Deep Winter Wellness
It is mid February and my body has completely settled into the stillness of winter. Today, as I took in the blue sky, I heard birds chirping...a very welcome sound! A sign that spring will come again, a gentle shift in the direction of reawakening. We aren't there yet, but I loved hearing the sound of possibility....
In the winter, the energy of our skin is very inward- blood and lymph flow slow, and nestle deeper into our fat reserves, cellular regeneration slows. The immune response of the skin is heightened. Personally, I feel stagnant and a bit lackluster. I'm feeling a push to get things moving. I rely on Laurel California Body Oil to keep my skin looking as good as possible through the winter. This decadent body oil is a full body lymph and circulatory treatment! It combines Cedar, Fir and Spruce to stimulate movement, alongside Vetiver and Sandalwood to ground. On cold days, I apply immediately after a shower, and can feel the oils keeping the flow going, and my body stays warm for hours as a result. I find if most helpful for hips and thighs, as well as underarms and breasts- these are areas that become easily stagnant.
Another favorite of mine to keep my skin thriving is the Elixir 1 Phytonutrient Replenish. This provides the deep hydration that Maine winter skin craves. I find that most clients do not use enough of this mist/hydrating serum combination treatment. Let your skin have a big drink! A good 10 mists is the proper amount. This elixir is a game changer for hydration— not as light as hydrosol, not as thick as a serum. Some beautiful blend between the two. Ample water hydration from ingredients like hydrosols, alongside nutrients and saccharides found in whole plant extracts help deliver hydration deep into the skin.
Rose and Frankincense hydrosols are layered with dense hydrators like Marshmallow, Reishi Mushroom, and Astragalus. The perfect lineup to drench your skin in superfood hydration! Lasly, antioxidant-rich plants provide an even broader range of nutrients such as Vitamin C, resveratrol, flavonoids, and tannins, which come from plants like Hibiscus, Gotu Kola and Hawthorne. If you have experienced a facial with me, this is the beautiful mist that awakens your senses and grounds you into the healing benefits of taking time for stillness. My favorite part of a facial ritual!
And of course the eyes, the windows to the soul! In the winter, we are hit from every angle between the indoor heat, low outdoor temps, and the constant flux between the two, those little eye lines may appear deeper than normal. Perhaps dark circles are more prominant? Anyone? A little pick me up is a good thing. An old stand by for me has been in my arsenal for the last 10 years. I keep Cosmedix Eye Doctor stocked in the studio because it works. I still send this to clients in Vermont, as its simply magical as it shifts my eye area from dull and dehydrated to a luminous, radiant angelic glow-yness. No joke. Pictured in all its crystal infused glory below.
