Battle Dreary Winter Days With Color
Color Therapy For Dark Winter Moods
Winter is here, and we’ve already moved through the cozy holidays full of glittering lights, merry-making, and amazing food. What’s left can feel like a long, cold slog through the rest of a season short on daylight and joy. It doesn’t have to, though! While it’s no wonder many of us can experience down periods or depression during this time, we can use color therapy as part of our toolbox against dark moods.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Sometimes, the "winter blues" are more than just being tired of cold, short days: some people may suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The acronym is super apropos, no? If you find yourself feeling depressed and lethargic, having trouble sleeping or concentrating, noticing changes in your appetite or weight, you could be experiencing seasonal affective disorder.
SAD may be caused by the disruption of our circadian rhythms due to less light availability during the winter months. It could also be due to a disruption of our serotonin levels caused by the same lack of light - or a change in melatonin levels, which influence your sleep patterns. Goodness knows that a messed up sleep cycle can negatively affect anyone!
Whether you’re in treatment for SAD or just looking for a way to shake off those winter doldrums, engaging in a little color therapy may help lift your mood and that of those around you!
Hair Color Inspo Therapy
Winter can wreak havoc on our prized locks, leaving our hair dry and dull and full-on blah. That’s why it’s important to have a winter hair care routine that keeps your hair looking its best. A bad hair day is no one’s friend! Once your hair is back to being touchably soft and beautifully shiny, though, you might still feel like something’s lacking in the depths of the winter season.
Highlights
When you need a mood boost and to remember the sun, consider having highlights added to your hair. Glowing golden, caramel, and honey highlights are in right now, adding just the right amount of sun-kissed to your locks for an instant attitude lift.
Dip Dye
Having your long tresses (or shorter ones!) dip dyed has been on trend for a while now, but it can still refresh your spirits on dreary winter days - especially if you’re adding it to your all-over silver ‘do. Go for bright or dramatic colors, whichever you’re feeling more - jewel tones across the spectrum can pop and glow and inspire.
Sunset Shades
If you can’t stop dreaming of tropical sunsets on warm beaches with umbrella’d cocktails, why not wear that daydream loud and proud? Vibrant all-over color in layers of hot pink, burnt orange, and honeyed gold can make you smile any time you catch a glimpse of your hair - and you’ll no doubt have others smiling, too.
Makeup Your Mood
Painting your face can be fun and influence your whole mood - so makeup is just one more tool in your arsenal against Old Man Winter. Embrace higher spirits by throwing your face in his!
Red
A red lip is always a bold choice, and it always stands out - but it just seems to have extra oomph on cold, bright days. March on dreariness wearing your favorite shade of red and let that boldness infuse your day. Dramatic eyes don’t hurt either!
Warm
Warm colors are another perfect choice when insulating yourself from dank and dreary days - choose a deeper red variant for your lips paired with sparkling eye shadow and a sharp winged cut crease for maximum va-va-voom.
Candy
Showcase your playful spirit for some instant cheer and play with candy-colored shades in your makeup routine. It may remind you a bit of the 80s, but that just means it's retro and cool. Play with sky-blue eyeshadow and a lively lip color like purple.
Pop Your Wardrobe
Another easy way to add a pop of color and a burst of brightness to dreary winter days is through judicious use of your wardrobe - find those pieces that “spark joy” (y’all know what I’m talking about) and put them into your sartorial rotation.
Bright Accessories
Pair candy-colored winter hats and scarves with your candy-colored makeup - it's wonderful what a cerulean knit cap and a teal wool scarf can do for you in the face of snow and darkness. Just pretend you're a tropical mermaid experiencing a land-bound winter. Experiment with jewel tones, too!
Living Color
Put your wish for spring out into the universe and embrace your favorite color at the same time - put together an outfit in shades of purple, blue, yellow, or whatever makes your heart sing. The fashionable impact’s in pulling off different shades of the same color in the same outfit.
Statement Coats
Coats may be a necessity during winter, but that doesn’t mean they ever need be boring. Throw a defiant flag up in the face of seasonal affective disorder or the winter doldrums that says NOPE. No, you won’t be dragged down by short days being cooped up inside and locked into layers. Your bold spirit is bound to be infectious and leave others feeling revitalized, too. (My favorite choice for this is a brilliant red coat, but you do you.)
Ready to take the season by storm and fight winter with glorious color? We’re right behind you! Share your best winter looks on Instagram, and tag us @isa.professional so we can see!
