Ancient secrets and practices to slow down time! Find Five Evergreen Beauty Rituals you can try at home

By |Published On: June 10th, 2021|
Self care rituals
beautiful young woman with stylish jewelry. night dream concept

I chose to write about evergreen beauty rituals because in the last year and a half rituals have started to play a big role in our lives again. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but people have become interested in old beauty practices and ancient wisdom when it comes to wellbeing and health. May be because we feel so uncertain and lost in the NOW.

Many years ago I spent three years living in Africa, learning about their culture through their rituals, stories and food. When you look closer at rituals, they are a powerful tool for uniting people and creating a certain culture that keeps a consistent narrative within any community. Rituals today have become important to companies culture in order to maintain the values and vision and mission. 

Over the past year, rituals have started once again becoming important for our personal lives. Beside trying to hold family units together, rituals reflect our desire to make the days spent at home more exciting, marking time and adding more value to a mundane routine. We’ve embraced rituals of self-care, of celebrating small occasions between friends, and of honouring our own spiritual journeys, the phases of the moon and so on….

Prom and Quinceanera Ritiual
TRINIDAD, CUBA – DECEMBER 9, 2013: Traditional 15th birthday celebration – fifteen (Quinceanera), on this day, a teenager becomes an adult, she has the right to pick up a dating, going to dances.

Some History

A few days ago I found myself getting into a discussion about Proms. This had nothing to do with my daughter, who is far from high school graduation age. Instead it was to do with a report and a debate my husband and I were watching on TV. On the screen, a caravan of cars full of cheering young people were cruising up and down in front of their school. It was both incredibly sweet and incredibly sad all at the same time. Because we’re still in times of pandemic, and many girls and boys can’t celebrate their graduations, the question was raised: Is there any point of Proms after all?

“Of course we need to celebrate high-school graduation”, I said, which later provoked a discussion about the importance and need of every society to have its own rituals.

Proms, just like weddings, funerals and baby showers, mark important milestones in our life. For me, rituals are celebrating the end of a chapter and the entering of a different phase of life. In other words, rituals define beginnings and ends of developmental or social phases. They give structure to our social worlds and help us understand time, relationships, and change. 

As Rebecca J. Lester Ph.D., MSW, LCSW says in Psychology Today:

“One of the most important features of rituals is that they do not only mark time; they create time. Anthropologists have long studied social rituals as a way of understanding what a group of people believes and what they value. Of particular interest to anthropologists is a class of rituals called ‘rites of passage’.”

Finish school ritual

If you’ve ever been interested in anthropology you’ll know that most rituals that different societies have created over time, are meant to also help people process and accept the transitioning and responsibilities of their new roles. For example, weddings and all the little funny traditions we have during a wedding. These are meant to celebrate and also inform the future wife and husband about their new roles (read about some strange traditions in different societies on their wedding days). Or finishing high-school is meant to signify the importance of entering a new phase of adulthood. When you think about it, the whole idea of dressing up in a suit and wearing high heels and a glamorous dress for prom is meant to show that you’re now becoming an adult.

A ritual is not a habit

Beside social rituals, there are daily rituals that have become especially important in a time of social isolation. Rituals give structure to our days. They mark time and reinforce habits, while changing the way we see our reality. Rituals are considered one of the most effective self-empowering tools that are absolutely free and available to everyone.

“A ritual is not the same as a habit. The difference? Mindfulness.”

So what are some of these everyday rituals? Writing a journal, taking a cold shower, drinking hot water with lemon, saying a prayer, soaking in a salt bath. The list can be long and there are so many tips online for morning rituals, or rituals of highly successful people that can inspire your own day. What’s most important is that when you choose your own daily rituals, you need to choose only those that speak to you personally and that you’ll take the time to really practice. Rituals are not just another thing on your to-do list!

“A ritual is not the same as a habit. The difference? Mindfulness. A habit is something we do without thinking, whereas a ritual requires a certain degree of premeditation to make sure it happens. Certainly, a well-worn ritual can become a habit, but it’s important that it begins as a conscious effort to mark the importance of something.”, says Laura Shear in her article on Zendesk

Rituals are meant to slow down time and pause your busy schedule, so you become aware of what is now and connect with yourself in this present space. In the past year I’ve seen the return of many ancient rituals related to the New and Full Moon. For example, Ayurveda beauty and health rituals, and simple rituals like sun gazing and walking barefoot at sunrise.

Rituals are powerful practices of self-care and self-cultivation!

This brings me to the point of self-care and beauty rituals. While the world is becoming more and more saturated with beauty and self-care products, women are also starting to rethink their beauty routines and rituals. My feeling is that spending more time at home in the past year has triggered many of us to start trying “old” techniques and evergreen beauty rituals that honour and enhance our personal, authentic beauty. For example I used to have a cupboard full of products, but I cleaned up my bathroom and started using only a few well-proven products, while doing my own facials almost daily. I started my own evening ritual of lifting face massages, I learnt the art of sipping green tea, journaling, body sugaring and cold showers. I learnt to hit the pause button and take a nap when I need to. In a way all that felt like re-establishing the connection between my body, mind and spirit. 

Evergreen Beauty & Self-Care Rituals

When it comes to self-care and evergreen beauty rituals I like to look back in history or at cultures, who seem to take their wellbeing and longevity seriously. When I was doing my research on evergreen beauty rituals i came across the Japanese OFURO as   RITUALS blog:

“In Japan, perhaps no daily habit is as sacred as soaking in a steaming bath at the end of a long day. The Japanese bathe daily, whether in their own private bathroom, a public bathhouse or a communal hot spring. They don’t just plunge in—the tradition of Japanese ofuro is carefully crafted to cleanse, heal and relax. Settling into a cradle of soothing warm water and simply experiencing the sensations of the bath—the water, steam, heat and fragrances—bring both the body and mind into a profound state of well-being”.

Another culture that seemed to take their beauty rituals seriously were the ancient Egyptians:

A typical regimen for a woman living during the Middle Kingdom (ca. 2030–1650 B.C.E.) would have been indulgent. Before applying any makeup, she would first prepare her skin. She might exfoliate with Dead Sea salts or luxuriate in a milk bath; milk-and-honey face masks were also popular treatments. She could apply incense pellets to her underarms as deodorant, and floral- or spice-infused oils to soften her skin. Egyptians also invented a natural method of waxing with a mixture of honey and sugar. “Sugaring”, as it’s called today, has been revived by beauty companies as a less painful alternative to hot wax. Source: Artsy.net

Below you can find out 5 more evergreen beauty rituals based, based on ancient practices:

evergreen beauty rituals

We all know about the benefits of drinking green tea, but that’s not the only point when we talk about the Ritual of drinking tea. The idea is that through the ancient ritual of preparing, serving and drinking your tea,  you slow down time and re-establish the connecting with your senses and self. The whole aesthetic around the ritual transforms the experience into a divine harmonious ceremony that heals your body and soul, and uplifts your spirit.

ancient beauty ritual

One of the most popular old-school techniques that helps with blood circulation and keeping a youthful face is the self-massage. Whether you are using a Gua Sha stone, a face roller or your hands, the effects are amazing! All you need is a good face oil or cream and about 10 minute at the end of your day. The most obvious benefits: skin rejuvenation, glowing complexion and improved texture. my favourite sources for a good face massage at home are: The Moments and the Glowbe App .

Ayurveda ancient beauty rituals

There is a lot of Ancient Wisdom in Ayurveda and the reason why it is so powerful is because it encourages people to to look into their individual constitution, becoming aware of what their body and spirit need and what foods and drinks can support their wellbeing. One of the most precious rituals I do at home daily is preparing digestive and healing drinks and waters that support my dominant Vata type. Depending on your constitution you can find different healing waters and drinks easy to make at home Mapi.com . The foundation of all the Ayurveda rituals is re-establishing the connection with your body.

breathing beauty ritual

One of my most favourite and easy ways to replenish and uplift the quality of my skin is through the simple technique of breathing.  Deep breathing flushes the excess carbon dioxide from our body and replaces it with a rich supply of cell-energising oxygen. This inner pick-me-up improves circulation, invigorates the cells and minimises the impact of stress on the skin. More than this taking the time to sit and focus on your breath, to breathe with intention, is an act of inviting amazing inner and outer transformation. Read more how to practice good breathing for your beauty and wellbeing here./

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dry brushing ritual

Dry Brushing seems to be one evergreen beauty ritual known among many ancient cultures. The Ancient Egyptians, who were the pioneers of extraordinary beauty rituals used the dry body brushing technique exfoliating with natural enzymes from sour milk and wine for soft, supple skin.  Ayurvedic dry-brushing, called garshana (pronounced gar-shun-uh) was used to stimulate circulation and blood flow. Garshana is traditionally done using raw silk or linen gloves, though many prefer to use a natural bristle body brush. Traditional Chinese dry brushing uses the dried fibres of a gourd fruit called silk squash, commonly known as a loofah. Externally, luffa can be used either alone or mixed with sesame oil to remove dead skin, stimulate circulation and is associated with the Lung, Stomach and Liver meridians. (source: Province Apothecary)

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About the Author: Tsitaliya Mircheva

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Tsitaliya is a writer and fashion journalist for more than 20 years. She founded Mums in Heels 10 years ago and keeps growing and evolving together with her community or fashionable mums and responsible consumers. Fashion and Wellness are her most favourite topics to write about.