Is the turkey getting more TLC than you?
Dry skin is one of the most common symptoms women experience through every stage of life. Hormonal changes in puberty pregnancy postpartum perimenopause menopause and beyond all influence the skin’s ability to retain moisture. Research shows that shifts in oestrogen reduce natural oil production and weaken the skin barrier increasing trans epidermal water loss. This means dryness is not just seasonal or situational. It is biological.
Now add December into the mix. Women take on one of the busiest, most emotionally loaded seasons while carrying a natural predisposition toward dryness. At the exact moment our skin is asking for more care we tend to give ourselves the least.
Every December women transform into the unofficial project managers of Christmas. Mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters, and every hardworking matriarch in between carries the emotional and physical load of the season. We cook. We coordinate. We wrap. We manage family dynamics. We create Christmas magic from sheer force of will. And somewhere between the roast potatoes and the toy batteries our own hydration comfort and pleasure quietly disappear.
The turkey is basted.
The presents are wrapped.
But your skin your body your needs
Dry. Very dry.
Enough.
Before you baste the turkey, hydrate yourself. Before you serve everyone else, serve your own needs. Before you make everyone else’s Christmas magical, create some magic for yourself.
Dryness is out. Moisture nourishment pleasure and self gifting are in. And science agrees.
The Research Behind Why Self Gifting Works
Self gifting is not selfish. It is rooted in wellbeing psychology, motivation science and emotional regulation.
Self gifting is already widespread
Consumer psychology research reports that around 75% of people have self gifted at least once and thirteen percent do so regularly*. Even more powerful 40% of people self gift without any specific occasion simply because they want to*. That is called agency not indulgence.
Self gifting shift your brain chemistry
Studies on holiday stress confirm that people who intentionally treat themselves even with small gifts experience increased happiness reduced pressure and greater relaxation**. This is because acts of self care and self reward stimulate dopamine serotonin and oxytocin the neurotransmitters linked to pleasure mood balance and emotional regulation***.
A moisturising ritual, a warm bath, a nourishing body product or a moment of dedicated care is not trivial. It has a measurable emotional and physiological impact.
Self rewards reduce burnout
Research into self incentive behaviour shows that self rewards improve motivation and increase goal completion****. For mothers and grandmothers carrying significant festive labour this matters. When you have something nurturing to look forward to you can move through demanding periods with more resilience and emotional balance.
Self care supports sleep immunity and resilience
Self care practices including intentional self gifting are linked to improved sleep stronger immunity greater resilience and reduced anxiety*****. In other words caring for yourself improves your ability to care for others.
Dry Turkey Energy Versus Moist Woman Energy
Our Dry Turkey message is simple. Women run themselves ragged every December. The turkey is basted but the women are dry. Hormones are turning the moisture tap down while the world is turning the demands up.
We are here to change the script.
Moisture is in. Comfort is in. Pleasure is in. Choosing yourself is in.
This Christmas Gift Yourself First
Not after the chores.
Not after the cooking.
Not after everyone else has been sorted.
First.
Give yourself the moisture the softness, the nourishment, the time and the care that you freely give to everyone else. A woman who is hydrated, soothed, cared for and self gifted is powerful. She is regulated. She is present. She is capable of approaching the holiday season without losing herself in it.
Sources:
*Psychology Today 2024
**Discover Magazine 2024
*** Psych Central 2023.
****Science Direct 2014
*****Restless 2023
About the author
