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It is no secret that I LOVE swimming and the pools (well, some pools!) open this coming Saturday and I got to chat about swimming in Toronto on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning this morning!
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If you are a Game of Throne fan like me, you have heard the phrase, “Winter is coming” umpteen times. If you live in the Middle East, like I do, you have waited for the winter to arrive with baited breath. Winters are fun. You wear your sweatshirt, no pressure to tuck your tummy in and festivity & feasts abound when the holiday season arrives.
But with winters come itchy scalp, dry skin, chapped lips, dry & frizzy hair and dry & scrubby feet.
As a busy Mom, I don’t get much time to wallow in a beautifully laid out skincare routine, but since I love to take care of myself as much as I take care of my family and my little one, I do stuff here and there to keep my winter care going.
Allow me to share my very basic, nothing fancy tips with you. Do try it at home. And when you do, please do drop a feedback too. Let’s start with the head, shall we?
I color my hair. As a result, my hair gets very dry & may appear damaged especially when the wind is bereft of moisture in winters. This is my tried and tested hair pack. Mix olive oil, castor oil & almond oil. Warm them in the microwave for 10 seconds. Add honey to this mix. Apply it to the scalp, roots of the hair and then massage it along the length. I don’t have a prescribed quantity of the mix, but depending on the length of your hair, mix the oils in 1:1:1ratio and add about 2 teaspoons full of organic honey. I use the Yemeni black honey that I picked up from a farmer’s market. I have purposely not added coconut oil to the mix because my Grandma says, coconut oil on the scalp in winters can give you head cold. And since I have sinus, I can totally do without it.
Keep it on for 20-30 minutes and wash it off with a mild shampoo & apply conditioner. Another quick tip. If you have dry, damaged hair, go for Baby shampoo and conditioner. I am using a green apple one from boots and man! it’s amazing. Another perk of being a Mom, you can flick your baby’s product and smell divine. Do read my review of Olive Oil formula based Palmer’s Shampoo & Leave-in Conditioner, here.
I have normal sensitive skin in general, but in winters my cheeks tend to get very dry. I feel it when I smile. So, here’s what I do. As soon as I wake up, I wash my face with a mild cleanser. I am using Himalaya herbal face wash at the moment. Then I dab a generous amount of Bio Oil on my palm and nicely massage it on my face. Yes, this bio-oil is magic for us moms. By the time, I make breakfast, get my little one ready for school, this bio-oil, nicely moisturizes my skin and then I just rinse my face with water, apply my sunscreen and get out of the house to drop my baby to school in my soft, supple, no make up the skin.
The days, I feel like wearing some makeup, or if you are a working mom and like some coverage over an above your sunscreen, try this. Use your favorite BB or CC cream and add a drop of coconut oil to it. Rub it on your palm and apply evenly on to your face. Voila, you have nice glowing, smooth face to show the world. And it practically costs pennies but gives results as good as some fancy thick moisturizer from some big brand.
Lips get chapped. But they can be made soft & supple in winters. This is how I do it. Rub Cow’s pure Ghee on your belly button & your little ones before going to bed at night. It mysteriously moisturizes your lips. Also, make sure you replace butter with Cow Ghee this winters. It is a very good source of fat for your insides too. Thank you, Ayurveda.
Then, when you are cooking, take a pinch of white coarse sugar granules, mix 2 drops of lemon juice in it, and rub your lips with it. That’s an awesome lip scrub right there. The dead skin of your lips will disappear and your lips will be good to go even with a slight dab of lip balm. Also, please invest in good quality lipsticks. Bad or expired products on your lips can really dry them, darken them and feed you toxins, you don’t want to ingest.
For a full body moisturizing, here’s what I do. I use an in-shower pure organic Moroccan argan oil. Then after a bath, I slather myself with any of the amazing body butter you can buy from the Body shop, or Bath & body works or your own favorite brand. If you are not going out or if you are indoors for the weekend, you can also mix some coconut oil, with any aloe Vera gel and apply it generously on your body. It will really take the pigmentation off, and moisturize your skin beautifully.
Before I sleep, I rub Palmer’s body oil or coconut oil or almond oil on me, all over and slip into my night suit. It feels divine. Trust me. Or ask my husband 😉
Get a pedicure every 15 days. Do it on your feet and for your busy mommy mind. As for day to day care, try to wear socks or cozy bedroom slippers at home. There are many foot creams to choose from in the market and I am sure you have your favorites. I like this Krack heel repair cream. But my favorite product for smooth feet is our good old Vaseline. I apply it generously on my feet at bedtime, massage it and put my socks on. I wake up with nice soft heels, every morning. My latest find is this very amazing Derma E Foot cream. I also reviewed it on my Instagram and I highly recommend it.
I am no dermatologist or a ramp model. I am a mom next door who looks pretty presentable even with limited sleep and without photoshop on most days. So, I hope you like my tips. Because, I will soon be sharing a lot more.
I have attached a few Affiliate links in this post. If you click them, like the products and I buy them, I will be able to earn a small commission for my work and review. However, all the recommendations are true and honest and something I vouch for. Thank you for reading. Do drop your comments and leave me a feedback.
These are fab tips for the colder winter months. I’m bad for not taking the necessary steps to protect my lips, I’m getting better at it though.
I love that you did a blog about this! I’m 30 weeks pregnant and have a 15 month old so I will totally be needing these! I love that they are natural, easy, and you can make them at home! Thank you so much!
These are great tips. My skin gets so dry in the winter time. I like to use body shop body butters to keep my skin moisturized.
I’ve never heard of most of these tricks! The one about the stuff in the belly button I had heard of because I have a friend that does it. She swears by it. The rest of the tips and tricks I am going to have to try them!
I bought a gigantic jar of coconut oil. I was going to try using it in my hair but now that you don’t recommend it, I’ll try it elsewhere. You didn’t seem to mention using it for the feet. what do you think about that and socks overnight?
Wait. What?! Ghee on your BELLY BUTTON will moisturize your lips??? I’m totally trying this but how on earth does this work? Also, does your. honey/olive oil/etc combo strip any of the color out? I would love a natural conditioner for my purple and blue dyed hair!
These are some great tips and DIY recipes. My skin gets so dry in the winter I’ll be giving these a try.
I am enjoying your blog and catch up on reading one of your new ones whenever I have some free time. Loving the self care tips, some I do follow myself but learned some new things. I didn\’t know that coconut oil shouldn\’t be used for the scalp in winter and rubbing ghee on one\’s belly button will keep your lips moisturized. Going to try on the lil one tonight, thanks!!
Both the tips you found new are a give away from my grandmother. It\’s inherited knowledge 😊, hope you find it useful
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