An early snow made a beautiful scene in the canyon where we make our products. It got me thinking about how we winterize our houses, our cars, our clothes, but we may not think about winterizing our skin care regime. Well, now is the time! Here are my tips for getting a healthy all-over glow in the winter.
Hands.
Make sure the soap you're using isn't stripping your skin. Strong detergents in "softsoaps" and other liquid soaps can strip skin's vital oils that prevent moisturie loss. (For more on this, visit this blog entry I wrote a while back.) Choose a bar like our Mint Tea Soap that's high in vegetable glycerin to clean hands. Vegetable glycerin draws moisture from the air and to your skin. And it's gentle enough to not strip your skin's oils.
Now that you've stopped stripping the moisture from your hands, let's make sure it doesn't evaporate in the dry air. You need a seal. No, not the kind at Sea World. I'm talking about a moisture seal. In the winter, switch to an oil or cream based hand moisturizer. Our lotion sticks are a great choice. Organic beeswax seals in moisture while organic cocoa butter adds emollience and increases skin elasticity. This increase in elasticity will help heal up any dry cracks.
Feet
Just because you don't have to have sandal-worthy feet in the winter doesn't mean you should neglect them. Taking care of your feet during the winter will make it easier to transition back to sandals in the Spring. Exfoliation and moisturizing is key for feet. An easy one-step way to do this is with a salt scrub. Fill up a little tub with warm water and give your feet the relaxing scrub they deserve. Pay attention to heels and balls of your feet and apply the scrub liberally. After a long day on your feet, the cooling sensation of peppermint will feel absolutely divine. A salt scrub will moisturize and exfoliate all at the same time.
Faces
Once again, make sure that the cleanser you're using isn't drying out your skin. You shouldn't feel strong a tightening and drying feeling after you wash. Try a soap like our Unscented All Over Bar that has added nourishing oils like jojoba and sunflower.
My favorite moisturizer is rosehip seed oil. Rosehip seed oil is high in vitamin A, so it has great anti-aging properties. It absorbs in to the skin quickly and doesn't end up greasy.
Body
A light dry brushing before your bath or shower with a horsehair or other natural fiber brush will slough off dead skin cells and increase blood flow to the skin, giving you a healthy glow. In the bath, use a natural and moisturizing shower gel to gently cleanse skin. Choose one with essential oils, not synthetic fragrance. Choose citrus oils for energizing in the morning, or if you shower at night, pick a calming scent like lavender to end your winter day in peace.
