It’s nice to have our little daily self-care rituals. We all know the value of looking after our body and deeming ourselves worthy of the time it takes to care deeply for it.
Everything else in life can often feel like a chore and energy-draining, but the bathroom can become our sacred self-care space. Body care rituals allow us to fill up our cups to care for others and look after loved ones with a positive mindset.
Here are four simple body rituals you can add to your routine that’ll leave you feeling overflowing and energised for the rest of your day.
Dry Body Brushing
This gentle body massage, achieved with a unique, stiff-bristled brush, removes dead skin, increases circulation, and eliminates toxins. It’s excellent for reducing cellulite.
Before a shower, get your dry body brush and repeat long, medium-pressure strokes from your feet up the body towards the heart to encourage stagnant lymph fluid to re-enter the bloodstream.
Start at your feet, moving to your lower leg, knee, thigh, butt and back. As you move to your stomach, use circular motions to help promote good digestion. Next, brush your back of hands, forearm, upper arm, and finally the heart again; circular motions are best here.
End with a warm shower and your favourite moisturiser. For the best results, practise once or twice a week.
Cleansing
Cleansing should be the first step in any skincare routine, including your body care. It removes dirt, sweat, germs, impurities, excess oil, sunscreen and dead skin cells from the body.
It's best to use a product like our Body Wash, which is an infusion of Cinnamon Bark and White Oak Bark, making it revitalising and healing for every skin type. Cinnamon reduces signs of ageing, softens dry skin, fights skin infections, and improves skin complexion. One of the most important roles it plays is in maintaining healthy skin.
Moisturising
Taking our time to apply moisturiser post-shower or bath is the ultimate self-care treat for our bodies. Rather than just slapping it on, choose a calming and loving scent such as our Body Crème with Gardenia Flower and Rose. Then, gently massage your crème into your body, starting at your feet and working your way up to your heart just as we did with our dry body brushing.
Start at your feet, moving to your lower leg, knee, thigh, butt and back. As you move to your stomach, use circular motions to help promote good digestion. Next, brush your back of hands, forearm, upper arm, and finally the heart again; circular motions are best here.
For the best results, apply your moisturiser daily. Taking the extra two minutes to gently massage it into the skin will instantly fill up your self-care cup.
Bath or Shower Steamer
Taking 15-20 minutes out to have a beautiful bath with your favourite essential oils and Epsom salts helps calm the nervous system, reduce inflammation, sleep better and even lower blood pressure. Plus, they can provide you with some much needed alone time to recharge and simply be.
If you don’t have a bath, not to worry, you don’t have to miss out. Shower steamers are becoming popular, and you simply pop one in the bottom of your shower and allow the steam from your warm shower drift the scent through your shower and bathroom and as you cleanse.
To get the most out of this ritual, give your bathroom spa vibes with a vase of flowers, a salt lamp, a candle and other beautiful objects, like crystals.
Nourishing our whole body isn't just about the aesthetics of softer skin. The act of a body care ritual reminds us how important it is to slow down and take care of ourselves.
Written by Zanna Taeni