Reawakening Your Skin This Spring
As spring unfolds, our skin, much like the earth, awakens from winter's slumber, seeking renewal and gentle care.
Energy naturally tends to stagnate in the winter. We eat heavier foods to keep our bodies nourished through the colder months. We rely less on fresh fruit and veggies because, while they're more available than they were a century ago, pale, underripe, expensive strawberries in January just don't do the trick.
The Temptation of Over-Exfoliation
Try as we might, our wintry hibernation often leaves our skin feeling dull, dry, and rough.
When we finally emerge from winter, sometimes we notice redness, irritation, dryness, rough texture, or congestion.
It's tempting to grab for that face scrub to slough off any roughness, texture, or sluggishness leftover from winter. It feels so good right after you use it, right?
Your skin feels so smooth. There's a lovely healthy glow. Your moisturizer soaks right in, validating your belief that your skin simply needed that pesky extra layer of dead skin cells removed so that it could effectively absorb all your fancy skincare products. But then by the end of the next day, it's starting to feel rough again. It no longer radiates that glow. It feels dry, dull.
Does this sound familiar?
Trust me, I get it.
I've totally been there. I tried so many face scrubs and polishes, and yes, many of them were even natural products. And you know what? My skin got worse. It felt more dry AND I got more blemishes. My experience led me to wonder...
Does our skin actually need help shedding dead skin cells, or do they serve a purpose of their own?
Understanding the Skin's Natural Renewal Process
Our skin naturally sheds dead cells through a process called desquamation. However, as we age or during times of stress, hormonal shifts, or seasonal changes, this process can slow down. Slow shedding can result in a buildup of dead cells, leading to dullness, clogged pores, and uneven texture. In these cases, gentle exfoliation can act as a supportive nudge rather than a harsh intervention.
Is Exfoliation Actually Necessary, Especially for Sensitive Skin?
While many skincare routines emphasize exfoliation as essential, the truth is that our skin is already equipped with a natural shedding cycle. However, there are times, especially during seasonal shifts, when the skin’s rhythm can become stagnant, leading to buildup. In spring, the skin is in a phase of renewal and awakening. A gentle exfoliation ritual can align with this cycle, helping to clear away the stagnation of winter and create space for fresh, vibrant skin to emerge.
The outermost layer of dead cells (stratum corneum) acts as a protective shield, guarding against environmental irritants, UV rays, and moisture loss. A thin layer of dead cells can buffer the skin against friction, preventing microtears and inflammation. In winter, this layer may thicken as a buffer against harsh conditions, while in spring, it can become stagnant, making gentle exfoliation a way to clear the slate for renewal. Gentle exfoliation can be more effective than aggressive or abrasive methods, allowing the skin to shed what it’s ready to release without disturbing its protective barrier.
What is gentle exfoliation and why is it important?
Gentle exfoliation can be both protective and renewing. It includes using things like soft, mineral-rich clays, fruit enzymes, colloidal oats, and honey to nurture your skin while nudging your skin to release what it's ready to release.
The problem with using a scrub is that the more you use it, the more it feels like you need to use it because it causes damage to your skin that results in your skin ultimately feeling more rough. It's a self-perpetuating cycle leaving you dependent on this kind of exfoliation to feel like your skin is smooth.
Alternatively, gentle, intentional exfoliation takes into account your skin's barrier and microbiome as well as the vital role that those dead skin cells play in your skin's health. Sensitive or sensitized skin in particular often has a compromised barrier or heightened reactivity, making it more susceptible to irritation. In these cases, dead skin cells serve an even more essential role in protecting delicate skin. Harsh or frequent mechanical exfoliation with a scrub will be even more counterproductive when addressing skin tone and texture.
Approaching skincare rituals, including exfoliation, through a seasonal, cyclical lens is a beautiful way of syncing nature's rhythms, working with your inner cycles and energetics to cultivate skin health and resilience.
Spring as a time of Renewal
Just as nature sheds what is no longer needed, our skin follows a similar rhythm. Spring is an opportunity to release what’s stagnant, using gentle exfoliation methods that honor the skin’s integrity and intelligence. When done so intentionally, with purpose and with the right ingredients, we can use exfoliation as a physical and symbolic practice of release and renewal.
So how do we move away from this seemingly never-ending cycle of mechanical exfoliation?
The solution is to just...stop. Stop using them and just see how your skin responds. Let it speak to you. Allow yourself time to listen.
The Pitfalls of Mechanical Scrubs
Now, I'm not here to knock face scrubs (ok, maybe I am). But I do want to share some gentle alternatives to face scrubs to exfoliate your skin while nourishing your microbiome and protecting your lipid barrier.
I actually think these "alternatives" can be more effective than the scrubs that are often so tempting when our skin feels far from the healthy, dewy glow many folks strive for.
Why?
Because face scrubs are often band-aids. They don't address the root cause of why your skin might feel rough, congested, dull, or flaky. They simply strip your skin of "dead" skin cells, which actually serve a vital function for your skin's health.
An alternative approach to mechanical exfoliation is holistic, gentle, and encourages true health and vitality for your skin. It creates long-lasting change by revealing your skin's innate vibrance.
Doesn't that sound better than being stuck on the Face Scrub Train?
I think so. I'm guessing since you're here, you do too. So let's dive into an alternative, truly holistic approach to gentle exfoliation this spring.
Embracing Gentle Alternatives
In general, some gentle alternatives to mechanical exfoliation, especially for sensitive skin, include:
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Enzymatic Exfoliants: pumpkin, papaya, or pineapple enzymes, gently dissolve dead skin cells without abrasion.
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Herbal Steams: I love using herbs like chamomile, yarrow, sage, or calendula in steams to open pores, soften skin, encourage circulation, and promote gentle exfoliation. Just make sure your skin doesn't get too hot, especially if you tend toward redness.
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Soft Cloth Cleansing: Start with massaging your skin with an oil cleanser to dissolve oil-soluble impurities and cleanse your skin. Then use a soft cloth after oil cleansing to remove the excess oil to lightly buff the skin.
And here are my go-to holistic recommendations for soft, healthy, glowing skin:
1. Hydrate with humectants.
Humectants are substances which keep skin hydrated by drawing moisture to the skin. They essentially attract water to your skin. If your skin feels dry and flaky, it needs hydration and would greatly benefit from humectants. Some examples of humectants are glycerin, honey, and hyaluronic acid (HA).
Many of you know we don't use standardized extracts like hyaluronic acid in our products. Instead, we use whole plants that are high in particular compounds, like HA, while preserving the other compounds in those plants so that the constituents can act synergistically. In essence, the whole is greater than its parts. Tremella, or Snow Mushroom, is incredibly high in hyaluronic acid as well as supportive polysaccharides, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that make that naturally occurring HA even more effective than it is on its own.
If it sounds like your skin would benefit from more hydration via humectants, try out Ceres Replenishing Tonic, Verbeia Calming Tonic, Mel Honey Mask, or Soma Hydrating Mask.
2. Do a weekly botanical mask.
Part of the reason skin either feels rough and dry, or oily and congested is because its detoxification/elimination processes are sluggish. Our dry masks support your skin's natural detoxification processes by helping move lymph, balance oily production, tonify your skin, and calm inflammation.
While I mentioned two masks above, those are really geared toward hydration and can be used however often you like. I'm sharing two of my favorite spring masks below to actually assist with exfoliation and be used just once a week in place of whatever face scrub you may have on your bathroom counter. These two masks are formulated for slightly different skin - which sounds more like yours?
Does your skin tend to get dry, dull, or flaky this time of year? If this sounds like you, your skin will likely love Claritas Brightening Mask. It contains my favorite clay for all skin types (Rhassoul), which feeds your skin with an array of minerals while gently detoxifying and exfoliating. The botanicals in this pumpkin enzyme-based mask brighten, even out skin tone, and repair damage at a cellular level, guiding your skin to embrace its innate radiance.
Does your skin tend to feel oily or congested as we soften into spring? Rosa Purifying Mask is your match made in heaven. It's for the quintessential "Pitta" type - hot and damp, red and oily. Potent french green clay, neem, burdock root, and echinacea support lymphatic movement while white willow bark, plantain, and rose calm inflammation, soothe blemishing, and balance oil production.
3. Support your whole body system.
I know it may not seem as sexy, fun, or exciting as topical skincare, but supporting your skin internally is HUGE for promoting gentle exfoliation. Why? Because efficiently functioning elimination pathways mean your skin doesn't have to work so hard and will more likely shed its dead skin cells in perfect timing.
Here are my favorite ways to support your skin internally. Keep in mind, every body is different and what works for me or you might not be the best fit for the next person. Below are general ways to keep your whole being detoxifying as it needs to and ridding itself of what is no longer needed.
- Support gut health. A good general "goal" is to have a bowel movement a day. This helps your body rid itself of excess estrogen and other waste products so they don't build up in your intercellular fluid.
- Get enough saturated fats. This was a big one for me personally and for many folks I've worked with. Skin (and cells in general) really like saturated fats like coconut oil, butter, ghee, and tallow in your diet. This is not to say you need to use these ingredients on your skin, though that can be beneficial for some!
- Get good quality sleep. This is such an underrated factor in skin health. Sleep is when your skin regenerates and repairs, but it's so much more than that. This is when your emotional body processes experiences. It's when your liver builds and cleans blood. It's when your mind resets and dreams and digests its own experiences. Do what you can to protect your sleep and work on sleep hygiene.
- Process your emotions. Part of my own skin journey has been acknowledging the ways my skin was communicating to me regarding my emotional landscape. When I'm not listening to my intuition and following my inner guidance, it shows up in some way on my skin every. single. time. Have you noticed this for you too?
So, yes, this approach is vastly different than simply turning to a face scrub. It takes a bit more work, more time, more listening, more paying attention, more presence. It isn't an easy, short term fix like a face scrub. Your skin may not change drastically overnight (although it's possible. I've seen clients and customers respond very quickly to our face masks).
The plus side? It will be more than your skin that benefits. Your skincare rituals are an opportunity to come back to your body, reconnect, notice and observe, acknowledge your body's signs and signals, and re-member your innate wisdom.
They are an opportunity to touch and be with your skin. Instead of viewing exfoliation as a task to complete, consider it a practice of intentional release. In honoring the protective role of dead skin cells while gently supporting the skin’s renewal, we create space for true radiance to emerge.
As the earth awakens and blossoms in spring, our skin, too, seeks a moment of gentle release. Rather than scrubbing away what is no longer needed, consider exfoliation as a mindful ritual, an invitation to shed, soften, and step into renewal. By choosing gentle, nature-aligned methods, we honor the skin’s innate wisdom, allowing it to emerge vibrant and renewed, just as the world around us unfurls in tender, green growth.
What will you incorporate into your spring skincare ritual? Let us know below and we'll send you a coupon code for 15% off!