All these cold, windy days have left my skin feeling all dried out, almost like its stretched extra tight over my bones and my muscles. It is definitely not the best feeling nor my best look and leaves me dreaming of warmer days & softer skin.
I know I’m not alone.
My partner comes home from working outdoors all day with cracks & splits all over his hands, leaving them even more rough then usual and not to mention painful. Whilst our kids complain of dry and itchy skin, with little flares ups leaving red raw scratch marks on their usually flawless skin.
Working in clinic I watch client after client walk in with flares in their psoriasis and eczema prone skin. It feels like those wintery winds have left our skin ever more reactive and prone to extreme flare ups of all sorts of skins irritations.
WHAT is really going on here?!?!
Well, a few things usually.
Whilst it will be slightly different for each of you, there remain a few common threads we could all do with checking in with as they are relevant to each of us.
First thing first …
You know those long, hot, steamy, showers so many of us find irresistible right now; showers so hot our partners think your washing your hair with a freshly boiled jug of water. Well, I’m going to tell you, what many of you know already and none of us want to hear.
They are actually doing more damage to our skin than those cold winds outside.
This is especially true for any of us with eczema or psoriasis prone skin, it your skin flares in winter try opting for a warm shower not a boiling hot shower.
That doesn’t mean you have to embrace your inner ICE MAN, you can just slowly move the temperature from your super steamer to more of a welcoming warm.
When I talk to client about this, I tend to say things like:
- If you like being a superhero, cold winter showers are your new superpower, go for it!
- If you’re just feeling particularly brave, jump straight into a lukewarm shower, and keep your shower temp here.
- If you are feeling a little more hesitant, aim for a nice warm shower but still cool enough that it doesn’t leave your skin all pink and hot when you jump out &
- If you are extremely hesitant, just a little notch down on the hot and a little notch up on the cold water tap each shower and by the time winter is over you should be approaching lukewarm status.
YOU DO YOU!
This is especially important for our kids, there skin is more supple and therefore more prone to the overly drying effects of hot water, often this is when our kids will complain of itchy dry skin when they are putting their Pj’s on after a hot bath / shower.
You can also do things like keep a jar of coconut oil in the shower and cover yourself mid-way through your shower, just be mindful it doesn’t leave the shower / bath super slippery!
YOU are responsible for YOUR OWN HEALTH & that of your families (as much as you can / they allow).
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Firstly, our water quality isn’t amazing; our pipes and taps aren’t amazing & many of us still don’t have a quality filter on our shower heads.
Secondly, on top of this we wash ourselves with a bunch of chemicals marketed to us as skin care products, worse for our kids whose bubble bath products & other ‘fun’ bath suds, bombs, crayons & more are so full of harsh toxins I wouldn’t wash my hands in them, let alone leave their little bodies soaking in them!
It’s really no wonder that those super-hot showers with suboptimal water quality and harsh bath time chemicals leave our skin screaming!
Don’t worry there is so much we can do & all of it natural and with minimal effort too! It might even save you $$$
If you’re ready to optimise your shower & skin relationship here is a few things you can do right now:
- Temperature: Aim for a warm shower not a hot shower
- Water Quality: If you can get a quality shower filter for your shower / bath
- Eliminate toxic chemicals from your bathroom, remember if you wouldn’t eat it, it’s probably not best to put it on your skin!
Differing Perspectives!
Western medicine or medicine 2.0 tends to think of dry skin as a condition, and conditions once named can be medicated. Whilst some of these medication may provide temporary relief and in more severe cases are very necessary, these medications very rarely provide effective long term relief, and about as far from a cure, then even the most outlandish of witches’ brews.
I often have clients whose little babies have been recommended harsh steroid treatments for very minor irritations. Is this really your best option? Did anyone sit you down and go through the potential health implications of long term steroid use?
Eastern Medicine such a Chinese herbalism and Ayurveda tend to think of it more as a form of diss-ease that our bodies often experience when we are easily out of balance in those cooler months. Slightly different experiences for each of our different constitutions and thus treatment and remedies which are natural and provide far greater relief and set us on the path to long-term healing.
From my own perspectives, steroid creams should be used in such specialised circumstances that it should take quite a few consultations to even have that option on the table. However, in line with being responsible for you own health, know that if you see your local GP for dry winter skin flare ups, they don’t have many other options so often a steroid cream or a course of anti-biotics or anti-inflammatories or both will likely be offered as a first line treatment. However, if you see a natural health practitioner, they will give you many more resources to work with, diet, hydration, herbs, oils, nutrients, lifestyle, sleep, stress, hygiene and more one of them entirely specific to YOU.
So, tread your own path, believe in your own worth, always.
YOU deserve better options!
NUTRITION
Dry Skin can be indicative of a vitamin deficiency, top suspects can include Zinc, Vitamin A & Omega 3 fatty acids, secondary suspects likely include Vitamin C and Vitamin K2.
Please respect that nutritional supplements are like medicines and should only be taken under practitioner supervision and for a short time, unless otherwise indicated by your trusted health care provider.
There is so much more to Nutritional science than we can imagine and often a deficiency is not as straight forward as a simple top up with that particular vitamin or mineral. So please seek professional support from your Nutritionist.
The sales lady at the chemist is a sales lady, your GP is a doctor & your dietician is the calorie king, unless they have done additional studies in Nutritional biochemistry, they are not the best person to seek nutritional supplement advice from. It would be like asking your electrician to plumb your toilet, generally it would be the wrong trade however every now and then you get the guy that knows both trades inside out.
In short, know your practitioner; make sure they have the right tools (knowledge) for your job, (questions). Take back control of your health, ask more questions, seek more answers. You Deserve Better Options!
Did you know that the skin on your body is actually an organ, the largest organ at that!
As such the skin has a number of very important roles:
- Protection (holding us together & protecting our insides)
- Sensation (allowing us to feel touch, affection and warn us of dangers)
- Homeostasis (keeping us in a state of healthy balance)
- Nutrition (we absorb so much through our skin, vitamin D, magnesium, toxins)
With all these important roles, you can see why it is important to take extra care of your skin. Your skin also acts like a bit of a monitor, letting you know how you’re doing on the inside. Your skin health is a direct reflection of your gut health, your hormone health, your stress levels, sleep quality, nutritional status & more.
Your skin concerns are as unique as you, which is why nutritional medicine & herbal medicine provides that all important holistic approach to your health analysis & treatment. This is why a one-for-all approach is rarely effective in providing any long-term relief. This is also why a consult with a Nutritionist or Natural Health Practitioner takes so much longer, we have a lot of questions to get through, to find that treatment which will support you the best.
In Ayurveda, holistic health analysis and treatments are also tailored to your particular constitution.
Consider that … what works for a ‘Kapha’ dominant person with gut dysbiosis, and chronic constipation would be different, to what would work for a ‘Vata’ dominant person with hormonal imbalance and high toxin exposure, even if they both present with an itchy dry skin rash.
This is why we need a highly individualised approach to health care more than ever, a health care system that considers every part of you, is the best health care, this is natural health at its best, this is nutritional medicine.
I’m clearly on a rant today, I have seen far too many blog posts and so-called news articles with headlines screaming “10 supplements your doctor can’t live without”, “the truth about zinc supplementation by dieticians” – what absolute rot! Would you click on it if the headline “ten best lights handpicked by your plumber!” or “the truth about your floorboards, by top electricians”
Please do yourself a favour and click away, quickly!
OK Back to WINTER SKIN, next up …
HYDRATION!
Hydration; one of my favourite topics to type about!
Those cooler months (should) bring a change in diet, as we tend to crave more warming, heavier, comfort foods. The cold air makes it much easier to drink that extra cup of coffee or three; and red wine is back on the dinner table making us look all sophisticated & stuff (according to Netflix).
So, what does this mean for our skin.
Well let’s talk basics; there are drinks that hydrate, us and there are drinks that dehydrate us, & consequently our skin too.
Hydrate
- Water (spring, filtered tap, mineral)
- Herbal Tea’s
- Herbal & Fruit Infused Water
- Coconut Water
- Cold Pressed Fruit & Veg Juice
Dehydrate
- Coffee & Black Teas
- Alcohol
- Soft Drinks
- Energy Drinks
- Drinks containing High sugar & artificial additives
There is a great article posted on the Ardu Recovery website, which covers in-depth the effects of alcohol on our skin plus so much more, if alcohol plays any role in your life, no matter what that relationship looks like, it is worth a read. I won’t cover alcohol in this post so this is a great resource to fill that gap here.
Hydration is of the upmost importance when it comes to skin health (& whole-body health too).
Keep it Simple Rule: Balance it out!
Those drinks that hydrate with those drinks that de-hydrate – make sure those scales always tip in your (hydrated) favour.
There is so much wisdom in those words, which encourage us to drink a glass of water in between those weekend drinks.
Protect your protector (aka your skin)!
Wind can wreak havoc on our skin, the lack of humidity and gail force winds which seem to be a daily occurrence at the moment are primed for leaving our skin feeling all tight, dried out, red raw & itchy.
In Chinese medicine, wind is known to disrupt your ‘Qi’, your vital energy that circulates throughout your body. Your Qi (pronounced CH-I) is responsible for maintaining the harmonious function of your organs, tissues & body systems.
My friend has recently been to Antarctica, and I can’t help but laugh as I type these words from my blizzard free clinic in Brisbane. My idea of gail force is clearly a bit out of a stretch & perhaps tainted slightly with my own personal dislike of cold windy weather. Perception is a funny thing.
A few things to keep in mind on those windy cool days:
- Protect your neck with scarves, one of my favourite accessories.
- Cover up with appropriate clothing, you don’t want to overheat or be too cold, layers are key.
- Don’t stay out in the elements too long, but don’t hide from them either.
SUNSHINE
You have all probably heard the news that we absorb vitamin D from the sun through our skin. It’s true don’t worry I’m not going to fight that one, I’m a believer and a big fan of the SUN.
As much as I love the sunshine, cold windy weather will not have me trying to sun bake, pick your days people!
Many of you have probably also heard or tried magnesium baths, soaks, creams, oils and sprays. One of the primary therapeutic mechanism of these magnesium therapies, relies on the magnesium, being able to be absorbed through the skin. Which is why they work so well for many of us. However, for some of us our skin is inflamed, irritated or damaged and this decreases our ability to absorb effectively and therefore feel the benefits.
In keeping with the incredible absorptive ability of our skin, we need to be mindful of what we put on our skin, toxins and chemical wise. Most sunscreen and bug sprays contain many harsh chemicals, but no one wants to get demolished by midges or get sunburnt.
There has to be a balance, so go forth, be brave make your own decisions and use your common sense. Don’t listen to what ‘they’ say and feel free to tell day care to stop putting chemicals on your babies’ skin, you always have the option of bringing in your own.
I see mums at playgrounds running around smothering their kids with sunscreen, hats and its 7am in the middle of winter, honestly, I know we can do better than this.
This overzealous fear of all thing’s sunshine diminishes our children’s natural ability to absorb precious Vitamin D, right when we need it the most (in winter). Vitamin D helps bolster our immune system helping us ward off those winter germs, the sunshine also helps regulate our sleep wake cycle, if you’re not getting a healthy dose of sunshine (again don’t burn to a crisp, skin cancer is not a joke) you can disrupt this precious cycle resulting in a bunch of sleep issues.
A few rules for bug spray:
- If you don’t feel them, don’t use it.
- If there is just a few around, opt for natural deterrents with essential oils or burn some sandalwood.
- If s**t gets real, bring out the heavy-duty sprays, light a fire and soak your battle scars in the ocean!
As I mentioned earlier, our skin is an organ, and as such it needs food, real food. That much touted Mediterranean Style diet, is full of healthy fats & oils, balanced with a rich abundance of fresh, wild greens, fruits, nuts, seeds and vegetables alongside, freshly caught seafood and a little red & white meat & wine. this is a great place to start!
If you are eating a diet full of processed foods, takeaway or fast-food meals or even a mono-coloured diet (white & brown) your insides will suffer (your gut, your hormones, your everything) and consequently your skin will suffer. Another reason to make better choices for you & your family each and every day.
Repeat after me … big-food (a lot like big-pharma) does NOT have my back (or my health)!
YOU HAVE YOUR OWN BACK!
YOU HAVE YOUR FAMILIES BACK!
YOU HAVE YOUR TRIBES BACK!
YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU ROCK!!
So, after reading all this you should have a few habits of your own to tweak, to make sure your skin stays healthy and happy all throughout those cool winter months.
- Know your body, trust what it is trying to tell you.
- Seek support from the right places.
- Natural First, Always
- Hydrate from the inside out
- Eat more whole foods, rich in vitamins and minerals.
- Supplements & medications under practitioner guidance only.
I absolutely love making herbal creams, lotions and potions at home with my kids, I even sell a few favourites here in clinic, which you can check out on your next visit, but for now.
A few favourites for you …
My favourite oils for winter skin:
- Coconut Oil
- Apricot Kernel Oil
- Olive Oil
- Jojoba Oil
- Castor Oil
- Sesame Oil
- Herbal Infused Oils ** (these are what I love making)
My Favourite Herbs to infuse with for healthy winter skin:
- Calendula
- Gutu Kola
- Chamomile
- Rosemary
- Lemon Balm
- Marshmallow
- Neem
There are so many options when it comes to creating your own natural herbal creams, you really just have to start playing around. A bit like cooking for your skin, its super fun and such a great thing to do with and teach our children. Check out my herbal recipes here, you will be surprised how simple it is, once you have a few basic essentials.
It is my absolute privilege to write and share with you, thank you for taking the time to read with me today.
Now go flow & glow with the seasons!
Contact Jessica Bruce Nutrition
Dry skin, with its itchy, red and flaky patches, can be unsightly, uncomfortable, and sometimes even painful.
It can appear anywhere on the body, and it is not always easy to find your perfect relief.
Thankfully there are many easy, natural steps you can take to tackle your skin issues.
If you’re struggling with dry skin and want to know more about natural treatment options, contact me @ Jessica Bruce Nutrition.
My Holistic approach to your whole-body health is suitable for all ages and works specifically with your lifestyle, natural health meets you where you are at, healing your skin from the inside out.
My whole ethos is about making health fun again, I never want it to feel like just another job. We work together, to get the results you want faster.
You don’t have to suffer with the discomfort of dehydrated skin.
Contact Jessica today for all your skin woes – I can help.
