Winter Skin Care
If you’re anything like me you see changes in your skin when the temperatures drop outside. This is common because the outer environment plays a huge role in the quality of our skin…and so does the inner terrain (the health of our bodies.) This is great news because there is so much we can do to maintain healthy, glowing skin during the winter time.
The colder the air gets outside, the less humidity it contains. This is true of our inside air as well; the more we heat the air artificially, the less humidity it contains. This is why so many people experience more dryness and flakiness of their skin during the winter months. What can you do to keep you skin healthy in the Wintertime?
1. Hydrate your body from the inside out drinking plenty of water and/or herbal teas.
Avoid caffeinated drinks which will dry your skin over time by dehydrating your body. Avoid sugary fruit juices and alcohol which contribute to lower immune system function and a sluggish liver. Pure spring water or filtered water is best, add a slice of lemon, ginger, cucumber, or anything else you like to add a bit of flavour to your beverage.
I have a diffuser going in almost every room of our home (some larger rooms have two diffusers running) and this really helps keep the air cleaner, humidified and smelling fresh. I use relaxing oils in my bedroom while sleeping and energizing oils in my office while working. When using pure essential oils, you get to customize the aroma in your home while knowing that you’re not adding any toxic load to your indoor air quality with synthetic fragrances.
3. Moisturize your skin a little more often or using different ingredients than you do in the summer time.
During the winter months I choose thicker ingredients, such as butters and creams that hydrate the skin a little better. I also apply essential oils more regularly, sometimes several times a day to help the skin regenerate itself. There are hundreds of great recipes you can find online to make your own rich face creams. The rewards are plenty. Not only do you have the fun and sense of accomplishment of creating your own moisturizer, you know exactly what's inside the product. They also make great gift ideas for your loved ones.
Here's one recipe for a luxurious face cream:
Organic coconut oil – 1 tablespoon
Organic olive oil – 4 tablespoons
Organic sesame oil – 4 tablespoons
Organic grape seed oil – 4 tablespoons
Pure organic aloe vera gel – 8 tablespoons
Vitamin E oil – (1/4) teaspoon
Beeswax pastilles – 1 tablespoon
Organic hydrosol (floral water) – 16 tablespoons
Essential oil – 8 to 15 drops
Supplies Required:
A double boiler
A blender
A large saucepan made of stainless steel
A medium-sized saucepan
A medium-sized mixing bowl
Storage container(s) of your choice
A spatula
Take all the oils i.e. organic coconut oil, organic olive oil, organic sesame oil, and organic grapeseed oil in the large saucepan. Place it over very low heat and let the oil mixture warm up thoroughly. Make sure that it is only warm and not burning hot.
Put the beeswax pastilles in the medium-sized saucepan and place it over low heat. You need to melt the beeswax slowly until it almost liquefies.
Pour organic hydrosol into the mixing bowl and add pure organic aloe vera gel to it. Blend them together nicely.
Place the double boiler over low heat and pre-warm it.
Keep the storage containers clean and handy.
Detailed instructions
1. Take the large saucepan with melted oil mixture and it into the top section of the double boiler you have already pre-warmed. Pour the melted and almost liquefied beeswax into it. Ensure that the melted oil and melted beeswax mixture is in liquid state. If you find that the beeswax is getting hard, heat up the double boiler a bit to reach as well as maintain the needed temperature.
2. Pour the organic hydrosol and organic aloe vera gel mixture into the blender. Add vitamin E oil to it. Also, add essential oil drops of your choice. Now, blend everything together for 4 to 5 seconds in order to prepare a smooth concoction.
3. Once you are done with the first phase of blending, remove the mid-section of the lid and turn on the blender at low speed. This time, you can easily see the hydrosol-aloe gel-essential oil mix moving in a whirling motion inside the blender.
4. Start pouring the melted oil-and-beeswax mixture right into the center of this whirling content very slowly. Try to pour it from a considerable height so that the stream becomes very thin and slow. This might turn out to be pretty challenging, however, for this step, patience is the key.
5. The complete mixture inside the blender will look odd at first. But as the whirling motion will continue, it will begin to emulsify and get a thick creamy texture. You will also understand that the mixture is thickening up and reaching the desired consistency by listening to the sound of blending as it will change over time.
6. Once your rich and luxurious cream is ready, turn the blender off. Scrape down the base of the blender as well as around the blades and mix the cream thoroughly.
7. For the last time, turn on the blender and run it in ‘pulse’ motion to give the whole thing a final mix.
8. Transfer the cream to the storage container(s) immediately. Make use of the spatula and get all the stuff out of the blender.
9. Place the containers in the refrigerator and let it sit for 2 to 3 hours. Voila!
I recommend adding any of these essential oils to the recipe: frankincense, rose, sandalwood, lavender, myrrh, helichrysum, tea tree or naouli if you have acne, geranium, palmarosa, or neroli.
4. Get outside every day if you can and absorb some sunshine.
Even a little bit of the sun’s rays reaching your cheeks will make a difference in your health and wellbeing. Many people get sadder during these long nights and dreary cold days and sunshine is a remedy for the blues as well. Avoid wearing sun glasses when possible because Vitamin D is most readily absorbed through our eyes.
A thorough cleansing, exfoliation, extraction, and stimulation of your facial skin cells will do wonders for your complexion and your mood. Have a look at what some of satisfied clients had to about their holistic facial with me.
The combination of these five things will ensure your skin stays supple and smooth, hydrated and radiant all winter long. Since I've implemented these, I've had completely normal skin during the wintertime. If I ever notice that my skin gets too dry or flaky, I can always trace it back to my not doing one of these tips listed above. So make the most of this season and keep yourself healthy and happy by making daily choices that support you.
