Smoother skin, shinier hair

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By Amy Rapaport

It has been said that Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love who arose from the foaming depths of the sea, owed her supple skin, shiny hair and sparkling eyes to the natural elements surrounding her -- seaweed, sea mud and sea salt. Packed with vitamins, minerals and proteins, these sea treasures aren't just the stuff of myths; in products, they can do everything from help clear up acne to add luster to the hair.

The effectiveness of these ingredients seems to lie partly in the similarity between seawater and human blood plasma. "The percentage of dissolved minerals in blood is similar to that of seawater," says Ryan Drum, Ph.D., a biomedical herbalist, member of the American Herbalist Guild and expert in seaweed therapy in Danby, Vt. Because of this similarity, when the body encounters the sea or a sealike environment, the skin doesn't have to protect itself from the outside elements. "It's a relaxing, overall 'ahhh' experience for the skin," Drum says. Products containing sea ingredients, while having the ability to exfoliate and smooth the skin, also contain vitamins and antioxidants that may help quell skin-damaging free radicals. How to solve summer beauty problems with sea-based products:

Problem: Rough, scaly skin you want to hide under a towel
Sea solution: Because sea salts are rough-textured, they're effective exfoliants, helping to smooth the skin. Choose one that includes skin-soothing oil in its ingredient list -- and use once or twice weekly while in the shower. Good bets: Biotherm Aquathermale Polishing Body Mud ($19; biotherm.com), Origins Salt Rub Smoothing Body Scrub ($30; origins.com) and Neal's Yard Remedies Seaweed Salt Scrub ($35; nyr-usa.com). Rub the salts in gentle circular strokes, avoiding the face and any open sores or cuts (salt stings wounds). And since sea salts can be abrasive, also avoid them if you have sensitive skin.

Problem: Dry leg skin that looks unsightly in a pair of shorts
Sea solution: Seaweed also helps exfoliate dry, dead skin, Drum says. To rehydrate moisture-sapped skin, soak like a mermaid in a sea bath or shower with it (try Pevonia Aromatic Seaweed Bath, $20; 800-PEVONIA; or Nivea Bath Care Relaxing Ocean Breeze Shower Gel with Sea Kelp and Aloe, $5; at drugstores). The polymers that make seaweed slippery also help skin feel silky -- why you should smooth on a seaweed gel or lotion like Jergens Skin Firming Moisturizer with Seaweed Extract ($5; at drugstores), Aquatonale Gel for Legs ($34; aquatonale.com) or Podovis Dry Foot Moisturizer ($4; podovisfootcare.com), which works wonders on chapped heels. Or head to a spa for a superconcentrated seaweed wrap. The seaweed exfoliates, while the trapped heat causes you to sweat, temporarily plumping the skin and improving its appearance.

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