Our Natural Process for Summer Skin
Authored by Anne C. Willis 

The season of joy and abundance.  We are now in the throws of summer! This seasonal transition began June 1^st but officially begins on the longest day of the year, the Summer Solstice on June 21 and then transitions into late summer in August. The extra hours of sunlight nurture and energize nature thereby creating an abundance of life all around us, in us, and within our skin. Do you feel it?

Here in Asheville the farmers markets are teaming with fresh produce, herbs, and colorful flowers to delight your senses. Going to the markets is one of the things I live for all year.  The experience is much like visiting natures art museum curated by some of the most dedicated artist, the local farmers.

Summer is time of excitement and that is truly reflected in the skin and the body.  In Chinese Five Element Theory, summer drives the fire element of heat and stimulation; nature is at its peak of growth, and holds warmth while actively regenerating.  This means if your skin is already experiencing heat your condition may escalate during this season of warmth. Since skin is also at its peak for growth and regeneration, you should cut back on any products that are designed to do the same.  The summer season is not a time of year for recycling dead skin cell remnants, which from De La Terre Skincare’s perspective means Herb Rich Clay should be used 1x a week every other week.

For the season of summer, the heart and small intestine are the connected pathways and the most active during these fiery months.  The Heart meridian originates in the heart and spreads through the heart and circulatory system, also known as the cardiovascular system. It is responsible for mental wellness, sleep, consciousness, memory, and vitality. When balanced, it contributes to wisdom, peacefulness, and healthy relationships. When not, we feel lethargic and depressed as if we are losing grip of our lives.

The Small Intestine meridian is known as the “sorter of pure from impure”. In the body, the small intestine is responsible for extracting nutrients from digested food and passing on the waste. Bothe organ systems are driven by the fire of summer.

You would think that summer is a time to go, go, go. But summer is really a time to play hard, relax, and de-stress by finding joy in all things we interact with in our lives.  To achieve balance my recommendation is to practice breathing exercises, apply De La Terre Skincare hydrotherapy with Supports Tea, and take Mineral Rich Salt baths. The magnesium in the salts is absorbed trans-dermally and therefore are highly effective in calming your nerves.  When stressed turn to magnesium and let your skin be the gate way to absorbing it.

Exercise for a healthy heart and circulatory system is invited by the warm weather and sunshine, and for that reason be sure and engage in outdoor activities. Summer is the season to absorb and store as much vitamin D, and movement will not only help to cleanse toxins by sweating, but also builds up Vitamin D.  My advice is to love the sun you’re in, but be sensible.

What about food for summer health?

You may think it helpful to eat lots of cold foods to keep you cool, but actually too many cold foods in the summer heat can slow and weaken the digestive organs. Iced drinks and ice cream contract the stomach and stop digestion. It is better to have foods that are quickly cooked on high heat with oil and only a little salt or substitute with fresh herbs.

It is important to keep the internal fire burning with a little hot spices like hot peppers, ginger, horseradish, and black pepper. Adding a little of these warming foods help bring body heat out to be dispersed. So, a little bit of heat helps keep our systems temperature cycling in a healthy rhythm. 

Heavy foods like meat, eggs, stimulants like caffeinated drinks, and refined sugar can cause sluggishness and lack of flow through our internal system, which can lead to heat disturbances. Therefore, turn to fresh fruits and vegetables.

Also, bitter flavors will help clear heat and clean arteries of damp deposits of cholesterol and fats associated with lower cholesterol. Foods like celery clear stagnation. Try adding alfalfa, lettuce, radish leaf, scallion, turnip, white pepper, papaya, quinoa and vinegar to your summertime meals. Herbs like dandelion, burdock, chamomile, marjoram, nettle, parsley, and white pepper can be used for imbalances as well.

Sweet foods can be used to help balance the bitter flavor. Apple, apricot, cherry, date, fig, olive, peach, pear, strawberry, tomato, beet, mushroom, cabbage, carrot, chard, cucumber, eggplant, potato, squash, sweet potato, beans, peas, lentils, almond, coconut, sesame seed, sunflower seed, walnut, honey, rice syrup, are all great additions to a summer diet.

Some of my favorite summer dishes to prepare include fruit porridge, vegan gumbo, lentil and summer veggie curry, quinoa salad, or possibly a mushroom sandwich.  And they should all include some of the nourishing fire energy ingredients.  

Liquid Assets for Summer Skin

Much of what I recommend for you to eat during the summer I also recommend to be applied on the skin.  I have formulated a vitamin power house of products that will help you "SUPPORT" your skin as the sun stays illuminated for longer hours.  

Whether you want to keep your skin tone uniform or introduce liquid assets for UV and oxidative stress protection, these amazing skincare offerings will help your skin radiate with health this summer.

Transdermal Tea Therapy

Let’s start with my favorite summer skin therapy that always allows me to feel supported and refreshed during the hot fiery summer months.  Transdermal, or “topical tea hydrotherapy”. Transdermal, or “topical tea hydrotherapy”, is something I have been teaching clients for years and it is achieved through the topical application of infused herbs. It is particularly helpful for those seeking a safe and gentle method of delivering the health benefits of herbs to the skin as well as to its deeper corridor.

Topical tea hydrotherapy may seem at first mysterious and new, but it’s based on both age-old principles and cutting-edge science.  If practiced, it can not only be highly effective for sustaining your skin from the high activity of the summer, but also provides the ability for the body to calm down and regroup.

De La Terre Skincare’s Supports Herb Rich Tea is the recommended blend for summer and offers temperature control and detoxification, while supporting barrier function.

The other liquid asset for summer skin care is Sun Diffuser.  This product is loaded with broccoli, reshi mushroom, red raspberry, and rosehips, which allows your skin to absorb the health benefits of the sun, while impeding oxidative stress that can lead to skin damage.  No, this is not a sun screen or block.  The principles of this product are based on the fact that we need our skin to have the capability of going through vitamin D synthesis.  Sun Diffuser should be thought of as a treatment serum and used to support skin as it is exposed to sun daily. If you are planning on being directly in the sun i.e at the pool, beach, golfing, long distance cycling, we suggest that in addition to Sun Diffuser you apply a physical Sun Block such as Badger. Just no chemical sun screens please.

Like all seasons you want to build skin’s resistance so when injury such as inflammation from the sun occurs, your skin has a better capability to recover quickly and with minimal damage. 

So, the other product that is a must during the summer months is Herb Rich Balm.  This soothing balm contains marshmallow, a mucilaginous herb, which coats and protects the skin as it regenerates from too much sun.  It also contains calendula, which helps with collagen, which promotes new tissue growth after a sun burn.

I hope this guide helps you pave the way to a healthy and tasty summer. Enjoy natures abundance and be sure to pause and relax.