Early Fall Rituals and Your Skin

October is here and it’s time to return to our seasonal rhythms and routines. Summer is over, the light is changing, the temperatures are dropping, and having a sweater handy is a good idea. This annual rhythm change started early in life, when, as children, we got ready for the new school year. We know it’s fall and time to adjust. The harvest moon and the autumn equinox have come and October is in full swing. Before we know it, Halloween will be here and daylight savings time will end.

Mother Earth’s hormones change: leaves turn color, birds migrate, animals prepare to hibernate. Nature gets ready for a period of rest and re-nourishing. Our hormones change, too. People with acne report more activity during the fall than at any other time of year.

New Beginnings and Endings
Early autumn in Northern California is a mixture of opposites: roses and Peruvian lilies still blooming in the back yard while the Japanese Maple and Redbud trees are in full color and their leaves are beginning to drop.  Wearing sandals with cashmere, or linen with booties. Early fall is exciting to me because of the combined sense of new beginnings (school year, new clothes and school supplies, football and homecoming) and endings (summer, the last of the peaches and the winding down of the current year). We’re also filled with anticipation just at the brink of racing towards the holidays. Sometimes I even do my New Year’s rituals and preparations for the coming year in autumn instead of at the first of the year. What do I want to release from the old year and what do I want to create in the new year? During this time I burn sage in my office and home to purify and mark the transition.

Time to take a breath, to prepare for our autumn traditions, practice our rituals.

Let’s tune into the seasonal change―and our bodies―through ritual and routine to connect us more deeply to mother earth, ourselves and each other. Rituals and routines feed our bodies, minds and spirits.

One way I experience homecoming is each evening when I’m doing my home care routine. Slowing down, being mindful, giving my body a message that it’s time to rest and come home to my inner self. Each night is a new opportunity to renew this procedure. Doing the water ritual, using the cleanser, I wash the day away physically and energetically, preparing to plant the seeds for overnight renewal with skin nurturing serums and creams. This routine sends a powerful message to myself that I care, I’m a valuable being and worthy of love.

Our bodies are busy during the night, repairing the damage of the day while we get our deep beauty sleep.  When your body is resting, your skin is actively clearing away debris and making new healthy cells. This is the best time to receive the benefits of skin-changing ingredients such as Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), which repairs damage caused by pollution, energizes skin tone, increases firmness, luminosity, and resilience. And Rubixyl™, a peptide, that strengthens skin structures, encourages cell turnover, smooths deep lines and wrinkles, and improves hydration. Both of these are among the powerhouse ingredients found in my three Age Reversal Treatment Moisturizers: Radiance Restoration Moisturizer, Firming Bio-Resurfacer and Nurture Youth Restoration, which are excellent night repair treatment creams.

More water ritual
At this time of year here in California we often experience a hot Indian Summer with low humidity and the dry Santa Ana winds. Earthquake weather. Fire season. Our skin gets parched and depleted without our realizing it. This is when I really drench my skin with Aquagel Hydrating Serum and drink extra water.

This year in particular, we have been living in the shadow of the Soberanes Wildfire, which has been burning for over two months already. The smoke levels go up and down but is in the air constantly. So our skin and lungs have been fighting extra hard to fend off those polluting soot molecules and noxious fumes. It seems like every morning we wake up to smoke, smoke, and more smoke. Niacinamide and antioxidants are super important to help us during this time. Extra doses of vitamin C can help as well.

Autumn Peels and Facials
My studio clients have begun requesting Pumpkin Peels and facials for the dewy, radiant, healthy skin they know they’ll enjoy from these treatments. The rich aromas and antioxidants contained in pumpkin and their natural resurfacing properties provide excellent rejuvenation and aromatherapeutic restoration to body, mind, spirit. This year I am also offering Apple Wine Pumpkin Peels and facials. And I have just brought in a detoxifying Charcoal Resurfacing/Detox 911 Facial to help with smoke damage, another environmental cause that accelerates skin aging. Ask me more about these nourishing renewing benefits when you come in for your appointment this month or leave me a question in the comments section of this post.

“My skin feels so much better, it’s smoother & looks brighter…thank you, thank you!” (She included some emoticons, too.)

Sue Unser’s texted testimonial, the morning after her Apple Wine Pumpkin Peel

What are some of your favorite rituals and routines? What are your autumn skin challenges? Please leave a comment or question below.