WHY YOU SHOULD INTRODUCE “MIND-CARE” INTO YOUR SKINCARE
Published: 10.02.2020
5 MIN READ
Have you ever been casually looking for a beauty product, when you suddenly found yourself inundated with heavily photoshopped images of “perfect” looking women? The answer is likely yes, and if you are anything like most of us, you were probably left feeling depleted and depressed – but hey, maybe those products will help, right?
Throughout history, toxic beauty standards have fueled the beauty industry, and though many consumers and companies are taking a strong stand against them now, these toxic standards still drive psychology and purchasing behaviour through a thriving existence on social media.
When you scroll through a feed of endlessly beautiful people (who may or may not be heavily edited) it is easy to begin to believe that “everyone” is perfect – except you – and thus a toxic beauty standard is born. It goes without saying that these standards are absolutely horrible for your mental wellness.
As if that isn’t enough, toxic beauty standards actually play a role in destroying your skin. They wear down your self-image and confidence, which leads to stress, anxiety, shame, and depression. Our body responds by producing hormones, including cortisol, which create inflammation, cause dehydration, and ultimately negatively impact our skin over time.
Let’s be clear, there is absolutely no shame in wanting to have amazing skin or even wanting to improve upon your appearance in healthy and attainable ways.The problem is, your desires can be skewed by societal ideals and social media, and the line between what you intuitively want and what you think you want blurs.
Though the beauty industry may not be consciously supporting toxic beauty standards, it is absolutely benefiting from them. The cycle of poor self image causing poor skin leads many of us to seek out new products to fix the problems.
The beauty industry can and should do better. The concept of mindcare for beauty is long overdue, and checking in with yourself and nurturing your mental wellness are absolutely critical in the pursuit of beauty.
So, what is intuitive beauty?
You can think of intuitive beauty as the point in which “mind-care” and skincare connect. Where you’re consciously checking in with your subconscious to ensure that your beauty goals are empowering you to be a healthy version of yourself, rather than an unhealthy version of someone else.
Intuitive beauty gives you a chance to commune with your inner self and get real about what it is you want to improve upon and why. Do you want smoother, more supple skin because you want to feel more confident in your appearance for you, or are you trying to compete with someone you saw on Instagram (who may or may not be using an app to make their skin look like that)?
When you take the time to dig deep and get real about your goals and the intention behind those goals, you’re able to uncover all your own nitty gritty truths, heal old wounds, and strengthen your intuitive relationship with yourself and your own unique beauty.
Beyond that, when you start to incorporate “mind-care” into your beauty and skincare routines, you are taking the necessary steps to reduce stress and anxiety, release shame, and improve your overall mental wellbeing.
Since stress can create inflammation and dehydrate your skin, by nourishing your mindset, you are physically playing a role in improving your skin from the inside out. It can also help to use plant-based skin care products that offer olfactory mood boosting properties, like Halo Brightening Oil Cleanser and Prism Restorative Oil Cleanser, to support your mood from the outside in, while you work on yourself from the inside out.
Start incorporating these three simple Intuitive Beauty practices into your daily routines and watch how not only your skin responds, but how your goals start to shift towards something a wee bit more empowering.
Three Intuitive Beauty Practices to try:
1. Future-self Visualization
Visualize the ideal version of yourself and see how your body responds physically. If you’re imagining a version of yourself with a different nose and it makes your stomach hurt, there’s a sure fire sign that that isn’t an empowering goal. On the other hand, if you’re visualizing yourself with clear skin and it makes you feel light and airy – that could be a great goal.
2. Gut Reaction Tests
There is definitely something to the expression “a gut feeling”. Your emotions are closely tied to your gut, so when something you want is ego driven or fueled by toxic beauty standards, your gut will probably be the first to let you know. Try running your physical goals by your gut – think about what it is you want to change or improve upon and see how your body reacts. You will know whether it’s something you should pursue or not.
This last practice is perhaps the most important in allowing yourself to fully acknowledge where you’re at from a mental wellness perspective. The idea is to lie down on your back, and imagine yourself floating down a peaceful, buoyant stream. From there, allow yourself to fully connect with your body and feel where in your body you’re holding tension, stress, sadness, grief, anger – you name it. Then take the time to acknowledge why you’re holding onto those feelings, address those emotions, and when you’re ready, lovingly let them go.
This practice may not feel like it’s directly connected to your beauty, but by taking care of yourself on an emotional level, you are building more resilience, patience, and confidence within yourself, and that will reflect in every aspect of your life – even your skin.
At the end of the day, this is your life. You know what is best for you and for your skin on an intuitive level, whether you realize it or not. You have the power to defy toxic beauty standards and harness your own unique beauty and potential in your own time, your own way.
