Monday, May 21, 2007

Shaolin Skin Care

We sweat buckets in making our bodies and minds more beautiful, which is so awesome, but who wants all that beauty marred by dry or greasy skin, or even, *gasp!* a big ole zit? Just like we've had to change the way we eat before class so we don't urp it up at Temple, I've found myself needing a more disciplined skin care regime. This is especially crucial because we often go out for some fun times after class, so it is usually more than a few hours before I am able to wash my face properly, which is the perfect recipe for PIZZA FACE!

A few weeks ago, after class I walked around town with Heng Ji and her friend Yvette who has lovely skin. We were in Kiehl's in the East Village where Yvette recommended that I use Tea Tree Oil Toner as an easy post-training cleanup for my combo skin. So I bought a smaller bottle and put it in my kung fu bag with some cotton pads and have been applying it to my face after I get out of my stinky uniform in the changing room. I hope this stuff helps!

Similarly, on Saturday, for cleaning meditation after class, I helped Heng Mo and her sister Ashley (who was in town visiting and did a trial class, yay!) clean the turtle tank and the turtles themselves. We applied to the little guys this cream called VitaShell, which serves as a skin and shell conditioner. According to the product website, VitaShell "combines moisturizers, conditioners and proteins in a unique, deep penetrating cream that revitalizes dry, brittle or cracked shells and skin." I looked more closely at the label and found many ingredients that are common to human skin care products. How cool is that? Apparently we all need to take care of our shells!

3 comments:

  1. I've noticed that when I train during the summer times that I tend to break out a bit. The only theory is that I tend to wipe my sweat with my uniform and it's quite possible that it gets irritated from the detergents? One suggestion was to wash my face with water after training. I might try that but I keep forgetting! :)

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  2. this is definitely important as the toxins leave our system, they need to be cleaned off. easter is right though, i often wipe the sweat away with the same sleeve (or part of my uniform) so i am sure that doesn't help at all. most people pay big bucks for a salon steaming/sweat, we get it as a byproduct of more chi! train harder!

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  3. I think I have fewer blackheads from sweating so much training. Maybe it's just that I don't have time to look really close in the mirror anymore.

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