Valmy Beauty of NaturallyCurly writes:
The mere mention of winter can conjure up thoughts of the holidays and chestnuts roasting on an open fire, the smell of wood smoke and pine, bright sunshine on a clean white blanket of newly fallen snow, festive decorations, brightly wrapped gifts, cookies and eggnog, or perhaps a long-awaited getaway to an island in the sun.
The winter season may be all of these to some people, but it can also be the most stressful time of the year. . . so many of us go through it in a daze! During the holidays, we don’t eat well or we eat too much, we spend our free time shopping for and wrapping gifts, we stay up late attending celebrations, or catching up, and every moment is needed for chores, added duties and preparation. We hardly have time to think of ourselves.
Sooner or later, reality hits and the stress of the holidays sets in, especially for those who live in the northern areas and have to deal with colder weather. Because of exposure, skin of the face suffers the most during cold weather. Intense dry conditions dehydrate it, and excessive indoor heat contrasted by outdoor cold exacerbates the problem. In the winter, even oily skin becomes drier. Dehydration affects the youthfulness, elasticity and health of the skin. The slow rate of diffusion (the natural process of skin that makes a small amount of water work its way up through the layers of the skin to the surface) combined with the fact that there is very little humidity in the environment during winter causes another problem—a fast rate of evaporation. To make matters worse, this excessive dryness causes dead cells to cling to the surface and inhibits the natural exfoliation process.
Therefore, a standard routine of cleansing and hydration is not sufficient for winter, and extra exfoliation is necessary during this time. Every type of skin needs a specialized home care program to get through the winter and holidays.
Add to all this the hectic schedules and added responsibilities of the holiday season, and the best way to prepare, repair and boost your skin is with simple at-home skin care recipes.
Let me share with you two recipes for a wonderful at-home treatment with professional results that will not take too much of your precious time. Those recipes are prepared with ingredients from your kitchen that will save you time and money while offering your skin a natural, professional treatment.
If you are looking for a good natural skin care book, check out Naturaly Beautiful by Dawn Gallagher. I got it from the library one day, and liked it so much I went out and bought it.
My skin is the best it's been in a long time. I use aloe vera gel with a drop of vitamin e oil or apple cider vinegar for toner, and then almond oil for moisturizing. For cleansing, I use cetaphil right now, but will sometimes use plain yogurt. It works great.
I have acne-prone combination skin. To help me with this, I mix a bentonite clay mask that I use as needed to keep my skin clear. The ingredients are:
2 teaspoons of bentonite clay
3 drops tea tree oil
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon raw honey
2 drops jojoba oil
distilled water
I add the clay to a bowl (non metal), mix ingredients 2-5, then slowly add water with a dropper and mix (with a non-metal spoon)until it is a paste-like consistency. I apply the mask after cleansing and exfoliating and leave on until it dries, usually 10 minutes. Hope this helps!