Proper Body Washing Technique – Are You Doing It Right?
Our shower habits are usually based on how we were raised and our cultural backgrounds. That means some of us are all about the loofahs, others are team washcloth, and some rely on a sponge. But is all that exfoliating actually good for our skin?
As we age, after all, so does the largest organ of our body: our glorious, sexy skinbag. Keeping our skin as healthy and supple as possible is paramount. So we — Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson, hosts of HuffPost's 'Am I Doing It Wrong?' podcast — wanted to find out the optimal approach (from a clinical perspective) when we're soaping up in the shower.
'So 100%, it's your hands,' Dr. Divya Shokeen, the founder of Ocean Skin & Vein Institute in Manhattan Beach, California, recently told us when she dropped by our studio to chat about her showering secrets. 'There's no negotiation on that in terms of the medical studies.'
Shokeen explained that when we use loofahs, sponges or any other implement to soap up, we are disrupting our skin's mantle, the natural film of oils and acids that protect it. We want to keep that mantle intact, she told us, because it shields us against barrier disruption and transepidermal water loss — and it keeps the bad bacteria out.
'Rubbing a washcloth on yourself repeatedly sloughs off a lot of dead skin cells or cells in general that are not ready to slough off,' Shokeen said. 'When that happens, you actually disrupt the top layer, which allows for more dehydration, water loss, and now you're going to have to use more lotion to minimize that.'
And while we love a good post-shower lube job, we won't need all that extra lotion if we don't dry out and stress our skin while we're in the tub.
Shokeen gave us another good reason to ditch the loofahs, washcloths and sponges. 'Anything that stays in the shower is apt to build mold and yeast and fungus,' she said. 'And then you're putting that on yourself.'
We discovered a ton of other showering tips and tricks, including how long a shower should really last, what we should be doing (and not doing) when we wash our hair, and the skin-changing secret that only takes 30 seconds at the end of your cleansing session.
For more from Dr. Shokeen, visit the websites for her dermatology practice and her skincare line.
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If you're struggling with an eating disorder, call or text 988 or chat for support. Related... Experts Say These 7 Subtle Behaviors Might Be 'Bigorexia' In Disguise 'Orthorexia' Is More And More Common. Here's What You Should Know About It. Inside The Body Image Movement That Doesn't Focus On Your Appearance
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This Is The One "Superfood" You Should Always Eat At Breakfast, According To An Expert
From Apple Jacks to cheese omelettes, blueberry pancakes to leftover pizza, there are a zillion and one potential choices for breakfast these days. But some options are definitely more nutrient-rich than others. So what would a dietitian's No. 1 pick be? And how can we get more good stuff into our bodies first thing in the morning without sacrificing deliciousness? That's the question that we — Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson, the hosts of HuffPost's Am I Doing It Wrong? podcast ― had for Lisa Moskovitz, a registered dietitian, certified dietitian-nutritionist and the CEO of NY Nutrition Group, when she dropped by our studio to offer her tips and tricks for doing breakfast better. Listen to the full episode here. Moskovitz's breakfast all-star is chia seeds, which are harvested from Salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family. Related: Related: 'It's a superfood because of all of the nutritional properties that it has, from fiber and magnesium to B vitamins and iron, and there's a little protein in there,' the author of The Core 3 Healthy Eating Plan told us. They also contain omega-3 fatty acids, which help keep our brains and hearts healthy and have been shown to reduce inflammation. 'It's great for regulating digestion,' Moskovitz added, 'so for people that struggle ... with constipation and regularities, chia seeds are a great source of insoluble and soluble fiber.' In fact, just one serving of chia seeds — typically two to three tablespoons — offers nearly 10 grams of fiber, which is one-third of the recommended daily intake for most people. Fiber not only helps with digestion by bulking and softening stools; it's been found to lower the risk for many dangerous health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Chia seeds are also incredibly versatile and can be easily added to countless breakfast favorites to boost their nutritional benefits. 'You can sprinkle them in your yogurt, you can put them in your oatmeal, you can even sprinkle them on your avocado toast, in your eggs, in your coffee, and you can just take them in water,' Moskovitz suggested. 'You can soak them in your almond milk or dairy milk or any or oat milk and leave them in the fridge overnight, and that's a great grab-and-go.' By making tiny tweaks — including adding chia seeds or other nutrient-packed foods like nuts and fruit — to our tried and true breakfast go-tos, we can score more of what our bodies need without missing out on our morning favorites. 'Stop worrying about what to cut out and just think about what we can add in,' she advised. Moskovitz also chatted with us about the ideal time to eat breakfast, what to know before you eat another egg, the four things to add to every smoothie, and much more. Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts. Make sure to subscribe to so you don't miss a single episode, including how to find love online or ; tips for , taking care of your teeth and ; secrets to ; how to ; shocking ; ; getting ; dealing with ; how to prevent ; boosting ; and much more. For more from Lisa Moskovitz, visit NY Nutrition Group and follow her on Instagram. Need some help with something you've been doing wrong? Email us at AmIDoingItWrong@ and we might investigate the topic in an upcoming article originally appeared on HuffPost. Also in Goodful: Also in Goodful: Also in Goodful: Solve the daily Crossword
