Adjusting Your Beauty Routine for a New Climate
Adjusting Your Beauty Routine for a New Climate
When moving to a new city or into a new season, the change in climate can affect you not just emotionally, but physically too, in the form of your skin, hair, and general health. It’s incredibly dry here in Austin, and with winter approaching (even though it remains somewhat mild here) the change in climate has required some adjustments to my beauty routine. Here are some remedies I’ve been trying out lately:
For Your Skin
Fall may have started a while ago but it’s been relatively mild so far, and it was still downright warm when I arrived in Austin. In the past few days though, it has cooled down and really started to feel like fall. During the summer months, a layer of dead skin builds up, and while our bodies exfoliate naturally, it’s nice to get rid of that sun-damaged skin at the end of the season and start fresh. Exfoliating also helps clear out your pores, allowing other products, like moisturizers, to work more effectively.
Lately I’ve been reading about the amazing benefits of grapeseed oil for the skin. It’s a very light oil with barely any fragrance, and its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties help to heal damaged skin, while tightening and moisturizing. Grapeseed oil is a great option for making your own exfoliating scrub – just combine the oil with sea salt and a squeeze of lemon! Use the scrub to get rid of that dead summer skin, leaving it feeling and looking fresh and rejuvenated.
Rosehip Oil
Another miracle worker for the skin is rosehip oil. After reading (on this here blog) about the many benefits of using oil instead of cream moisturizers, I finally made the switch. There are many oils out there to choose from – you can read about just a few of them here — but lately I’ve been using rosehip oil. The oil, extracted from rosehip seeds, contains Vitamin A and Vitamin C, both of which have powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that replenish the skin and combat sun damage and aging. I apply the oil at night after washing my face, and when I wake up it feels so incredibly soft.
For Your Hair
I’m not sure if it’s a difference in the water in Austin, or the dry air, or leftover damage from summer (maybe it’s a combination of the three), but my hair has felt incredibly dry and dull lately. My first method to combat this is a simple hair mask of banana and honey. The potassium from the banana repairs damaged hair and helps strengthen and speed up growth. Mash up an overly ripe banana, add a spoonful of honey, and apply to hair. Let it sit for about 20 minutes, and then wash and rinse thoroughly.
The second method I’ve been trying out is an apple cider vinegar rinse. Brigette has been talking this stuff up for years and I finally gave it a shot. The acetic acid in apple cider vinegar works to remove any excess buildup in your hair and balance pH levels, and also stimulates the scalp to promote growth. Mix one part apple cider vinegar with one part water, and apply to hair after washing. For best results, rinse with cold water to lock in all those beneficial properties, leaving your hair feeling lighter and shinier.
For Your Allergies
Moving to a new city can definitely have an effect on your allergies. For some, like me, those allergies aren’t terribly noticeable at first, but they creep up on you in the form of a general fogginess. I referred to this post, and went out and got some honey. Ingesting a spoonful of raw, local honey helps combat allergies by building up your body’s immunity to the local pollen.
What methods have you used to adjust to a new climate? Let me know in the comments!
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