Chicken skin has been on our minds lately. You know those little bumps that appear on the arms as well as, sometimes, the thighs, butt cheeks, and face, too? While they’re common and not dangerous in any way, they’re still a bit annoying as they’re rough to the touch and look unsightly.
Those little bumps are caused by something called keratosis pilaris. It’s caused by a buildup of the protein keratin which can plug a hair follicle, resulting in a bump. Keratosis pilaris can begin in childhood and sometimes goes away on its own - if you’re lucky.
The combination of dry skin and cold weather can aggravate keratosis pilaris along with pregnancy, high levels of estrogen, shaving, or waxing. While there is no cure for it (because it isn’t an illness) there are ways of treating it.
The combination of a gentle soap that contains seaweed, pure shea butter, rose geranium, and coconut can be magic for those who suffer from keratosis pilaris. We, personally, have had huge success using our Ritual Rose Soap Bar, which contains the above ingredients. We like to lather up and let it sit on our skin for a couple minutes to reap the full benefit (and we have regular users of Ritual Rose who swear by the same results – yay!).
So, what’s so great about those particular ingredients?
For starters, seaweed is considered bio-available which is a term mainly used in pharmacology by drug companies. The simple meaning is seaweed is easily and readily absorbed by our bodies. Drug companies have been using the bioavailability of seaweed (in particular alginate) to help administer topical drugs like insulin, nicotine patches and others.
We rave about the multi-tasking benefits of using seaweed in your skincare. We know seaweed is proven to tighten loose skin, minimize the appearance of pores, has the highest concentration of anti-oxidants and improves collagen production by 200% in aging skin. It also can moisturize and calm the skin (which is why it’s also great at combating acne). As mentioned, seaweed sinks into your skin deeper because of its bioavailability and this is where it really can make a difference with healing as adding it to other healthy ingredients and it will pull them into your skin as well. This is why we included…
Pure shea butter is very effective in reducing inflammation and redness. Shea butter contains important nutrients such as vitamins A and E and other valuable phytonutrients vital to the skin’s healing process. In fact, many people report that using shea butter after surgeries help with quick healing of incisions – more so than any other method.
Rose geranium is wonderful at balancing the skin’s natural oil production. It also joins forces with seaweed in that it minimizes the appearance of enlarged pores. It also enhances circulation, promotes faster fading of scars and blemishes as well as soothes uncomfortable skin ailments.
Coconut is another wonderful addition as it helps reduce inflammation as well as improves skin hydration.
Activated charcoal is included to help with congestion. Inflamed skin like to trap gunk in the pores that can be stubborn to remove and activated charcoal helps to ease it out with a gentle nudging.
All this in just one beautiful bar of soap!