Cancer journey or not, January can be a bit of a depressing month. The nights are longer and the weather is bleak, neither of which are helpful when our mood might be a little lower.
Our Beauty Contributor Elfreda McGowan joins us today with five inexpensive beauty suggestions which might help you through and keep a much needed pep in your step.
1. Switch your shower from morning to evening
I don’t know about you, but I find it freezing in the morning and the last thing I want to do is get in the shower! So, I’ve started having my shower in the evening instead – I go for a nice walk, come home and go straight to my bathroom. I even think of it as a bit of a treat! At night time, I find I’m more inclined to spend a bit of ‘me’ time and do a bit of pampering of my skin. During winter, this is really necessary as our skin can really suffer from the cold weather. I take my time exfoliating and moisturising my skin, and do a deep conditioning treatment on my hair once a week.
Speaking of hair, and the kind I’m not so glad that came back after treatment, I’m doing some research on natural ways to remove body hair. I am currently investigating sugaring, an ancient Persian way of removing hair. It’s completely natural, which is what I was interested in, as I’m trying to cut down on the amount of chemicals in the products I use, and it’s easy on the environment too. I will do a review of my findings in a few weeks’ time.
2. Start a bedtime foot ritual
Once a week, I’m going to really treat my feet. Because it’s winter and we’re not wearing sandals and flip flops, we tend to neglect our feet as they don’t see the light of day until summer time. I’m not going to fall into that trap this year. My plan is to exfoliate my feet with a nice sugar scrub, cover them in body oil and put on some nice warm socks straight from the radiator. The heat will really make the body oil soak in, and my feet will feel fantastic in the morning.
3. Show your nails some love
I do a mini manicure and pedicure on my nails once a week. For everyone during winter, it’s a good idea to regularly moisturise your cuticles and hands, as they tend to get really dry. If you’re going through chemo, keep your nails clean and short (read my disaster experience with gel nails during chemo here). I love to paint my nails every week, after pushing back my cuticles and filing. I think nail varnish is cheerful, keeps your nails strong, and helps you feel more polished. Check out the non-toxic nail polishes from Little Ondine in this post.
4. Sugar for lips!
My lips get so dry and cracked during the winter, it’s a nightmare. I like to do a sugar scrub (mix a little sugar with olive oil or an oil of your choice, massage in circles onto your lips for a few seconds before rinsing and drying them off), then slather on a lip balm of your choice. I do this every night; it only takes a minute and it makes a huge difference.
5. Keep the air moist
During the winter we all have our radiators on. This heating dries out the air in our homes and in turn leaves our skin dehydrated and dull. I’m using a humidifier to keep my bedroom humid and keep my skin hydrated. I notice a big difference here too; it’s also great for keeping your nose clear during the night. My humidifier also takes essential oils which I love – their scents help me have a sound sleep.
