The Best Natural Winter Skin Remedies

The Best Natural Winter Skin Remedies

Sun, allergies, temperature, humidity – your skin never catches a break, regardless of the season. This is especially evident in winter, when everything from central heating to the wind brings with it a whole host of complaints such as chilblains, eczema and dry and cracked skin.

If hibernating until spring isn’t an option, here are some of our favourite remedies to help your skin stay soft and supple all winter long.

Winter sunset

Dry Skin

Essential Organic Coconut Oil Jar

Is there anything coconut oil can’t do? In addition to treating everything from limp hair to heart disease, coconut oil is also an effective moisturiser for all types of skin. Slather some of our sustainably-sourced Essential Organic Raw Virgin Coconut Oil on your face and hands for fantastic protection against dryness and flaking – and because it contains nothing but pure, unprocessed coconut, you don’t have to worry about allergic reactions or skin irritation. What’s more, coconut oil is purported to delay the appearance of wrinkles and blemishes, so not only will you avoid sore, dry skin, you’ll also look fabulous!

Marshmallow Root Powder is another fantastic way to keep those dreaded winter skin complaints at bay. The powder can be made up into face masks, poultices and cleansing mixtures, but for best results mix ¾ dry herb and ¼ cold oil – olive oil works well – and allow to steep for at least two weeks. The resulting infused oil and its famed anti-inflammatory properties will soothe dry skin and eczema caused by the dehydrating effects of the wind and cold. It will also act as effective protection against the elements if you suffer from particularly sensitive skin, letting you get out and about during the winter without worrying about irritation.

There’s evidence to suggest that Marshmallow Root’s properties facilitate the healing of the abrasions, nicks and small cuts that are part and parcel of winter skin, which leads us nicely onto…

Cracked Skin

During the chilly winter months, cold and dry air strips your skin of its natural moisture. As the skin dries out and loses its protective layer, it can become itchy, crack and bleed. This is particularly problematic on areas of the body that are regularly exposed to water.

Fortunately help is at hand, and with a delightful Christmas twist! Frankincense has been used for thousands of years for its rejuvenating and pain-killing properties, and is also extremely beneficial for healing broken, irritated skin and scarring.

Diy Frankincense Skin Balm

Blend some of our Baldwin’s Frankincense Essential Oil with a little Lavender essential oil (another great essential oil for skincare) and add to a quick simple, delightfully soothing D.I.Y. balm or ointment.

Ingredients:

To

  • 1 part wax – most go for beeswax here (unless your Vegan of course) but I favour an equally practical and nutritious Cocoa Butter (quite hard), Mango Butter (A Little Soft) or Cupuacu Butter (A.K.A Theobroma, which is somewhere in-between) or a combination of a few different waxes & butters – you may have to experiment with quantities as some of these butters and waxes will set into a looser salve and some will harden into more of a body bar consistency.

(If you go too far in one direction, you can always gently reheat the mixture and add more wax or more oil!)

Instructions:

  • Heat this mixture gently in a Bain Marie or double boiler (or Pyrex jug in a small pan of water on the lowest heat works too) giving it a stir until all the ingredients melt.
  • Once liquid, add the essential oils, a few drops will do the job (you can add more if it’s too light but you can’t take it away once it’s in there so go easy to start with).
  • Take it off the heat and give it a good whisking.
  • Fill up some clean glass, P.E.T. plastic or aluminium jars and leave to cool (usually this is best set overnight – I like to give each jar a good, vigorous shake – with the lid on of course – during its slow process of setting to make sure the oils are well mixed)

Simply apply to areas of damaged skin – your knuckles, for example – and say goodbye to sore, bleeding cracked skin!

Frankincense is also a favourite of Aromatherapists – take a break from the rigours of Christmas shopping, pop a few drops of oil in a bowl of warm water and let the calming scent soothe your worries and stresses away.

London Skyline In Winter

Chilblains

Sadly, winter’s unpleasant effects on your skin aren’t limited to dryness and cracks. Have you ever felt an itching or a burning sensation in your fingers or toes after exposure to cold? This is known as chilblains, an abnormal reaction to the cold that’s caused by blood vessels near the surface of the skin struggling to cope with an increased blood flow. We recommend our steam-distilled Chamomile Roman Essential Oil to help you treat the discomfort that comes with chilblains. Popular in the Mediterranean for over 2000 years, chamomile is particularly effective at calming inflamed, irritated skin. It contains high levels of a natural chemical Bisabolol which can aid healing and tissue regeneration, so apply some diluted oil (approximately 10% dilution in a base oil – Sweet Almond, Jojoba, coconut – even your own skin balm with Chamomile oil instead of Frankincense would be good here) after you get in from the cold and you’ll forget all about the itching and burning of chilblains in no time at all.

There’s no need to hide away this winter – arm yourself with the remedies above and kiss dry, cracked skin and chilblains goodbye!

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