Photo by Fotolia
Winter is tough on skin. Freezing temperatures outside, dry, forced heat inside, holiday air travel, festive drinking and more can leave skin dull and dehydrated. To maintain soft, smooth skin and keep it from drying out in winter, the goal is to hydrate well and keep moisture in.
Yogi Tea
Drink a lot of water, herbal, and green teas to hydrate throughout the winter season. Many people forget to hydrate in winter because they are not hot, don’t let this happen to you! Always carry a water bottle with you and herbal tea bags.
My drink of choice besides warm water with lemon or lime in winter is green tea. This Yogi Blend is my new fave: green tea with rose petals, red clover, and burdock.
Photo by Fotolia
Soup’s On! In winter, soup is my go to meal. My personal favorite is chicken rice vegetable. Whenever there is a sale, I stock up on chicken and vegetable broth so I am never without it should the mood strike to make soup. Broth base soup is a great way to stay hydrated and nourished in winter. Pureed veggie soups are second on my list- think butternut squash soup or potato leek. Yummy!
Hydrate the Air in Your Home – For an easy environmental moisture boost, hydrate the air in your home with a warm mist humidifier. Add a few drops of lavender or rosemary essential oils in the water for added health benefit both physical and mental. Make sure to clean the basin of the humidifier weekly depending on the model. If you have a wood-burning stove you can put water in a pan and add essential oils that way. An old fashioned take on the aforementioned.
Nourish the Outer You:
Are you using the same skincare line you were using 5, 10, 20 years ago? Time to try a new line! Skin craves balanced nutrition just like the rest of the body! Here are a few of my absolute favorite never-fail winter beauty heroines, old and new!
Sacred Ways Apothecary
Sacred Ways Apothecaryis my 2016 winter pick for most healing, magical skincare line. Handcrafted in small batches in Asheville, NC, Lorin, founder and crafter, creates essences and sacred skincare with wildflowers, trees, crystals, and gemstones, including the elements and power spots. Her Cacao Sugar Scrub contains raw and wild crafted old strains of cacao and Appalachian honey, and Purifoy Spirit Essences. A little goes a long way and leaves you hydrated and glowing. Radiance Body Butter is a base of shea butter, kokum butter, jojoba and rosehip seed oils. It enhances collagen production and gives firmness to skin. Smooth some on hands and see and feel an immediate difference. So silky! Straight love from the elemental world in this line makes it stand out; your being will react with a luscious sense of deep calm.
Trevarno
This trio from Organic Trevarno Skincare is another great choice for staving off Old Man Winter Skin. Their Rosewater & Chamomile Skin Toner is a great travel companion to refresh and revitalize. Rose Jojoba Moisturizer is a thick, protective day cream delivering deep nutrition with herbal infused oils like jojoba infused with rose buds, olive infused with calendula, and sesame infused with carrot. This amazing stuff lasts all day. At night, wash your face and get your night cap on with Sunset Salve, a nurturing night balm lightly scented with ylang ylang and sweet orange.
Botanical Bombshell
Botanical Bombshell is a lush, exotic spa quality line that smells and feels delicious and elegant, and is soooo good for you. Start your home spa experience by applying Virgin Coffee Beam Exfoliating Butter all after a shower (the ultimate treatment for dry skin). It’s so rich and thick you can turn it upside and never spill a drop! Then apply Rose Berry Exfoliant to a clean, washed face. Massage in and rest for a few minutes. Rinse off to reveal smooth, radiant, moist, grateful skin! Finish by applying Blueberry Opulence Dry Body Oil all over your body, and moisturizer of choice on your face. The Dry Spray provides awesome protection without the greasy feel. All Botanical Bombshell products are chock full of essential fatty acids and antioxidants for a real winter wonder – your skin fresh, youthful, glowing!
Herbivore Botanicals
Herbivore BotanicalsBlue Tansy AHA Resurfacing Clarity Mask is my go-to glow boost before holiday parties and events. It delivers softer, smoother, clearer skin in under 20 minutes. Aloe and Blue Tansy’s superb anti-inflammatory properties perfectly balance the alpha hydroxyl acid (AHA) resurfacing action of papaya and pineapple fruit acids. (I wore it while writing a portion of this article.)
Weleda
Finally, my old winter standbys, Weleda Skin Food and Lip Care Stick. I’ve been using these products for years! Thick, rich, protective, Weleda has been sustainable, organic, fair trade, and cruelty free, since 1921! These are the products I keep in my bag every day.
There you have it my beauties. You are all set for a lovely winter season. There is no excuse to go dull. Be the ones to glow!
Shar Veda, Southern Oregon’s Premier Alternative Therapist, offers deep healing through loving touch and compassionate counsel. She is an Ayurveda Lifestyle Counselor & Health Educator, yoga therapist and herbalist. Shar has been blessed to study with leading teachers in Ayurveda, Yoga, and herbalism for 20 years. However, it was her adopted grandma, Doe (English-American and Blackfoot Native), who instilled within her profound appreciation for the supreme power of loving touch, healing arts, and world family. Visit her website for a video, full bio, and photos or find her on Facebook and Instagram!
