"Cold hands, warm heart." That's what my Grandmother used to tell me when I balked at her icy cold hands, and later complained of my own. I sadly cannot confirm that my heart is exceptionally warm, but my hands are definitely always freezing. I've also been blessed (read: plagued) with extremely sensitive skin. Anything with artificial colors or fragrances makes me break out. I can tell immediately if my clothes have been accidentally washed with scented detergent because the itchiness makes it unbearable. All the soaps I use are fragrance free, and any perfume I use is sprayed predominantly on my hair/clothing to prevent unwanted blotchiness. Thanks to my dermatological afflictions, I'm something of a professional when it comes to hypoallergenic skincare products. Winter has been especially hard on my hands and face recently, so I felt inspired to make up a post of some skincare goodies, ALL made in USA.
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| Crabtree&Evelyn La Source Hand Therapy cream ($30) and treatment ($26) |
Hands down, the
Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Hand Therapy collection is the most effective dry/chapped hands treatment I've ever tried. I came upon it as a happy accident one day, when I was working down in Suburban Square in Ardmore, PA. It was a slow, dreary winter day, I was bored, so I walked over to the Crabtree store next door to see if they had any hand stuff I could sample to get me through the day. The woman told me she had "just the thing" and brought me over to the little sink setup in the middle of the store. She ran some warm water and had me rub a marble-sized amount of the Hand Therapy treatment on my dry hands. It felt rough, like an exfoliant, which was a bit counter-intuitive since my hands were so chapped they were bleeding. The roughness really just polishes off the dry bits of skin though, and when I rinsed it off under the running water my hands felt as soft as a baby's. I dried my hands (patting, not rubbing them dry) and then applied a squirt of the Hand Therapy cream to seal in the goodness. Going into the store that day was the best whim I ever had, because it's been over a year and I'm still using the stuff. When that Crabtree location closed I was very upset, but I without a doubt bought a stockpile of La Source at half price. The Hand Therapy collection comes in a few different scents, but I like La Source the best because the blend of sea salt, algae, shea butter, and lavender oil smells like the beach. Also, despite the hoity-toity Frenchness of the name, it is in fact made in the USA. Crabtree can be ordered directly on their website, but it's also popularly carried at many small businesses and boutiques so I would check that out first and shop small!
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| Field Aesthetic Natural Soap, $10 |
When I placed my holiday order from the lovely Vermonters at
Field Aesthetic, they sent along a bar of their Essential Herb soap for me to try. I'm not going to lie, I was a little scared at first, because it smelled really amazing and I assumed it had all sorts of oils and perfumes in it that would send my skin into a raging tailspin. My fears were abated when I read the ingredients and saw that it contains no artificial colors, fragrances, or preservatives. It smells very herby from all the essential oils, and the little sprigs of Rosemary and such in the bar gave it a nice exfoliating vibe. I'm still using this soap in the shower, and I have suffered no allergic reactions from it. I'm no dermatologist but I would give this the "HYPOALLERGENIC" stamp of approval if I could. It makes your skin feel ridiculously clean. A+
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| Long Island Livestock Co. Adirondack Scented Llama Loofa ($13) and Shepherdess Salve ($14) |
I discovered the
Long Island Livestock Co. at the Hampton Classic this summer. It was their first year at the show, and they came with soaps, salves, balms, yarn, blankets, and other woolen goodies, all the products of their Llamas and Alpacas. They also brought a few of their animals to the show so people could meet them, and gave shearing demonstrations as well. For such a small, family run business, I was impressed by the fact that they had an iPad in the booth for people to use to sign up for their mailing list. They really presented the full package of a small, self-sustaining business: every product they make comes from the Llamas and Alpacas, which they raise themselves. The Lanolin oil from the wool is made into soap by another local person. Some of the blankets they had were
Pendleton, because they entered into a co-op with a bunch of other small wool companies to send in wool and have Pendleton make blankets for them. I love that Pendleton is conscious enough of their status as an iconic Made in America brand that they're willing to enter into partnerships to help smaller companies in the wool industry. I am happy to support LI Livestock Co. as a business that is very local to me, and I look forward to watching them grow in the community.
Anyway, they make these "Llama Loofas" by taking a natural handmade soap and hand-felting the exfoliating llama or alpaca fiber around it. The essential oils in the soap give it fragrance, and the fibers themselves are hypoallergenic and healthy because they prevent the buildup of soap residue. I haven't personally tried these yet, but they look really cool and smell awesome. The Shepherdess Salve is a very basic Lanolin oil formula, and can be used on pretty much any part of your skin that's dry: hands, feet, lips, cuticles, diaper rash, whatever. As long as you don't eat it you can put it wherever you want. It does also come in a Honey Almond variety for those with no concerns over nut allergies.
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| PGS Face Bomb, $21 |
Portland General Store never ceases to impress me by their inventive array of products. While I'd really love if they made more products that cater to women, I would say that their skincare collection is safely unisex (we all have skin, right?). The rhassoul mud (a type of clay) base is blended with essential oils, floral waters, and exfoliating ground walnut shells to create what I'm sure is an exhilarating and sensory satisfying cleansing experience. Also... it's so natural that it has an expiration date. And vegan! If I ever get to try this I will surely report how it is.
Using great skincare products is definitely your first line of defense against winter dryness. All of that scrubbing and moisturizing will be for naught, however, if you don't protect your skin once you go outside. Along with my aversion to bulky winter coats, I hate wearing gloves because they make me feel sloppy and restricted. I've had to just man-up and get over it though, because I've definitely suffered the consequences this winter. A cheeky Christmas gift I received this year were
RL Rugby's Arm Warmers (below) which are basically leg warmers for your arms. They have the appeal of fingerless gloves except they go all the way up past your elbows. I haven't quite figured out what to wear them with though, so usually I just walk around the house with them on. Rugby is going out of business completely in less than a month, so if you like them I'd go online and scoop them up while you still can.
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| Rugby Arm Warmers |
As always, I welcome suggestions and recommendations. I enjoy using myself as a test dummy for skin products, since my skin's temperamental nature and often arbitrary allergic reactions to things keep my life very interesting.
