This weekend I purchased a journal and a calendar in my never-ending effort to take better care of myself.

 

One of the first things I wanted to work on was my skin. It is so dry. It’s winter.

In a nutshell our skin gets so dry during the winter months because of the lack of moisture in the winter air. From the very first time we put our heat on, the air in our homes gets dryer.

I decided that each day I would take steps to care for my skin. Here’s what I’ve been doing and it has made a world of difference. I hope it helps you, too!

 

1. BODY BUTTERS AND CREAMS

The best way to care for and protect winter skin is to seal it and heal it.

Choosing a moisturizer that locks in moisture and provides some protection of the dermis to encourage healing, but also allows your skin to breathe is very important. A long time ago I chose Burt’s Bee’s gud, a thick cream with a hint of vanilla instead of a lotion. Lotions can be watery, and I found myself putting them on constantly. Burt’s Bee’s body butter is made form natural ingredients adn i only apply it in the mornings and before I go to bed.

 

 

2. PASS ON THE PERFUME AND BEAT THE WINTER BLUES ALL AT ONCE

 

 

Avoid dry skin by passing on perfume. During the winter months perfumes really irritate my skin. The same healthy oils you eat like olive, coconut and avocado are actually great to use topically too. A few drops of essential oils like lavender in your favorite healthy oil makes the perfect perfume for you.  I love using essential oils in place of perfume. Did you know that essential oils are not really oils? Essential oils are miniscule in molecular size, and so they are absorbed easily by your skin making them perfect ingredients in personal care items intended to heal, soften, and nourish. However, they do not accumulate in the body over time – they simply offer up their healing properties and then pass on through.

Most essential oils should never be used undiluted on the skin. Simply combine your favorite essential oil with “real” oils (or carrier oils), waxes, butters, alcohols, or other diluting measures. Because they’re so concentrated, if you don’t dilute, you may end up with an unfortunate reaction (and unhappy skin). And we don’t want them. Never put undiluted essential oil on a baby”s skin especially and pregnant mothers should be very careful. The best essential oils for pregnant moms are aniseed, cedarwood, chamomile, cinnamon, clary sage, clove, ginger, jasmine, lemon, nutmeg, rosemary, sage (this is only a partial list of some of the more common essential oils – view the full one here).

Beating the Winter Blues: Essential oils  have been traditionally used to provide mood support and may help to reduce anxiety caused by the winter blues. It’s very rich and herbaceous scent can easily be blended with other essential oils for a pleasant aroma.

 

 

You can also read about my money-saving and healthy cleaning alternatives.

 

3. SHOWER TEMPERATURES COUNT

 

 

In a nutshell our skin gets so dry during the winter months because of the lack of moisture in the winter air. From the very first time we put our heat on, the air in our homes gets dryer. Another problem we face in the winter is showering too long and in too hot temperatures. Hotter showers may feel nice for a few mintues, but your skin will suffer. Hot showers actually strip the moisture out of your skin.

 

4. DRINK MORE WATER


How many of us are drinking the 8 glasses of water a day suggested to us by our physicians? In addition we may need more during the winter months. Due to the cold air, windy conditions and overheated homes we should all drink more water than we think necessary during the winter months.

 

 

5. OMEGA 3’s

 

Dermatologists suggests eating omega’s 3’s (fish oils) during the winter months because it helps to regulate your skin’s oil production.

 

 

Photo courtesy of Whole9Life.com

 

6. Natural Exfoliating

 

 

Many of the things you have in your pantry are not only good for you but are great topical treatments for your skin.  Here I have used olive oil, organic cornmeal and a natural hand soap to exfoliate my skin. I have been dealing with eczema since the age of 20 and have found this to be very helpful. I experience what my dermatologist calls “fishers” or little cuts or cracks in my fingers. They are terribly painful.  Adding olive oil to a little squirt of hand soap helps keep my hands moist and supple while the cornmeal helps to exfoliate my skin. I use olive oil and cornmeal with my facial soap as well.

You can see here that all of my dry skin, fishers and red marks on my hands have disappeared.

 

Please leave a comment if you have any natural ideas to share with everyone!

xo Elise