Our favourite winter skincare rituals
At the height of summer, it makes complete sense to come home from a long day at the beach, have a shower and cover your face and body in moisturiser. But in the winter? Not so enticing.
Yet in the colder weather, the combination of wind, cold weather and indoor heating can leave your skin dry and chapped. And even though you might not be showing so much skin in the cooler months, it still deserves love!
In our experience, the best way to create a new habit is to make it feel a little luxe. Here are our favourite rituals to care for your skin (and yourself) in the wintertime.
Start taking cold showers
Mmm… We’ve definitely started with the least appealing ritual, but hear us out. It turns out that hot water on your skin is dehydrating and irritating because it strips your skin of its natural oils. A cold shower is going to do a much better job of locking in this moisture — plus they have heaps of other reported benefits too, like boosting energy and circulation!
If a five-minute cold shower sounds too wild, you can try giving your body a blast of cold water for the last 10 seconds of your shower, or just stick to water that’s lukewarm (rather than hot). Make the whole thing extra appealing by lighting candles and playing your favourite music really loud in the bathroom. Also, your skin (and the planet) will thank you for a shorter shower, because water itself is dehydrating for the skin (counterintuitive, we know).
Brush your skin with a dry brush
Grab yourself a good quality dry-bristle brush and get going with this old Ayurvedic ritual. Dry brushing, as per its name, should be done before you hop in the shower, because it will help shift dead skin cells that you’ll then want to wash off.
This ritual involves brushing your entire body (but not your face) from your feet upwards with gentle sweeping motions in the direction of the heart, taking extra care with the sensitive skin around your chest and neck. The idea is that it helps our lymphatic and circulatory systems to get going. For best results, do this for around 15 minutes every day.
Ritualise moisturising
Moisturising can feel like way more of a chore when it’s cold, but it’s worth it for supple skin. It’s best to moisturise your body when you’ve just come out of the shower and your skin is still a little damp. You want to make sure you’re moisturising with something natural that’s not going to dry out your skin in the long run — melted coconut oil or shea butter are good options, but if you’re using a store-bought product, check the ingredients to make sure it’s not full of water (aqua) or nasty chemicals.
If you’re using oil, you can indulge in a little self-massage (another Ayurvedic ritual). Again, this is to get your systems going, but it also turns the moisturising process into an self-care exercise. If you have a fireplace at home, you can make this experience extra luxe by applying your moisturiser by the fire. Dynamite.
Moisturise them lips with a DIY lip balm
Most of us can relate to wintertime chapped lips. There are plenty of not-very-nice, petroleum-based lip balms out there that will do more harm than good, but thankfully making your own lip balm is very easy.
Try our recipe for weather-kissed lips.
Take care of your face
If you missed our blog on why you need to wear mineral sunscreen on your face every day, it’s a doozy. In summary, it’s really important to protect your face from UV rays — even in the winter.
You might also need to up the level of your facial moisturiser, either by opting for a heavier product or by being extra vigilant in moisturising morning and night. Listen to your skin and see what she’s needing.
When it comes to exfoliating, we’ve put together this recipe for an awesome and delicious oatmeal face scrub that smells so good you’ll want to eat it.
Make your own body scrub
We love using a coffee body scrub once a week — it’s invigorating and relaxing and it’s a one-way ticket to smooth skin. There are plenty of coffee scrubs on the market, but this is another thing that’s really easy to make yourself.
All you need to do is take the leftover ground coffee from your percolator (or ask your local café for theirs) and mix two tablespoons with half a tablespoon of your chosen oil (coconut, jojoba or olive work well). Add three drops of essential oil (we recommend peppermint or lemon for an invigorating effect; lavender or chamomile for night time showers or vanilla for an extra luscious scent).
*Note: For a longer shelf life, allow the grounds to dry out first.
Drink more water!
Of course, nothing will make much difference if you’re not hydrating yourself from the inside. It can be harder to keep your fluids up in winter but it’s no less important. If you find it hard to get your two litres of water down a day, try drinking herbal tea. Warm water with freshly-squeezed lemon or ginger, or plain warm water are great options, too!
