6 Facial Winter Skin Care Tips You Can Use!

From your nose to your toes, winter can be a brutal time for your skin. The humidity in air the seems to all but disappear, and the cold temps and chilly winds can leave your skin cracked and dry. The skin on your face is often exposed to the elements, as it can’t be covered with a hat or gloves. If you don’t take care to hydrate, your face may feel dry and the delicate skin around your nose and lips will develop painful cuts and annoying rashes.

Fortunately with a little prevention and the right products, you can keep your skin supple and nourished until spring arrives. Keep reading for 6 tips to keep your face hydrated and your skin healthy-looking this winter.

Drink Enough Water

Even though you may not be hot and sweaty, you should drink just as much water in January as you do in July. Not great at staying hydrated? Treat yourself to a fun new water bottle and take it with you everywhere you go. This won’t cure your dry skin entirely, but it’s essential for your overall health.

Eat a Balanced Diet

Believe it or not, the way you eat shows up on your face. Healthy fats in your diet can ensure that lipids surrounding your skin cells are nourished, leaving your face looking bright and supple. Boost your diet with omega-rich foods by incorporating foods like fish, flax, and walnuts.

Don’t Overwash

The oils in your skin can become depleted through hot water and overwashing. In fact most dermatologists recommend you only wash your face with soap at the end of the day, and simply use a bit of warm water in and a light moisturizer in the morning. However, if you’re feeling really greasy, use a very light cleanser to get the job done.

Use a Humidifier

You spend at least 8 hours of your day (at least you should) in your bedroom. This means that changing the air quality where you sleep can make a big difference for winter skin care. The heating process for your home dries out the air, so replenish that moisture by turning on a cool mist humidifier every night.

Buy the Right Moisturizer

From dry, to oily, to combination facial skin, different people have different needs when it comes to winter skin care. What works for one person may cause another to break out. It’s a good idea to consult with a esthetician or dermatologist and find out what skin care regimen is best for your face no matter the season.

Carry Lip Balm with You, Everywhere

Cold temps mean that your lips suffer in the winter. However, you can prevent painful cracks and chapped lips by keeping a quality lip balm on hand (like from Naked Bee!) Stash one in your purse, one in your desk, and one on your nightstand and you won’t be caught without it.

Stock Up On These Natural Moisturizers!

Winter skin care requires a quality moisturizer. Check out face cream from the Mad Hippie. This product contains natural antioxidants and active essential oils to minimize wrinkles and eliminate dry skin.

Looking for deep hydration? Then you need deep repair cream from MyChelle Dermaceuticals. Drawing on the goodness of rosehip kombucha, and black currant oil, this non-GMO moisturizer keeps your skin hydrated while eliminating wrinkle and age lines.

You can also use natural DIY soap that you make at home! Essential oils and gentle ingredients like shea butter will help hydrate your skin, even during the winter.

How do you care for your face in the dry, winter months? Share your secrets of winter skin care with us in the comments section below.

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Photo by David Cohen on Unsplash

Natural Ways to Support Healthy Skin

Your skin is the largest organ in your body, and believe it or not, most adults have roughly 8 lbs of skin stretched across their outer layer. Your skin is your first and most important line of defense against cancer, disease, and infection. This means that supporting healthy skin should top your list of important beauty and self-care items. The best way to support your skin’s health is by regularly using natural lotions and SPF products to keep it hydrated and free from sun damage. Additionally, mind what you put in your body as your skin will reflect the water and nutrients you consume.

Keep reading for 6 natural ways to support healthy skin and by doing so protect your entire body from whatever the world throws at you.

Keep It Clean

It’s hard to overstress the importance of washing your face every night. As you move throughout your day, your face comes in contact with dirt, germs, and pollutants – many of which contain damaging free radicals. By washing your face you rinse away the sweat and grime of the day, giving the delicate skin on your face an opportunity to repair itself as you sleep. Additionally, washing your pillow cases regularly can help keep your skin clean and minimize facial breakouts.

Use All Natural Moisturizers

Know what you’re putting on your face and keep it natural. Many skin creams and lotions, even pricey ones, contain parabens and other harmful chemicals that may irritate your skin and cause breakouts. While hydration is essential to healthy skin, you want to get it without harmful additives and unwanted ingredients. Brands like Naked Bee believe that fabulous skin care should contain “all of the good stuff and none of the bad stuff.”

Prioritize Chemical-Free Sunscreens

Any time you plan to spend extended time outdoors, you should apply a natural sunscreen to protect your skin from cancer causing sun damage and free radicals. In fact, in the warm summer months, start your day with a natural, all-over body lotion and tinted facial moisturizer that contain SPF.

Nourish Your Skin From Within

Drinking enough water and eating daily doses of a rainbow of fruits and veggies is one of the best ways to care for your skin. The nutrients in fresh produce can be used to brighten and nourish your skin, while adequate hydration can keep your skin supple and healthy.

Understand Your Skin Type

The best skin care in the world is a natural produce that you understand and that matches your unique needs. Do you have oily skin around your nose? Do you hands get chapped in the winter? Understanding your skin and how to care for it is one of the most important steps you can take to support healthy skin.

Make Time for SkinCare

Do you rush out of the shower or jump into bed without making time to apply natural lotion or wash your face? Over time, this in attention to skin care can lead to easily avoidable wrinkles and damage. The more work you put into your skin care, the more beautiful and better equipped your outer layer is to protect you from the grime and sun damage of your everyday life.

What are your favorite natural ways to support healthy skin? Share them with us in the comments section below.

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Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash

DIY Bladderwrack Seaweed Face Mask

From acne to aging, from dry skin to dermatitis, almost every person struggles with some form of skin annoyance. And as the first thing others often notice, skin issues are particularly challenging when they show up on your face. While some more serious issues require medication or topical creams, most people can keep their faces healthy looking with a regular routine of cleansing, moisturizing, and detoxifying facials once or twice a month.

But while there’s nothing quite like a rejuvenating and relaxing facial, sometimes that spa or salon treatment might cost more than you want to spend. That’s why a DIY bladderwrack seaweed face mask may be just the ticket for your body and your bank account!

Read on to learn about this powerful skin treatment and how you can give yourself an amazing facial right in the comfort of your own home.

What the Heck is Bladderwrack?

Contrary to what you may be thinking, bladderwrack has pretty much nothing to do with your bladder. In fact, this brown algae or seaweed, found mainly in cold water, has the potential to positively impact almost every part of your body except the bladder! Known scientifically as Fucus vesiculosus, its colloquial name comes from the small, air-filled pods that grow along the main stem (or thallus) of the plant and help it to stay afloat. The other part of its name (wrack) signifies something that is driven ashore.

Bladderwrack is most often found in the waters off the Northern Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the U.S. and on the Atlantic and Baltic coasts of Europe. Although it has been growing for thousands of years, its use in health and well-being is somewhat recent. While many of the potential health benefits of bladderwrack are still being discovered, its composition rich in minerals like iodine and magnesium has already made the plant an important element in the health of the body’s mineral levels, internal responses, and even the thyroid gland. Even more, this seaweed plant has fan-shaped leaves with a thin, leathery texture, perfect for face masks!

Potential Benefits of Bladderwrack for Your Skin … and Lots More!

High in minerals like iodine and vitamin C, bladderwrack is a powerful friend of the face. It nourishes the skin with macro-minerals like potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and copper, plus over 70 trace minerals like zinc, manganese and more. Bladderwrack also helps the skin by supporting the production and absorption of collagen, which gives skin strength and elasticity.

But before we get to the DIY bladderwrack face mask that may just change your life, it’s important to note a few additional bladderwrack benefits that have been explored in recent years. Made up of compounds that support the thyroid hormone and joint functionality and that fight free radicals to keep your immune system strong, bladderwrack seaweed has a positive impact on many of the body’s essential functions.

For example, one study found that the iodine derived from bladderwrack helped increase a thyroid stimulating hormone, while another found that it could help balance hormones and maintain a healthy monthly menstruation cycle for women. Bladderwrack has also been effective in studies surrounding improved antioxidant levels and their ability to protect cells from free radical damage, as well as in the creation of long chains of sugar molecules, which can support joint and cartilage health. Along with these benefits, bladderwrack has also been known to support liver health, energy levels, a balanced metabolism, and mineral levels.

DIY Bladderwrack Seaweed Face Mask

Now that you know all about bladderwrack and how it can keep your skin and your body looking and feeling healthy, here is not one, but TWO of our go-to home recipes for a refreshing bladderwrack seaweed face mask. Use these trusty DIY blueprints to rejuvenate your face and give it a salon facial glow that won’t break the bank!

Recipe 1: Using Bladderwrack Powder

*Adapted from Butter Nutrition.

Ingredients:

●      1 teaspoon bladderwrack powder

●      1 teaspoon honey

●      1/4 teaspoon water

Directions:

1. Combine bladderwrack powder and honey in a small dish.
2. Add 1/4 teaspoon water in stages until you reach the desired consistency.
3. Pull your hair back to expose as much facial skin as possible and apply your bladderwrack face mask.
4. Draw a nice hot bath – optional, but recommended for full relaxation!
5. Allow your bladderwrack face mask to dry and remain on your skin for 20-30 minutes.
6. Rinse with warm water and apply a gentle moisturizer like coconut oil.

Recipe 2: Using Dried Seaweed

*Adapted from Wellness Today.

Ingredients:

●      3-4 sheets dried bladderwrack seaweed

●      Coffee grinder

●      1-2 tablespoons water

●      1 teaspoon aloe vera gel (optional, but great for skin irritation!)

Directions:

1. Break up the dried seaweed with your hands into small pieces.
2. Place in coffee grinder and grind until you have about 1 tablespoon of powder.
3. Place the seaweed powder into a small bowl and add water in stages until you have a thick, paste-like consistency.
4. And aloe vera and stir to mix.
5. Pull your hair back to expose as much facial skin as possible and apply your bladderwrack face mask.
6. Allow your seaweed face mask to dry and remain on your skin for 20-30 minutes.
7. Rinse with warm water and apply a gentle moisturizer like coconut oil.

Have you tried a bladderwrack seaweed face mask at home? Let us know what worked best for you by commenting below!

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Photo by Isabell Winter on Unsplash