Your Ultimate Autumn Skincare Guide
To keep your complexion glowing and hydrated throughout the autumn months, follow our ultimate autumn skincare guide.
Vanessa Noy
March 30, 2024
Relax & Recharge
Beautifying Bathing Rituals To Calm the Body and Mind
The benefits of healing waters
A shower maybe part of our daily routine, but bathing has been a ritual in many cultures for thousands of years, with proven benefits on both the body and mind. Bathing played a major part in the Ancient Roman civilization where bathing was raised to high art where aristocrats socialised in communal baths.
Transcending times and cultures is the more modern day Danish concept of hygge (pronounced hoo-ga), which has become a global obsession in recent times. A morning or daytime soak in a healing bath is one of the easiest ways to incorporate the feel-good cosiness of hygge into our everyday lives.
A warm bath offers a retreat from the world, a place where we can escape the stress and noise of our busy lives, allowing us to create a sanctuary of calm and peace. It is believed that bathing can improve our physical and mental health. A warm bath can help the immune system to work more effectively, tackle problems with insomnia and improve sleep, is proven to ease muscular pain, and soothe and relieve dry skin or inflammatory conditions such as dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis.
Pink Himalayan Salt
Himalayan Pink Salt is a powerful detoxifier, creating an ionic salt solution that helps to extract the toxins out of your skin and tissues. With 84 natural minerals, Himalayan pink salt penetrates your skin, leaving you feeling refreshed and nourished.
As your body organs resonate with the natural frequency of the minerals in the salt bath, your body is being recharged, and your metabolism supported whilst inducing a state of calm for the mind.
The benefits of Pink Himalayan Salt
Skin Hydration: the salt is stored in the upper layer of the skin, this creates a natural protective barrier on the skin alleviating dryness and preventing transdermal water loss (TWL) or in other words preventing moisture loss.
Relieve and Heal: irritated, red and painful skin conditions such as acne, eczema and psoriasis can be alleviated by the magnesium content in the salts. The salts calm the inflammation and redness in the skin reducing the burning sensation often associated with these skin concerns.
Relax and Relief: soothe muscle aches and cramps due to the presence of calcium and other trace minerals.
The French Girl Jasmin Serenity Effervescent Bath Soak is the most divine jasmine-scented bath soak is formulated with a special blend of nourishing essential oils, softening powders, and two soothing sea salts to leave skin refreshed, relaxed, and glowing. Perfect for soothing dry and irritated skin due to the Coconut Milk Powder and Arrowroot Powder this formula moisturises skin, calms irritated and dry patches and helps the barrier to main its elasticity and tone.
Key Actives: Epsom Salt & Pink Himalayan Salt, rich in minerals and magnesium which help to soothe and relax aching muscles.
FRENCH GIRL Jasmin Serenity Effervescent Bath Soak
Outside of Pink Himalayan Salt, the most popular bathing salts are Epsom Salts and Magnesium Chloride, both of which contain magnesium compounds, just in different forms. We often see Pink Himalayan Salt formulated with either Epsom Salts and Magnesium Chloride for holistic wellbeing benefits.
Magnesium helps regulate over 300 enzymes within the body. It plays an important role in things like muscle control, energy production, and the elimination of damaging toxins. Magnesium is key to helping convert energy in the body, especially when exercising.
Look for a bath soak that contains magnesium in either or both forms. But what are the differences?
Epsom Salts
Also known as Magnesium Sulphate or Epsomite, is one the most common forms of magnesium. Whilst there are a wide variety of synthetically manufactured Epsom salts, we turn to the naturally occurring springs of the Great Lakes, Dead Sea or other naturally occurring springs as our source.
The sulphate in Epsom salts supports metabolic processes and overall well-being.
The benefits of Epsom Salts:
Alleviate water retention: water retention is increased with the consumption of toxins. The magnesium and sulphate encourage the body to shed the toxins and release the extra fluid build up.
Supports a balanced body: relieves muscle aches and pains whilst improving circulation and blood flow.
Organic Merchant’s Vivifica Reviving Bath Soak brings the therapeutic benefits of Epsom salts along with Green French Argile Clay in a revitalising, mineral rich bath soak. Ideal for post-work out muscular relief with the added detoxing benefits of Eucalyptus and Tea Tree Oil. This combination is also perfect for helping to ease nasal congestion and alleviate cold symptoms during the winter months.
ORGANIC MERCHANT Vivifica Reviving Bath Soak
Magnesium Chloride
Magnesium chloride is often referred to as the “master magnesium compound” due to its high potency and efficient benefits.
The benefits of magnesium chloride:
Magnesium promotes relaxation and a peaceful mind leading to reduction in inflammation within the body whilst aiding and improving sleep quality.
Supports the Metabolism and Reduces Inflammation: Magnesium ions play a critical role in the regulation of metabolism, hormone response and cell growth in many cellular systems. We take in magnesium through our diets, but modern stressors and a diet high in sugar can deplete magnesium levels. A lack of magnesium in our body leads to inflammation directly impacting our metabolism. A magnesium bath can support transdermal absorption and give our bodies the magnesium top-up that modern lifestyles demand. So where can we get a dose of this magnesium magic?
Organic Merchant Radiance relaxing Bath Soak is a decadent sensorial delight. With a heavenly scent of rose and frankincense this blend is formulated to harmonise the hormones, perfect for PMS or menopause while instilling relaxation. We love these health-inducing minerals, due to their high concentration of Magnesium. These powerful salts soothe the body with genuine relaxation, easing muscle tension, hydrating and softening your skin and increasing the body’s level of magnesium at a cellular level.
ORGANIC MERCHANT Radiance Relaxing Bath Soak
How to run the Ultimate Bath?
According to the experts, the optimal bath time lasts for 10-20 minutes. An ideal temperature of 32-35ºC – warm rather than hot is the aim. This will encourage sweating, which releases toxins, without raising the blood pressure and stripping away the skin’s protective acid mantle which leads to tight, dry and itchy skin.
Let’s talk Pre-Soak
Preparing the skin pre-soak with dry-body brushing or a gentle all over natural body scrub rids the body of dead skin cells, stimulates the lymphatic system, increases blood flow and optimises the benefits of the bath salts. Look for an exfoliating scrub that is gentle on the skin like that of French Girl Organics Jasmin Sea Polish. This super hydrating body scrub composed of the best natural and organic ingredients including Himalayan salts, nourishing butters, and fruit oils that work to gently exfoliate, detoxify, and moisturize the skin. Standing in the bath, gently rub the scrub over wet skin in circular motions. Once the body is fully covered, immerse into your salt bath and allow the minerals to carry the toxins from your skin.
FRENCH GIRL Jasmin Sea Polish – Smoothing Treatment
Dry Body Brushing
Like bathing, dry body brushing been practiced for centuries by many cultures. It is easily done at home and once you start this daily practice the benefits compound over time. Dry body brushing energises the body, increases blood flow and stimulates the lymphatic system. It smoothes bumps, sweeps away dry patches and is believed to be beneficial for combating cellulite.
When to Dry Brush?
Three times a week is optimum for normal skin types, best performed prior to bathing at night, showering of a morning or before yoga.
How to body brush?
Long sweeping motions, using gentle pressure, moving from the feet up towards to the upper thigh, then from hands to underarms, the lower abdomen to neck and the lower back to the top of neck – all movements towards the heart.
Choosing the best dry body brush
Look for a brush made with natural fibers and a handle that is comfortable for you to hold. Choose a bristle type that suits your skin type, a softer bristle for those with delicate and sensitive skin and a firm bristle for him or those that like a heavier feel.
The Hydrea London range of body brushes are true sustainable eco-luxury. The Classic Dry Body Brush is ergonomically designed for ease of use, with firm all-natural cactus bristles that work smoothly over the body contours to buff dead skin cells and stimulate the lymphatic system for glowing skin. We love this brush as it can be used in the shower or sauna on wet skin or pre-shower for dry body brushing. It’s a great size for travel too!
Dry brushing isn’t exclusive to the body. The benefits of Dry Facial Brushing are as great as body brushing. It’s a gentle and effective anti-ageing technique that imparts radiance while stimulating collagen and elasticity for firm facial contours. The Hydrea London Dry Facial Brush is our go to for daily brushing. It’s oh so gentle and beautifully designed.
HYDREA LONDON Classic Dry Body Brush-Cactus Bristle
Natural cactus bristle body brush.
This ergonomically designed dry body brush with firm natural cactus bristles works smoothly over the body contours to buff dead skin cells and stimulate the lymphatic system for glowing skin.
Best for: All skin types - Dry body brushing or used wet in the shower, bath or sauna.
With the temperatures dropping, the Winter months offer the perfect excuse for a weekly soak. Set time aside, we make it a twice weekly self-care ritual. It’s part of our mid-week and Sunday pre-bed routine. It’s time to pop on your Shhhowercap, light a candle and escape the chaos. Whether you want to be soothed, cleansed or invigorated, taking those 20 minutes out of your day for a relaxing bath could be just what the doctor ordered.
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