ISUN Insights
From routine to ritual: a holistic approach to skincare
We live in a world that continually looks forward – our sense of time is fast-paced and our lifestyles demanding. It has never been more important to carve out pockets of devoted time to come back to our sense of self and restore balance.
ISUN Insights is a window into our take on skincare as a concept. We believe that a healthy skincare regime can be experiential – incorporating a fusion of sensory allies that both uplift and bring harmony to body, mind, and spirit. Here, we share some suggestions on how to enhance your everyday skincare routine into a nurturing ritual.
Set the scene
Raise the vibration of your environment to exude calm and serenity. Light a fragrance-free candle and welcome the soft glow that it radiates. Experience the natural healing benefits of crystals by placing them around you for your ritual – clear quartz for enhanced mental clarity and manifestation, rose quartz for opening the heart and connection, citrine for positivity and sanguinity, amethyst for its sedative properties, and garnet to inspire devotion and purify energy. These are some of our favourites, but selecting crystals that you are drawn to may reflect the energetic properties of a stone that will benefit you in the present moment.
Pick your scent
Aromatherapy is nature’s embrace and can support a skincare ritual both topically and atmospherically. The therapeutic advantages of essential oils are ample – examples include the ease of stress and anxiety, promoting deeper sleep, inducing inner relaxation, and strengthening immunity.
Our collection of Aromablends are high vibrational essential oils with unique intentions:
- ‘Ormus Rose’ awakens feelings of love and inward calm, with Rose and Jasmine.
- ‘Celestial’ uplifts with citrus and floral oils from Ruby Grapefruit to Neroli and Angelica Seed.
- ‘Sacred Fragrance’ is meditative with a blend that features Vetiver, Myrrh, and Buddha Wood - said to stimulate the pineal gland (third eye) to encourage deep relaxation.
Explore our Aromablends collection to complement your skincare ritual.
Take a breath
Deep breath work can impact our mentality and skin before we even touch our faces. It is a practice that has been used for thousands of years across wide-ranging holistic healing systems for its mind-body connective benefits and can set a calming tone and pace for your ritual.
Nasal breathing is a powerful method to reverse the physical stress response of the body through activation of the parasympathetic nervous system – stimulating your rest and digest mode. This releases the stress hormones of the body, slows down the heart rate, and stabilises blood pressure. Connecting nasal breath with the diaphragm helps to enliven the body’s cells and tissues by delivering oxygen-rich blood and eliminating excess carbon dioxide – this will encourage cell energy and natural regeneration.
This simple box breathing exercise is the perfect introduction to your everyday slow skincare ritual:
- Breathe in through your nose for the count of four
- Hold your breath for the count of four
- Exhale (nasally) for the count of four
- Hold the breath for the count of four
Practicing this exercise even just a few times in a row should promote self-awareness and a state of relaxation.
Intentional cleansing
Cleansing can serve as a mindful first step in a skincare ritual. Cleansing oils are nourishing and help to lift excess sebum and soften impurities without stripping the skin’s barrier, and also make for the perfect medium to explore the landscape of your face.
Pump a few drops of cleansing oil into your hands and take long, slow inhalations to access the essential oil benefits. With your fingertips, slowly massage your face in circular motions. Notice areas that may carry more tension, and identify the range of textures – are there zones that feel dry or congested? Following your pressure intuition, you may find that you can use more pressure around the masseter muscle (jaw) area, and featherlight around the orbital region.
Use your cleansing phase as a time to connect with yourself and release held facial tension.
Our Phyto Facial Oil Cleanser is suitable for all skin types featuring skin-nourishing ingredients including Neem seed oil, Manuka oil, Rosemary extracts, and Rosehip seed oil.
Incorporate love language
At ISUN we believe that a skincare ritual encompasses mentality. Positive affirmations stimulate your neural pathways and can influence your subconscious mind to create positive thinking patterns. Incorporating affirmations into your ritual is a powerful and beautiful way to strengthen self-worth, self-compassion, and manifestation. Throughout each phase of your ritual, consider the following in mind or say aloud:
“I trust my skin’s healing journey”
“I choose to see my skin with love”
“I am healing my skin from the inside out”
“My skin glows with radiance and health”
Applying this love language to your ritual will have a huge impact on your mental and emotional connection to skincare. Journaling this journey may also reveal profound changes in how you see or feel about yourself.
Choose consciously
In a saturated market, selecting your skincare products can at times feel overwhelming. It is important to consider the whole picture as a consumer: your skin is the largest organ of the body and the greatest communicator - will this product support it and your wellness? Is this choice sustainable, protecting people and the planet? Are they ethically sourced and do they comprise naturally-derived ingredients? Does this brand have a clear ethical, sustainable, and environmental policy or promise?
Our handmade products are natural, organic, wildcrafted with pure ingredients, and cruelty-free. We are proud to work in harmony with nature to support the skin’s journey and invite you to discover our collection by clicking our main menu and searching by product type or skin concern.
Explore your root cause
Topical products that support the skin microbiome are vital to any skincare regime, but this is one part of the puzzle. If the skin is unbalanced or uncomfortable, this may be a manifestation of a deeper-lying issue.
Healthy skin reflects a healthy body – and to approach skincare holistically, it is important to look at yourself as a whole. Considering nutrition choices and supplements, sleep hygiene, movement, hydration, hormonal balance, and stress levels as examples can further support the body to function optimally and achieve your goal of natural skin health.
