Hands communicate. We express ourselves visually with our hands. Sometimes the hands become a translator of sorts as we express ourselves with made up sign language to help us as we travel and connect to those whose language we may be ignorant about.
When we use our hands so much, the winter can sometimes reveal new inflammation on the skin, joints, and cuticles. This can be uncomfortable, right? I am sharing some wonderful ways to nourish and hydrate the skin of the hands to foster happy feelings. Uplift others with the beauty of your hands.
The bonus here is that we can connect with nature with the oils and herbs we use to fortify the body with a layer of healthy fat. During the winter, our body naturally hangs on to fat during this season. For this reason, you may find it difficult to lose weight during the winter season, especially around the belly and thighs.
Nurturing with healthy oils can prime our systems to be supported during a time when our body’s systems are craving nurturing with fats. Healthy fats applied outside absorb in a trans-dermal way into the skin. Leverage this seasonal body phenomenon with nurturing rituals. Read on for more information about how to do this with ease.
Nurturing Outside In
From the outside in, let’s examine a few ways we can lower inflammation and nourish the hands with self-love. In Sanskrit, the word for this is: abhyanga, अभ्यङ्ग.
Abhyanga helps us to stay connected to the body with better understanding the nuances of the body every day. Learning the body’s internal communication takes a lifetime. Only you will truly be your best advisor for what you need. Why not make it a great goal to get to know yourself deeply and attend to your own needs the way no one else can?!
Please find below a video about abhyanga and how to give yourself this beautify gift of self-massage and why it matters. This goes into the nourishing aspects of doing this at night and adding this ritual to your morning, too.
Make your own abhyanga oils to keep your spirits up and to enliven the tissues of the body with self-massage during the winter. There are a myriad of oils that you can buy. I am sharing one of my favorites to purchase below the recipes, too.
DIY recipes for abhyanga oils that you will love at this time of year are listed below. I want to share tips for each of these:
- Blend ingredients together and hold in a glass bottle/jar.
- Plastic can leach into the oils. Do not hold oils in plastic.
- Stick with whole plant essences of herbs, flowers, and spices. Refrain from essential oils unless you have tested these on your skin. Using them over and over again can create hyper-sensitivity. Learn more about this on the podcast (in the button above.)
When offering self massage beyond the feet and hands move from the center of the body out.
- Start with the belly, heart, chest and then move up and down the neck/head area.
- Move from the hands up the arms, toward the body.
- Move from the feet up the legs, toward the body.
Sesame Soother
Ingredients:
- raw organic sesame oil
- jojoba oil
- fresh holy basil
- lemon peel
Combine oils in a ratio of .75 sesame oil + .25 jojoba oil. Steep fresh holy basil leaves and lemon peel in oils for at least one week prior to use. Use this oil within 3-4 weeks of preparing. Feel free to add other essential oils or none at all.
Olive Oil Nurture
Ingredients:
- raw extra virgin olive oil
- jojoba oil
- fresh bay laurel leaves for steeping
- orange peel (omit pit)
Combine oils in a ratio of .75 olive oil + .25 jojoba oil. Steep fresh bay laurel leaves and orange peel in oils for at least one week prior to use. Use this oil within 3-4 weeks of preparing. Feel free to add other essential oils or none at all.
Super Lush Winter Oil
Ingredients:
- organic arnica oil
- organic macadamia nut oil
- fresh rose-scented geranium leaf
- grapefruit peel
Combine oils in a ratio of .90 arnica oil + .10 macadamia nut oil. Steep fresh geranium leaf and grapefruit peel in oils for at least one week prior to use. Use this oil within 3-4 weeks of preparing. Feel free to add other essential oils or none at all.
Other oils?
Save coconut oil for the summer. Ideally, we eat and use coconut oil on our bodies when the temperature outside warms the oils to a liquid. This is perfect for warm climates in the summer. In the winter, it can block our pores and energy channels.
Other additions to oils?
Adding herbal essences and herbal/floral powders can offer a beautiful lushness over essential oils. When adding powders, you may not enjoy the residue of powder or the hue that it may leave. If you are adventurous and want the tinge of herbal qualities, feel free to experiment with these additions to enliven the skin with additional antioxidants that can be realized after having the oils on the body, then washing them off to remove any skin staining.
The benefit of these additions are realized over time with the transdermal nature of our skin’s surface.
Other addition ideas:
- Cinnamon
- Saffron
- Ashwaghanda
- Rosemary
- Thyme
Special note: Be careful with essential oils as they are powerfully concentrated and absorb into the skin with carrier oils which often aren’t listed on the bottle. I recommend using fresh, dried, or powdered herbs to enhance your olfactory experience.
What did I miss in this post? Which oils do you use that I may have missed here?
