Dry Cracked Hands? 3 Steps To Smoother, Healthier Skin

The skin on the backs of your hands is in many ways like the skin on your face. Sadly, our hands take quite a beating over the course of our lives and we do very little to pamper them the way we do our faces. We plunge them into buckets of cleaning chemicals, dig holes, and rarely remember to use sunscreen. The result? Dry, itchy, even cracked and bleeding hands that can be painful at worst, and embarrassing at least.

If only we had taken the time to learn to pamper our skin the way we treat ourselves to fine dining, great movies and other of life's simple luxuries. Now, you can reclaim your long-lost beautiful hands with a simple 3 step process that's quick and easy, and leaves hands feeling sensational to boot!

This quick 3 step hand treatment is a perfect pick-me-up that will exfoliate, soften and protect your hands and leave you feeling soothed and refreshed in the process.

1. Apply a gentle exfoliant to dry hands. I recommend Almond Oil Refining Hand Scrub from The Body Shop. It warms as it exfoliates, can be used wet or dry for on-the-go exfoliating, and the fine salt crystals are similar to microderm in terms of coarseness.

2. Rinse the exfoliant and apply a small amount of hand wash. The creamy, yet lightly scented Almond Oil Hand Wash is great for men or women. Lather up, singing "happy birthday" in your head before you rinse. This gives you time to really scrub the hands. Use a massaging motion as you scrub and rinse in mildly warm water to continue stimulating circulation and cleansing.

3. After the final rinse, blot dry (you don't want to be bone dry or soggy) and apply a hand lotion to retain moisture. Depending on your skin condition, I recommend the following:

The Body Shop Almond oil Daily Hand and Nail cream (normal skin)

The Body Shop Almond oil Intensive Hand Rescue (drier skin - a great night treatment)

The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector (dry, chapped, cracked skin)

Here are a few bonus tips to take hand care the extra mile:

* At night, you can slip on a pair of cotton socks or use The Body Shop Moisturizing Gloves after you apply lotion for speedier results.
* Take time to exfoliate and pamper your skin at least once a week.
* Use Sunscreen to help prevent "age spots". To even out skin tone, try The Body Shop Moisture White brightening serum. Originally designed for the face, the licorice extract will work on your hands, too.
* Wear gloves when you're doing work, out in the weather or putting your hands "through the paces".

You'll be amazed at not only the condition of your hands, but also how much more relaxed and revived you'll feel after a quick hand treatment. The massaging motion helps to relieve tension and soothe the senses, which always goes a long way toward making your whole being feel better - not just your hands.

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Lisa M. Robbin Young gives "face time" to hundreds of women each month, as a skin care consultant, author and entrepreneur. Sign up for her free newsletter, "Beauty Remarks" and get a free copy of her book, "Saving Face" at http://www.queenofthespa.com

Baby Body Butter: The Body Shop 'Buriti Baby' Makes Big Splash at Bathtime

With a brand re-launch in Fall, 2008, The Body Shop is taking skin care to new heights with the launch of a new Baby care range. Featuring oil from the Amazonian Buriti (pronounced "boo-ree-chee") tree, the Buriti Baby Care Collection is perfect for new moms, moms to be, and even adults with sensitive skin.

The Pediatrician approved formula is recommended for infants age 3 months and older, and features no added preservatives, making it perfect for customers with sensitive skin. When used as recommended, the skin smoothing body butter will provide hours of moisturization thanks to the community trade shea butter and aloe.

With more moms getting picky about what they apply to baby's skin, you'll be pleased to know there are no parabens of any kind in the Buriti Collection. The range is exclusively available from consultants with The Body Shop at Home through Holiday, 2008. Five products comprise the body care collection with four additional accessories to augment the value of the regime.

Chocked full of essential fatty acids (EFA's), the Buriti Baby body wash, shampoo and body lotion provide lasting and gentle protection for baby's tender skin. For extra moisturization, the Buriti Baby body butter is a skin smoothing treat. If mom wants to spend some quality bonding time with baby, the no-mess, near-dripless massage gel is perfect for applying while holding your bundle of joy in a close "back rub" position. You can even pour it one-handed!

With The Body Shop touting "Nature's Way to Beautiful" as their new mantra for a greener way of living, you'd expect the company to be screaming from the rooftops about this new powerhouse product collection. Instead, they've opted to test market the products exclusively through their "At Home" sales channel in an effort to generate grass roots momentum for the holiday season. But whatever their approach, products like The new Buriti Baby collection are a powerful entry into the more conscious baby care market. Featuring "natural ingredients, bursting with effectiveness" sourced with a commitment to social and ecological responsibility. It's no wonder The Body Shop has been the number one "green" cosmetics brand for decades.
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Lisa M. Robbin Young gives "face time" to hundreds of women each month, as a skin care consultant, author and entrepreneur. Sign up for her free newsletter, "Beauty Remarks" and get a free copy of her book, "Saving Face" at QueenOfTheSpa.com