Recipes and rituals for coping with low temperatures, protecting the skin from the cold, climate change and pollution, come from Denmark, Iceland and Sweden. Outside: frost, northern lights, lunar landscapes and fairytale frozen lakes. Inside: warm and cosy environments, like nests, inviting the pleasure of practices suspended between beauty and wellness. This is the heritage of the countries of the High North, accustomed to living with extreme temperatures, and a source of inspiration for the peoples of the Mediterranean to cope with the cold and, above all, the thermal shocks between heated interiors and icy exteriors. Low temperatures particularly affect the skins of light phototypes and mature skin types because they are thinner. But also those with established conditions such as atopic dermatitis, acne, psoriasis, couperose and rosacea. The cold affects the skin’s microbiota and the hydrolipid film, which acts as an insulator. This is why winter calls for targeted skin care, with the addition of treatments and recipes derived from those who spend several months of the year in the real cold. In winter, the morning routine is particularly important: it must provide several hours of protection. After cleansing with formulas with very low emulsifiers and delicate active ingredients such as vegetable oils, aloe and oats, the face, neck, décolleté and hands must be protected with creams with medium to high SPF and rich in oils. Ideal on windy days are Cica creams or cold creams, anti-cold formulations that not only nourish and soothe, but also create a barrier against external agents. Canadians and Icelanders, who prefer oil-based fluids, used to protect their skin with an ointment containing whale blubber oil until a few years ago. A similar effect, but with a vegan and sebum-free formula, is offered by jojoba oil, applied pure or in drops to the usual cream. Paraffin baths (a beauty parlour classic), which can be reproduced at home, are ideal for areas that suffer from cold due to poor peripheral circulation, such as the hands and feet.
The art of relaxation with a Swedish twist
Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark are home to traditions such as Danish hygge and Swedish lagom, which invite you to spend hours every day in pure enjoyment, cultivating simple but good habits. One example is the traditional practice of the sauna, which is deeply rooted in the peoples of the far north and is used to purify oneself, to restore harmony with oneself and to reflect. It is no coincidence that saunas can be found everywhere in Scandinavia, even in the Finnish parliament, while in Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost city, the surprising “Solar Egg“, a sauna in a golden egg, is very popular. A healthy practice, the sauna, but not without contraindications for those who are not accustomed to it. By stimulating peripheral circulation and the oxygenation of tissues, the heat accelerates the metabolism of all cells; it also smoothes the skin on the surface and stimulates the production of neo-collagen in the depths, which is why the skin of the body and face appears brighter and more toned after a sauna. However, it is advisable to practise it only after consulting your doctor and only a few times a week at the most, staying in the heat for no more than fifteen minutes.
Lakka, rose and birch – the stars of the Nordic routine
Nordic or Scandinavian beauty, or S-beauty for short, favours minimal formulas with a few ingredients in high concentrations, predominantly clean and strongly linked to the land. Lakka or cloudberry is one example. Also known as arctic raspberry or camomile, it is an orange berry rich in vitamin C that grows in the most extreme areas. Women pluck it from the bushes, then crush it and rub it on their hands and face as a toning and brightening lotion. Another key ingredient in Nordic skincare is the rose: rich in vitamin C, pectin and polyunsaturated fatty acids, rose water is anti-ageing, soothing and purifying. What’s more, it offers relief to the epidermis after thermal shocks. The people of the far north also love birch sap, which is used in anti-ageing face creams and draining and detoxifying body formulas. But it can also be drunk for its many benefits to the body. Containing xylitol, potassium, silica and antioxidant flavonoids, birch water is highly hydrating, diuretic and detoxifying. Ideally drink a glass in the morning, on an empty stomach and before breakfast, to flush out free radicals and toxins. In addition to the sap, birch contains another anti-ageing ingredient: the chaga mushroom. This is a fungus that grows on the bark of birch trees and was once thought to be miraculous: it is a treasure trove of superoxide dismutase, an antioxidant enzyme also produced naturally by the body. It is also a treasure trove of vitamin B, flavonoids and minerals, which are beneficial for the vitality of skin cells.
Protect your lips when the air gets heavy
Around the Arctic Circle, special attention is paid to the lips, so much so that it is customary to protect them with a stick of peanut oil, which is also supplied to the Swedish army. Other areas that need extra protection are the nose, eye contour, cheeks and hands, which should be protected with rich formulas. It is important to shield the skin from smog by using an age-old evening mask made from green clay and lotus flower macerate: it regenerates the skin and counteracts hyper-reactivity. It can be reproduced by replacing the lotus flowers with borage, rich in omega 6 and essential fatty acids: just mix five drops of borage oil with fifty grams of green clay and a spoonful of water.
