With dry winter weather in full swing, it’s essential to have remedies on hand to nourish, hydrate, and protect the skin you’re in. What’s more, having a daily skin routine can actually have a dual effect in supporting your mental and emotional well-being while transforming your physical state. This is especially true if you infuse your routine with intention – creating a “nourishing skin ritual,” which I’ll explain below!
Oil is one of the most beautiful naturally occurring remedies to both feed the skin and strengthen self-connection. The daily application of oils on the skin has been an integral part of ancient holistic medical systems around the world, such as in Ayurveda (from India) and Traditional Chinese Medicine, ancient Egypt and beyond, since time immemorial.
Sticking with oil alone verses combining oil and water, such as in a cream, can be a much easier entry point into creating your own natural and organic skincare, as water unpreserved could lead to a dangerous build up of yeast, bacteria and mold.
While oil is not “moisturizing” in the true sense of the word, it does have the capacity to lock moisture into the skin and retain a supremely luscious, luxurious and hydrating look, feel and sensation. As divine as oil is (there’s a reason why Cleopatra was so into it) it’s also incredibly easy to work with whether you’re a die-hard DIYer or have just begun to dabble in making your Pinterest board dreams a reality.
Nourishing Body Oil Ritual Routine
This recipe creates 4 oz of body oil and works best when applied to damp, freshly washed skin to retain moisture and hydration.
- Choose Your Carrier Oils Carrier oils are generally pressed and extracted from nuts, fruits, and seeds and help “carry” essential oils into deeper layers of the skin and bloodstream. For an ultra-nourishing body oil, heavier carrier oils such as Avocado Oil, Apricot Kernal Oil, Sunflower Oil (high oleic), and Olive Oil can work well.
- Mix Your Combo A beautiful combo to start with is 2 oz. Sunflower Oil (Sunflower Oil makes a rich, highly emollient massage oil without leaving a greasy residue), 1 oz. Avocado Oil / Olive Oil (heavier oils), ½ oz. Apricot kernal, ½ oz. Jojoba Oil (specialty oils).
- Choose Your Essential Oils (Optional) Emotionally grounding essential oils can greatly enhance the effects of your skincare routine. An especially grounding and heart-nourishing combination of oils can include: Patchouli, Cedarwood, Ylang Ylang, Rose Geranium, and more. Use between 80 – 120 drops of essential oils in 4 oz of body oil.
Essential Oils Number of Drops Patchouli (Pogostemun cablin) 22 Drops Cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica or Cedrus deodora) 39 Drops Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) 22 Drops Rose Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens or Pelargonium capitatum) 17 Drops Carrier Oils Volume Sunflower Oil 1 Ounce Avocado Oil or Olive Oil 1 Ounce Apricot Kernel Oil 1/2 Ounce Jojoba Oil 1/2 Ounce Add essential oils to your 2 ounce bottle and swirl to mix. Check the aroma and adjust to your preferences. Add carriers and shake to mix.
- Start Your Ritual Voila! Now you have a gorgeous, highly-nourishing body oil to use in your potent skincare ritual routine. To start, massage the oil between the palms and bring to the face. Close your eyes, inhale the aroma, and allow your awareness to come to your body and the present moment. Begin to massage the entire body with the warming, rich oil. Visualize the oil as a nurturing warm blanket that you wrap around yourself. Focus on protecting and stimulating special areas of the body such as the chest and heart center and soles of the feet. Notice the changes with your skin and senses – perhaps once dull and depleted now invigorated, rejuvenated and restored.
Your nourishing winter skincare ritual can be applied morning and night and as frequently as you’d like to restore the skin and senses. Each time you go to pour your heartfelt handmade concoction, remember that everything you need is right at your fingertips to nourish your skin, mind and emotions from the inside out.
