Skin Breathing
Our skin is our largest organ and can be considered our third lung. Our skin breathes. It is alive and it has a rhythm, an inhalation and an exhalation. It absorbs (inhales) oxygen, nutrients, senses light, and regulates heat and cold. It releases (exhales) carbon dioxide, sheds dead skin cells and completely regenerates itself every 28 days. It protects our bones, organs and allows us to feel the power of sensation!
In each square INCH of skin there are:
65 hairs
95-100 sebaceous glands
78 yards of nerve fibers
19 yards of blood vessels
650 sweat glands
9,500,000 cells (this blows my mind)
1,300 nerve endings
19,500 additional cells at the end of the nerve fibers
78 sensory apparatuses for heat
13 sensory apparatuses for cold
160-165 pressure apparatuses for the perception of tactile stimuli
-excerpted Joel Gerson, Milady’s Standard Textbook for Professional Estheticians
The skin is like an outer lung and the pores are seen as the “doors of Qi” according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. To maintain the body’s defensive energy (“Wei Qi”) and protect from pathogenic forces we must care for our first line of defense: our skin. Scrubs boost our immune system and keep clear the doorways of qi. Scrub this Fall season to cleanse, smooth, moisturize the skin and restore its natural balance. I find sugar scrubs to be less abrasive than salt scrubs and use these most often. Try one out from the store like Albas Hawaiian Body Polish or you can make your own.
Here’s The Basic Recipe:
Use 2 parts sugar (regular white or brown sugar work great) to 1 part oil (almond, olive and coconut are great), add 1/2 tsp Vitamin E oil or jojoba (a little added luxury), essential oil, and mix well. Your medicinal scrub will retain freshness for up to 2 months.
Fall Scrub:
- Sugar 2 cups, all finely ground
- Sweet Almond oil 1/2 cup (or until desired consistency is reached)
- Jojoba oil or Vitamin E oil – 2 tablespoons
- Essential oils of tangerine (5 drops) and lavender (2 drops)
“And although our bodies are bounded with skin, and we can differentiate between outside and inside, they cannot exist except in a certain kind of natural environment.”- Alan Watts
Care for yourself and be Comfortable in your skin. Warm Smiles, Nicole
