Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m sitting here sipping my Valentine’s treat-to-myself, a warming organic green tea latte, looking at the cold, icy weather I just trudged through to the coffee shop, and I thought a natural living post was in order- one detailing my favorite ways to keep my skin soft and hydrated in these cold dry winter months.
(1) Hands.
Working in a kitchen all day means my hands take a beating. Literally- if you count the chunk I lobbed off of my finger on Tuesday. Ouch. Incessant stress and strain, constant hand washing and harsh dish soaps take a toll on my poor fingers, so I need to take extra measures to keep my hands from getting rough, dry and cracked this time of the year. Daily, I carry a small tub of coconut oil with me and apply at least twice a day- once in the morning and once after work. Once a week or so, I like to coat my hands in a layer of shea butter and let it soak on in. It’s sticky as all… but it works!
(2) Body.
For my body, it’s coconut oil all-the-way. Seriously. I have a lovely scented vanilla orange lotion by Hugo Naturals that was gifted to me by my mother-in-law last year that I love and use when I want something that has a little scent to it (when I’m not wearing my Living Libations perfume), but nothing beats the moisturizing effect of the coconut oil!
(3) Elbows and Soles.
For extra-dry spots (not just cuticles!) I have long loved Lush’s Lemony Flutter cuticle cream. I know it is not 100% natural, and I have tried replacing it- shea butter is, again, a good option, but just doesn’t do the job as well for my my dry elbows (on an unrelated note- shea butter is amazing for tattoo healing!) so I do use it, as my ‘compromise’ product. Not everyday, but once or twice a week and it works wonders on those extra-parched areas. As a bonus, it doesn’t have the highly-perfumed, noxious scent many Lush products do (it smells like lemons). (Does anyone know an all-natural alternative? Let me know!)
And of course, it’s worth mentioning- taking good quality fish oil is the best thing I have every done for my skin/hair!
What I use on my face is a whole other post- I’ll detail that in a skincare post, soon! Please share: what do you use to keep your skin hydrated in the winter months?
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I put coconut oil on all over my body from head to toe – hair, scalp and face! I also use a humidifier.
Yes- I love it on my hair, too! A humidifier is a great idea, too– we need to invest in one! It’s so dry in our house!
Happy Valentine’s Day Kris! Miss you! I love the lush cuticle cream myself too.
Thanks Mom, Miss you too!