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Natural Beauty Pick-Me-Ups for the Winter Blues

by Karim Orange

Winter can be hazardous to your beauty health. Like so many of you, my state has seen more than its share of treacherous ice, snow and freezing temperatures. The calendar may say March (the first month of spring) but the Weather Channel just predicted snow in my area.

imgres-7The extreme conditions of the freezing outdoors mixed and the heat indoors can wreak havoc on a person both physically and emotionally. But you can actually use this time to pamper yourself. Think of it as planting beauty seeds that you will be able to harvest this spring and well into summer. Here are some tips to the rescue!

1) All in the family massage There is nothing more intimate than touching your loved ones. A great deal of people suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is a specific type of mood disorder brought on by extreme weather. Cold and unpredictable weather can be a serious stress factor. My family members and I (including my teenage daughter) started giving each other family massages to elevate some of the stress. You can massage each other’s feet, scalp or anywhere you tend to hold stress.

2) Laughter Laughter is beauty to the soul, and gives the skin a truly natural glow. Try spending some time just being plain silly! Here is a great Laughing Yoga Video. I used the techniques here, to have a “Laughing Yoga Party” with three of my friends this winter. It’s the most fine I’ve had indoors this winter!

3) Learn and create some new do it yourself (DIY) recipes This time of year, most of us spend a lot more time indoors. Use this time to get innovative with your beauty routines. It’s easier than ever to find DIY recipes and videos online. Most of the time you have the ingredients you need already. I recently mixed together a great cuticle oil with just two simple ingredients: almond oil and lemongrass essential oil.

4) Exfoliate This is a good opportunity to prepare your body for the days when there will be more sun. Take this time to get off all the dead winter skin that layers of clothes hide this season. Try a DYI recipe. Simple scrubs can be made from both sugars and salts.

See this recipe from Organic Spa Magazine Editor-in-Chief Rona Berg’s second book, Fast Beauty: 1,000 Quick Fixes (Workman Publishing):

Sesame Body Scrub

Toast one cup of sesame seeds in the toaster to release the oil and make your scrub more fragrant.
With a mortar and pestle, crush seeds with one cup of sea salt or kosher salt.
Add 1/2 cup of sweet almond oil and mix.
Gently massage into damp skin and shower.

5) Perfect Your Spring Beauty Routine

We know spring is coming, so this is a great time to prefect your technique makeup look. By the time the weather warms you’ll be ready to put your best face forward. We love the new spring colors by Jane Iredale. The Spring Palette, called The Magic Hour, is soft and golden, and they put you in the mood for the brighter season that’s on the horizon.

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