Like most people who are invested in maintaining healthy skin, personal habits turn into rituals. Some rituals occur as needed. Some rituals are daily. Some are monthly. At the beginning of my menstrual cycle, I have developed a ritual of self-care that prepares me for the changes my body experiences during this time. In order the mitigate the stresses I am likely to endure, I set aside an evening just for me. It’s important that I begin this ritual by creating a calm environment free of distractions. The lights are low. I often light candles and play calm, contemplative music such as Brian Eno’s “Music for Airports” or Erik Satie’s “Gnossiennes & Gymnopédie.” I draw a warm bath and reach for a Harmony Lotion Bar. It’s important that the bath is warm, not scalding, as high heat can leave the skin feeling irritated. Before entering the bath, I cut two slivers from my lotion bar and place one in a cotton muslin bag. The other I let dissolve in the warm bath water as it runs. By the time the tub is full, the lotion has dissolved and the air is rich with a floral bouquet of aroma. Before stepping in, I set aside a Harmony Body Butter close to the tub.
I take my time bathing, sloughing skin with the muslin bag and applying lotion to my body. The kokum and mango butters in the lotion bar hydrate the skin and the Harmony Blend works to smooth and restore maturing skin. Once I have treated my entire body, I step up from the bath and wick the excess water with my hands. Before drying my skin, I open the Harmony Body Butter and apply it generally to the treated areas, making sure to keep moisture out of the tin. Applying body butter after a bath is an excellent way to maximize the hydrating effects of a long soak. I am able to use less body butter and apply more consistently to the skin.
A few months ago, I had been reading the research on the use of essential oils for massage. I was encouraged to learn that lavender, the primary oil in the Harmony Blend, is excellent for massage therapy. According to an article in the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, a peer-reviewed journal, lavender contains linalool and linalyl acetate. “Linalool and linalyl acetate have maximum and great absorbing properties from skin during massage with a depression of central nervous system.” Additionally, “its use in aromatherapy, it is well documented for the treatment of… painful muscles.” After my relaxing bath, I decided to use Harmony Body Butter to continue my ritual by massaging a few tense areas in my hands, arms, neck, feet, and calves. While this is not a substitute for professional massage therapy, gentle self-care can help relieve tension and mitigate the negative health effects that arise as a result. Knots can form anywhere in the body but typically form when a fatigued muscle is overused and not properly stretched afterward. Lactic acid builds, forming a knot in the tissue. These knots occur sometimes in predictable places that are sometimes referred to as “trigger points.”
Using small scoops, I rubbed the body butter into knots in the flesh below the thumb (thenar), in the area where the top of my forearm meets the elbow (extensor carpi radialis longus), muscles running along the front of my neck (scalenes), and gently massaged. I then moved to my feet rubbing the butter into the arch, balls, and fascia and moving up the front of my calf (peroneus longus). I finished with soft and careful rubbing along my achilles tendon and over the fleshy muscles below the knee pit (gastrocnemius muscles). After all that rubbing and relief of lactic acid, I poured myself a tall glass of water and proceeded to stretch on my yoga mat. 90 minutes later and I was feeling tranquil and limber.
This self-care ritual would be beneficial at any time, but I choose to begin my menstrual cycle this way for a few reasons. In addition to the restorative muscle care from lavender, geranium oil is used to cope with pain, and according to the previously cited article from the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, clary sage has been observed to “regulate the menstrual periods, [and] ease tension and muscle cramps…” and has been “found to be very effective in controlling cortisol levels in women…”
Harmony’s complex blend meets the nose first with the clean and refreshing scent of lemon. The lingering scent is an intoxicating floral bouquet of lavender, geranium, and clary sage. Hours after treatment, and as the floral scent fades, elemi remains leaving the skin vaguely sweet and with a hint of musk.
You can read more about the health benefits of essential oils on the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health website. You can also learn more from this article in the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine.
Harmony is an excellent treatment for pampering and self-care, and can also be used as a daily calming treatment. You can find the Harmony Blend in a 2 oz Body Butter, 1/2 oz travel-sized Body Butter, and 1 oz Lotion Bar. Order your tranquil blend today to relax the senses, and put the body at ease.