Comforting Skin Care Rituals to Look Out for Yourself

Create Your Environment

The physical space around you can influence how you feel. Be guided by your senses.

Comforting Skin Care Rituals Involving Sight

~ It’s all about the lighting. Do you love sunlight? Open the windows. Do you like setting more of a mood? Draw those curtains and light a candle. Or put up color-changing LED lights that your kids are using in their rooms. Hang a favorite piece of art in your space. It doesn’t have to be expensive but can be a flea market find or something you have created on a whim.

Comforting Skin Care Rituals Involving Smell

~ Our strongest of the five senses, smell, is the reason you instantly flash back to something in your past, like to high school when you smell a certain brand of hairspray. Candles, essential oils, and aromatherapy diffusers are all instant mood changers. Try citrus for a mood boost, lavender for relaxation, eucalyptus for focus.

If you prefer incense, try something earthy and grounding such as sandalwood or patchouli.

Comforting Skin Care Rituals Involving Touch

~ Going barefoot as much as possible is not only good for our muscles and our posture, but it helps us connect to the earth. Let your feet feel the ground beneath you. You might prefer the natural feel of hardwood floors or the coolness of stark tile one day and the next day you could be craving a plush towel or furry rug under your feet.  

~ By controlling the temperature of your hands and feet, you can help reset your whole body temperature. If you want to warm up, try placing a heating pad or hot water bottle at your feet or even soaking your feet in warm water with essential oils. If you want to cool down, run cool water over your feet, especially helpful to take down swelling after a hard day’s work.

Comforting Skin Care Rituals Involving Sound

~ Music can reset any room instantaneously (“Oh my God, I love this song!). But also think about Mother’s Nature’s soundtrack as an option. If you are trying to escape the day, try a recording of running water, the sound of rain, ocean waves, or birds singing or even singing bells.

On the other hand, if you are prepping your skin for that hot date, queue up Solange or Dua Lipa and go to town. 

Comforting Skin Care Rituals Involving Taste

~ Bring in some decadent snacks into your space.  Fresh fruit, loose-leaf tea, a piece of chocolate, or a glass of bubbly will make you feel like you are in an overpriced spa, and you are worth every penny.

Your Senses and Skin Care

The three main senses you can involve as you care for your skin are Sight, Smell and Touch. Here’s how:

Sight

Lay out your skincare products slowly and deliberately. Hold each one in your hand and examine it with intention. Read the ingredients to understand what you are putting on your skin.

Smell

Inhale the good in and exhale the bad out. Cleansing breaths will put you in the mood and calm  your nervous system. Open each product and, if it is scented, take a moment to breathe it in. 

Touch

Channel some ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) at this moment. Squeeze or pour out each product slowly and deliberately, and watch what it does when it hits your hands. Does it bubble or pool up? Skincare textures can be pretty varied. Take pleasure in noticing the feel.

If you’re starting with a cleanser, use gentle circular motions as you apply it to your skin (avoiding the skin under your eyes). Feel your pores opening. Follow up with a skin tonic, paying attention to the tingling sensation in your cleansed pores.

If you are using a cream, revel in the silky texture as you apply it, slowly. If you are using a face spray, feel the vibrant cooling sensation. 

Finally, be aware of how fast or slow you are moving and breathing. Close your eyes for just a moment and settle in. Even if this entire process only takes five minutes, those five minutes could be the most calming of your day and help you to reset. Take a few more deep breaths and send your gratitude and calm energy out into the world. You are a goddess.

Repeat tomorrow and the next day and the next…