How to get through the winter?
Entering winter, and the cold… what influences on our skin, our body and our mind?
And what are the best ways to live through these not always easy moments?
This is what we share with you, because if Nature goes dormant at this time, so do we!
Our energy drops, and we know that body/mind harmony is essential. So how can we get in tune with the seasons? What tips can we use to protect our skin, keep our bodies well-armed and our minds in a joyful mode?
The skin and the cold
In winter, the skin needs comfort.
Its cells renew themselves less quickly, and its natural defenses are weakened. Temperature variations put it to the test…often overheated inside, frozen outside, it lacks sebum and water, feels tight and dry.
Why does this happen? Blood circulation varies according to the temperature, the vessels contract when it is cold, and dilate in the heat… it is these alternating phases that make the skin fragile.
Below 8°C, the glands that produce sebum switch to “farniente” mode (-50%), which reduces the skin’s natural protection; in addition, heating causes water loss, resulting in dryness and lack of comfort. As soon as there is a cold wind, the skin no longer plays its role as a shield, it reddens and can even peel and crack, allowing pollution and other dirt to penetrate.
Dehydrated and irritated, the skin needs softness, oil and water! It needs to be moisturized, nourished and protected with anti-oxidants, thanks to soft care products that form a protective cocoon.
Our Soothing Cleansing Gel and Regenerating Night Balm do exactly that…
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A cleaning full of tenderness
“La Gelée à Fleur de Peau” (Soothing Cleansing Gel) is a real treat… a golden gel like an infusion, deliciously scented with linden blossoms and concentrated in Tiliactiv4® (our exclusive active ingredient, combining extracts of flowers, leaves, buds and twigs of the linden trees from our family estate in the Dordogne). In contact with water it transforms into a soft and creamy foam, and leaves the skin incredibly clean, soothed and comfortable, thanks to its 99% natural ingredients. It contains glycerin, very moisturizing and emollient, as well as Coco-glucoside, a surfactant of plant origin (sugar and coconut) which is the gentlest washing base and the least aggressive for the, ideal for sensitive skins. In winter, it is essential to preserve the quality of the hydrolipidic film, a sort of shield on the surface of the skin, intended to protect it from aggression, but easily damaged by disrespectful cleansing. It is thus essential morning and evening to clean the face with an infinite softness, thanks to a soft and well tolerated product,caressing gestures, and by drying the face by dabbing it and especially not by rubbing…
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Followed by a caressing balm…
"Le Baume qui Ressource” (Soothing Regenerating Night Balm) lives up to its name… a melting and comforting texture, with a “downy” effect upon application, and a delicious childhood scent. 98% natural origin, it provides all the elements your skin needs to recover. It is rich in Tiliactiv4®, a powerful anti-oxidant and calming agent, and associated with a plant cocktail of passionflower, nasturtium, rose centifolia and alfalfa. During sleep, it regenerates the skin, soothes it and reinforces its natural defenses to fight against the cold and temperature variations (alfalfa in particular reinforces the skin’s barrier function). It wakes up rested, smoothed, with a brighter complexion and ready to face the day.
To pamper your skin in the evening, and even in the morning if the need arises in winter…
An additional tip? Apply it once or twice a week in a thick layer, like a mask, and after 15 minutes, remove the excess… or not!
And if you remove it, massage it on your hands, they will be grateful!
The body and the cold
The body must be maintained at a temperature of 37°C. Otherwise it regulates itself, thanks to its cutaneous thermoreceptors. The information reaches the nervous system, which triggers thermoregulation by vasoconstricting when it is cold. The organism preferentially irrigates the vital organs, and the surface of the body is neglected.
Shivering and goose bumps are the expression of a natural defense of the body against the cold.
In order to compensate for this, the contraction of the muscles increases the metabolism, and thus the production of heat.
At the same time, the blood and the vascular system adapt to reinforce the protection of vital organs: shrinking of the arteries, thickening of the blood (which consequently irrigates the extremities less), and acceleration of the cardiac rhythm (“walking in the cold would be equivalent to running 100 meters”) and increase of the respiratory frequency.
The positive effects of the cold exist nevertheless! We burn more calories (which allows us to go from raclette to fondue), the pain is reduced, the blood microcirculation is favored, hence the “boost” felt, endorphins are secreted.
But the body spends extra energy to stay at 37°, it has less strength to fight against external aggressions and catches diseases more easily.
In Chinese medicine, winter corresponds to the energies of the kidney and the bladder, everything that has a link with water. It is therefore important to promote this balance by eliminating waste and toxins.
It is exactly what makes the sapwood of linden tree in particular – of which “La Poudre Zéro Souci” (Detox, destress & glow food supplement) is very concentrated.
Excellent diuretic and renal depurative, it improves the functioning of the kidneys; in fact, it stimulates all the emunctories, which makes the skin more radiant and fresher.
In addition, this beauty supplement soothes, relaxes and facilitates sleep, making it the ideal winter cure.
Deliciously flavored with natural blackcurrant aroma, it can be diluted or sprinkled every evening in drinks or desserts, giving them a gourmet note.
(one coffee spoon).
The spirit and the cold
In winter, we often feel a small drop in morale, often related to the energy that has fallen.
We feel like curling up in our nest. “The days get shorter, the plants lose their leaves: it’s a little death,” writes psychoanalyst Marie Romanens.
The famous winter blues, leading to a feeling of fatigue, sadness, a desire for isolation, sleep disorders, is largely related to the lack of light and therefore of vitamin D. We understand it better when we learn that “the light intensity outside reaches a ceiling of 1 500 lux on average against 10 000 on a clear summer day…” (caminteresse.fr)
This influences our mood and our biological clock. The latter plays an important role in many of the body’s cycles: it regulates serotonin, the happiness hormone, but also melatonin, the sleep hormone. The absence of light can desynchronize this timer, which is reset every day by light. But when there is no light…
So as soon as it is cold but sunny, we go out to take a shot of light to secrete serotonin, the hormone of happiness and, even without sunshine, the faculty recommends going out at least one hour per day.
And then, in the kitchen, we adopt feel good foods, full of vitamins and nutrients, because its influence on the mood is now admitted by the scientific world. You need magnesium, omega 3, vitamins B and C, good fat, proteins… Nature has foreseen everything, and offers everything you need in winter to keep smiling: use sweet potatoes, beets, green vegetables, lamb’s lettuce, fatty fish, oils, whole grains, oil seeds and especially nuts, fresh or dried fruits and especially banana, dark chocolate, tea.
Self-care
And we also take care of ourselves, and we have little daily pleasures to see life in yellow sunshine!
This is what we wanted to share with you by creating TiL, little moments of joy that do good for your mind, your body and your skin…
In addition to “La Gelée à Fleur de Peau”, “Le Baume qui Ressource” and “La Poudre Zéro Souci “to soothe yourself every night,
- A spray of our eau de toilette, “L’Eau qui Enlace”, this marvelous linden blossom fragrance created by the talented Francis Kurkdjian, so cheerful and comforting, to be used without moderation, on the skin as well as on the pillow!
- You can even smell it in our scented ceramic, “Le Doudou des Tiroirs” to make your drawer or cupboard smell like a summer morning..
