Sunday has become a day of ritual for me. A day to nurture myself and my family. I water and care for my plants, spend a few hours cooking food for the week, and always save some time for personal care.
A full moon deepens the beauty of ritual and self care. It’s a time to turn inward, root around inside ourselves and find things to let go of. Whatever is no longer serving us, old thought patterns, habits and memories- these we can consciously give thanks for being helpful tools in their time and releasing them so we can move on and grow. Each full moon, I write down one or several things I want to let go of and spend the day mentally releasing those. I also gather as many items in my home that I can part with immediately and place them outside in our designated "give away" pile.
Sunday is my masking day. I try to mask a few times a week, but if it’s been hectic, I know I’ll always have Sunday to come back to myself.
This time of year is cold and dry. I build a fire in the wood stove every day and it’s so cozy, but my skin suffers from the dry air. I spend most Sundays outside and the combination of cold wind and sun can leave my face feeling rough and traumatized.
My favorite Sunday evening skincare ritual begins in the shower.
1. Cleanse my face, neck and chest. I love our the softness of our Youth in Bloom Hydrating Cleanser.
2. Exfoliate. Apply the Coconut Lactic Peel to face, neck, chest, and the backs of my hands. While the mask is working its magic, I wash and condition my hair. After that, I turn off the water and sugar scrub everything from my shoulders to toes, taking my time to remove as much dead skin as possible. The warm, sexy scent of the Cardamom Vanilla Sugar Scrub brings me lots of joy during the holidays. I use a long handled brush to scrub my back.
3. Double Exfoliate. Rinse off the Coconut Lactic Peel and then scrub with the Cucumber Face Polish. I love this polish- the round jojoba wax beads never irritate my skin and I can scrub to my heart’s content. I rinse it off and my skin feels so smooth and soft.
4. Nourish. Pat everything dry. Scoop out some of the Honey Avocado Rescue Mask, add 3-4 drops of the Blue Sapphire Facial Oil and massage it into my face, neck and chest. This will stay on, nourishing my skin all night.
The shea butter in our sugar scrub leaves the skin soft and moisturized, but this time of year, I usually want even more moisture for my body, so I massage in an oil or cream. My favorite right now is the super rich Cardamom Vanilla Body Butter.. I love how the aroma blends with my personal scent.
Finally, I lie back in bed and massage a generous amount of Skin Doctor salve into my feet. I love to massage them, giving thanks for all the work they did for me today.
A Tip for Better Sleep:
Leave all electronics in another room. Better yet, unplug the internet. We do this every night.
Electronics and Bluetooth devices emit positive ions, which are irritating to our nervous systems. Turning them off gives us a chance to rest deeply. Many people tell me they use their phone as an alarm clock. I used to do the same, but wanted to keep it out of my bedroom. I found an old alarm clock on Ebay that uses a brass chime - it’s a gentle way to awaken when I need to get up earlier than usual.
A small reading light is the only other thing on my nightstand. We all know that the light emitted by digital screens negatively affects our sleep, so that’s another great reason to leave devices out of the bedroom. If I’m not tired enough to sleep right away, I sip some herbal tea or a little glass of whiskey and read a good book until I fall asleep.
Here’s my recipe for a delicious immune boosting herbal tea that’s also great for soothing sore throats. My kids ask me to make a batch for them every fall.
Do you take time to give back to yourself after a busy week?
Next, read Snow Mushroom: Nature's Hydration Superstar
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YOUTH IN BLOOM HYDRATING CLEANSER
COCONUT LACTIC PEEL
CUCUMBER FACE POLISH
CARDAMOM VANILLA SUGAR SCRUB
HONEY AVOCADO RESCUE MASK
BLUE SAPPHIRE FACIAL OIL
CARDAMOM VANILLA BODY BUTTER
SKIN DOCTOR SALVE
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