Why You Lose Your Summer Glow & 5 Tips to Keep It

By Bridie Woodward

Why do we look and feel so much healthier in the summer ? That summer glow comes from healthy lifestyle habits that are easy to form in the summertime and all too easy to lose once the temperature starts to drop! We’ve put together our top tips to help you maintain and adapt healthy routines right through the hibernation months.  

1. Maintain Your Vitamin D Supply

During the summer time, we are likely to spend lots of time outdoors—meaning we naturally get plenty of the “sunshine vitamin.” Our bodies use sunlight to make vitamin D, which is known to affect our energy levels and mood, as well as to help boost immunity. 

In addition to emotional and physical benefits, vitamin D also plays an integral role in maintaining healthy hair and bright skin. It contributes to skin protection by strengthening the epidermal barrier and to rejuvenation by enhancing cell growth and repair, overall resulting in naturally glowing skin. What’s more, it helps to optimize the skin's immune system and eliminate free radicals that can cause premature aging. That's a skin nutrition powerhouse! 

When the days are shorter and sunlight is reduced, we can supplement our vitamin D production with food sources, such as plant oils and fats, organic raw dairy, fish and fish oil, leafy greens, and mushrooms. 

TIPS

  • Keep spending regular time outdoors even in the colder months. Although the optimal timing for absorption can be impacted by your skin type, a few minutes in the early morning or late afternoon sun should maintain your vitamin D levels sufficiently.  
  • Mushrooms, which are widely available in the fall and winter, provide a rich source of vitamin D2. A series of studies by mycelium expert Paul Stamets showed that mushrooms multiply their available levels after being exposed to sunlight due to high levels of ergosterol, a compound that converts to vitamin D when exposed to UV rays. Try giving your shrooms a sunbath on the window ledge before you cook them to maximize your vitamin D intake!

2. Make Time for Nature

Continuing to spend time outdoors during the winter is not only helpful in terms of maintaining your vitamin D intake—choosing to immerse yourself in natural surroundings can have numerous additional benefits. In the 1980s the Japanese government commissioned extensive scientific research into ‘forest bathing’ or shinrin-yoku. The study found that time in a natural environment could reduce blood pressure, lower cortisol levels and improve concentration and memory. Their findings went beyond the correlations between fresh air, exercise, and wellbeing to even discover that the chemicals released by trees created an antimicrobial effect and could strengthen the immune system. 

TIPS

  • Making space for regular walks in natural environments is beneficial both physically and emotionally. Bundle up for regular winter hikes, try snowshoeing or cross country skiing, and treat yourself to a warming hot cocoa or golden latte as your reward.
  • Bring nature inside! An indoor essential oil diffuser with pine/conifer oils can help keep the air clean and prevent airborne microbes from thriving (limiting your exposure to winter coughs and colds.)

3. Keep Hydrated

During the summer in a hot locale, we tend to feel thirsty and naturally increase our water intake. This leads to better internal hydration, which reflects in an improved look and feel of the skin. As we perhaps fall into more sedentary rhythms in climate-controlled indoor environments during the winter, we can forget to keep up with the same pace of hydration that our skin needs to thrive. 

TIP 

  • As the weather cools down, swap iced water for warm or hot water to keep your skin hydrated, flush out toxins, and improve overall circulation. (It also may be easier to keep up the habit of hydration if cold water feels unappealing to you during the winter.) A study published in the European journal of pharmaceutical and medical research detailed the multiple benefits of sipping warm water throughout the day. Water cleanses the digestive tract and flushes out toxins—and interestingly, warm water significantly helps speed this process up. Add your favorite warming herbal tea or a squeeze of lemon for an additional vitamin and nutrient boost! 

4. Adjust Nutritional Habits to the Season

In the summer months, we may gravitate more easily towards fresh, raw, whole foods that are nutrient dense and hydrating. Additionally, seasonal local produce is more readily available in the summer, which can help inspire some fresh seasonal meals. 

As the temperatures drop, our energy flags, and the evenings get darker, it’s easy to swap these sources of fresh produce with convenient processed foods (and let’s face it, they're often some much needed comfort from the cold!). However, we may not notice the connection between fewer fresh nutrients and lower energy, as well as less luster in our skin.

TIPS

  • Opt for hearty options that will sustain your appetite in the cold weather. Veggie stews and soups can be quick and cost effective to prepare and big batches can be made and frozen so that they are easy to fix on the go. 
  • On the East Coast US, local farm produce is usually available through to the early months of the year. If available in your area, joining a CSA farm share for the fall and winter season is a great way to support independent farmers and be closer to the process of the food you consume. 
  • If you begin the habit of drying flowers and herbs that are commonly found in the spring and summer—such as chamomile, rose, lavender, lemon balm, rosemary—you will have your own apothecary to access right through the fall and winter!
  • Keep your pantry stocked all year round with your favorite summer flavors by canning corn, beans, tomatoes, apricots, cherries, berries and more! 

5. Adapt Your Skincare with the Environment

For many of us, summer brings the promise of clear skin. The humidity softens skin and encourages moisture retention, meaning our summer skincare routine can be simplified. If your local environment has cold winters, winter often brings harsher conditions that strip skin of its natural moisture, meaning we need to invest a little more TLC. 

The colder months can provide the perfect opportunity to take advantage of quieter times, tune into your body and skin and adjust your self care rituals accordingly!

TIPS

  • In the winter when skin craves a little bit of extra moisture to avoid dehydration, reach for more nourishing and hydrating products. To get glowing skin, work with both a lightweight oil such as our antioxidant rich rose facial oil and a richer vitamin C regenerative balm to maintain healthy skin barrier function. Keep dull skin at bay with a hydrating rose mist and exfoliate (when your skin needs it) with our nutrient-rich hibiscus mud. Need help deciding on the right products for you? Take our skincare quiz!
  • Setting up a humidifier in the spaces where you live the most can help keep dryness at bay, which is a typical effect of central heating paired with alternating temperatures. 

Shop Our Winter Favorites

Vitamin C Regenerative Balm
Rose Nourishing Facial Oil 
Rose Essential Hydration Mist
Hibiscus Exfoliating Mud

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