I always look to history for crumbled clues of truth. When considering cosmetics, it’s interesting to note that the Greek linguistic derivative is “cosmos”. To me this conveys an enthusiasm paralleling the merge between the beautiful celestial gods and goddesses to earthly humans through the use of colors, herbs, flowers and oils; anointing humankind with the bliss, beauty and expansiveness of the cosmos. This interpretation is less inspiring to me when we consider the typical cosmetic store line-up, of factory made, mass-produced, synthetic or even toxic bleh that often fills the majority of every shelf in todays skincare market.
I can’t tell you how many times women say, “What do you use on your skin? You are glowing!” And all I can respond is, “Thank you! I smother myself in oil everyday.” The shock generally sets in and I hear typical retorts of how they can’t do that because they have oily skin, it clogs your pores, and it would feel greasy. Whatever the excuse, no joke, I would be at the gas station and have people hollering at me as the shiny oil lady. I was shining like a diamond in the sun and my skin was singing a radiant song of magnetic luminosity.
Here is the information I wish I knew back in the day of bubbling cleanser and oil stripping facial creams. Because the truth besides those products decreasing the radiance of my skin, those products made me feel, well, so basic.
Let’s consider the qualities you are looking for in healthy skin.
- supple
- hydrated
- smooth
- soft
- clear
If we think about qualities in Nature there is a general principle practiced in Ayurveda that like increases like. So, to increase these properties we listed above we need to add something smooth, soft and hydrating to the skin. What you may not know is that cleansers or unnatural agents used in common skincare products strip the sebum from the skin surface. Sebum is the oily substance on the surface of the skin that protects it from bacteria and keeps it hydrated and healthy. When we strip the sebum from the skin surface the body jumps in to protect us and begins overly producing that fatty substance. If you are in the category of thinking you want to get the excess oil off your skin using harsh chemicals actually can be creating the issue by offsetting sebum production.
In Sanskrit the word for oil is sneha, which also means love. There are many layers to this meaning, but essentially adding high quality fats to our skin and consuming in a healthy way is an act of love. We become soft, supple, radiant and healthy beings. Our skin then becomes a reflection of those properties and we glow!
The Essential Skin Care Oil Ritual
If you are new to skin oiling we recommend trying this for 10-14 days and seeing what results you get. Commonly we hear women share that they no longer wear makeup and are getting so much positive response it’s amazing.
- Clean your skin with our tallow-based CLEANSING BALM. If you are concerned about having excess oil on the skin try a gentle dry powder face scrub. Lentil flour works extremely well and can be combined with sandalwood (cooling and smells divine) or neem (for any bacteria that may be on the skin).
- Gently pat the skin dry.
- Apply a dime size amount of our tallow-based FOREVER CREAM or high quality organic oil. Sesame, coconut, jojoba or almond oil is a nice place to start. Massage into face and décolleté. Using gentle circular movements allow the oil to penetrate into the skin by gently stimulating the face.
- Leave cream or oil on skin, or if you would prefer take a warm steam shower to rinse excess from face. The steam will allow the fats to move deeper into the tissues. After bathing, pat skin dry. Massage a pea size amount of cream or oil onto skin if desired for a hydrating finish.
After a few days most women notice sebum production becomes balanced and the skin reacts beautifully to the fat in the products. This process can be used on the entire body for radiant results.
Let’s tap back into the cosmic connection we have with the natural gifts here on Earth, supporting us to feel like the goddess we are; radiant and glowing with love from the inside out.