How to keep your skin nourished during autumn and winter
Seasonal shifts, especially during autumn and winter, can leave our skin feeling dry and in need of extra nourishment to keep it hydrated. I'm sharing tips of how we can look after our skin at this time of the year, including expert advice by Fiona Brannigan, herbalist and maker of miss bees balms skincare products, hand blended in small batches using only the finest bioactive botanical ingredients.
Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water and warming herbal teas will help hydrate your body as well as your skin. I like keeping a glass of water on my desk as I tend to forget to drink enough during the day.
Include healthy fats and oils in your diet, such as avocados, olive oils (I've stocked up on mestó artisan, cold extracted Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Crete which I buy from owner Cate Steele at the Friday Food Market in Lewes.)...and a daily handful of nuts and seeds. I love making seeded banana bread a recipe by Anna Jones from her book 'a modern way to eat'. It tastes delicious toasted with yoghurt topped with cinnamon and berries.
During this time of the year central heating can dry out the air in our homes. Open your windows at least once a day to circulate the air, keep it fresh and invest in a humidifier to add moisture to your home. I love using our aromatherapy diffuser which works by adding water with several drops of essential oils, for example a mix of calming sweet orange, frankincense, geranium and cinnamon.
Facial and body cleansers that contain SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) and SLES (sodium laureth sulfate) can really dry out your skin. Avoid them and instead use skincare products which are 100% natural to keep your skin balanced.
How to make your own coffee grounds and brown sugar scrub
Gentle Exfoliation is something we should be doing regularly. It has an instant refreshing impact on your skin by exfoliating away the buildup of dead skin and uncovers fresh new cells below. At the same time it makes moisturising products more effective and will leave your skin looking fresh and healthy.
You can make your own coffee grounds and sugar scrub at home. They're wonderful and combine the exfoliating effect of coffee grounds and sugar with the moisturising effect of sweet almond oil. Elevate the experience with a scent by adding a few drops of your favourite essential oil.
- Fill a 250g jar with coffee grounds and brown sugar
- Add few drops of essential oil
- Top up with sweet almond oil (jojoba, olive or grapeseed oil works just as well), making sure you fill until the level of the oil is maintained just above the coffee grounds and sugar. Enjoy :)
Spend time outdoors in nature. We love exploring woodlands and beaches as a family. There are some wonderful places on the South Coast with Seaford Head beach being the closest to where we live. Or we pop over to our allotment...there is always something to do even at this time of the year :)
Use a natural and botanical based bath oil. De-stress your mind and relieve aches and pains with our Fortifying Green Bath Potion, a concentrated, revitalising, magical bath oil. With skin toning, refreshing peppermint, detoxifying fennel, calming, relaxing fir needle and sweet birch to ease achy muscles and help to soften the skin.
Invest in a organic moisturising facial serum or facial oil. They deeply hydrate and nourish your skin and will leave it looking smooth and radiant, rejuvenated and renewed.
Get plenty of sleep. This is the time when our body gets time to rest and repair, keeps our immune system strong, reduces stress levels and keeps us healthy. They don’t call it beauty sleep for nothing! :)
Have a lovely week,
Dörte x (@lewesmap)
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