Tis the season, y’all! Winter is here. Below zero temperatures are here. And my skin is totally dried out.
My partner snapped this photo of me last week, and I was shocked by how dry my skin looked. I honestly had no idea! I was well aware of the breakouts, however, which I justified with stress and lack of sleep.
These past few months have been quite insane, both at work and home. The first thing to go – other than social media – was my own self-care rituals.
But to be honest, I’ve been neglecting my skin since early summer, when I got lazy and went back to my old habits of cleansing everything with a bar of soap – literally washing my hair, body and face with just one bar of soap. It’s just so convenient! Of course I choose very good, natural soaps that are made with good quality, low pufa oils and fats. But it’s not a sustainable solution for my skin, even if I can get by with it for a little while.
I know what a little TLC can do, because I’ve seen it recently with my hair and body care rituals. (Keep reading to find out how I’m taking care of my hair and scalp, body and hands this winter…)
So I am making a plan now. I need to find my skincare rituals again. And instead of deleting this picture from my phone, I am sharing it. Because I want to take you along this journey. Perhaps by sharing my journey, you will find some value in it as well.
Hair Care
My hair and scalp have come a very long way in a very short amount of time. Mid-September, I was a full year into crazy hair loss. My scalp was itchy and very sensitive. I even had some acne on my scalp, which was new for me. It was time to stop blaming postpartum and start taking care.
I went back to my favorite haircare products from Bruns – organic products handmade in Lund, Sweden. I love the Shampoo nr. 3 and Balsam nr. 3, which are both made without any perfumes. And I also tested their Hair Mask nr. 23 for the first time, and it’s a keeper! Even my 4.5 year old was excited to see the shampoo no. 3 back in our bathroom… he loves using it too, and I love knowing that it’s natural and safe even for my kids.
Also, I gave my scalp the simple gift of touch. I started rubbing my scalp more, even massaging in some oil once per week. The act of slowly rubbing and massaging the scalp comes with a lot of benefits. It stimulates the circulation, strengthens the follicles, stimulates hair growth, increases nutrient uptake and more. It’s something I can do while reading, scrolling, watching the kids, feeding the baby, etc. Within a week, the hair loss began to slow down dramatically. Two weeks later, it was back to a normal shedding pattern.
The oil I’ve been using for head massages is organic jojoba oil infused with wild yarrow, plantain leaves, calendula, comfrey, chamomile and marshmallow root. I made it for mama friends in the postpartum stage, yet for some reason I didn’t think that I was applicable for the category, or perhaps for the love. I also used an exfoliating oil once – the Caffeine Skin Polishing Oil – on my scalp, which was quite messy but worked really nicely! I would absolutely use this more often on my scalp if I showered in the mornings, but I almost always shower just before bed, and therefore steer clear of caffeine in all forms. Whichever oil you use, massage it into your scalp for as long as you can and then wash as normal with shampoo.
Both hair and scalp are immensely healthier now than they were just a couple of months ago using Bruns products and doing oil massages. I never have time to blow dry or style my hair, unfortunately, so no tips for you there.
Body Care
Last winter, my body became so incredibly dry, to the point that I hurt. Nothing I tried helped. I just let it get too bad. So as winter approached this year, I was determined to keep my skin moisturized. So far it’s going well! My skin in much, much better condition compared to this time last year.
My current ritual involves bathing with a good, real soap. Previously I was using Aleppo soap with a high percentage of bay laurel oil or the Olive Soap bar from Loelle. Both are great! But these days I’m using the Wyld hand and body soaps more often than not. They’re just so moisturizing.
Then I apply either the Bare Naked Body Cream or the Rose Gold Elixir as a body oil – and I moisturize immediately after drying off, while my skin is still warm and damp.
That’s it! The key, for me, is consistency.
Hand Care
My hands require a little bit more attention than my body, perhaps due to my stage of life, taking care of little ones and constantly cleaning, changing, cooking, etc. My work is also very hands-on.
Along with my face, my hands are where my age (and possibly my laziness) is most visible. So a little extra care is needed to keep them hydrated through the winter.
Every sink in our home is clad with the Wyld hand and body soaps, because they contain no perfumes that give me headaches, and no weird ingredients or drying elements like alcohols. They do, however, contain organic shea butter, coconut and olive oils that nourish our hands, along with essential oils that have both body and mind benefits.
I also use a lot of Wonder Balm on my hands in the winter months. And I exfoliate them with the Caffeine Skin Polishing Oil once or twice per week. After the polish, I follow up with more Wonder Balm. This keeps the skin on my hands healthier than any other combo I’ve tried.
[Btw, if you want to quickly exfoliate your dry hands with things you have on hand: simply stir together some melted coconut oil with honey and coffee grounds until you get a runny paste. Rub gently on hands for a few minutes, massaging into all the crevices. Wash off with lukewarm water and follow up with a good moisturizer.]
Last winter, due to my complete neglect as I mentioned above, my hands got insanely dry. I tried some hand creams by Weleda – the Pomegranate Regenerative Hand Cream and the Sea Buckthorn Hand Cream. Out of the two, the pomegranate cream worked best! Weleda is a very easy brand to find, even at all of the pharmacies around Stockholm, and easy to throw in a bag while you’re out and about. Recommend it if you’re looking for a convenient option!
Face Care
This is where I’ve slacked off big time – and where I need some of that tender, love and care. Here’s my plan!
My main issues: dryness, cracking, chapping, acne breakouts
My goal: As always, I’m hoping for healthy skin – not perfect skin. And hydrated skin is healthy skin, especially at my age. I believe I’ve officially crossed into the ‘mature, aging skin’ category (dang, that went fast). I also believe that acne breakouts are related to dryness, but we will see!
My goal, then, is just to find a simple ritual that keeps my skin strong and healthy during this season.
What I Was Using: Aleppo soap and/or Olive Soap bar from Loelle for washing my hair, body and face. Plus sporadic use of the Juniper toner. And VERY sporadic use of the Spruce oil. I love all of these products, and they work really well for me in the summer, but I think they’re too clarifying for these dry, freezing cold months. Also, I haven’t been consistent at all.
My Plan: First, I’m ditching the soap and going back to oil cleansing. The Wyld Cleansing Face Oil is honestly my favorite. I’ve tested many different oil cleansers, as well as the Calendula Cleanser by Neal’s Yard Remedies, but nothing works like the Cleansing Face Oil. It’s infused with elderflowers and formulated with all of my favorite low-pufa cosmetic oils. Plus essential oils of wild Lavender, Tea Tree, Frankincense and Bergamot, giving it a scent that I crave. It’s one for the skin and the senses.
Instead of the more clarifying Juniper toner, I will switch over to the gentle, hydrating Rose Otto Toner. I came very close to buying the Rose Water from Loelle, but then asked myself why. I already source the absolute best rose water I can find for the Wyld rose otto, and it has the added benefit of geranium rose essential oil, which is brilliant for balancing dry, mature, acne-prone skin.
I’ve ordered a face mask called Sea Me Mask by True Organics, which contains green algae. It was recommended to me by a friend who works in the industry, so I’ll give it a go to see if it gives me that deep hydration and coveted glow that she says it will! I don’t work with seaweed at all in Wyld products, so I’m interested.
Until then, I’ve started using the Caffeine Skin Polishing Oil regularly again and, wow, I forgot how good it is. I really love frankincense oil – especially when combined with coffee, gah, just the scent alone is a game-changer for me. If you try this product, I urge you to take a moment to really breathe in the scent before and during use. Also, this year’s rosehip infused oil is like next level. I’m not really sure why. I did go deeper into nature this autumn, to a wild area up north where even some rare, almost extinct plants can still be found. There must be something good in that patch of earth. Anyway, I have begun exfoliating with the Caffeine Skin Polishing Oil twice per week – always in the morning.
For moisturizer, I am using the Rose Gold Elixir in the evenings, and the Seaberry Skin Repairing Elixir in the mornings. Maybe as time goes on I’ll cut one of these out, but right now this works well for me. In the mornings, the Seaberry oil works perfectly as a makeup primer (I use un cover up cream by RMS Beauty). And since I usually shower in the evenings, I’m already applying the Rose Gold Elixir to my body anyway, so its very easy to dab some on my face at the same time.
I’ve also ordered the Frankincense Intense Cream from Neal’s Yard Remedies. I’ve been wanting to try this for a while, but couldn’t bring myself to dish out the money for it. It’s expensive. But then again, when I consider how it’s made – with a lot of active material like resin, oil and residual material of sustainably harvested frankincense in Oman – then perhaps I cannot expect it to be cheap.
While I’m excited about the Frankincense Intense Cream, I’m also nervous about it. What even are all of the ingredients in it? And how to fit it into my ritual when it arrives? I want to keep things as simple as possible!
Beyond Products: The health of our skin is more than the products we use, of course. When life is as busy as it has been for me lately, I don’t keep my body hydrated enough either. So taking more moments throughout the day to simply drink some water is improvement. I vow to be better about this.
Sleep is another big one that I’m not sure how to solve at the moment, since my toddler’s night sleep is quite bad right now, and I’m also trying to catch up on work when the kids go to bed. When my little one starts preschool in January, this will allow me to work during the day like a normal person. Also, my partner and I have discussed night weaning my 16-month old, but that probably won’t happen until the Christmas holidays when my partner has some time away from work. Obviously getting a proper amount of sleep would probably help everything, but this is out of my control at the moment.
The new ritual: I know that I’ve mentioned a lot of products and ideas here, so let’s simplify this.
For hair, I am washing with Bruns shampoo and conditioner nr. 3, and using hair mask nr. 23 as needed.
For body, I am bathing with good, real soap and NOT skipping the moisturizer. Bare Naked Body Cream and/or Rose Gold Elixir every day immediately after drying off, while skin is still warm and damp. For hands, it’s time to go back to weekly coffee exfoliations and more hand cream applications.
For face, I have gone back to oil cleansing, toning and moisturizing with a mask once per week and an exfoliating oil twice per week. It looks something like this right now:
Mornings
- Cleansing Face Oil
- Caffeine Skin Polishing Oil (2x per week)
- Sea Me Mask (1x per week)
- Rose Otto Toner
- Seaberry Skin Repairing Oil
Evenings
Where to fit in the Frankincense Intense Cream when it arrives? Replace it with the elixirs for a time? Use it after the elixirs? Hmm… And should I even try the Calendula Cleanser again, just to see if a creamier pharmaceutical product is more helpful at this time than my beloved oil cleanser?
I fully expect that the plan will change as times goes on and I find my best ritual, but I’m not sure how yet.
Also preparing myself to possibly accept the fact that my skin is aging and may never have the same smoothness and suppleness that it once did. I still feel young though! So let’s see what happens.
Will you follow along?
I’ll be back with an update in a few weeks!
[Edit: the one month skincare update is here!]
Take good care, you.
xx
