Your Guide to Seasonal Living: How to Embrace Beauty + Rest This Winter

Winter blues got you down? 

For some, even the thought of an approaching winter season carries a dreaded expectation of low mood and isolation. Maybe this season’s darker nights, holidays, and time off feel difficult for you. Or perhaps it brings up feelings of loneliness or uncertainty. But instead of viewing winter as barren and bleak for our souls, what if we shifted our perspective to embrace the gifts of seasonal living? 

→ What if we accept seasonal living in winter as much-needed rest for our souls? 
→ What if we let new seeds of hope and vision take root below the surface?
→ What if we allow the stillness to bolster and ground us for seasons ahead?

When we learn to recognize the beauty of each season, solitude and stillness become a cherished ritual in winter. Winter is a season full of gifts, symbols, and signs urging us to slow down and surrender. Many new things are building below the surface to support the new vision and life that accompany spring. 

When we surrender expectations and preconceived notions, we find contentment. This is the gift of seasonal living – not resisting the natural ebb and flow of life. Settling in to winter’s callings wraps us in unparalleled peace + restoration.

In a season that gets a bad rep, there’s actually so much goodness if we embrace what it holds for the earth + ourselves. From what we eat and how we support our skin to how we nourish our souls… 

Let’s live like winter. 

Seasonal Foods for Winter: Reconnecting to Nourishment

Eating seasonally is a grounding experience that adds intention and gratitude to an everyday experience. We all have to eat, but how often are we tuning into how our foods nourish our bodies and provide exactly what we need? 

Winter is an especially important time to prioritize seasonal eating. These season-specific foods bolster your immune system with the right nutrients and minerals. Plus, when you choose seasonal foods for winter, your food is fresher and more nutrient-dense. And as we know, a whole-food diet is one of the best ways to support well-being. 

Produce eaten in season is kinder to the environment, too. Crops that don’t have to fight the elements to thrive (aka, grown in the right season + conditions) benefit us and the planet. Find a farmer’s market or CSA farm share to source exceptionally fresh and flavorful food while supporting local farms in your area.

*Tip: Shop regenerative foods whenever you can. This ancestral farming method restores biodiversity in the soil. This means the produce + meat are even more nutrient-dense than organic produce, AND you’re healing the soil with your purchase. 

Winter is a time to return once again to our warming rituals with hearty stews, soups, and broths. As we tune in to our plates with renewed intention, let the act of eating reconnect us to ancestral wisdom: aligning with the earth’s rhythms + innate intelligence of nature. 

Seasonal foods for winter deeply support your body and bolster your immune system with the perfect combination of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. 

• Oranges
• Cranberries 
• Pomegranate
• Pears
• Mushrooms
• Citrus
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Brussel sprouts
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Cabbage
• Broccoli
• Kale
• Beets
• Leeks
• Arugula
• Radicchio
• Sweet onions
• Fennel 
• Avocado 
• Celery 
• Chard
• Mustard greens
• Watercress
• Turnip
• Bok choy
• Collards 
• Sweet potatoes
• Potatoes 
• Parsnips 
• Peas
• Regenerative meats + organs

But these seasonal foods for winter are more than just crops. They’re a manifestation of the nutrients the soil provides – and our bodies crave. Root vegetables rich in beta-carotene, and vitamins A and C help boost your immune system while fruits like berries are rich in antioxidants that help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. Being one with nature, the soil changes its complexion each season to boost the nutrients within the food, making your meals a sacred time where you, in turn, connect with nature. 

So, as we lean into seasonal foods for winter and the unique ways they support us from the inside out to sustain well-being and immunity, it aligns with the needs of our skin, too.

Winter Skin Care: Moisture + Resilience

As autumn melds into winter, our winter skincare shifts priorities. Your winter skincare routine centers around two pivotal focuses: moisture and resilience as you prioritize an intuitive and holistic perspective. 

We’ve built strength within the skin as we transition from fall’s focus on recovery and routine. Now it’s time to continue to harness + lock in the nutrients needed for a season of continually drier air + dropping temps. 

Moisture 

A winter skincare routine depends on moisture that wraps the skin in safety and nourishment. Moisture preserves what we’ve invested in our skin throughout the routines of autumn. (But regardless of your routines/rituals in autumn, as the air dries and lower temperatures arrive, your skin needs extra moisture.)

Without intentional + deep moisture in your winter skin care, your skin can become dull and dehydrated. And without hydration, the skin barrier/skin microbiome can become weak and brittle, leading to issues like transepidermal water loss (TEWL), impaired lipid barrier, imbalances, and sensitivities. 

→ To boost moisture in your winter skincare, choose animal-based products with a unique biocompatible nature. This means the nutrients and moisture are delivered much more deeply. 

→ Fatty acids also play a critical role in supporting long-lasting moisture. They continue to bolster and restore your skin’s resilience. 

Properly hydrated skin can protect against the elements and deeply boost your body’s immunity against environmental toxins. 

Resilience

Winter skincare is a time to protect and proactively support the skin's nutrient stores. Consistency is key to protection from the elements. Fortify your skin’s resiliency with intentional routines and rituals. 

Simple, nourishing choices can help lock in nutrients and preserve the delicate skin barrier. Resilience provides protection from the harsher environmental elements that accompany winter.

Winter Skin Care Tips to Enhance Moisture + Resiliency 

With these two focuses in mind, let’s discuss some of the best tips and practices to keep your winter skin happy and nourished.

→ Slugging is an excellent way to lock in moisture and prevent water loss that can often happen overnight. But be mindful to avoid suffocating ingredients like petroleum. Instead, use nourishing + supportive products that let your skin breathe.

• We love our Everything Balm to soothe dermatitis, irritation, sensitivities, eczema, and other inflammatory skin conditions.

• Try our Antioxidant Balm for targeted repair or a powerful boost of antioxidants that help diminish signs of aging. 

→ Layering Oil + Water may feel strange, but it’s key to locking in moisture. Use our Plumping Mist before + after applying your favorite serum and balm. This layering action is essential for deep moisture to take hold, nutrients to absorb, and to support a resilient moisture barrier.

→ Body Butter is perfect for winter skincare on legs, arms, hands, abdomen – you name it! These rich formulas provide deep and restorative moisture to support resilient skin across your entire body. Your skin is the first line of defense against unwanted pathogens, so it’s key to lock in moisture for protection/immunity.

→ Warming + Aromatic Skincare, especially our coffee mask, made with exceptionally clean coffee, provides a flood of nourishment. Treat your skin with rich antioxidants, CGA, fatty acids, caffeine, and a unique blend of nutrients + minerals. The warming aroma of the coffee, vanilla, warm ginger, and orange envelops you in a cozy ritual. Moisturize, nourish, and revitalize tired skin while indulging in the aroma of a grounding cup of coffee.

→ Wellness Tools serve your skin year-round. But they hold an especially important role in your winter skin care. These holistic practices stimulate cell turnover, circulation, and the flow of lymphatic fluid while activating your body’s natural detox pathways. Often overlooked, facial massage is a must-have step in your winter skincare.

These are our favorite holistic facial tools for seasonal skincare in winter:

• Gua Sha

As the sun sets earlier, grab your gua sha stone to unwind and embrace the slow pace the season offers – all while boosting beauty and immunity. You can choose from various gua sha routines based on what you’re craving. But we’d encourage you to indulge in a longer, more thorough session than usual. You might be surprised how you feel (and look!) afterward. ;)

*Tip: If you prefer a shorter routine, check out our quick 2-min gua sha tutorial. 

If you can make space for a longer routine, watch this complete gua sha tutorial.

• Facial Dry Brush 

A dry brush is a great way to encourage balance and moisture retention in the skin. The gentle bristles provide the perfect combination for a soft and non-irritating exfoliation. This gentle process nudges cell turnover and reveals a more radiant complexion – even in the dead of winter. 

The light stimulation also activates calming feelings of safety and rest through the vagus nerve. Activate lymphatic flow and flush out toxins, excess fluid, and stagnation to allow fresh blood flow and healing to rise to the surface. Unlike most forms of exfoliation, it’s gentle enough to do daily. Try facial brushing in the AM after gently splashing water on your face.

*Tip: Check out this collection of our favorite facial brushing tutorials. 

As we invite the beauty of winter in, we also lean into the rhythms of seasonal living by supporting our skin topically. These beauty rituals + moisture-locking products support and protect your skin so you can focus on what really matters: Unveiling more beauty + reveling in its precious gifts.  

Winter: Noticing Beauty + Sitting in Slowness

We can often find ourselves restless in slower seasons. But what if stillness is the gift, not something to fear? If we can’t sit still and be present, maybe it's because it’s what is deeply needed. 

Maybe our frustrations with rest are our gentle reminder that we’re human – and like the earth, we need a season of intentional slowness + rest. 

Look for Unexpected Beauty

With the hustle and bustle of modern life, it’s far too easy to miss pockets of simple (+ extravagant) beauty. Yes, even throughout our seemingly mundane routines. Realigning with the earth’s rhythms in appreciation and awe creates space in our souls to find more meaning in simple beauty. 

Leaning into the darkness and the duality of life can feel scary. But when we embrace those spaces with intention (+ the knowledge that it’s just a season), we can completely transform our outlook on life. Even in the bareness, there’s so much going on under the surface we don't see. For fruit to follow, there has to be a season of stillness/rest.

So take time to savor the work you’ve put in this year. Take time to be proud of yourself and reflect on the lessons the year has taught you. You may find unexpected beauty in full-circle moments or new-found connections.

Prioritize Mindful Consumption

Slow living leads to more mindful consumption + intentional fruit. Regardless of our schedules, season of life, or family size, mindfulness is an integral way to slow down. It’s an opportunity to ponder what’s below the surface of our thoughts, actions, and words. This enlightenment can lead us into deeper community, purpose, and connection to ourselves and the earth.

Mindfulness can extend to a variety of areas in life, including: 

• Diet
• Movement
• Relationships
• Consumption of media

With more intention around how you consume – everything in life – you encourage growth, alignment, and clarity on what matters most.

Surrender to Rest

In our hustle culture, especially where women are expected to be on the go all the time – as moms or CEOs – we must reclaim our right to rest. Rest is medicine for our soul. 

Winter invites a new perspective to surrender – and maybe even embrace solitude. Exploring new ways to make rest something we look forward to instead of feeling guilty or impatient can be fun.

Sometimes, it’s as simple as adding a new aroma – like our Crisp Smoky Woods home line. The calming woodsy medicinal blend, akin to forest bathing, is a supportive way to sink into rest and reset your nervous system. 

Despite our human resistance to rest, when we listen to the callings of winter, we find the rest within winter is uniquely life-giving and rejuvenating. 

Use this season of rest to make new memories and form new traditions with loved ones. When we embrace seasonal living and show up without expectation, we’re freed into a fuller and more present life. 

Embrace Seasonal Living This Winter

Seasonal living is the essence of holistic and intentional care for ourselves – stemming from the inside out. A healthy internal world always overflows. 

Winter comes with a reminder to reset – deeply centering us with new passion + direction. So, this winter, we encourage you to pause, notice the beauty, and intentionally slow down. 

Let the natural rhythms of the season guide you – without resisting or forcing anything to go faster. Everything will be made whole in its time.

Use these prompts to journal or meditate and surrender to winter’s callings in your life.

→ How can I surrender and be surrounded by the innate beauty of a slow season? 
→ What new rituals can I add to the holiday season to feel more connected to myself and to others? 
→ How can I personally lean into the beauty that winter offers? What does that look like in my day-to-day life? 
→ Where do I need to incorporate more stillness or solitude?
→ How can I combat impatience and learn to find pockets of beauty within myself + the season?

 

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