Battling Winter and Dry Skin

I live in New England, and in the winter I have noticed my skin faces some major challenges. I am a dry, sensitive reactive skin type to begin with, so add cold weather and my already dry skin becomes dreadful.

Historically - if is it incredibly cold, which creates big temperature changes between the indoor and outside, plus the air is very dry, and then let add some stress, and maybe not eating the best I could (because let’s be honest holiday treats are just getting finished in my house) and my face goes nuts! I have been diagnosed with perioral dermatitis. (aka- irritation around my eyes, nose and/ or mouth) For me, its primarily around my eye, and it get dry, irritated, red, inflamed, bumpy, flaky and painful. Last year at work, it looked really bad and I actually had a man I am friendly with ask what was wrong with my face, what followed was an awkward interaction as I explained that I wasn’t diseased, but really irritated by the weather. It was so embarrassing, but at the same time I know how minor my skin irritation is compared to other peoples. Yet keeping that in mind, everyone’s personal skin challenges are just that, deeply personal and their own challenge. What looks like something that isn’t a big deal to me could be causing worry, stress, low self esteem, and feelings of distress when you keep trying new things and nothing works. This is where your esthetician steps in to try and help you feel better, both physically and emotionally.

Dealing with dry, dehydrated winter skin, requires nourishing, moisture and hydration! Those are the key elements of all skin care products at this time of year. If you look at Skin Care Tip, it gives you the steps you should follow on a daily and weekly basis. Here I will dig deeper into each step and go into what I use or recommend. You can also find many recipes on the Essential Oils for Personal Care page of this website

Pre-Wash Oil : The pre-wash oil is an incredibly important step, all year long, but especially this time of year. For this step I use a nourishing oil (apricot kernel, avocado, jojoba, grapeseed or olive oil are some of my favorites. Use what you have.) You can use just oil, but I like to add a drop of lavender & ylang ylang. I then use a dime size amount and massage it into my whole face and neck, including my eyes. This step loosens dirt and makeup from your pores, while softening skin. It is beneficial for all skin types and will not make an oilier skin oilier, it will actually help manage and balance the natural oil in the skin. I personally make a large bottle of pre mixed oil with essential oils, so I can just pour out as I need, and you will find I use it a lot.

Cleansing: For a cleanser you need a very mild nourishing cleanser, and depending on the state of the skin, you might even need one that doesn’t use “soap”. When my skin is truly irritated, red and angry, I find an aloe and oil cleanser is amazing. It is healing, soothing and purifying in a gentle and calming way. You can find a recipe for my Aloe Cleanser in the Essential Oils for Personal Use, the recipe calls for 2 drops of lavender and frankincense. These are two very healing essential oils, and promote cellular renewal. But if your skin is too raw you can skip the essential oils. It is personal preference. The other facewash I love this time of year the Nourishing Honey and lavender facewash. This wash is great for anyone! The honey is a natural humectant, which means it helps lock the moisture and attract moisture to your skin. Honey also helps heal and soothe the skin, even an acne skin. You can use just lavender essential oil, which again is very healing, antiseptic, antimicrobial, and soothing and calming to the skin. But if you are an acneic/ oily skin type, I recommend a blend of lavender and lemon or lavender, lemon and melaleuca. If you are dry, sensitive, normal skin type I would recommend a blend of lavender, roman chamomile and frankincense.

Exfoliation: Exfoliation is a very important step to get rid of built up dry and dead skin cells. But when your skin is irritated and inflamed you do not want to make it angrier. So I highly recommend my oatmeal scrub. It is easy to make and even if you simply apply it to your face and let is sit, it will be exfoliating, while softening the skin and nourishing it. The oatmeal is very soothing, calming and healing. The yogurt actually is a lactic acid, so it is very gently exfoliating while feeding the skin nutrients it needs, Honey, as I just mentioned is healing, soothing and a natural humectant. There is apricot kennel in this mask to create a scrub texture. If you want, if your skin is just dry, not irritated, you can very gently massage the mask in small circles and then let the mask sit on your skin for about 20 mins. You only want to exfoliate 1 x a week at most, because if you over exfoliate, your skin starts producing more oil- so if you are an oily skin type this can be a problem. Adding this you your routine once a week is very nice. In the winter I actually use this scrub for my whole body, I get in the tub and apply the scrub to my skin and face. I gently massage my legs, arms and body and then I rinse in the tub of warm water and actually soak for about 20 mins while the mask set on my face. I then take a quick shower to really rinse off and clean the tub as well. This is incredibly nourishing and soothing for my whole body, and mind. Once I get out of the tub, my body is nice and soft, I apply a body oil (usually the same as my face oil) and then a moisturizer, some warm jammies and I am happy as a clam.

Toner: Rose water toner is best! Why, Rose Water is highly nourishing, soothing and calming to the skin. It is beneficial for all skin types, but dry and sensitive (especially rosacea or eczema skin can benefit from it.) Rose Water balances PH, controls and removes excess sebum and dirt from skin cells, It is highly anti-inflammatory, hydrates, moisturizes, healing and soothing, and strengthens skin health. If you don’t have rose water, a toner of witch hazel, water and soothing, healing essential oils will also do the job. Toner is very important to balance our skins PH and keep the skin healthy.

Chamomile Compresses: Cold Chamomile tea is a wonderful treatment to soothe highly irritated and angry skin! I make a batch of chamomile tea and then let it cool. Once it has cool, I put some in a bowl and apply it to a wash cloth and just hold the wash cloth it to my irritated, red, inflamed skin. I treat each section of my face for about 10-15 mins, if the face cloth gets warm, I dip it in the tea and apply again. This is wonderful when my skin is highly irritated. I also can store the rest of the tea in a spray bottle in the fridge and spray it on my skin, like a toner.

Face Mask: My hydrating chocolate mask or the French green clay mask are my favorite masks. The chocolate mask smells delicious, and is also highly hydrating for the skin. The French Green Clay mask, is fantastic for all skin type. The green clay which is made of seaweed, soothes skin, pulls out impurities, and feeds the skin minerals and nutrients it needs. Both masks are made with yogurt and honey, so again those are two excellent ingredients for skin. A finishing mask is a nice treat for once a week. I usually do it the same day as the oatmeal scrub, creating a mini spa night for myself. (good for the mind and body)

Moisturizer: When it comes to moisturizing my skin, I start with a face oil, and apply a dime sized amount again. I think of it like a serum, I gently massage it into my face and neck and focus on the areas of concern. Then I top it with my moisturizer. Most days I use raw coconut oil that I blend a special essential oil blend into. It is hard, so I take a small amount from the jar and just warm it up in my hands and then massage it into my face. This may sound very greasy, but honestly, with in 15 mins my skin has sucked it all in and actually is glowing, my completion evens out and my skin is happy. If my skin needs added nourishment, I have a rich moisturizer that is thick and incredibly healing and soothing to the skin. It is prefect for winter or a night cream. You actually can use it in the summer too, I just recommend adding a bit of water to your hands to thin it out a bit.

I hope this winter skin tips help. Please let me know if you try anything, and how you like it!

Winter is tough on the skin, but if you give your skin some love you can combat even the worst weather. Peace, Love and Happy Skin to my Natural Beauties!