helping you get out of pain and moving again
helping you get out of pain and moving again
occasional musings....
occasional musings....
which I hope you find interesting
which I hope you find interesting
As the heating in the house goes up, the air gets drier. Also, the contrast between freezing outside and warm (hopefully) inside makes skin uncomfortable. It sometimes feels like a conspiracy! But help is at hand. Here’s a little list of things that might help.
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If you can bear to, drop your shower temperature a little bit – heat dries skin faster than anything. If your shower is over the bath, keep the plug in: that way your feet stay warm and get a bit of a soak as a prep to applying foot balm.
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Apply body lotion while your skin is slightly damp. This locks in some of the moisture. A light fluid such as Bee Lovely Body Lotion might suffice, but if you need a little more ‘oomph’ there’s nothing like one of the Body Balms. I love the Women’s Balance range – a double hit of moisture and hormone-balancing aromatherapy oils. It’s divine. For those who don’t like too much aroma (or for men) the Mother’s Balm is amazing (as well as being great for general skin conditioning following pregnancy or weight loss), or try Calendula and Oat Lotion – unscented and fully tested for sensitive skin.
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Keep your summer feet ready for next year with a warm soak and some Pumice Foot Scrub. Follow with a good foot balm – Comfrey and Mallow is fabulous, but any of the body moisturisers will do.
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Faces suffer – they get the brunt of the cold air and the contrast when you go indoors. Make sure to use a good routine daily, and remember sun screen if going outside.
A weekly exfoliation is good, as that way your moisturiser isn’t wasted plumping up dead skin cells on the surface. I favour Rehydrating Rose Facial Polish – it’s nicely gritty without feeling like sandpaper. If you like a little more ‘scrub’ then the Honey & Orange Facial Scrub is for you, but if both feel too harsh, then the Rejuvenating Frankincense Cleanser (this month’s Hero so 15% off) is great – apply with the muslin cloth (included) for a very gentle exfoliation. The odd body-scrub also really helps – again, a few to choose from, or make your own with sea salt or sugar and olive oil. Message me for a tailored aromatherapy blend to add to this.
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A Serum or Booster is a good idea in the winter. I love the Frankincense Hydrating Essence – I’ve even got Himself using it. Just a couple of small drops will lock in the moisture and give a hydrating boost. Sounds expensive - £54 for 100ml – but that 100 ml will last you at least 6 months if not more. Alternatively, the Hyaluronic Acid Booster (£28) will really help. It can be used alone as a pre-treatment, or just mix a drop into your usual moisturiser.
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Follow with a good moisturiser of your choice. Neal’s Yard has lots of options to suit every skin type and aroma preference. I’m always happy to do a consultation with you, either remotely or in person (I have lots of testers). I’d highly recommend the new Oat & Ceramide Barrier Repair Crème. Powered by a soothing blend of plant-based ceramides, certified organic oat extract and magnesium, this is proven to reduce the appearance of irritation and replenish moisture. Prebiotics strengthen the skin's natural defences, while magnesium supports long-term resilience. Ideal for day and nighttime use, and clinically tested for sensitive skin.
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Lips! Poor lips. Don’t use anything with petroleum jelly/Vaseline as all this does is create a seal, so ok for protection in a way, but if there’s no underlying moisture in your skin, it tends to make thinks worse and the temptation is to keep applying more and more. Instead, feed your lips with a good quality natural balm. Neal’s Yard uses nourishing ingredients including shea and cocoa butter, castor oil, beeswax and healing calendula and lavender oils.
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Don’t forget your hands too! Copious amounts of any of the NYR hand creams, and try the Frankincense Intense Hand Serum for added help (it’s great for age spots and sun damage on the back of hands). Always start your hand cream application on the backs of your hands – this tends to be where it’s needed most. Rub hands together palms facing outwards, and finish by massaging into fingers and lastly palms. The skin on our palms is not very absorbent.
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Tips for winter skincare
Plantar Faciitis, or 'policeman's heel'.... so very painful!
Inflammation of the sole of the foot can be excruciatingly painful, and is often caused not just by running, but also from walking on hard pavements, or standing for long periods. What is the best thing to do? Painkillers have their uses, but there are other solutions.
Working recently with a marathon runner suffering from PF, it was evident that calves and hamstrings were very tight, causing the superficial back line of the fascia to tighten, thus pulling on the soles of the feet and causing inflammation there. I didn't do any work to the soles of his feet whilst inflamed, this would just have been too painful. Instead I worked systematically up both sides of each leg, concentrating on easing out trigger points in calves, quads and glutes, and also doing some stretching work on hamstrings. This allows the back line facia to relax thus releasing the tension on the plantar surface of the feet.
Between sessions he eased the inflammation with warm compresses and did lots of general stretching. I also advise an increase in water consumption, as this always helps with any healing/recovery process. He put jelly insoles in his shoes for additional comfort - that really helps too. He also got his running gait checked to ensure he has the correct style of shoe.
At the third session I was able to work on the soles of his feet - myofascial release work is great - it re-animates the layers of flat tendon there, restoring elasticity and functionality.
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Night-night, sleep tight, hope the bugs don't bite....
Sleep is something that lots of us take for granted, yet many of us struggle with getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis. But I recently found out some really interesting things about what happens when we are asleep, and why, therefore, quality of sleep is so important. We spend about 1/3 of our lives asleep – for lots of very good reasons!
Most humans can live up to 2 months without eating, but only 11 days without sleep and 3 days without water. So sleep is actually more important than food!
On average, an adult needs around 7 ½ hours of sleep in every 24. So, if we habitually only get, say, 6 hours, then it is the equivalent of losing a whole night’s sleep every week! And I don’t know about you, but I find I really can’t get away with pulling an all-nighter any more, not without serious repercussions the day following! Sleeping less than this increases your chances of weight gain and dementia!
Lack of sleep triggers the production of stress hormones like cortisol, which increases blood sugar. Sugar attacks collagen (all our connective tissue contains collagen) so our ability to repair ourselves is immediately compromised, in addition to the damage done to digestion, circulation etc. (that’s a whole new topic!)
Another effect of stress is to cause capillaries to tighten up, which impairs circulation and damages keratin, leaving skin looking tired and dull (and prone to wrinkles!) One of the many roles of keratin is to lock moisture into our skin and hair. So lack of sleep will contribute to dry, lifeless skin and hair, as well as causing inflammation which exacerbates spots and break-outs, and dark circles around the eyes.
During sleep our body produces growth hormones which increase cellular reproduction, in particular collagen and melatonin production. Our body also synthesises proteins more actively, another aid to regrowth and repair. Minerals such as zinc also aid this process, and are more actively metabolised at night.
So, apart from all the obvious health benefits of getting enough quality sleep, it is also one of the best anti-aging tools we have at our disposal!
A little late, as we are well into Lent now, but a good forfeit would be to ‘give up being tired’ – a neat positive that we could all have a bash at. Where to start?
There are a myriad of helpful studies, articles and tips out there, but here are just a few pointers to help you find what works for you.
Avoid alcohol and salty snacks in the evening. Wine dehydrates skin and enlarges pores, while salt triggers fluid retention, causing puffiness. Not a pretty combination!
Wind down from the day’s activities – avoid bright lights, particularly screens (which do not have a place in any bedroom).
- Have a soak in a not-too-hot bath. This is best done an hour or so before retiring so your body temperature readjusts. Use relaxing bath salts, oils, bubbles, that contain nourishment for the skin ( try to go organic!)
- Washing with circular motions will also boost your circulation and lymph flow, which is great for cellular repair and relaxing your muscles.
- Have a cup of something soothing like Camomile tea, or a proprietary blend of ‘Night Time’ herbs from suppliers like Pukka, Heath & Heather or Neal’s Yard. Avoid caffeine!
- Use candles for their restful light. If you are using scented ones, make sure they are good quality naturally fragranced, and soy based wax rather than paraffin, as cheap room scenters are really really bad for your respiratory system! (That's the subject of another blog!)
- Use a good moisturiser containing things like hyaluronic acid (from plants) that adds moisture, and take your B vitamins and Zinc at night – your body gets more use from them.
- Consider using a diffuser at night, with calming oils like lavender, chamomile, sandalwood, Melissa (lemon balm). Neal’s Yard do some great ones with inbuilt safety cut-out when the water runs out, and the added benefit of air-ionisation from the water vapour is great for helping with breathing difficulties. Find them here. I also work with an amazing range of therapeutic blends from Katseye, and there are lots of bespoke aromatherapy products that I can make to your exact requirements - truly unique. Find out more here.
- Make your bed and bedding clean, fresh and inviting. Use natural fibres. Ventilate your room at night
- Take a glass of water with you, and if you do wake, have a few sips. Finish it off in the morning as you rise – an easy start to staying hydrated during the day.
I really hope this helps. Please comment and share any of your own techniques for restful sleep, and I am always happy to answer questions about aromatherapy oils and skin products to help you in your journey.
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