Creams and Ointments

Sometimes I think that one day not too far in the future I won’t be able to fit in my bathroom anymore because it’s already filled with all sorts of pots and bottles.When we moved to England in 1999 and then visited back my mother in law shortly after, we stayed with her – and shared her bathroom. I looked at all the creams and special oils and thought: 'Ghosh, how many bottles does one women need?'

At that time it was the good old Nivea pot for me and sometimes a body lotion. Now, only 7 years later MY bathroom is filling up.

The standard face cream became a day and a night cream. Still the the same brand, but I already worked my way up from the moisturising creams to the 'anti wrinkle' ones. There are different body lotions of different consistency and fragrance, 'all natural' ones and other ones to be used in dependence of my mood (swings). And then there is a foot cream and a hand cream and an eye cream, although I’m not using that one anymore since I saw an interview with a cosmetic surgeon saying that it actually overfeeds the skin under the eye and makes it sag – what keeps him in business. Yikes!

Ah yes, and the ointments. Tea Tree Oil for little wounds and blemishes and foot care and for the gums, and Aloe Vera juice for basically the same and ‘Pirom’ a natural but very potent cream for hurting muscles, blunt force trauma injuries and aching joints. Hirudoid twice a day against spider veins and varicose veins, … Sometimes I’m not sure in which order to put them on.

And we haven’t talked yet about deodorants and perfumes, to keep the hope up that nobody will notice that we are in this odd phase of the cycle - and make-up which number of items is on an increase as well since the skin is changing all the time and countermeasures are needed.All that makes me raise the question: Is the number of creams directly related to age?

Funnily enough – I don’t care! When I was young I just didn’t want to afford the time needed for skin care. And actually - I should have! It’s not the price for a product. Legal regulations only allow a certain number of stuff in creams anyway. So they basically all contain pretty much the same. No, one has to feel good with it. And even for young skin a bit of support, especially when you live in a city and don’t get a lot of fresh air doesn’t hurt.

But now, that I’m older and duties are lurking all day and there is not a lot of time anymore to spend on my own, the bathroom is my spa. I'm checking on my old bones to find that most of them are still in good working order. And the other ones get a bit of a treat here and there, and I'm happy to find that I still can reach my feet without breaking my back.

Recently I got some new additions: Bath soaps!

I am a shower girl. I haven’t had a bath in 25 years. I found it boring and then I had to clean up the whole mess. But all of a sudden I felt the urge for a bath – and no bubbly, good smelling soap in the house. In the shop I couldn’t decide and, oh heaven – they had special offers 2 for 1. Now I have 4 more bottles in my bathroom. My bath score has risen by several hundred percent and my skin is thanking me with a silky shine – oh well, at least I can see it!

Enjoy your spa time!

Love