as smooth as eggs

 

points if you can recognize where the title of this post comes from.  anyway, i wanted to write about another thing i'm excited about.  a few years back, i started getting these bumps on the backs of my arms, and then later on my thighs.  not really bad, but annoying.  after my pregnancy with Z, they got worse and i realized i had keratosis pilaris going on, which is basically where the follicles get clogged and can't exfoliate, so you end up with these little bumps that sometimes turn red.  of course i did a bunch of research on it and read what people had to say about it and their solutions.  some of these things included slathering your skin in coconut oil, or scrubbing in the shower with a salicylic acid product or something of the sort.  i tried a few different things, but nothing really worked that well, and some of these beauty products were really expensive so it was not a sustainable option for me.  i also tried various body scrubs, my favorite of which is from l'occitane, but again pretty pricey.  i thought there must be a more natural, less expensive way to get rid of these bumps since it's just some clogged follicles.

and then i became a mom of two and didn't take the time for self care.  

but, over the summer, my sister in law treated me to a spa day for my birthday and we decided to get a body scrub.  i'm pretty modest, so the thought of being completely naked in front of several women and having one scrub the entirety of my unclothed body was a little unnerving.  but i sucked it up as my sis in law assured me that the treatment would be so worth it.

and guess what?  she was right.  my skin had never ever felt more smooth, fresh and clean.  i was amazed.  did i mention that i'm also a little slow?  surely millions of women have gotten this sort of spa treatment done and i'm just now discovering it for myself like it's a new thing.  without going into too much detail, i was a little grossed out and simultaneously fascinated at the dead skin that was rolling off of my body, haha.  anyway, as i was marveling over the smoothness of my skin, i realized that the bumps on my arms and thighs were gone.  as in completely, absolutely not there anymore.  and it stayed like that for about a week.  

then it became clear that the solution, for me at least, was mechanical and not chemical.  i went onto amazon and ordered the exact same exfoliating mitts that the spa uses.  i thought about it, and typically when i shower i wash my body using one of those plastic puff ball thingies or occasionally a washcloth, but neither of those things really exfoliates my skin that well.  so i started to use these exfoliating mitts on my problem areas every time i shower, really getting in there and scrubbing off the dead skin.  and then afterwards, i use lotion all over and rub in a thick application of vaseline to my arms and thighs (and feet to make them extra soft).  i imagine you could use something like coconut oil if you are not down with the petroleum products, but i feel like it needs to be something extremely emollient and not just a regular lotion.  oh, and about once a week i use some sort of body scrub all over as well.  i started doing this because 1) i really like body scrubs and 2) one of my friends that is a young living essential oils consultant gave me a body scrub that she made with sugar, vanilla and orange essential oil and it was one of the best things i have used on my skin.  but more about that in another post, and 3) obviously my skin responds well to some extra exfoliation.

since then, i don't have a problem with the keratosis pilaris.  i may have a few bumps here and there, but nothing like before.  i did notice that i have to do this routine every time i shower or else the bumps come back.  but i don't mind because it feels so nice.  and hubby has commented numerous times on how soft and smooth my skin is.  bonus!  so, if you have this issue, too, i would recommend this treatment!