Bringing your Inner Beauty to Light: Creating a Self-Care Ritual

Skincare products can do amazing things.

On the surface, they can nourish our skin, calm irritation, combat signs of stress, and bring vibrancy back to dull and tired skin. All of these effects are wonderful, and for some, can add a life-changing boost of confidence. But with intention, skincare can do so much more.

Health, healing, and wellness can—and should—go deeper than just the surface. It’s not just what you do every now and then that makes a difference (although it can help) but the rituals you create for yourself, that space where you create meaning and purpose, which can truly be transformative. It’s more than just picking a lotion or cream with the hope that it will fix a problem, put it on and walking out the door.

There can be magic in creating a self-care ritual, tailored just for you.

Each and every one of you is unique and special. There’s no one else in the world quite like you! Which is why you each deserve to let your inner beauty shine.

So what does this mean?

The Power to Change—Inside and Out!

We wrote “It’s Not You or Your Skin, It’s Your Skincare Products!” as a response to the overwhelmingly common frustration that many of our students experience, trying to address a persistent and frustrating skin concern. In that article, we wanted to reassure you that no matter how frustrating your struggle has been, odds are that it’s not some intrinsic flaw in your skin, which can’t ever be fixed, but a challenge to find the proper products to meet your skin’s needs.

You’re not broken.

You can—with intention, proper formulating knowledge, and the right tools—create your own products and tailor them to suit your needs, values, and desires. The best part about that is you know exactly what is in the products you make, and you can avoid the ingredients that you find harsh, or simply view as undesirable.

And, you can take that one step further, setting yourself up with a sacred space for a daily beauty routine that transcends the physical, and makes your passion for this creative hobby something more meaningful, magical, and empowering. Instead of only making time and space to make your products, make special time and space for you to use them.

Note: Those with chronic conditions should seek the advice of a medical professional before starting any routine!

Creating a Skincare Ritual

What does a skincare ritual mean? Although the word might conjure up (ha!) all kinds of images, ritual isn’t anything sinister, dark, or negative, it simply means an empowering routine that is infused with your positive intentions for what you wish to accomplish. It’s about giving yourself the gift of time and a sacred space to focus yourself, body and soul, as you thoughtfully apply your products.

In a sense, formulation can be a ritual—a set way of creating, the proper steps you have to follow, to get your desired end result—once you approach it with intention and infuse it your passion, your spirit. We like to encourage people to make their own products, to take control of what they use, and to help find the passion and spirit and energy in their creative hobby.

In the same way, we all have the power to supercharge anything we want! If you are passionate about natural and organic skincare, we ask you to bring that passion into your daily life in the way you use your products, and honour yourself in the process. You can infuse your skincare practice with passion, belief, and purpose.

Your skin is yearning to be nourished and treated to the very best. Is your spirit, your inner self, yearning for the same thing?

What Ritual Looks Like For You

Just like with formulation, the key to creating a skincare ritual is to begin with the end result in mind. Start with the result you want to have—what would you like to experience? How do you want to feel about yourself when your ritual is complete?

I want to feel… empowered, clarified, focused, determined, healthy, radiant, awake, peaceful…

Next, think about what time of day might be best for your self-care routine. Mornings can be powerful, a great way to begin the day with intention, clarity, and purpose, but right before bed can be excellent as well. What suits you, and your lifestyle, best?

I want to set my intention for the day…

I want to peacefully drift off to a healing, restful sleep…

Then, think about the space for your ritual, as well as the other elements you can bring into your space, to set the mood and reinforce your intention. This could include anything from music, candles, diffusing oils or burning incense, holding a stone or crystal to use as a focus point, or incorporating yoga, qigong, or some other physical movement before or after your ritual. Or even something as simple as a bath or shower!

I define my ritual space with scent, feeling, and emotion… here, in the safety of my ritual space, I can begin to set my intention…

Finally, consider the products you will use for your ritual, and in what order. Which products should you start with? We have a few ideas…

Simple Products, Big Changes

Starting small and simple with your product choices is great not only for beginners, but for anyone who wants to make a focus point for their own intentional skincare work. Rather than making lots and lots of different products, you can make products for a purpose. That makes it easier to learn how to do it properly, if you’re brand-new, perfect your skills, if you’ve got some experience, and overall, to make products that work.

Trying to make too many products, too quickly, can be expensive, time consuming, and make you lose sight of your original goal. Remember, the focus here is on you. When you get caught up in making lots and lots of products—and we’ve all been there!—it’s possible to get carried away and overwhelmed. Start simple, and do it right, the first time.

Do It Yourself, For Yourself

Creating that sacred space gives you time to focus on what’s positive, what’s beautiful, and to honor yourself. This takes us beyond the physical and beyond just our skin. It transforms a when-I-remember-to-do-it occurrence into a ritual focused on our own intentional wellbeing, health, and happiness. And you can weave your passion and hobby for natural & organic skincare into the space.

Sure, you could go and buy some amazing products that are natural, organic or vegan and bring them into your newly-created space. But there’s something special about creating your own products and using them in this way—not to mention the fact that it will be cheaper to make your own!

Once you do know how to make your own products, you get the joy from creating them, the excitement from using them, the satisfaction of seeing the results, all wrapped up into a sacred space created by you for the purpose of honouring yourself.

If you’re not sure where to get started with a ritual, here’s a simple routine to get you started!

Creating a Ritual, One Step at a Time

Here’s a simple routine that works for all skin types for a morning or evening routine:

Prep: Wet a cloth with warm water (not hot) and squeeze out the excess moisture. Gently lay the cloth across your face, and allow it to rest there for one minute. This will prep skin for cleansing.

Cleanse: Remove the cloth, and apply a nourishing cleansing oil. A properly-formulated cleansing oil or balm will not clog pores. On the contrary, it will give a deep, thorough, yet gentle cleansing, removing all traces of makeup, pore-clogging sebum, and environmental pollutants.

Tone and hydrate: If you are using a toner or facial mist, this is the time to use it. It will hydrate your skin and plump it. As part of an evening routine you could choose a liquid AHA or BHA toner. If you’re new to using AHAs and BHA, start with a low concentration of 1-2%. Both AHAs and BHAs are used as chemical exfoliants, the remove dead skin cells and leave skin soft and smooth. This step ensures your skin will receive maximum benefit from the final hydration and moisturizing step.

Serums: If you are using serums, apply them in this step. Light, water based serums should be used first, then emulsion serums, then oil serums.

Moisturize: Apply a moisturizer that includes water and oils to both hydrate and condition the skin. Try to choose one with vitamin E or other antioxidants to help your skin fight free radicals. We explained more about what is needed in an effective moisturizer here.

Apply an SPF. If you’re using this routine in the morning then it’s important to apply a good sunscreen. (Don’t attempt to make your own though, here’s why).

Occasional treatments

Exfoliating products: Depending on how abrasive the exfoliator is, it may be used once or twice per week. It’s best to use it after the skin has been properly cleansed and before hydrating products.

Masks: Facemasks are typically used once a week. Of course, if you feel like your skin needs more pampering, you can use a mask more often.

In our next article, we’ll be exploring treatments in more detail and how to create a home spa!

Get Started: It’s Easy!

We can teach you how to make your own complete skin care range including cleansers, toners, hydrating mists, exfoliators, serums and moisturizers!

If you’re brand-new to making products, and want to learn more about how you can develop thoughtful rituals with hand-crafted products, made to suit your skincare needs, then we recommend our Certificate in Making Natural Skincare Products online course!

If you have a bit more experience, then the Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation might be the best choice for you! Both the Diploma and the Certificate course are hosted in our state-of-the-art online classroom, which enables you to study in your own time at your own pace from the comfort of your own home.

We’d love to welcome you to our vibrant online community, help you to take your power back, ditch products laden with ingredients you either don’t want to use or that are known to cause harm or irritation, and supercharge your health and wellbeing with a new and empowering creative hobby.

(Who knows? It might become more than just a hobby! You might join many of our students who have gone on to set up their own brands!)

Want to learn more? Check out our free Natural Beauty Recipes book, right here!

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