Winter Tried to Steal My Glow. I Took It Back.

As soon as winter rolls in, my skin doesn’t just get dry—it fully commits to its Sahara Desert era. We’re talking flaky, itchy, dull, and begging for mercy. And after moving to a drier climate? Game over.

I’ve been in a nonstop battle with dry skin, slathering on everything under the sun—pure castor oil, argan oil, fancy blends, you name it. I kept thinking, If I just use a thicker oil, surely my skin will stay moisturized. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. By midday, I was right back to scratching and wondering where it all went wrong.

This year, I finally caved and jumped on the tallow trend—and WOW. I mean WOW!!!

For the first time in my life, my skin didn’t just survive winter... it thrived. Radiant. Happy. Glowy in a way I honestly didn’t think was possible once the temperatures dropped.

I wanted to wait to write this post until winter had passed. I wanted to see if my regimen really worked before singing its praises from the rooftops. It did.

We are well on our way to warmer weather and higher humidity in our area, and I am still completely addicted to my skincare routine.

At our house, we keep things simple: a pure unscented tallow soap from The Healthy Porcupine, pure whipped unscented tallow as a facial moisturizer from Black Mountain Organics, followed by Sky & Sol's Everything Cream for the rest of my body. The quality is next-level with all three products—you can feel it the second you use them.

Now, let's break this down. We all know I run this blog with affiliate links, but two of the products mentioned above don't even have affiliate programs. I don't care! I don't use these products because I get paid (trust me, I don't!). I use them because they're high-quality products that genuinely work for my body.

The Soap

I have tried several brands and always come back to The Healthy Porcupine. I do not have any affiliation with this brand. Their products are just amazing and I want to share. Their mission is to create products that are 100% natural using the best-sourced ingredients possible from local farms in their area. They don't use dyes, fragrances, or preservatives, which is one of the things that makes their products stand out to me.

My daughter and I both love their Pure Unscented Tallow Soap. It does have a different scent than a lot of products I've tried, but it doesn't linger on your skin or leave you walking around smelling like a hamburger all day. Instead, it smells pure in a way that's honestly hard to describe. There is still a very, very mild scent, but it feels natural rather than perfumed.

My husband prefers the Pine Tar and Orange Clove Tallow Soaps, with Pine Tar being his favorite. Not only does it smell fantastic, but pine tar has long been known for its skin-soothing properties.

No matter the scent, every soap we've tried from The Healthy Porcupine leaves our skin feeling healthy, clean, and cared for.

Facial Moisturizer

Again, I've tried several, but I absolutely LOVE this one from Black Mountain Organic. This is another product that I do not have any affiliation with.

Unfortunately, I can only order this product from Etsy. I'm not exactly Etsy's biggest fan these days—I much prefer shopping directly with small businesses whenever possible—but this moisturizer is worth making an exception for.

I don't know a whole lot about the company because information is somewhat limited, but I do know they've been on Etsy for more than six years, have sold over 9,000 units, and maintain an excellent rating on the one and only product they sell.

And honestly? I love it.

When you first apply it, it feels a little greasy. Don't panic.

I usually blot any excess lightly with a towel, wait about 15 minutes, and then my skin feels incredible. It absorbs beautifully, keeps dry patches away, and somehow manages to moisturize deeply without causing breakouts.

For the first time in my life, my skin feels healthy and actually looks healthy, too.

As I get older, I worry about wrinkles and all the other lovely little surprises that come with aging. Do I know if this product will keep wrinkles at bay or prevent the dreaded neck waddle? Absolutely not.

What I do know is that my face feels good, looks better than it has in years, and honestly, that's enough for me right now.

Those who know me know that I have zero interest in fillers or injections. I also do my best to avoid harsh, chemical-laden products whenever possible.

So, will this moisturizer single-handedly stop the aging process? Probably not. If it does, I'll be sure to let everyone know.

Until then, I'm just enjoying skin that feels healthy, looks better than it has in a very long time, and isn't constantly screaming for moisture.

Maybe in a year or so I'll come back and give everyone an update on the progress of my aging face. LOL!

Body Moisturizer

Sky & Sol Everything Cream Day & Night Moisturizer. Okay, so this product does offer an affiliate program, and yes, I am a part of it. But I also used this moisturizer all winter long and really put it through the ultimate dry-skin stress test.

Not once did I get that dreaded midday itchy, tight, dry-skin feeling. It just kept on rocking all day long and into the night.

RELIEF.

Finally, something I can count on to keep my skin supple.

There were zero dry patches. No flakes. No itchiness. No breakouts.

What more can you ask for? Is it cheap? No. But a little goes a long way, which makes it worth every penny.

And let's talk about the company itself for a second. Their customer service is incredible, shipping is lightning fast, and everything arrives beautifully packaged and thoughtfully made. It's one of those brands where you can tell they genuinely care about what they're putting out into the world—and about the people using it.

I also have another blog post dedicated to their sunscreen because, quite honestly, it's outperforms every other reef-safe alternative we have ever tried. We've put it to the test in some of the sunniest places on earth, and it has never let us down. No stinging eyes. No burns. No cakey feel. Instead, it leaves your skin feeling moisturized and nourished rather than depleted from a day in the sun.

Final Thoughts

Consider this my official "never going back" moment. After decades of trying every product, trend, hack, and gimmick under the sun, I've finally found what works for me. My skin is happy, I'm happy, and for the first time ever, winter didn't win.