Progress and evolution have changed everything from the way we dress, to the way we eat, and even the way we speak and interact with one another. As modern transportation closed the gap between remote areas of the world and more populous ones, many of the “old ways” fell away to make room for “new and better.” In beauty, however, natural, organic, and locally-sourced ingredients have always been a cornerstone of luxury body skin care: so why has this one thing remained unchanged in a world of difference?
The Longest Experiment
While modern combinations of chemicals, extracts, and derivatives can be tested extensively in a laboratory before being added to a product, they can’t hope to match the use of natural elements. That’s because for as long as human beings have lived beside that oil-producing tree, or that river bank of rich clay, you can rest assured they’ve been using it for skin care and beauty. No, test tubes and computers certainly didn’t enter that equation, but suffice it to say that if the natural beauty ingredient in question was at all harmful, or even simply ineffective, the local population would immediately stop using it. That’s human nature, after all!
Evolved Techniques
Once these same locals determine a locally-sourced ingredient works for them, they also seldom sit back and stop there. Chances are, years - even generations - of use have found new and better ways to unlock that ingredient’s best properties. Maybe, for example, it needs to be heated and cooled before use. Maybe it gets better with age, or it must be used fresh. Consistency is key for these built-in best-use directions; the people that live beside these plants, materials, and extracts know exactly how to portion and prepare them after so much experience and exposure.
The Element of Ritual
Say the words “At Home Spa Day” and a very specific image likely springs to mind - a relaxed woman wrapped in white towels, mud mask on her face, cucumber slices on her eyes. This beauty treatment has become a ritual in modern times - a natural beauty element linked to a positive feeling for body and mind. In addition to the actual physiological properties of beauty products and ingredients, they also connect their user(s) to a place, an element, and a feeling - a “shortcut” to a successful beauty result, if you will. Using these indigenous and local beauty ingredients in natural and ancient beauty routines helps these users feel like they are a part of the earth, their culture, and their immediate environment.
Whether you’re trying a regional remedy for dry skin, or indulging in a “family secret” brought over from your ancestors’ countries, beauty reaches across borders and generations. So go ahead: build and explore your own natural beauty routines fearlessly - you may be guiding future generations without even realizing it!