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12/8/2024

Happy Sunday, Reader!

Welp! It's here....Winter.

This means dry skin, and I'm really feeling it this year--are you?

From dry skin on your face, ashy arms and legs and perhaps some chapped lips, cracked skin on your fingers or heels.... Dry skin can be a real problem for many of us in winter.

Winter brings the energy of dry---wind, air, indoor heat, and all of these can irritate those who already deal with dryness, let alone those who don't.

Here are some general tips, and then we'll get into some essential oils that can be GREAT helpers, plus some helps you can make quickly.

Tips for Dryness in the Body:

1) Hydration

I know you already know this, but it still needs to be said. Be sure you're getting enough fluids in your diet! I use a quart Mason jar, and it's my goal to drink at least two of these daily in addition to any other beverages I'm adding. Drinking bone broths are also wonderful!

2) Healing Fats

Don't be afraid of adding small amounts of oil to your diet. Broth and stocks can again be helpful in this regard. Healthy oils such as olive oil, coconut oil, etc. can help to soothe the linings of your cells, improve your skin health, and support healthy moisture in your mucus membranes.

Taking omega-3 supplements can also be helpful. Most of us in America who eat the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet---which really is "sad") are deficient in these.

3) Drink Herbal Tea Containing Mucilaginous Herbs

These are herbs that contain a slippery kind of slimy substance called mucilage that moisturizes our internal body....and therefore affects our skin from the inside out.

Some herbs to consider blending in your teas: marshmallow root, slippery elm bark, licorice root, cinnamon, etc. I like to infuse herbs like these in herbal teas in a cold infusion to obtain the most mucilage possible.

Intrigued by herbal tea? You may enjoy my Art & Science of Herbal Tea! It's included FREE inside the Confident Herbalist Tribe community, or just enjoy it on its own.🥰

4) Oil Up Your Body

I like to do this after I dry brush, then take a shower. When you get out of the shower, air dry just a bit, then apply your oil. I enjoy using essential oils that support the skin for this process. The oil on damp skin locks in moisture, and the essential oils act as penetration enhancers and skin supports, too.

Best Essential Oils for Dry Skin

1) Carrot Seed (Daucus carota) essential oil---especially helpful for mature skin and facial skin

2) Frankincense (Boswellia carterii) essential oil---highly antioxidant and helpful for those with inflammation of the skin

3) Helichrysum (H. italicum) essential oil---is wonderful as both a healer and soother of skin, including for wrinkling. In fact, it's known as "immortelle" in France where it originates.

4) Rose (Rosa damascena) essential oil---is pricey but worth it if you can swing it. Just a drop goes a long way in a formula, and it's incredibly soothing and softening.

5) Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)--- soothes stressed skin, reduces inflammation, helps with acne, and supports faster wound healing

Healing Harvest Homestead Content You May Enjoy

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Please...I know you can watch these right here in this note, and I did this for your convenience, and I would REALLY love if you would consider subscribing to my YouTube Channel too! And please like, comment, and share as this helps the algorithm. 🥰

There are hundreds of remedies, herbal information, aromatic fun, and more over there! Also, you'll be notified when I do one of our random live herbal and aromatic live Q&A chats!

Here are some other articles on the website that you may also enjoy:

​1) DIY Anti-Aging Skin Serum Recipe for Mature or Dry Skin​

​2) How to Get Rid of Stretch Marks, Scars, and Help with Wrinkles​

This is my formulation I created for one of my daughters-in-law when she was pregnant with my grand baby. She fell in love with it and asked for more!

Please explore our blog on Healing Harvest Homestead and also our YouTube channel! There's SO much there, and you'll be busy for hours learning all about natural living and health.

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I always get asked this question, and it's a GOOD one. I'm super picky about the quality of my essential oils I use for my family, pets, friends, and clients. Here's where I personally purchase the essential oils we use. Feel free to price shop them!

1) Aromatics International​

​2) Rocky Mountain Oils​

​3) Plant Therapy​

​4) Amrita Aromatherapy​

5) Pompeii Street Organics

6) Florihana

7) Pranarom

8) Perfect Potion (an Australian company owned by Salvatore Battaglia)

​9) Starwest Botanicals---I use their essential oils mainly for soap and some skincare. You can also buy your culinary and medicinal herbs here, too!

You can find even more options for purchasing quality essential oils on my Shopping Guide. I'm not an affiliate for most of the companies I recommend, and I share because I want you to buy the best quality.

Essential oil molecules enter your bloodstream through your skin and inhalation (just as synthetics do too)....so it's to your health benefit to buy the best you can. The links missing above are on that Shopping Guide page for you, too.

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When You're Feeling Stuck.....

I was in a business meeting awhile back, and the question came up, "What do you do when you feel stuck?"

Answers ranged from "make a plan," "choose 3 things at a time to get done," "limit the numbers of projects," plus various other productivity and focus methods.....

and my method was way different.....

The power of thought management.

If you find yourself stuck:

Not able to make decisions....

Procrastinating.....

Too much on your to do list....

Frustrated at not getting the "thing" done that you've been planning forever....

A little disappointed with yourself for spending your precious time on wasteful or negative behaviors such as gossip....

Talking to yourself negatively or unkindly....

And other indicators.....

I like to turn to the concept of what I've named: "Renewing Your Mind." I call these my "RYM Cycles."

God tells us to manage our thoughts! We are to take captive our thoughts and renew our minds in His goodness and glory. Here are some practical tips:

First, identify the thoughts you're having around a topic you're struggling with. It may help to start with the feeling you're having, then ask yourself, "What thought is causing the feeling?"

All thoughts cause a feeling (or several) in our mind-body.

These feelings then cause us to take actions or lack of actions. And then we have more thoughts again, and we'll know we're stuck if we're thinking negative things.

Often when we're stuck in a negative pattern, we have negative self-talk going on....lots of it!

Or, perhaps we turn to blaming others who don't deserve it.

Today, I challenge you to think about this cycle and play around with it.

I've taught a few lessons on this in our course, the 21 Day Joy Experience, and it's a great course to begin with for some mind shifts if you're struggling.

NOTE: This is one of the special courses that are included in the Confident Herbalist Tribe. Members enjoy a LOT of great perks!

One of my favorite verses that guides my life and may be helpful today:

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2

The time to find your joy is now. The time to live with peace and hope, even during hard and troubled times is now. God tells us we will have troubles here on earth, and it's up to us to manage our thought-and-feeling life, which we can do with His help.

Have a beautiful and blessed Sunday!

Hugs, Health, and Herbs,

Heidi

P.S. Be sure to check out the Confident Herbalist Tribe, and if you have any questions at all, please reach out to me.

P.P.S. And share this note with a friend! Especially if you know someone who needs help with dryness this time of year or would enjoy the content we share! Just forward it along.....

Did you get your seasonal Guide to Herbal Steams for Respiratory Health and Beauty? Click the link, and I'll send it along. Be sure to use the same email you signed up with for this note, and you won't get doubles. 🥰
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