Hello & welcome to the first (of what I hope will be many) blog posts in 2021!

It’s a strange time. Our hopes and dreams have been put on hold and we’re all stuck in somewhat of a ‘limbo’ state. We live in a fast pace world, always trying to keep up with each other, striving to achieve the next big thing. After lots of time alone, personally I have come to the conclusion that this is the universe telling us to slow the heck down. 

We need to take some time to ourselves, forget the world around us for a while and develop a loving relationship with the self.  

 

This, friends, is the year of you.

 

Let’s start with some self-care. Let’s love our bodies no matter their shape or size & begin to use skincare as a way of showing them gratitude.

The world obsesses over ‘the perfect’ facial skincare routine – but what about the rest of our bodies? Our skin is our biggest organ, and yet we neglect 90% of it.

In this post, I will share the 3-step simple self-care routine that I follow in the hope that it will inspire you to start your own. It's pretty detailed, so if you want the short version, head to the 'summary' section at the bottom of this post.

Also, be sure to check the bottom of this post for an exclusive voucher code!

 

________________________________________ 

Step 1: Cleansing

 

We’re all overdoing it. Shower gels, soaps, foaming body washes – you name it, we’re using it – all in the name of being ‘clean’. However, what we don’t realise is that every time we lather up our bodies in these chemicals, we’re not only stripping away at the natural oils produced to protect our skin, but also at the skin’s microbiome - the bacteria that protects us.

I’m not suggesting that cleansing doesn’t have a place in our body care routines, but our skin much prefers it when we limit our use of foamy/soapy products. I like to stick by the ‘PITS & BITS’ rule. Choose a minimally processed soap* and use it sparingly, only on – yep, you guessed it – your pits and bits. Wash the rest of the rest of your body in clean water & allow your skin to re-establish it’s microbiome & produce it’s natural protective oils.

*Don’t use shower gel/body wash/foaming products. They usually contain an abundance of chemicals that we don’t want to put anywhere near our skin. I recommend having a look on Etsy for a cold processed, natural soap that is scented with essential oil. We’re in the process of developing one, but it won’t be ready until later this year.

 

________________________________________    

Step 2: Exfoliating

Everyone’s skin is different. Mine is naturally quite dry, so I find that I like to use a body scrub multiple times per week in order to remove any dead skin cells. I also have low blood pressure which leads to poor circulation (I often have very cold fingers & toes!) so I find that the act of exfoliating is really helpful in getting my blood flowing.

At Sunbeam, we have two different scrubs in our range (each with a choice of scents).

 

Body Scrub & Glow

A gorgeously thick scrub made with an abundance of luxurious natural oils including Golden Jojoba, Sweet Almond & Coconut Oil. The exfoliating ingredient is sugar – no microplastics here. A bamboo spoon is included for you to mix and apply the scrub in a spa-like ritual. Once applied, use your hands to massage the scrub into your skin until it has dissolved. This product also negates the need for a shaving gel – just rinse your skin with water to remove any remaining sugar and shave! Our Body Scrub & Glow is contained in one of our glass jars and topped with a hand-designed botanical lid. There are three scent blends to choose from.

 

Scrub & Moisturise Bar

This bar is a two-in-one product, perfect for a quick exfoliating session and the ideal travel companion.

Warm up the bar a little bit in your shower or bath and use the scrub side to exfoliate. Rinse away the exfoliating granules (sugar & ground nuts) & flip the bar over, gliding it over your skin to moisturise. Rinse again and pat your skin dry so as to ensure that all of those lovely moisturising ingredients stay on your skin. Unlike the Body Scrub & Glow, we wouldn’t recommend this for shaving (the cocoa butter will clog up your razor!).

After each use, leave the bar for a few hours to dry before popping it in your sisal bag (included) for storage.

 

________________________________________

     

Step 3: Moisturising

Keeping your skin moisturised and supple is extremely important – not just from an aesthetic perspective. Our lymphatic system, blood flow and so many other systems work optimally when our skin is properly nourished. If you’ve read our ‘about’ page, you’ll know that this brand was inspired by our Mum & her breast cancer ordeal. For the reasons listed above, one of her physiotherapist’s top recommendations was that she make sure her skin was always moisturised.

 

Whipped Body Butter

Our Whipped Body Butter is deeply nourishing. We don’t need to tell you how to use this, but we do want to let you know that it is a slightly different texture to the kind of lotions and potions you’ll find, say, in the supermarket. It’s thick and luxurious & a little goes a long way. Each one is scented with one of our beautiful essential oil blends (there are three to choose from!) and topped with a gorgeous crystal.

 

________________________________________  

I’m bias because I only use Sunbeam products. Obviously, you can use whatever products you like! Just make sure they tick the following boxes:

 

• Contains only clearly listed, natural ingredients.
• Doesn’t contain plastic (many scrubs use microplastics as their ‘exfoliating’ ingredient).
• Is either unscented or is only scented with 100% pure essential oils. Fragrance oils are man-made, and, in my opinion, there is not enough research to prove that they are safe for us to use on our skin (quite the contrary).
• Cruelty free.

________________________________________  

 

Summary

I’m aware that the above is rather detailed, so for those people would rather just read a short & simple version, here goes!

 

Step 1: Cleanse

• Ditch the shower gels, soaps, foaming body washes (etc.) and replace them with a simple, natural soap. Use it very sparingly on only your pits & bits so as to protect the natural oils and microbiome of your skin.

Step 2: Exfoliate

• Depending on your skin type, use a body scrub 1-3 times per week to remove dead skin cells and encourage blood flow and lymphatic drainage.
• We have two exfoliators in our range:

Body Scrub & Glow: perfect for a pamper session and negates the need for a shaving gel.

Scrub & Moisturise Bar: this bar is a two-in-one product, perfect for a quick exfoliating session that will leave your skin feeling silky soft – the ideal travel companion.

Step 3: Moisturise

• Our lymphatic system, blood flow and so many other systems work optimally when our skin is properly nourished, thus we recommend moisturising regularly (even daily!).
• Our Whipped Body Butter is a beautifully thick and luxurious cream that will leave your skin feeling incredibly soft and smelling wonderful. It has a slightly different texture to the body creams you’ll find elsewhere & a little goes a long way!

 

________________________________________  

Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really hope this helped you to form your own self-care/self-love routine. As a little treat, you can use the code ‘LOVEYOURBODY’ to get 20% off our *NEW* Sunbeam Naturals Starter Set. This code will work until Monday 25th January 2021. I thought this would be a nice little way to start you off.  

 

Sending you ALL THE LOVE for 2021.

 

Hollie  xxx