neither too oily nor dry and has a regular texture.
However, the T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) can sometimes become slightly oily. Besides this, normal skin generally has naturally balanced sebum and moisture within its protective skin barrier.
What is Dry Skin?
Dry skin, also referred to as xerosis or xeroderma, is a condition that makes the skin look and feel rough, itchy, flaky, or scaly due to a lack of moisture retained in the skin barrier. It is important to know that both dry skin and eczema may have some overlapping symptoms, but there are some critical differences in these skin conditions, even though, at times, it can be hard to tell them apart. Dry skin is a trigger for eczema, and eczema is one possible cause of dry skin.
Dry skin can be induced by environmental stressors such as cold or dry weather, sun damage, harsh soaps, and overbathing. Dry skin is also a more common skin condition affecting people of all ages—where these dry patches form varies from person to person. A healthy skincare regimen can quickly improve this type of skin condition.
What is Sensitive Skin?
Sensitive skin, sometimes called irritated skin, is a skin condition caused by a weakened skin barrier that reacts more to stimuli like allergens and environmental stressors. It is considered a fragile skin type that can become severely inflamed due to exposure to irritant substances or allergens entering a weakened skin barrier that causes allergic reactions and discomfort to the skin, like tightness, redness, swelling, or itching.
Sensitive skin can affect all ages and is a skin condition that needs more tentative care to prevent unwanted discomfort or the appearance of dryness and roughness on the skin.
What is Eczema?
Eczema is atopic dermatitis that causes the skin to become dry, itchy, and cracked. It can be seen as small red or gray patches that can appear across the body. The outer layer of a person’s skin is supposed to work as a barrier to hold moisture in the skin and keep out germs, allergens, and irritants. However, for people who have eczema, this layer of natural protection doesn't work as it should. The skin barrier is weaker, leading to the skin drying out more quickly, and allergens like food or pet dander have an easier time getting under the skin and setting off eczema flare-ups as a result.
Eczema is a chronic and hereditary condition that usually affects people with asthma and allergies but can improve or clear over time with a healthy skincare routine. This skin condition is primarily seen in children, although adults can suffer from eczema, too.
Read on to discover That Good Good Shea’s top 5 tips to help you beat the dry weather curse and start enjoying the rest of winter with less irritation, itchiness, and dry skin!
A healthy skincare regimen can afford short-term improvements but also creates long-term benefits where the skin can regenerate to feel and look its best at all ages for any skin condition. Although certain skin types and conditions can be more prone to symptoms like dryness or itchiness, people with well-balanced skin are still at risk of developing skin sensitivity and, over time, experiencing a depletion of moisture retained in their skin barrier if they don’t keep a healthy skincare routine. With that said, everyone, no matter their skin condition, should strive to proactively and consistently keep their skin moisturized and hydrated.
Choosing the best skincare products to achieve and maintain healthy skin is important. Most concerns about skincare products come from the potential long-term health risks the body is vulnerable to by applying harmful ingredients like adulterants and other unnatural chemicals that can seep into the body overtime. Skincare companies use these toxic ingredients because they are cheaper and quickly produce short-term benefits. However, using skincare products with natural ingredients, like That Good Good Shea, removes the need to worry about exposing your body to potential adverse long-term health risks. Plus, consistently using our shea-infused skincare products, with their inherently beneficial nutrients, can not only improve and better care for conditions like dry skin, sensitive skin, and eczema but also offers the added long-term benefit of increasing the likelihood of anyone maintaining healthier skin and naturally reducing the look of scars, stretch marks, and cellulite as they age.
That Good Good Shea’s Top 5 Tips for a Better Dry Skincare Routine are Listed Below!
1. Add Moisture to The Skin At Least 2x A Day
Moisturizing with the right products forms a protective layer on the skin to help lock in moisture while keeping out impurities. Consistent moisturizing allows damaged, broken, or eczema skin to heal and become more resistant to symptoms like dryness and itch.
That Good Good Shea’s Recommendation
Skincare products with raw shea butter have natural skin regenerating benefits. That's why we recommend moisturizing the skin at least twice daily for those experiencing dry skin, sensitive skin, or eczema symptoms. Adding moisture with ingredients like shea can help the skin to absorb nutrients and naturally repair the skin barrier. Plus, regular application of shea butter can provide the added benefit of relieving irritation and unwanted discoloration in dry skin’s appearance. That Good Good Shea’s Shea Body Butter and Shea Oil provide even better nourishment because it’s made with unrefined shea butter. Unrefined shea is loaded with more vitamins, like vitamin A and E, which offers extra soothing and protective benefits for any skin condition.
2. Don't Scratch Dry Skin
Scratching irritated skin can create more broken skin and makes it even easier for irritants and allergens, like dust and pet dander, to enter the skin barrier and cause skin irritation for any skin condition.
That Good Good Shea’s Recommendation
We recommend trying not to scratch the irritated area. Instead, try patting or pressing the skin when feeling itchy – this can help reduce the irritation and minimize creating more broken skin. We suggest using our Shea Body Butter or Shea Oil because it can quickly treat and care for dry skin, sensitive skin, and eczema. The unrefined shea in our products is naturally rich in unsaturated fatty acids that can penetrate deep into the skin barrier, lock in the moisture applied to the body, and improve how much the skin absorbs the healing nourishment from the unrefined shea.
3. Use Warm Water in Daily Showers or Baths to Decrease Skin Dryness
Using hot water while bathing or showering can strip your skin of the natural oils it needs to stay healthy, making your skin drier and experience worse itching and irritation. Plus, hot water can increase inflammation in your skin.
That Good Good Shea Recommendation
We recommend bathing or showering with warm water, not hot water. We also suggest that the water stays below 86°F (30°C) and that you’re in the bath or shower for only 5 – 10 minutes. Use our Foaming Shea Sugar Scrub 3x a week in the bath or shower to simultaneously exfoliate the body and rehydrate the skin with the unrefined shea infused in our scrub. The natural ingredients found in our Foaming Shea Sugar Scrub make it a gentle, non-irritating cleansing agent safe for all skin conditions.
After your bath or shower, try to pat rather than rub yourself dry with a towel and apply a moisturizer while the skin is still damp. We suggest following up with That Good Good Shea’s other shea-infused products to seal in moisture. Our Shea Body Butter and Shea Oil can better alleviate itchiness, dryness, and irritation the skin may experience after a bath or shower. This is because the unrefined shea in our products has natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that help soothe and repair broken skin.
4. Avoid Water-Based Moisture Lotions
Moisturizing lotions are water-based, while creams and oils are lipid-based. Applying too much water-based lotion products to the body can disrupt the water/lipid/protein complex. The result is an over-saturated layer of skin, which is a less effective protective barrier, making the skin feel tighter and more sensitive after washing. Avoid skincare products that contain any of the following: alcohol (except when in hand sanitizer), Alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA), and fragrance, including deodorant soaps and retinoids. Avoiding these ingredients in your skincare products will help your skin retain more natural oils.
That Good Good Shea’s Recommendation
We suggest using creams or oils containing at least 1 of the following ingredients to improve locking in moisture to your skin barrier: jojoba oil, argan oil, or shea butter. Fortunately, That Good Good Shea products include all the above-listed beneficial ingredients. That’s why we recommend using our Shea Body Butter or Shea Oil rather than a water-based lotion to moisturize your body. Creams and oils are more effective and less irritating than water-based lotions. Our Shea Body Butter and Shea Oil also actively strengthen the skin barrier by adding more essential nutrients the body requires to increase its resistance to external irritants and helps the skin retain moisture for longer.
5. Wear Cool, Smooth-Textured Clothing to Decrease Skin Irritability
Many people with eczema and other skin-sensitive conditions often find clothing made of wool, polyester, nylon, and other synthetic materials trigger their skin irritation and itchiness. These garments induce the chance of skin overheating, sweating, or not breathable enough to soothe the skin. The friction between these clothes and your skin likely leads to eczema flare-ups and irritation to other skin-sensitive conditions.
That Good Good Shea’s Recommendation
We recommend wearing fabrics like cotton, silk, and any other material that you find loose, giving your skin plenty of room to breathe and retain its moisture. Unrefined shea and the other natural ingredients used in That Good Good Shea’s products absorb very quickly into the skin, ensuring moisture is locked in without leaving a greasy finish. Therefore, you never have to worry about which area of the body you apply our shea-infused products because they won’t stain your clothes.
That Good Good Shea’s Product Recommendations!
For our Good Good fam with dry skin, sensitive skin, or eczema, we recommend using our Pure & Unrefined Shea Butter if you have severe symptoms of the skin conditions listed above. Or if you have milder symptoms, we suggest our Unscented Shea Body Butter, Unscented Foaming Shea Sugar Scrub, and Unscented Shea Oil, which include our unrefined shea plus other naturally soothing and beneficial ingredients.
For our Good Good fam with a normal skin type, you can mix and match our scented Shea Body Butter, Foaming Shea Sugar Scrub, and Shea Oil with all the same moisturizing and protective benefits. All our scented items get their unique scents from natural essential oils with antibacterial and soothing benefits we label on all those products!
Browse The Goods now on our site – your skin will love you for it!
