Behold!  The tenacious behaviour of the Calendula officinalis.  The batch of calendula flowers I left to go to seed never seemed to get the chance!  The frosts & snow came mighty early and they were like that until they were buried….I guess we’ll have a surprise in the spring if they managed to reseed!

Tis the season for dry, chapped lips – If you’re on the east coast of North America.

The earth is cooler and darker than most of us might prefer and though the winter solstice has just passed, days are still pretty short.  Running even the most mundane errands can involve a 10-minute ritual of dressing/undressing to face the elements. Seasonal illnesses run rampant – flus, colds, catarrh, blisters, frostbite.  The best offense is a good defense (or VV?).

Like with many other temporary setbacks, staying hydrated is the best way to keep all your gears moving and processing toxins out of your system. So it goes with hydrating your lips!  Your lips are the gateway to the largest orifice of your body, and are a “first indicator” for the state of your body.  Chances are, if your lips are feeling chapped, dry, or flaky, you could use a sip of water first.  That’s the first step to hydrating your skin.

After that, find a protective balm, water or oil based.  Oil based balms are not technically ‘hydrating’ unless they contain water (aqua) in the ingredient list.  They are more protective and nourishing than moisturizing – which has its own benefits!  Balms containing oils and resins from plants such as calendula, melissa, or rosemary help repair cracked skin.

Try to avoid petroleum based products on your lips.  Petroleum jellies and mineral oils may not clog your pores but essentially blocks air and moisture from leaving or entering your body – which is what your skin was designed to do!