Birkie's January the Body issue

January is one of those month you tend to forget you have a body...

Or, you really want to forget you have a body after

♥ an attempt to loose weight and join the gym (not too succesful),
♥ feel cold (that always seems to happen in January),
♥ or do not want to shave those not-too-smooth legs because, after all...who will notice them anyway?

So, in order to reclaim that unadulterated self-love every woman should have for her body , I will write about some of the lovely creams and butters that actually seem to help a bit... (I believe men should have that bit of self-love too, but men often have less trouble with this, LOL. Anyway, this post is aimed to everyone who likes to treat their body with potions!)

From Dry paws to smooth hands:

I always demand a lot from my handcreams. They should be:

* Thin, but still moisturizing
* absorb into skin quickly (because you do not want to stain your surroundings with your greasy mitts)
* smell good but too too protrudent (so that your handcream clashes with the perfume you wear...)
* easy portable (for on the road, so no bulky jars)
* cheap enough for me


Meet my little milkmaid from Metholatum:

Their handcream is creamy enough to moisturize that winter-starved hands, and still wonderfully thin.

The cream lives up to their claims, although I am always a bit iffy on that 'it works 24 hours claim'. It still keeps my hands moisturized enough for a quite amount of time.

Price = affordable! Just $2.30 on sasa.com

Problem: Sasa does not sell this particular tube anymore

Solution: Even better, Sasa has a version that has SPF 15 in it and whitening properties. No claims from me, because I never used that version, but the reviews are already quite good. (find it here)

From cracked legs to soft pins:

Legs seem to suffer a lot during the winter...Why do they transform it that kind of tree-like texture when the month December seems to hit?

I have always loved the independant etailer shops that make body-lotions and perfumes. Haus of Gloi captured my attention after the numerous reviews that popped up (examples).

I  was particularly attracted to their gloomy and alchemic-esque labels on their jars:

So meet their Pumpkin Butter...something so balmy and rich that it would smooth out an elephant. (ok, exaggerated, because I do not have an elephant in my backyard that I could test it on, but...)

I find it a bit too heavy on other body parts (except for those elbows), but it works on dry places like a dream.

You can find them over here.

From lacklustre to revived:

It is not the outside of the body that gets a bit dried out because of the Winter season. Your mind could feel like a desert as well.

Enter...reviving baths and showers:

Aromatherapy Associates has this particular oil that you can pour in your bath, or, without bath or without too much time, apply on your body before showering: the Revive Morning.

Honestly, they are overpriced! You can make your own, cheaper blend with some aromatherapy scents that you find soothing, pleasurable, or uplifting and blend them with a carrier oil (more information over here). I once had a course in Aromatherapy, and the basic thing they learn you is that the scent that attracts you the most at the time being is the scent that will probably benefit you the most at that time.

Still, BE CAREFUL with aromatherapy, because they can have a similar working as medicine, but can be similarly hazardous as well! So stick to a trusted brand (Aromatherapy Associated or similar) if you do not like to experiment on homemade potions.

Purchased in the shop or homemade, oils can have this wonderfully nurturing effect on a dryer, winter body, and the essential oils can give you that bit of lift (or relaxation) you want. So, double benefit!

Anyway, my ultimate cure to the winter blues and winter dryness is....Spring....so I am looking forward to that one...

In the meantime, keep moisturized and cheerful!