Attention spoiler alert in this post: Canadian winter is cold. Scarf and snow hat kind yes. I’m not going out of my house until April, yes. But as it is almost impossible to cut off from the world during the 5 months of cold (well I speak for myself if you can bravo and say hi to Netflix from me) we must find solutions to not give up mid January, take a one-way flight to Cuba and never come back. Survive the Canadian Cold: My advice is now.
Tip number 1: Do not dress too much.
Wait until I develop before strolling in a T-shirt on King Street by -25 degrees in the middle of January. Do not dress too early. Currently we are slowly sliding towards negative temperatures after weeks between 3 and 10 degrees. I can already see some people jumping into their triple thickness Canada Goose without wondering what they would be able to wear once the real winter came.
Try to keep as long as possible without a big jacket to give you some options when it’s really cold. For the moment I did not take out my jackets and I play with the thicknesses and especially my XXL scarf which we could also call plaid. Mine comes from Zara who still has a lot in store. Once the winter jacket out you will not leave it until April, so take your time to let it come back in your life (In addition seriously they are heavy, the less I wear it the better I wear).
Tip number 2: Onion you will be.
Have you heard this song since you were old enough to dress alone? Well, maybe there’s a little bit of truth in it if everyone keeps repeating the same chorus. Onion technique: basic tee-shirt underneath, pretty sweater from above, half-season jacket like a perfecto and then winter jacket with its gloves-hat-scarf combo. Several benefits: protects from the big bad cold trying to slip under your clothes, then North America is a fan of heating and air conditioning, prepare to live in the middle of summer once at the office / mall / museum / transport . Having several thicknesses allows to remove a little until finding the proper attire at room temperature.
Tip Number 3: Walk the walls.
Some find that Toronto is a windy city, others like me grow in the Rhone Valley and concede that yes there is a breeze at times. Anyway to protect you from the wind run along the walls, when you wait to cross do not wait on the edge of the sidewalk but rather at the corner of the building (the opposite angle to the direction of the wind one s’ is understood?). It sounds like a little far-fetched advice, but you’ll think of me the next time you walk along a wall to avoid the wind or wait at a street corner.
Tip number 4: Sexy you will be.
Polar tights. Just the name is sexy ^^. Imagine a thick sticky kind of wool tights that you wear in large section of kindergarten. Try to imagine this same tights but uglier, it’s good you are there. No, I’m exaggerating a bit, if you are the only person to see them you are safe, things get complicated if you are a couple and want to live a little spontaneously and kind of return and jump on you. Forget all spontaneity once winter has arrived. Bathroom case, undressing, we remove the tights from under the pants, we put on a proper outfit and go. If you just meet someone and that’s the beginning of your relationship and well … you’ll prefer to be cold … believe me. Polar tights available at Dollorama for $ 2 or $ 3.
Tip number 5: the extremities.
Hats, gloves and hats are not really your cup of tea? Well, it’s not too late to change your mind. If the feet, hands and head are well covered the heat does not escape your body. If the heat does not escape from your body you do not curl the loaves. Simple as hello no? Little trick to keep them warm? Add a thermal sole in your shoes, found at Dollorama for a few dollars.
Tip Number 6: Change your habits.
Especially if you live your first Canadian winter, it will probably have to change your moisturizing creams, the winter is dry, the winter is long, the skin needs a suitable treatment. On my side I use La Roche Posay (that I buy in France when I can so much the price difference is important). Taking particular care of your face that will be the only part of your side difficult to protect from the cold (There is always the hood option .. nightmare of any kid who grew up in the 90s).
Tip Number 7: Homoeoplasmine.
Do you all know this thick and greasy cream that is used at the base to cure burns? Well she will become your best friend to pass the story without red nose or chapped lips. Attention from this point the notion of sexy no longer exists. I use homeoplasmin for years, my mother made us put at the entrance of the nostril (I told you we forgot the sexy here …) before going to bed when we had the nose stuffy. We wake up released and ready to breathe again. Also effective on the nose irritated by the handkerchiefs, it is magic in my opinion.
For some years I have been using it both summer and winter to moisturize my lips. 2 big advantages in my opinion. The hydration is done in depth and not only on the surface like a classic lip balm. The cream holds hours on the lips, no feeling of dry lips 1 hour after leaving the house. In Canada the name is Cicadermine, always by Boiron Laboratories. Not easy to find in stores but pharmacies can order it. You can use any oily cream, like the one used to moisturize tattoos for example.
Do you have other tips to share with us?
Enjoy the end of the week mes petits loups à frange.
On the picgtures: Valence map: Mapiful – Nug: Indigo – Mala: Mala Prayer – Phone case: Ideal of Sweden – Agenda: Anthropologie – Ose frame: hand made by Jolies Dates. Candle, buddha candle, forever frame, rug, letter M: Homesense.
