First of all, we’re mixing our full-blast indoor heaters with the cool autumnal breeze every time we leave the house, which affects our skin’s natural routine. Then there’s our dietary change. Because it’s colder, we’re drinking less, eating more carbs and consuming less fruit. Finally, during these seasons we’re more sedate — made worse by all this isolation.
If we combine this with all the stress we’re going through at the moment, our skin is being put through the wringer. Worse still, it’s becoming stagnant.
What is skin stagnation?
Put as simply as possible, skin stagnation is ultimately a result of stagnation from within. It is essentially inflammation. It can result in dry skin and lips, eczema, redness, sensitivities, dark circles under eyes, puffiness and purple hues. In the long term, we can witness an increase in wrinkles, scarring and breakouts.
But what’s going on to cause all this? Well, we can narrow it down to a few things:
Blood stagnation — This happens when there isn’t enough ‘umph’ to push the blood around the body. In serious cases, it’s caused by a traumatic incident, anaemia, or lack of eating, but for most of us it’s because we’re not active enough.
‘Qi’ or Energy Stagnation — At the moment, a lot of us are more stressed than usual. It’s perfectly natural to be feeling like this during these unprecedented times, but our stress causes us to tighten our muscles which, in turn, slows blood flow over time. Stress can also cause a sensation of feeling ‘stuck’ emotionally or even fatigue.
‘Damp’ Fluid Stagnation — As the weather gets colder, we may find ourselves choosing more comfort food. This is okay in moderation because it helps boost our endorphins, but too much can cause the fluid inside your body to congeal and reduce the flow of healthy hydration. This type of stagnation ultimately results in horrible sticky and toxic water accumulation.
All of this internal stagnation stops our skin from functioning as it should. This is because, like all our other organs, our blood is the skin’s fuel. Without it there’s less skin turnover, our cells don’t hydrate and our first layer of defence against foreign pathogens is compromised.
How do we stop skin stagnation?
To stop our skin from stagnating, we need to implement a two-pronged attack — from the outside and from the inside.
Hydrate with citrus — For the battle of the exterior, we need to hydrate and put vitamins back into our skin. This is why we add Wild Sweet Orange into our Cleansing Truth Serum. Not only does its intoxicating scent boost mood, but it also increases blood flow. It also assists with natural detoxification and encourages skin cell turnover, making it the ultimate remedy for skin stagnation. Our source is grown wild in the Dominican Republic and it is cold pressed for maximum nutrients and efficiency.
Massage with gua sha — As we all know, a massage is a great way of improving our circulation. Gua sha is effectively massage therapy in miniature form.The ancient Chinese healing technique of scraping your skin with an exquisitely designed, smoothed-edged, gua massage tool can not only improve your blood flow, but address issues like chronic pain. The technique is specifically designed to eliminate stagnant energy (or qi) and is also the perfect way of massaging hydrating oils onto your skin.
Eat warming and healthy foods — Now for the interior battle. Earlier, we touched on how our comfort food intake increases over the colder months and how this wasn’t the best idea if we want to keep our blood flowing. What we DO recommended, however, is to put down those cold smoothies, iced coffee and teas and opt for more moist and warming foods. What we mean by ‘warming foods’ are delicious and nourishing foods that are not sourced from your local takeaway. Things like eggs with avocado toast, stewed fruit with a dash of honey, oatmeal, hemp seeds and chia for breakfast. In the evening, yummy stews and soups are the way to go if you’re feeling sluggish.
Ease your stress — Let’s not forget, our brain is an organ too and if it gets overworked or over-stressed, it can have a lasting effect on our skin. During these unprecedented times, our stress levels can actually increase as we get pulled out of our normal routines, so by keeping an eye on our stress levels, we can ease muscle tension and maintain our blood flow. There are many beautiful rituals you can do at home to help your mental health, drinking herbal teas and doing yoga are two of our personal favourites.
Incorporating these three techniques — eating warm, hydrating with citrus and easing stress — will assist in creating a balance throughout the body and clearing stagnation.
To your blossoming xxx
