Hey there,
How have you been keeping? If you're in Malaysia it looks like the rainy weather has finally given way to a bit more sun, and I'm enjoying how verdant our garden is looking at the moment.
I've decided to structure our newsletters around 3 main pillars going forward:
1️⃣ skin-related issues like health and care,
2️⃣ our environment, and
3️⃣ things that are going on at Kinder Soaps (including any special promotions)
The first two are matters that have always been close to heart, and I'd love to encourage more conversations around them over time. I do hope that these will be useful for you too, even if they may just be invitations to ponder about a topic - or maybe you, or someone you know would be a better subject expert. My intention is that we get to learn and explore things together.
Let's jump in to this week's issues.
My family and I recently went for our first diving trip for the year, in Perhentian. While the underwater visibility wasn't exactly great (winds kept whipping up the waves, which made for some pretty wild boat rides), the weather above the water was wonderful for staying outdoors. The sky was frequently sunny with lots of cloud breaks, and we spent a lot of time on the beach.
As expected, we used quite a bit of sunscreen among the 4 of us. I'm sure it literally saved our skins from getting roasted. Andrea was pretty good about reapplying it throughout the day; Brandon would totally forget about it (he's a guy, after all 😄); and my husband and I have experienced enough sunburns in our lifetime to know that we don't want to have to go through that again.
But what if you're caught without sunscreen on hand, or are allergic to the ingredients in it? Here are some other strategies that can help prevent you from getting overly roasted on your next long stretch of time in the sun.
- Find lightweight, breathable clothing that covers as much of your skin as possible. Cotton or linen fabric are my favourites especially for beach holidays because they dry relatively quickly and allow your skin to breathe.
- Wide-brimmed hats are terrific for keeping the sun out of your face. Baseball caps for guys work well too.
- Hydrate even more than usual! Keep a refillable bottle of water on hand as much as possible. Water loss from the skin is even more pronounced when under the sun, which eventually leads it to peeling more easily.
- Alternate your time between full sun exposure and the shade as frequently as you can.
- If you're in water, be mindful of how much time you're out in the sun since it's easy to forget because water cools your skin, and you don't realise you're actually getting pretty toasted (we speak from plenty of experience, haha)
- Even if you're sitting in the shade, be aware of your surroundings - if there is a body of water nearby, chances are you will get hit by the sun reflecting off the water as well and you could still get a bit of a burn this way. Find a spot that has some denser foliage not only overhead, but also at ground level that helps block off some of the light coming from the water.
- Apply your favourite moisturizer on sun-kissed skin as an added step to help keep moisture in your skin. And don't forget to keep drinking water.
What else do you do to keep your skin happy in the sun? :)
With tourism opening up across the country, more and more of us are flocking to the sea to get away from the daily grind. For ourselves, this trip to Perhentian was particularly significant because Andrea and Brandon both went for their PADI Open Water Certifications, and are now both Junior Open Water divers.
We chose to go back to Flora Bay Divers, the dive shop where we originally did our training for our open water certification back in 2011 (we don't receive any fees from endorsing this dive shop, they were simply the right choice for us). Not only did they have a terrific instructor for the kids, they are a certified silver member of Green Fins, where they "are working towards a future where environmentally friendly practices are standard across the marine tourism industry".
I could try to write a list, but I feel that Reef Check Malaysia has already prepared a very broad and informative infographic on how to be an eco-conscious traveller with regards to our impact on traveling to coastal locations. While the sheer number of actions suggested may seem overwhelming, bear in mind that just picking a few that you can easily put into action, and turn into a habit, is a valuable win for our environment.
You might already be practising a number of these. Which ones are they? And were there any novel actions that you would be keen to try on your next coastal outing? Write to me about them, I'd love to hear about your own experiences and thoughts.
We've been noticing more people dropping by our shop more frequently in recent weeks. Thank you for coming by! It's always nice to have you all around. :)
Here's a little hack to help you keep saving on your purchases with us. Make use of our website to log in to your account there, place your order, and then opt for self-collection. This way, you'll be able to collect reward points and then use it in a future order as some cash savings, and you'll also have a record of what you've bought from us too.
But if you're up for an impromptu visit and an impulse purchase, you're still more than welcome to be spontaneous...! 😄
That's it for today. If you can think of someone who would find this newsletter useful, they can sign up to receive our emails here:
http://eepurl.com/iCbL
Have a lovely week ahead!
Thank you for being part of the Kinder Soaps journey,
Michelle and the Kinder Soaps Family