I love the idea of RITUAL

For many years, even in a life that where no two days were the same, I loved the idea of RITUAL.  RITUAL sounded safe and predictable and luxurious during times of my life that were anything but. The Oxford dictionary defines ritual as “a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order”.  In the beauty world, we think more in terms of a personal ritual that we perform for ourselves. Our morning or nighttime ritual is the action we perform to meet our needs at those times of day.  Sometimes it is a weekly ritual – a hair oiling based on Ayurvedic practices, the weekly exfoliating mask, or for me the Friday night bubble bath, clay mask, white wine on the side, to unwind from a busy week. Self-care rituals have become more relevant over the past several years as we have been seeking control of our well-being in an out-of-control reality. I believe more of us are taking responsibility for the mental and physical balance we crave by performing our own rituals.  Meditation, yoga, forest bathing, skin care routines are all part of these practices. The rise in popularity of home fragrances that help create an atmosphere for self-care is noteworthy. Not only have we used fragrance on our bodies, but we now extend that to our homes. Aromatherapy is an ancient practice that is often used as part of a ritual to set the tone for the practice. It is scientifically recognized that scent molecules travel from the olfactory nerves directly to the brain and especially impact the amygdala, the emotional center of the brain. How many of us can have our mood changed by a scent? I am thinking about my first fragrance, Charlie by Revlon – yes , I was very young – and how that scent was a symbol of starting to be a grown up. As a young person, the ritual of using beauty products – skincare, color cosmetics and fragrance – all became part of my self-care rituals. I believe we should embrace individual rituals that enhance each person’s sense of balance and serenity.  Yes,  the beauty industry benefits from these rituals but I believe so does the individual who practices them.