The first thing to know about seasonal skincare is that it varies according to what region you arein and what skin type you have. Summers, Winters, Monsoon... they are not the same everywhere in the world, therefore, the principles and essentials of skincare are also need-based.

That said, let us explore what - Traditional Chinese Medicine has to say about skincare for thewinter season.

In the Chinese principles, there are not 4 but 5 seasons - summer, long summer, autumn,winter, and spring. The seasons are bound to the 5 Wuxings or phases - Fire, Water, Wood,Metal/Gold, and Earth. The long summer largely refers to the intermediate periods that alsoincludes rain and damp months, concluded under the phase of Earth.

Now TCM is only a part of the much bigger picture of Fundaments of Life under the Chinese studies - which is rooted in the belief that the natural phenomena and cosmic cycles andbiological cycles are all interconnected with each other. Therefore, when it comes to one course, such as treatment of a skin problem, a TCM practitioner would not only prescribe you some medicated ​herbal beauty products​, but will recommend a lot of things concerning lifestyle habits, diet, sleeping, and evaluate other health and wellness conditions.

Winter, the Yin Season

In the Yin and Yang aspects in Chinese Medicine, winter is Yin. The season is associated with cold, darkness, inactivity, and inward energy. The yin organ is the Kidney, while the yang organis the bladder.

The TCM doctrine would see winter elements in the following form:

❖Wuxing/Phase: Water

❖Climate: Cold

❖Yin Organ: Kidney

❖Yang Organ: Bladder

❖Sense Organ: Ear

❖Mood/Emotion: Fear

❖Colors: Dark

Winter is the time to relax and practice in ward activities and to slow down. Pay heed to seasonal nutrition that helps balance the lacking of the body. And more importantly, have the kind of foodthat strengths your kidney health and relieves the body of involuntary toxicity.

Winter Skincare Tips From The Books of TCM

The first step to endorsing a skincare regime - whether it is picking ready-to-use products or the mixology of home remedies - should always be a response to the type of skin you have. The suitability of regimes varies from person to person, even between people in the same family. So pay heed to the nature of your skin when you are taking care of it.

●Skin Foods - diet and nutrition is the best way to seasonal skincare, and in the winteryou are going to need a lot of dark leafy greens, nuts, and berries that will sustain kidneyhealth and keep you hydrated.

●Skin Cream - winter is largely associated with dryness and most of the skin moisture canbe retained with ​beeswax skin creams​ that are heavy and multipurpose to use at nightand day.

●Warmth - reduce your daily dosage of caffeine and infuse some green or herbal tea inthe mix and you can already feel the revitalizing difference in days. It is great to get arelaxing warmth in the chilly winters, but it also helps relieve stress and makes you relaximmediately.

Winter largely teaches us to store, preserve, and retain Qi - a practice called Qigong. When youmove with nature you would realize so many gifts of wellness and happiness are in store. Whiletoday’s fast life and all-season availability of things have done its best of jeopardizing the naturalcourses of nature and how our bodies respond to the Wuxing. But TCM still leads us back to theroots. It is your call whether you are going to follow or not