Balancing Your Skin’s pH: DIY Full-Body Treatment

Our skin’s pH balance (the ratio between its acidity and its alkalinity) is key to warding off wrinkles, breakouts, and inflammation and it can be affected by diet, using the wrong products, and even temperature. If it’s a little out of whack you can easily bring it back to balance with a little TLC and this great DIY treatment from Vivian Villamizar, spa director at Renew the Spa at The James Royal Palm in Miami Beach.

While our body has an optimal pH neutral balance of 7, our skin operates best at a slightly more acidic 5.5, this keeps hydration in and external stressors out. Too much more acidic and breakouts happen and when it strays into basic territory it gets dry, irritable, and wrinkles occur. Using Epsom salt, pure virgin coconut oil, and oats, this treatment helps you to naturally exfoliate away dry skin and balance your skin’s pH. “The combination of the Epsom salt with the coconut oil replenishes the skin with trace minerals while hydrating at the same time,” explained Vivian. Try it at home today!

1. Mix 2-3 tablespoons of Epson salt with 2-3 tablespoons coconut oil and exfoliate dry, itchy areas on your body. It can be done gently or vigorously.

2. Following the exfoliation, mix 2-3 tablespoons of oats with 2-3 tablespoons of coconut oil and place in a poultice bag. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds or until you can create a thick paste inside the bag.

3. Once heated, this poultice may be massaged, rolled, and compressed all around the body. The healing, nourishing paste will be spread across the body and your skin will feel silky and smooth.

While at the spa, this treatment ends with a detoxifying salt water soak.