Five Tips for smoother, softer winter skin

There's lots of humidity available in hot yoga and that helps your winter skin stay moist. But how about after you leave class? Are you just out in the cold when it comes to soft winter skin?

Not at all.

Five Steps To A Softer, Smoother, HOTTER Complexion:

1. Hydrate your entire system with lots of water. During winter there’s a tendency not to drink as much due to cool temperatures. For winter, choose water at room temperature to encourage drinking more. Or enjoy Coconut Juice after class...more on that in Step 5.

2. Eat a healthy diet of mostly raw foods, foods high in omega-3 fatty acids which produce a hydrating effect from the inside out, and antioxidants which help fight signs of aging. Winter might be a good time to increase your intake of Krill oil also, for its omega-3s -- and antioxidants such as Purple Defense and Turmeric.

3. Take a revitalizing bath – in warm water, not hot! Himalayan salt baths are rejuvenating, and help dry skin to slough off. Hot water is damaging to your skin, so stick with warm water.

4. Moisturize daily with non-clogging organic moisturizers such as coconut oil or body butter. I love  Hannesdottir Icelandic Seaweed masques and elixirs...and I make my own coconut oil and brown sugar skin scrub. These products nourish your skin instead of clogging it, unlike more expensive and toxin-filled skin products.

5. Coconuts on the inside hydrate beautifully too - try our own favorite brand of Amy& Brians Coconut Juice before or after a hot yoga class.

It’s especially important to cleanse and moisturize before you go to bed at night, to remove impurities from your skin before your revitalizing sleep time. Just be sure your moisturizer isn’t tainted with toxins!

Hot Yoga Facial

You're in the heat, you're sweating, your pores are open...hot yoga is an impromptu facial.

After hot yoga, I spritz liberally with Icelandic Mineral Mist, from a unique line of skincare products from Hannesdottir.  After a 90 minute hot yoga class, Mineral Mist floats an ocean of sea minerals into those newly-opened pores, leaving your face glowing.

The full Hannesdottir line includes Sea Masque,  Purely Poreless tightening mask, and Elixir of Minerals skin nourisher. Twice a week after hot yoga, I spread Sea Masque on my face for 20 minutes, followed by Purely Poreless for another 20, then end with a droplet of Elixir; my mini spa-retreat has the hot-yoga edge.

Ask me for an Icelandic Mineral Mist-ing after class. If you like what you feel, treat yourself to Hanndesdottir: all natural ingredients, they last a long time and you won't find them in stores; it's our hot little secret here at Riverflow.

Silence is hot

Commune as much as you want in our reception area...but once you enter the hot yoga room, silence is the mantra. It pays to start your practice peacefully. I recommend you lie on your yoga mat and fill your mind with things that feel good to you; let the heat bake those good feelings into your limbs. Really. So - zip the lip in the hot yoga room and open your heart to... whatever you want. 

No scents makes sense

Avoid wearing perfumes, scented deodorant, any scents when you come to hot yoga. Some people have a strong reaction to scents and we don't want to offend anyone. Speaking of offending, don't worry if you sweat...we all do in hot yoga and it's not offensive at all. I once got whacked with a stream of sweat from the person next to me during a rousing half spinal twist...he took me out to dinner afterwards to apologize and today we're married (OK, we were married before the sweat incident, but any excuse for a candlelight dinner!) Hey, you never know!

Hot hair!

Why not get some deep-conditioning for your hair while you're in the hot yoga room? Mix afew squirts of your favorite hair conditioner in a spray bottle with clean water, and spritz liberally over your hair before coming to hot yoga. Spray the ends of the hair more than the scalp to avoid the greasies. Let the hot yoga heat condition your hair while you condition your body. After class, don't wash with shampoo; just rub more conditioner into your scalp, massage vigorously, and rinse in the shower, letting your conditioner do the cleaning and conditioning.  The result: soft, shiny, deeply conditioned hair with every hot yoga class.