Today’s is the first so it is time to load your Upromise grocery ecoupons. Remember, these can be “stacked” or used in addition to your regular paper coupons or other ecoupons. This month they are offering Snyders, GUM and Charmin coupons and lots of other earnings opportunities. While you are there you can invite friends and family to help you save and sign up for savings on credit cards, gas and dining out.

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Spring is a time we get motivated to clean out our homes, get rid of things to start fresh. But spring cleaning isn’t just about purging physical items from our lives, but after a long winter, it’s also a great time to think about purging toxins from our bodies. Believe it or not, your skin deserves a spring clean, too, in order to keep everything fresh, glowing and gorgeous.

There are various ways to clean your skin from the outside and internally. You could use lotions, moisturizers, toners, juices and even just drinking water. HollyBeth Anderson, the founder of USDA-certified luxe skin care brand HollyBeth Organics, knows a thing or two about healthy skin, and offers up five easy ways — and the reasons behind them — to clean your skin for spring … and the rest of the year.

Eat Well
The old adage “you are what you eat” applies not only to our body, but also to our skin. What is lovely about spring and summer is that nature’s skin detoxifiers abound in red and blue, in the form of berries. Try eating what is in local, in season and fresh. Not only will you feel better but you will look better.

Exfoliate
Get rid of winter skin with a gentle exfoliator and stay away from harsh scrubs and chemicals that can damage your skin. Remember your skin sheds cells every minute, think of it as spring cleaning, sweeping away winter. When I was a child my mother would exfoliate with cornmeal which is the reason I created our award winning grits & honey scrub. What customers love about it is that it is not only an exfoliator but a moisturizer as the honey leaves your skin soft and supple. To this day her skin glows and I know it is from her routine of exfoliating and moisturizing.

Cleanse
This is so important. When I lived throughout Europe and Latin America doing international business development, people would always tell me to never use soap to cleanse my face, but to use cold cream or lotions instead. I eventually created, and now swear by, our gentle foaming cleansers that are castile (a.k.a. olive oil) based infused with essential oils. Every country where I have lived, people swear by rinsing with cold water. Notice the people’s skin who you admire, apart from genetics I wonder if you will be amazed at how many use cool/cold water instead of hot water and how that affects their skin’s condition.

Hydrate
When the temperature heats up and perspiration abounds doesn’t mean your skin is getting oily, quite the contrary; it can become dryer and your skin can start to look dull once the sweat evaporates. You always want to drink plenty of water. Also, I mist throughout the day with a non-alcohol based mister/toner.

While we are on the subject of hydration I want to dispel a persistent myth that oils are bad for oily skin. Not true! Case in point: dry oils: Other countries know the secret of dry oils. While living in France, I learned that dry oils are the best moisturizer for both dry and oily skin. In Spain it is the coveted olive oil used on hair and the body. Why? A dry oil is non-comedogenic (read: non-pore clogging). One of my favorites that you will find it almost all of our products is camellia oil – it sinks right into the skin and has been treasured by Japanese geisha for years. Camellia oil also has uv protection properties

Moisturize
The area around our eyes starts showing ages first because the skin there is thinner. And squinting in the sun doesn’t help. It’s best to always use a moisturizing eye cream and apply it with your ring finger from the outside in. Beyond that, summer can cause our skin to become dry. Even if you have oily skin, you still need to replenish the moisture; misters or dry oils work well. Another moisturizing trick is to let your skin breathe by going without make up, just use your moisturizer, sunscreen and don’t forget your hat and sunglasses.

Thanks to Abe’s Market for this great information. They offer a nice selection of organic products including the skincare items listed below. Right now you can get 20% off your order when you use code SECRET20.

Holly Beth
Grits and Honey Scrub
Gentle Foaming Cleanser
Rose Geranium Toner
Eye Cream
Rose Geranium Moisturizer

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