Spring Skincare Rituals
Ring Ring, your skin is calling. She wants to know why you continue to smother her with the same stale creams year-round. Lucky for you we’ve brought in rescue. Holistic Esthetician, Nichole Dunst, is in the house to drop all the spring skincare knowledge you’ve desperately been needing. Time to wise up & answer that call. Listen to your skin.
I believe that we are our most healthy, vibrant selves when we live in a way that works with nature, not against it.
My work as a Holistic Esthetician is heavily influenced not only by science, but also by ancient healing systems including Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Both these systems place a strong emphasis on living in accordance with the seasons. It’s likely that you already change up your diet throughout the year- filling up on raw fruits and vegetables in the heat of the summer, and then gravitating towards hearty soups and stews in the winter. The same should apply to your skincare routine. What works for your skin in the summer likely won’t be beneficial for you during the cold, dry months of fall and winter.
Within the Ayurvedic framework, spring is a season dominated by Kapha. Kapha is the Ayurvedic dosha that is associated with heavy, wet, and cool qualities. Its dominant elements are earth and water, and when in excess, it can manifest as sluggishness and stagnancy. Within the context of skin health, excess Kapha shows up in the form of excess oiliness, fluid retention, and congested pores. Depending on your dominant dosha, you may or may not experience these symptoms around this time of year. But if you do, there are certainly things you can do to guide your skin back into balance.
The following is a set of rituals that will do just that - bring your body, and thus your skin, into a more balanced place. I’ve always found Spring to be a beautiful time to implement new rituals and set the stage for growth and expansion.
Honey Mask Skin Ritual:
1x per week
This homemade mask has skin-healing properties that include:
Anti-microbial
Anti-bacterial
Clarifying (helps clear pores)
Exfoliating (encourages cell turnover)
Improves circulation
Honey is one of the best kitchen ingredients available for use in skincare. It has antibacterial and antimicrobial qualities, its enzymatic properties make it gently exfoliating, and it is a powerful humectant, meaning it locks in moisture. Essentially, it’s an ingredient that just about anyone can benefit from.
Kaolin clay is another ingredient that I love to have on hand at home. Facial clays are well known for their ability to draw out impurities and absorb excess oil (buh-bye excess Kapha). However, certain types I find to be a bit too drying. Kaolin clay is one of the gentlest clays used in skincare formulations, and it is the one that most closely matches the natural pH of our skin.
Combine the following ingredients in a small bowl and mix until a paste is formed.
1 tbsp kaolin clay
1 tbsp raw honey (Manuka is best, but any raw honey will do)
½ tsp filtered water or hydrosol
Use a mask brush (or simply clean fingers) to apply a thin layer to your face, neck, and décolleté.
Leave the mask on for 15-20 minutes, and in the meantime, read a book, meditate, call your bestie, whatever your soul needs. Remove with a warm, wet towel.
Abhyanga Body Ritual:
If you’re feeling a little puffy and bloated this time of year, it’s most likely just fluid retention. To get your lymphatic system working more efficiently, I recommend incorporating mindful movement like hot yoga, Pilates, and/or dance 3-5 days per week, booking yourself a massage, and incorporating dry brushing a couple times per week.
Dry brushing is a very supportive modality this time of year, as it helps move lymph and rid your body of toxins. As an added bonus, it is also exfoliating (and our bodies generally get way less attention than our faces).
To get the best results out of your dry brushing routine, you’ll want to first massage your major lymph nodes, and then work on brushing towards these regions. Your major lymph nodes are your “terminus” (which is located right above your collar bones), your axillary lymph nodes (located at your armpits), and your inguinal lymph nodes (located near your upper thighs). Use long, gentle, sweeping motions as to not irritate your skin. Once you’ve finished, take a warm shower or bath to help rinse off dead skin cells and to further promote circulation. I like to then finish off by massaging in a body oil, which in Ayurveda is a beautifying ritual called abhyanga.
Spiced Tea Ritual:
This tea blend incorporates spices with warming and drying energetics, and the addition of orange peel feels like sunshine on a rainy day.
Combine the following ingredients in a tea infuser or French press (alternatively, you can place everything together in a mason jar, and then strain out after steeping using a fine mesh strainer). Heat 4 cups of water to just under a boil (about 190 degrees), then add to tea infuser. Steep for 5 minutes. Add honey or stevia to taste.
Peel from one orange
1 inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp loose leaf black tea
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Your Skin as a Messenger
It is quite common in the world of esthetics for people to be “skin typed”- that is, labeled from within a very generalized framework, then told which kinds of products will help keep their skin “in check.” The problem I see with this is that (apart from being far too generalized), people become attached to this label. They lose the ability to intuitively listen to what their skin is telling them and respond in appropriate ways. Our skin is changing constantly. What your skin needs depends on the time of year, the time of month, the climate of your environment, current stress levels, etc. It changes throughout the course of our lives as a natural result of hormonal shifts, the quality of our diets, the state of our mental wellbeing. There are very few circumstances in which being told you have a “dry” or “oily” skin type is helpful.
My goal as a skin therapist is to empower you with the right wisdom and tools to respond to changes in your skin with appropriate action steps (not just to sell you products). I hope these self-care rituals will support your mind, body, and soul, and in return your outer beauty.
Live in Rochester, NY? Book a facial with Nichole at Ecology Room & receive 15% off your first facial by mentioning this article - new clients only. If you’re not in the Rochester area, you can work with her virtually by reaching out through her site.
Personal Website: nicholedunst.com
Ecology Room: ecologyroomroc.com
Instagram: @nicholedunst @ecologyroom
