Photo courtesy Unsplash
After it has been cold and dry for over a month, the skin tends to get uncomfortable. This is normal, and if you continue to give the body what it needs (follow your daily regimen) and let the skin work though it, it works itself out rather quickly without much fuss. It’s just the way things go when you live in a place that gets “real” winters. In extremes cases, particularly if your skin is trapped in a control cycle or you are trying to “balance” it by switching around your moisture levels too much, it may look lifeless and dull or become ruddy and chapped. When that happens, it takes a little effort to get back on track, but it is well worth it to get off the control cycle and back to the place of true radiance.
Embrace the Seasonal Shift
Here in Brooklyn it gets cold…and dry. At the Brooklyn Herborium, we deal with our shifting climate by simply providing our skin with what it needs in order to function well through the cold (or in any weather…) and then allowing the skin to do the work for itself. This means that back in the fall, as things first started to get dryer, we may have added one more spray of Mineral Mist (making it 6) to the 3 drops of Nourish & Replenish Oil in the morning. Maybe we added the Herbal Steamer once a week to our evening ritual of Oil Cleansing with NO EVIL. We gently worked through the shift and then returned to our 3 drops of Nourish & Replenish Oil + 5 Sprays of Mineral Mist when our skin was adjusted to the change of weather.
If that’s not what happened, and you soon found yourself adding more and more oil or moisturizer while feeling more and more dry, not to worry. The two new products in our expanding Vita-C line – Vita C Brightening Botanical Mist and Vita C 10 Minute Dry Serum – may be just what you need to nudge your regimen back into place faster than the groundhog runs away from his shadow…
*It may be useful to remember that each product in our Functional Skin Care Line is formulated to work in conjunction with the others, meaning you have to use both an appropriate oil and a Mineral Mist and they are to be mixed in your hand BEFORE you put them on. Our products are not meant to be used with the Mineral Mist “as a toner” and the oil “as a moisturizer” or “as a serum.” We recognize that this is something that IS done, but it is NOT the best use of Between You & The Moon Products.
Vita-C for Bright, Clear, Vital Skin
Just like the boxes of oranges and grapefruits my family has shipped to us from warmer places every January, Vitamin C freshens up the dullness of deep winter and the stagnation that sets in due to heavy, dense nourishment. While it is important to remember that overconsumption of cleansing foods or overuse of products leads to deficiency (especially during the times when the body is most in need of keeping nourished and warm!) some gentle clean-out is a welcome addition to a nourishing regimen.
For a Refresh or a Reset: Vita-C Dry Serum
If you find that your skin is becoming more and more “addicted” to your balms, salves, and rich moisturizers, you may need a reset with the Vita C 10 Minute Dry Serum.
This powerfully clearing dry serum combines the amino acid matrix of silk with the potent energetic element of pearls to strengthen the structural integrity of the skin, encouraging production of collagen and other necessary metabolic functions. The Wild Cranberry, Raspberry, Blueberry, Apple, and Rosehip provide nourishment that can only come from the fruit in its entirety, while the small-molecule acids of these fruits can penetrate into stagnant oil glands, loosen impacted oil-based debris, and gently remind cells to behave their best, resulting in radiant, clear skin.
- We use whole organic cranberries, raspberries, blueberries, apples & rosehips that have been carefully prepared to retain as many of their beneficial qualities as possible in our unique Wildberry Blend. This allows these antioxidant fruits to maintain their polyphenols, pectin, quercetin, resveratrol, and high Vitamin C content until it is mixed with water and applied directly to the face.
- The natural acids present in our Wildberry Blend slip right into the oil glands and loosen up the drudge that builds up cycle after cycle. With the “all clear” signal, the oil glands then rush to prove their worth by creating fresh, new oil for immediate use.
- In addition to its energetic properties, pearl contains an antioxidant that boosts the efficacy of the superoxide dismutase enzyme. It is rich in amino acids, containing more than 30 trace minerals, and provides signal proteins that stimulate the regeneration of collagen (which improves skin’s barrier function for retaining moisture) as well as a complex protein called conchiolin which inhibits tyrosinase, an enzyme which is responsible for hyperactivity in melanin production.
- Silk peptides can help retain moisture while improving the skin’s ability to repair cells, promote cell regeneration and improve overall elasticity and suppleness. Fibroin, the protein which makes up the structural center of silk, is known to reduce inflammation by increasing circulation and cell metabolism which in turn promotes an even skin tone and may prevent cellular degradation. It has a unique ability to bring blood flow to damaged (scar) tissue and blend into the development of new skin. Amino acids are also present in silk: glycine can help to repair damaged tissue and speed up healing while alanine is able to combine with epidermal cells to fill up creases like cement, creating a stronger first line of defense.
Who Can Use This & When
The 10 minute Dry Serum is essential for clearing out stagnation, particularly that which comes from using rich moisturizers or oils without the appropriate balance of water, but it is also useful to enliven and bring a warm glow to just about anyone. For this purpose, it is generally recommended to use this mask at least twice between Samhain (Halloween) and Ostara (Easter). I personally choose Winter Solstice and Imbolc (Groundhog’s Day) and may add in a few more times when a pick-me-up is desired –Kinda like how a pickle tastes refreshing after a few bland (yet nourishing) meals. Remember that scene in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
How To Use
- At night, measure ¼ tsp of the powder into a small dish, measure ¼ tsp of warm temperature water into the dry powder and allow to dissolve while stirring-about 2 minutes
- Press into skin with the light touch of your fingers in an upward rolling motion. You can also use the tip of a cotton swab or small fan brush to glide over each area in long sweeping motions, leaving a thin layer of the serum evenly on the surface.
- For some, this product creates an uncomfortable feeling on the surface of the skin, kind of like tiny sparks or tingles.
- Although it tingles-especially where it is most needed-this mask is not damaging or burning. The tingles subside on their own after a few minutes and most of our clients report looking less red and bumpy almost immediately.
- This product is only active while wet. For best results, keep the serum damp by adding a little more water to the bowl and pressing it on with wet fingertips, a towel, or using a spray bottle of water.
- Wipe away the serum completely with a wet towel (or herbal compress) after 10 minutes and then follow with an additional cool compress if desired.
- If you have a stagnation/dysfunctional feedback loop issue (see below) that you are trying to work your way out of, do not use oils or a moisturizer on the skin for at least 14 hours, preferably longer (like 24). This may be uncomfortable, especially if you are used to controlling your skin, but it is worth it.
- It takes at least 8 hours for the body to rebuild its natural chemical barrier, the acid mantle. This barrier is made up of the secretions from both the oil glands and the eccrine glands and is a much better barrier than anything you might apply topically. In fact, any emulsion may hinder its production (the skin feels soothed, so why should it bother?) or strip it further. If possible, avoid excessively (more than 1x per day) moisturizing the area for a few days, applying only a touch of Mineral Mist, patted on with a fingertip if uncomfortable.
Be sure that you are returning to your regimen appropriately and (if there is any further signs of stagnation) repeat the process 4 days later. Healthy skin sees the results immediately, but when there has been past damage, we find that it usually takes 8-10 days from the initial session for the skin to experience the results.
We Love Short, Intense Bursts of Vitamin C
We don’t use Vitamin C as a serum every day. We have the seen the consistent use of Vitamin C (and other high potency antioxidants) day after day (even in the form of Rosehip Seed or any other similar lovely oil) lead to trouble. It’s like this: Once the empty electron space within an unstable molecule is filled…further antioxidants can become aggressors and irritate the skin resulting in increased sensitivity. There is also evidence that allowing the body to form a tolerance to Vitamin C is not useful—even our pediatrician has stated that it’s not a good idea to give kids Vitamin C in the form of a supplement daily—just hit them with larger doses when necessary!
Looking for Vitality? Vita C Brightening Botanical Mist
When the cells aren’t “talking” and recreating themselves well, the skin lacks energy, leaving it dull and lifeless. The lovely botanicals of the Vita C Brightening Botanical Mist entice the senses, enhance the moisture barrier, and excite the metabolic process—resulting in a fresher, brighter skin tone. Water, distilled through the freshest organic leaves and flowers, picks up their essences: the delightful scents and the helpful skin-loving messages of Tulsi, Rose, and Lemon Verbena. The minerals present in this mist are required by the body to “translate the messages” that plant constituents offer. Although the Brightening Botanical Mist does not contain overt Vitamin C, it is essential that one of our Mineral Mists are used daily in order for the body to effectively get the benefits of our oils and masks, utilizing the botanicals to their fullest potential.
Who Can Use This & When
This Mineral Mist is suited for any skin type and is made specifically for those who are looking to refresh and brighten their skin, but it is especially useful for those who are experiencing a dysfunctional feedback loop in the Cellular Communication between the Oil/Water balance and the Structural Integrity of the skin. You don’t really need to know what we mean by this, but you can recognize it by the redness and irritation (sometimes referred to as a dermatitis) that results. It is particularly soothing when the body is working to “grow out of” these types of conditions.
How to Use
- In the AM, mist 5 sprays of the Vita C Brightening Botanical Mist Directly into 3 drops of Nourish & Replenish Oil to create your Moisture Duo. Rub the two together before application.
- If you use a moisturizer instead of our Moisture Duo, you may spray 5 pumps onto the skin before your moisturizer OR directly into your moisturizer before application.
- At night, Mist 5-6 sprays onto cleansed skin. We recommend NOT using a moisturizer before bed as much as possible.
Dark Spots? Uneven Skin Tone? Vita C Wild Berry 10 Day Treatment
Proven effective since 2007, our Vita C 10 Day Treatment works on the principle that short, intense bursts of Vitamin C create a response in the skin to trigger its natural “clean-up” mechanism to get rid of dark spots, wrinkles, and acne scars. We do this by creating a product that offers a full-range exposure to Vitamin C by bonding oil soluble Vitamin C with water soluble Vitamin C and the corresponding compounds present in the organic berry extracts (polyphenols and anti-oxidants) in a treatment that is used for up to 10 days and then stopped: allowing for this renewal process to occur, bringing a brighter, more even tone to the skin.
Who Can Use This & When
If you have strong skin that needs a clean-up, you may do this once every moon cycle (30 days) during the colder months until you no longer show those signs.
Save the Seeds of Change (Until Spring...)
Seeds of Change works on the same principle as Vita C Ten Day Treatment, but as part of our Functional Skin Care Line—meaning that it has no emulsifiers and/or artificial preservatives. It can be used as the oil portion of our Moisture Duo in the morning or as an oil cleanser daily for up to 3 weeks in order to elicit the same type of response. For optimal vibrancy, we recommend either this or the Vita C 10 Day treatment once per season.
Who Can Use This & When
If you wish to use short, intense bursts of Vitamin C to Maintain Radiance like with the Vita-C 10 Minute Dry Serum and the Vita-C 10 Day Treatment, wait to use Seeds of Change until after the first greens of spring are poking through the boxes in your community garden plot and then use it as your oil portion of your Moisture Duo instead of Nourish & Replenish Oil. Do this for up to three weeks and then switch back to your usual nourishing regimen.
Six of One, Half-Dozen of the Other
As we emerge from hibernation, we tend to look for the shadows. I urge you to remember that the dark days are simply a matter of how the earth turns and that with each new spiral, we have an opportunity for growth–perhaps stronger and more resilient this time. When you are worried about how you will get through six more weeks of winter, just remind yourself that it’s only a month and a half until spring!
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