As much as I am always hoping for a long and endless summer, it seems that the plan this year is instead an early fall. Which is beautiful, and cozy, and, incredibly dry. After an unusually dry summer, the beginning of this fall feels even more perilously dry than is typical. And, while much of the country is burning right now, in this apocalyptic reckoning that we are having as a nation within the immense reality of global climate change, I am, for now, going to turn attention toward how I respond to this seasonal dry out in the physical body and leave how best to respond to the planetary body to the folks who we should be taking our lead from right now in more ways than one: SCIENTISTS.
So that said, I am going to go a little bit off-script for this post and talk about skincare. I mean, maybe that is off-script? I hope not. For the most part, I feel like this space has just served whatever has my attention at the moment, and right now, as with most seasonal transitions, my attention is on wellness. And really, wellness has been on my mind steadily since March. How ‘bout you?
My doorway into the importance of skincare in overall wellness was, like a great many things in my life, through hatha yoga. Yoga led me to Ayurveda, which made clear to me in really accessible ways, the way in which the body is a mirror not just of the inner environment, but the outer environment as well. I am going to pause right here though to say: this is not an Ayurveda post. While this wisdom informs many of my personal lifestyle and wellness choices, I am by no means an expert. However, I am happy to point you in the direction of someone who is. Just ask!
So skincare. Specifically, skincare and wellness and oils. Again, gotta pause for a click. I am not sharing about essential oils here either. I have mentioned my use of them in the past, and I think they are awesome, yet incredibly personal and, occasionally, a little bit controversial. So! This is not that!
Gah! Skincare. Ok.
The transition of summer to fall, in many climates, is one from damp and warm to cool and dry. And often windy as well. Which, can really stoke the heat of summer in a way that burn the fire too hot. So hot that it can burn off all of our internal juiciness which can lead to an extra dry climate inside- one that before long is stagnant and slow to utilize its natural cleansing capabilities. The aim for navigating the transition for fall with ease should be to keep things mobile without losing our groundedness. Too damp and then we are heavy and sluggish and slow. Quick to break out or get sad or both. Too dry and we risk sadness of another sort. Disconnected and adrift and, dare I say, disenfranchised.
When the temps dropped this last week, and the mountain breezes began to pick up and turn dry, the very first thing I reached for was an oil. This is a beautiful oil that I use all year long, but that I begin to really lean into when the dryness starts to settle in. I will often use it as my moisturizer on its own, but more often than not I will mix it in with another moisturizer to uplevel hydration.
The next thing I make sure I am doing more of is cleansing with oil every time I wash my face. The cleansing balm, an oil-based superpower multitasker, is actually the first of two products that lured me into the Beautycounter world. (the other is the overnight resurfacing peel, obviously. lol) And while I still use the balm on the regular, when it comes to washing my face, I almost exclusively use this cleansing oil, and now, as the seasons change, especially. I love the shift, both internally and externally, that the simple act of washing my face creates but I definitely cannot afford to strip my skin of any moisture. This helps me gently cleanse away impurities without wiping away the lipids my skin so desperately needs.
I also immediately reach for a great Nasya Oil. Say what? I think at this point most everyone has heard of Neti, and for me, the two go hand in hand. Because what do you do after you cleanse? You treat and hydrate! Nasya is basically a nice snort of oil up your nose, sometimes “medicated” with herbs, and other times just oil is fine. This one is my go-to hands down. Bonus that it is made by a long time mama friend- think ogbb moo moo- and a current Beautycounter team member. Also, it bears mentioning here that Ayurveda is big on oiling your orifices, all of you orifices, to insulate and protect not just your immune system, but your nervous system as well. We try to make it a habit at our house of for sure oiling our noses and our ears, and well, the rest it’s kinda like an honor code thing. K? K.
In terms of heavy-hitting oils, a couple of times a week I try to make sure that I do a full-body self oil massage, called Abhyanga in Ayurveda. I have a massive bottle of Sesame Oil from Banyan under my bathroom sink that I funnel into an old 2oz tincture bottle on my counter for ease and accessibility and then massage into my still damp from the shower skin. I also love to treat my bod to this oil. Some folks put in on after dry brushing and let it sit and absorb for a while before showering it off and I am just gonna say that I do not have the patience to clean out drains full of rancid oil. More power to you if you do but I gave up that practice when I was pregnant with Eider and literally all that I could smell was our drains. Um, BARF. But, please, you do you and zero judgment from me. Seriously.
Oily body massage is something that I have done on all of our babes for the first few years of their lives- read: as long as they will let me. It is one of my favorite parts of each day and I swear Wilfred is my cleanest baby by far simply so that I can maximize the amount of that time that I get to spend with him. So warm and quiet and gentle and sweet. And really the perfect transition from tub to bed, in my opinion. This is the oil I am using on him, and often I’ll massage some into my feet while I am at it. Like I said, maximize. I love this oil though. Super hydrating without being in any way heavy or greasy. It is also my favorite gift for new mamas and babies.
In terms of body balms, I am huge fans of the melting body balm- it smells truly incredible and melts into oil, as well as the baby daily protective balm. I use the melting balm to manage all of the handwashing (keep washing your hands!) and more so now than even a week ago as fall kicks into gear. The baby balm has been my go-to for every skin maladie for Wilfie, from cradle cap to eczema to diaper rash to, most recently, scar mitigation. Two total heavy hitters. Without actually being heavy…
Alright, and last but by no means least, I have to include lip hydration. This has always been more akin to life or death feeling in the winter- ok obviously exaggerating but you know what I mean, right? How many tubes of lip balm have you found in coat pockets at the beginning of the season? Or not found in coat pockets and then had to emergency purchase while you were out? The suffering of dry lips is freaking real and I completely disagree with anyone who even attempts to tell me otherwise. Nope. Not a thing- For the last year or so, I have included lip hydration in my morning and evening skincare routine, reaching for a moisture packed lip gloss or conditioning lipstick in the morning and my absolute favorite balm at night- which was a part of Beautycounter’s Holiday Sets last year and fingers freakin’ crossed it makes a comeback this year cuz I’m down to the nub.
OK y’all! Thanks for sticking with me if you did. I know that this could maybe seem a little off-topic, but for me, this folds right into everything life of practice and wellness not to mention earnestly and wholeheartedly sharing what I love and what I have found to work well for me and my family. I really do believe that deep self care- physical, mental, and emotional- is a radical act of self-love. And that it is these small, daily, loving, and conscious acts that have the power to shift not just our state of being, but also to shift the narrative toward one that is connected and unified and ready to stand up in the face of inequity and injustice with purpose and humility. Take care of yourselves, friends. The world needs you. We need you.