Winter Rituals for Hydrated Skin

Winter is my favourite time of year. I love layers, I love fire pits, I love feeling cosy. Unfortunately me and my skin are not singing from the same song sheet and come spring it's a quick turn around to get myself 'outdoors ready.' Here's my winter rituals for maintaining healthy skin. Enjoy :)

1. I really love hot showers, but during colder mornings I notice my skin can feel tight or itchy afterwards. This is actually because the skin has become dehydrated. Try taking shorter, cooler showers during winter (also better for the environment), and finish with a deeply nourishing body oil and big glass of water.

   
   

2. Talking of body oil, I've definitely been guilty of below neck neglect. Embodyme kindly gifted me their body oils (I love the Peace), and now I'm a total convert. Straight from the shower I massage my whole body (extra focus on neck, chest and hands), and let it absorb whilst I focus on my face.

   
   

3. Kaea, The Cleaner goes on thick like honey, and becomes milky in texture when met with water. It's incredibly luxurious to use, and given that it's developed with Tahi UMF™ 15+ Mānuka honey it's also insanely hydrating and soothing. A beauty must have.

   
   

4. LED light therapy. Light absorption can speed up healing, stimulate collagen production, and rejuvenate tired skin. I like to combine mine with a detoxifying Inferred sauna at sala (both of our saunas come with LED light therapy inside.) I also use the Dr Dennis Led mask which I bought from Mecca.

   
   

5. Regular facials. I've stopped referring to these as a treat, but as the bare minimum required to keep my skin hydrated and healthy. My favourite is the Kumo the Ritual, with Kate, who intuitively treats your skin with her hand developed products which are packed with active Skin Barrier Ingredients.

   
   

6. Exfoliation is incredibly important for skin texture and hydration and even though it sounds counter intuitive through winter it is really important to exfoliate through the dryer months. I love the HydroFacial at Skin Ritual. I try to get one quarterly, deep cleaning pores, extracting impurities, keeping skin clean and refreshed.

   
   

7. I don't like the taste of water. I know, I know, what a child, ha. I love the Beauty Chef Hydration, it contains fermented hyaluronic acid for hydrated skin. Its bio-fermented probiotic formulation replenishes your skin by nourishing your gut, it's also delicious.

   
   

8. On the above note, trying to drink enough water. I try and drink 1.5L a day because I am quite active. I always have my Hydro Flask handy which encourages me to keep topping up.

   
   

9. We may have already read about the drying effects of air conditioning, and how it can make skin more prone to wrinkling and creasing, but it's also expensive and bad for the environment. Wearing layers traps air so you don't lose your body temperature into the environment. Air is trapped between thin layers of clothing, so more thin layers are better than one thick knit.

   
   

10. Bone broths. I absolutely love this deeply nourishing, nutrient rich drink, which contains collagen, electrolytes, and various amino acids. Consuming bone broth can help reduce inflammation, build muscle and it generally just feels very healing in winter. I love the Liquid Lightning ones.