HEALTHY LIVING
Dos and Don’ts for Naturally Beautiful Skin in Winter
As the temperature begins to fall so does the radiance and moisture of our skin. The freezing cold temperatures of winter leave our skin dull, dry, flaky and itchy. That means not only do you have to change your wardrobe when winter comes, you need to change your beauty routine too. To help you combat the wrath of winter, here are the top 10 dos and don’ts of winter skincare.
Dos
- Always moisturize
The dry winter air can be damaging to your skin, causing it to become dry and flaky. It’s important that you moisturize everyday, at least once a day, to combat the dryness. Your choice in moisturizer should also reflect the change in weather. Look for a moisturizer that is thick and cream based, like Pure Fiji’s body butter. This super moisturizing cream is made with a blend of coconut, macadamia, dilo and sikeci oils to rapidly hydrate your parched skin. - Keep those hands covered!
Make sure you are wearing gloves every time you go outside, especially when the air is cold and frosty. The skin on your hands is thinner than most parts of your body and the cold air can quickly dry out your hands. The easiest way to protect your hands is to wear gloves and always use a hand crème, both at night and during the day. Pure Fiji’s nourishing hand creme contains cold pressed coconut oil to keep your hands nourished, hydrated and soft. - Use a humidifier
Instead of cranking up the heat on a cold day, try using a humidifier instead. Central heating systems (as well as small room heaters) blast hot dry air, which can dry out your skin. Humidifiers help to add moisture to the air, which helps prevent your skin from drying out. If you can, use more than one humidifier throughout your house to disperse the moisture more evenly. - Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate
Because your skin tends to be drier and flakier in winter, it’s important that you exfoliate to get rid of dead, dull skin. Exfoliating will also help your thirsty skin absorb more hydration from your moisturizer. Try to exfoliate at least a few times a week. A great choice in body exfoliator would be Pure Fiji’s coconut creme body scrub. This scrub contains natural cleansers derived from sugar cane and coconut, as well as pineapple enzymes that gently exfoliate and brighten your skin. - Try a DIY Mask
Often times the best ingredients for your skin can be found in your home – in your fridge or pantry. Pure Fii’s Nourishing Exotic Oil contains cold pressed virgin coconut oil, macadamia, dilo and sikeci oil which is amazing for your dry, winter skin as it’s chock full of beneficial vitamins and nutrients to nourish, moisturize and protect.Super Hydrating Coconut Moisture Mask
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon Nourishing Exotic Oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ of a mashed avocado or egg (well whisked)
Directions:
Blend all ingredients together well and apply to skin. Leave on for 15 minutes then wash off thoroughly with water.
Don’ts
- Soak in a hot bath or shower
Having a piping hot bath after being out in the cold might seem like a great idea but in reality it’s wreaking havoc on your skin. The hot water breaks down the lipid barriers in the skin, which can lead to a loss of moisture. Instead, try having a lukewarm bath or shower lasting no longer than 10 minutes. Finish with a body butter to rehydrate your skin. - Use products full of sulphates
Sulphates are chemicals found in many cleansers on the market that are used to cut oil from the skin. While this might be fine for your skin in the warmer summer months, it can trigger redness, irritation and dry skin in harsh, winter conditions. Always choose natural beauty products that don’t contain sulphates so you can be sure they won’t irritate your skin. Pure Fiji’s coconut milk shower gel is naturally sulphate free and contains ingredients like pineapple enzymes to gently exfoliate and brighten your skin. - Wear PJ’s made with cotton and synthetic fibers
Choosing the right PJ’s can make a difference when trying to combat dry, itchy winter skin. Avoid wearing pyjamas with a blend of cotton and synthetic fibers, as they can be irritating to your skin. Instead choose soft fabrics like cotton or cotton flannel to soothe your skin while you sleep. - Mask your dry skin with makeup
Applying foundation directly to your dry skin will only make it more flaky and dull. Before applying foundation, make sure you exfoliate your skin to slough away any dead skin cells. Use an exfoliator that is gentle on your skin like Pure Fiji’s exfoliating scrub. Also important to remember, when your skin is dry and flaky, avoid rubbing on your foundation as it can get caught under the dry skin. This will undoubtedly draw more attention to it. Instead, pat it on gently or use a beauty blender sponge. - Consume too many caffeinated beverages
Even though drinking a warm cup of coffee might seem like a necessity on a cold, winter morning, it may in fact be wrecking your skin in the process. Consuming too many caffeinated beverages (coffee, tea, soda) can be dehydrating to your skin. Caffeine acts like a diuretic and prevents the skin from retaining moisture, thus drying it out. If caffeine is a must, try cutting back on the amount you drink or choose decaffeinated beverages instead. And as always, make sure you are drinking plenty of water to counteract the effects of caffeinated beverages.
Winter may wreak havoc on your skin, but you don’t have to let it happen. Simply follow these 10 dos and don’ts and you’ll be sure to keep dry winter skin at bay.
HEALTHY LIVING
A lesson in kindness, inclusion and how kids eat differently
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(Feature Impact) The school year brings new classmates, routines and opportunities for children to learn about people whose experiences may be different from their own. They could include friends who use a wheelchair, carry an inhaler or even receive nutrition through a feeding tube.
Watch this video to learn more
For families who rely on tube feeding, it is an essential part of daily life but is often understood only by those who experience it. That limited awareness can leave children who are tube fed and their families feeling isolated or unseen, according to Gerard Minor, a pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology specialist.
Parents can use everyday questions as opportunities to help children understand there are many ways people receive nourishment. Teachers, classmates, caregivers and communities can also help make tube feeding part of the everyday conversation around childhood rather than something that separates children from it.
“Helping children understand those differences early can encourage curiosity, kindness and inclusion,” Minor said.
To help bring greater awareness, understanding and representation to children and families who experience tube feeding every day, Compleat, a leader in tube feeding formulas, launched “What Is Better Than How,” featuring “Sesame Street’s” Elmo and his signature warmth and curiosity. The original song celebrates the many ways people eat. Some people eat with a fork, some use a spoon and some use a tube, reinforcing a simple message: What matters is not how you eat. What matters is that you are nourished, loved and included.
To hear the song, create a personalized version and learn more about the campaign, visit Compleat.com/WhatIsBetterThanHow.

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HEALTHY LIVING
Dry eye: An overlooked perimenopause, menopause symptom
(Feature Impact) Dry eye is one of the most overlooked symptoms of perimenopause, the phase of fluctuating hormones leading up to a woman’s final period, and menopause, the point in a woman’s life when she’s gone a year without a period.
In fact, 79% of women1 recognize hot flashes as a symptom of menopause, but only 14% recognize dry eye as a menopause-related symptom, according to the 2026 Bausch + Lomb (Peri)Menopausal Survey. What’s more, 78% of women1 were surprised to learn that dry eye is a symptom of perimenopause or menopause.
“Dry eye is still widely overlooked as a symptom of menopause, and many women think it’s just a minor nuisance, but the truth is it can significantly affect your daily life,” said Neda Gioia, OD, CNS, IFMCP, FOWNS, founder, Integrative Vision. “Early symptoms are often misunderstood or self-treated but it’s very important for women who experience symptoms to see an eye doctor and get an accurate diagnosis and treatment.”
During perimenopause and menopause, declining hormone levels can impact tear production, tear quality and tear evaporation, contributing to dry eye symptoms including redness, fluctuating vision and a gritty or tired feeling in the eyes, all of which can impact day-to-day comfort and quality of life. If left untreated, dry eyes may worsen over time, potentially impacting eye health and vision. Among peri-, menopausal and post-menopausal women who experienced dry eye, 80% said the symptom came as a surprise.
Respondents reported their dry eye symptoms caused difficulty reading (58%), difficulty using screens (53%), difficulty driving (26%) and reduced productivity (17%), underscoring the often-overlooked impact dry eyes can have on everyday life.1
However, there are a variety of products and treatment approaches available to help manage dry eye symptoms. For example, Bausch + Lomb offers a range of options designed to address the main causes of dry eye.
A doctor-recommended, clinically proven once-daily soft gel supplement that targets the key root causes of dry eyes, Blink NutriTears supports healthy tear production and provides lasting, continuous relief.* § As part of a comprehensive approach to dry eye management, the supplement can be used with Blink Triple Care Preservative Free Lubricant Eye Drops, which are designed to directly address tear evaporation, one of the leading causes of dry eye, and provide instant and long-lasting symptom relief.
An eye care professional can help determine the approach that’s right for each individual. To learn more about dry eye and products to help combat it, visit JustBlink.com.
| *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. |
12026 Bausch & Lomb (Peri)Menopause Survey via Suzy, n=402; Women ages 30–80+ who are perimenopausal, menopausal, or post-menopausal
§Based on a clinical study

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HEALTHY LIVING
Life insurance is on the to-do list right after cleaning out the garage!
(Sheeka Sanahori) Being an adult comes with a never-ending list of responsibilities: Cook dinner. Scrub the bathroom. File taxes. The tasks grow even longer when sharing a household with a partner, building a family, or taking care of others. No matter how you define “adulting,” getting life insurance tends to be one part of the to-do list that keeps getting set on a procrastination loop.
New survey data backs that up: there are plenty of other tasks adults would rather focus on first.
The Adulting Task Americans Keep Avoiding
According to the 2026 Life Happens Life Insurance Survey, a financial literacy nonprofit organization, 39% of U.S. adults would rather clean out their email inbox than figure out their life insurance needs. Another 31% would rather clean out the garage or basement. One in five U.S. adults would be willing to sit on hold with customer service for three hours before life insurance planning. Even though many adults have it somewhere on their list, nearly half (46%) say they’ll either deal with it later or not at all.

They Know It Matters
Nearly a third of adults have already figured out a life insurance plan, and they feel good about their decision. Others are feeling more conflicted: 14% have a policy, but they’re not sure if they have enough. Another 12% say they either don’t know where to start or they think it’ll be too expensive.
It’s no wonder people are putting it off: Navigating a new-to-them form of financial planning can come with a lot of complicated emotions. Four in 10 feel either overwhelmed, anxious, or some combination of both. Sixteen percent of U.S. adults feel guilty for putting it off, but when the outcome is more procrastination, that feeling lingers.

Why Later Keeps Winning
If you’ve ever faced an important decision without having enough information to make an informed choice, you know how stressful it can be. While the generations have different takes on making major decisions with a gut feeling or “pure vibes,” most of the time, people want to feel like they’re making an informed choice. Forty-five percent of U.S. adults say cost concerns, confusion or procrastination are the main reasons they have delayed or would delay looking into life insurance. For more than one in five, the plan is to seriously look at it when they feel more financially stable. For 12%, they say they’ll do it when they’re older.

Men tend to feel more confident about their life insurance decisions to date; 53% of men vs. 41% of women feel confident their family would be financially protected.
The First Step Feels Bigger Than It Is
Learning more about life insurance, how it’s priced and how it works could help get many consumers out of their procrastination loop. A quarter of people say they’d make a decision if they learned it was easier to get than they previously thought. Thirty percent would make the purchase if they learned it was more affordable than they believed it to be. Others need an experienced professional to talk to or an online calculator tool to give them guidance.
Methodology: Life Happens commissioned Atomik Research to conduct an online survey of 2,000 adults, including 700 Gen Z respondents, 700 millennials, and 600 Gen X respondents throughout the United States. The margin of error for the overall sample is +/- 2 percentage points and +/- 4 percentage points for each generational sample, with a confidence level of 95 percent. Fieldwork took place between July 14 and July 20, 2026. Atomik Research, part of 4media group, is a creative market research agency.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock (couple using computer)
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