The Holistic Winter Skincare Routine

Winter skincare that’s truly aligned with the season, is more than skin deep.

The lack of humidity and constant change in temperature, from indoors to outdoors, dehydrates our skin and can cause dryness – which in turn causes the pores to overproduce sebum, leading to skin irritation, dry scaly patches and clogged pores. 

As tempting as it is to try every product on the market to dry out those areas of inflammation, what our skin is actually craving is the opposite! Soothe and calm the skin with lubricating and hydrating herbal oils to restore the lipid barrier and keep skin supple and smooth.  And hydrate, hydrate, hydrate – outside and in!

While I’m a huge advocate of ‘beauty starts within’, what we put on our skin is just as important for our health (more on this in a moment). Keep your skincare regimen clean and green. 

SACRED ECLIPSE REGENERATIVE FACIAL OIL

Made from rose and saffron to hydrate, tone, soothe and protect the most reactive of skin. In a base of liquid gold, unrefined argan oil – this prized oil is luscious and lightweight and quickly absorbed into the skin. The beautiful and exotic scent doesn’t hurt either!

MIST IMMORTELLE SOOTHING FACIAL MIST

Is both soothing and hydrating as well as anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. I’m spraying this every chance I get to help keep my skin dewy and hydrated between the windy weather and cozy but dehydrating fireside work sessions. Blue tansy, jasmine and immortelle provide an amazing energy and mood boost equal to their incredible skin-supporting properties.

This cold, dry and changeable weather is hard on the skin, but just like your gut, a strong skin biome and lipid barrier can help you weather the harshest changes. 

Perfection is not the goal, however, tuning into our bodies and truly listening to the signs during these shifts is essential to staying in balance. Here are some tips to nourish your skin from the inside out during Winter:

DON’T FEAR FATS

Inside and out, they form the structure of our hormones and every cell in our bodies. We need that lubrication for supple, smooth skin too! I’m obviously partial to ghee, but consuming healthy, unrefined at their correct temperature usages is essential, i.e. no frying with olive oil. And store those delicate oils like hemp and flax in the fridge. 

TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE SPICE

Warming spices are great, but if you have irritated skin and are having trouble finding the source, look to your spices. During these transitory and colder seasons, our digestion, which is intricately linked to the health and status of our skin, may become overburdened or irritated by these pungent spices. Herbs like ginger and cayenne may be recommended and beneficial to keep your body temperature up and digestion moving, but they may over time, aggravate sensitive skin. Substitute with soothing herbs like marshmallow root, psyllium husk powder, or licorice and fennel to ease and heal the delicate intestinal lining; notice how your skin improves as well. Working 1:1 will help to determine your ideal Winter protocol. Click HERE to learn more and schedule a consultation. 

HYDRATE WITH MINERALS

I can’t stress the importance of high quality water during Winter – and lots of it! I typically have a mug or jar of herbal tea on my desk that I refill throughout the day. If you’re sitting in a heated room all day, that air is dry and stale and pulls moisture from our bodies and skin. This means that even without working out or being physically active, our system becomes more dehydrated than during other seasons. It’s also a wonderful idea to have a humidifier running while you sleep or where you are stationed during the day. They even make them for your car! 

More so, minerals such as zinc and magnesium which the majority of us are already greatly lacking, are needed in higher quantities. Winter is ruled by the Kidneys in TCM and the element Water. These minerals not only provide the electrolytes to keep our system well hydrated but are essential to keep our entire system functioning optimally, from our cells to our immune system to our nervous system. Feeling unbalanced or extra sensitive inside and out? Support your body by including unrefined sea salts, seaweeds and even miso during Winter along with supplementing trace minerals, magnesium and zinc.

ALLERGENS

Now is a fantastic time to remove foods that are potential allergens. Ingredients such as processed grains, gluten, and dairy are classic ingredients that are known to irritate the skin. Whether you have a classic textbook allergy or not, the removal or avoidance of some of these foods, even short term, may be beneficial during these seasons so as not to overburden an extra sensitive system.

LIVING WITH THE SEASONS

Living with the Seasons can be a masterful and empowering way to balance the system, cleanse and detox efficiently and effectively and tap into a greater intuitive power. Sign up for the self-guided and go at your own pace course to dive deeper into Winter, HERE.