If you’ve ever kept a New Year’s resolution, we’re in awe. Seriously – diets, exercise, chores, grades, dog-walking – whatever it may be, there’s nothing quite so daunting (and bound to fail) as a New Year’s resolution. It feels nearly impossible to stick to a new running plan or meal prep schedule, and yet, every year, we sign off on promises to ourselves that sputter to a stop around February.
When it comes to your skin this year, you might be tempted to overhaul your routine, or schedule endless esthetic appointments trying to address concerns that have weighed you down in the past. But, like every other resolution founded on insecurity and negative thoughts, it’s destined to fail. You want your skin to look and feel gorgeous in the new year. So, how can you make that happen?
Enter, our word of the year: ritual.
Our philosophy is one at odds with so many skincare influencers these days; above all, slowness and mindfulness in your skincare routine are what allow you to see significant, lasting changes to your skin. Making hasty resolutions out of a sense of desperation can often counteract the very treatments that would help your skin, purely from the negative energy that bad thoughts produce. If you want to see results (on your skin and in your body) it’s crucial that you incorporate a loving sense of ritual into your skincare regimen. Keep reading for the mindful tips that help our clients care thoughtfully and successfully for their skin.
The Four New Year’s Resolutions that Your Skin Needs
1. Take Baby Steps
However you want to improve your complexion, whether you struggle with acne, hyperpigmentation, fine lines, dry skin, or any other issue, it’s important to take baby steps. Buying a dozen new products and trying them all at once (especially ones with powerful acids or harsh ingredients) can overwhelm your skin and lead to more problems than solutions. In general, go “low and slow” – small amounts of one active product at a time, in order to stay conscious of how your skin is reacting to treatment. One of the best ways to assess and treat your skin mindfully can be to invest in professional products and consultation. It’s impossible to avoid skincare influencers online, and very easy to get sucked into the marketing blitz of new moisturizers, acne spot treatments, purifying masks, etc. Avoid overusing (ineffective, problematic) products and damaging your skin further by making sure you are buying quality items and using them gently on your skin.
2. Be Consistent
Consistency is key! When it comes to caring for your skin, the goal is ultimately to get adjusted to a routine that hydrates, soothes, and nourishes – all things that are impossible to do if you aren’t consistent. Our advice is to try to be consistent with cleansing, products, and treatments for at least a week at a time. This means planning a routine for morning and evening, and sticking to it the best you can. That way, you can start to see changes, assess how your skin is responding to your routine, and not shock it with a dozen changes every week.
3. Create Ritual
Our favorite word! It might sound a little silly, but truly, this might be the most important piece of advice on the list. To us, creating space for ritual means caring for yourself with conscious love and peacefulness. When you’re doing your skincare, focus on feeling good and thinking good thoughts. Put on a mask, then listen to music, or meditate. Take a bath with soothing Epsom salts, or lie down for a nap.
It’s our firm belief that the energy you put into your skincare routine is the energy your receive out of it. If you’re stressed – running around doing laundry, or trying to fit in a mud mask before your next Zoom call – that energy will dictate the disappointing results you’ll be left with. If you think of skincare as something to layer on top of your already-frantic day (or even worse, as a chore) it will not be filled with the type of restful, regenerative energy that best helps your products and treatments do their job.
There’s science behind mindfulness, too! Most skincare is water-based, or at least contains some amount of water in its solution. Dr. Masaru Emoto, a noted Japanese scientist, proved that water has a type of consciousness – not the type that we think of when we imagine a being, but the kind that can be molded and affected on a molecular level by thoughts, emotions, and changes to the environment. Your skincare and the water in it are being affected by the environment and influences that you exert on them – and if you’re putting negative thoughts or chaotic, busy emotions into those products, they are structurally unable to resist changing in response. Consider how you want to put energy into your skincare, and act accordingly!
We don’t mean to make it sound easy. Of course, we all have negative thoughts and struggle to find time for self-care. It’s difficult to get started. The key is to just start – to invest in making that time and practice setting your mind at ease through peaceful ritual. Eventually, it will become second nature, and your skin (and mental health) will thank you.
4. Enjoy It!
And, of course, enjoy it! So much of the discourse around skincare involves companies capitalizing on insecurities, pointing out new parts of your body or face to be ashamed of, shaming people for not “fixing” certain problems with their skin, and generally pushing us into a spiral of unhappiness around skincare. If you have problems with your skin, they will not be solved through shame, or guilt, or outside pressure. Begin by cultivating a sense of inner peace in your skincare routine. Make it a place for you to rest and recharge. Take pleasure in caring for yourself unapologetically, independent of outside anxieties or criticism. If you can do that, your skin will follow suit.
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