The skin on our body is often overlooked, yet it needs as much nourishment as the love we give our faces, if not more. It’s the largest organ and a hard working one at that to keep our bodies whole, intact, and protected from outside elements.
Body routines are sometimes thought of for those with ample time on their hands, yet we wanted to debunk this myth and pen you a few ways that you can incorporate daily moisture replenishment for your body, with practical time-kind rituals.
We love a deep moisturization post-shower ritual over the entire body by first applying lotion and then applying body oil as your beginning or end-of-day skincare routine. It’s a body oil massage for your softest skin with a twist of body appreciation.
Another ritual we love is for the bath, it’s a two-birds-one-stone approach to cleansing and hydrating. It’s self-care time we adore, as does Miranda. She’s often speaking about her bath time ritual to care for her mind, body and spirit. Read on as we share a bath time treat for your skin and your senses.
Whatever way you use a body oil, think of it as an investment for long term skin health with major benefits of protection!
Why Use Body Oils
A body oil helps to replenish and trap moisture levels within the skin, improve skin elasticity, and boost skin barrier function – and your skin will thank you with younger looking skin as a result.
It’s important to note that body lotions, those that are water based, boost hydration, and body oils gift deep moisture. Read about the difference between hydration and moisture here.
Some say that humectants bring moisture, yet humectants actually preserve and attract hydration while oils are responsible for moisture levels. A body oil will provide dreamt-of soft and supple skin.
Make sure you’re choosing natural ingredients as what you put on your skin soaks in, so choose organic.
The Benefits Of Body Oil
For your best skin on your body, it’s important to also address the anti aging benefits of a body oil. Let us explain in order of occurrence, as it’s quite a layered subject.
Skin cells produce a healthy glow when nourished throughout the course of their short lifespan of 28 days. Effectively we’re given new skin cells each month and the chance of a fresh glow.
To care for your skin cells during this time, we suggest not stripping your skin barrier with harsh soaps and cleansers, to protect your natural lipids from drying out.
Yet to obtain younger looking skin for longer you need to go a step further and give your skin back what it loses innately over the course of a day.
This is why we love a body oil as it does this with ease: it tops up your skin with much-needed moisture and seals it in as a natural protective later (to further stop moisture loss). All thanks to essential fatty acids and linoleic acids! The act of massaging a body oil into your skin can help boost circulation, and improve the elasticity and texture of your skin.
Just like collagen production helps to boost cellular connective tissue to hold the weight of our skin; oils help to boost the skin barrier function to protect against loss of moisture and the invasion of external environmental aggressors that weaken our barrier.
We love this chain reaction of goodness for smooth skin!
What Body Oil Do I Choose?
It must be said that even if certain oils are high in linoleic acid yet heavier by nature: argan oil, coconut oil for example. Thicker oils can be too large to penetrate your skin barrier and end up sitting on your skin’s surface causing congestion.
For our Noni Glow Body Oil we choose specific oils such as rosehip and sunflower seed which contain high levels of linoleic acids (50%-68%) yet they are still lightweight by nature and highly nutritious for the skin. Which means they’re fast absorbing yet still like body butter for dry skin.
No matter your skin type, your thirstier body skin needs the daily love and maintenance of body oils to stay fresh + younger looking!
How to Use Body Oil
The Post Shower Oil Blitz
We love the subtle sheen of body oils for natural glowing skin + our skin feeling silky smooth.
Let’s start with ideal shower water temperature. It’s suggested to wash in warm water to alleviate dryness. Hot showers will draw moisture to your skin’s surface and wash your natural oils down the drain. Not ideal.
After stepping out, dry off and apply body lotion to slightly damp skin for better coverage and then gently massage a few drops of body oil.
This body skin care routine may sound fairly standard, but the twist is bringing gratitude and presence to this daily task. Miranda loves affirmations and we often call on this ritual to shift to body love and appreciation.
Body Love Temple Movement Meditation
“My body is a temple and I treat it as such.” – An affirmation by Miranda
We love this affirmation as it has a simple and powerful premise: body appreciation.
Repeating these words to yourself each morning, while you massage body oil into your skin, can begin to plant positive and loving thoughts for your body, and your self. (For a slightly longer routine you can add your favorite lotion before body oil if you wish.)
Start the ritual with one hand over your heart before you begin your body care routine.
Repeat these words looking into the mirror if you wish: “My body is a temple and I treat it as such.”
Use a breathing technique to focus on the parts of your body you wish to give gratitude or much-needed to!
Begin to apply body oil and gently massage the blend to your entire body with consciousness, smoothing over any stretch marks with grace, as well as over sensitive skin too. Remember to give love to these places, and any places where you feel you are lacking.
We love this post on non-attachment to help let go of patterns that keep us stuck in negative thoughts and to move into a positive head space.
Body appreciation is something we need to work towards daily, little by little.
If you have areas of your body you feel contempt for, then try to bring consciousness and observation to these thoughts. You might like to practice Tamarin’s meditation for body love.
You can add a gratitude while you massage as well, along the lines of: “I am thankful for my heathy skin,” or “I gift my body with radiant skin,” or “I enjoy practicing my beauty routine and it is second nature to me.”
Focus on what thoughts bring you joy, and what thoughts seperate you from appreciating your body as it is.
Practicing this daily is the act of treating your body like a temple!
We choose body appreciation daily—yet we are human—and some days we need to call on this practice more than others.
How To Use Body Oil
Bath Bliss Ritual
Organic body oils are abundant in natural lipids which when infused in bath water, coat your skin all over with a luxurious treat of healthy essential fatty acids.
Just be careful stepping out of the bath!
We take inspiration for this night-time ritual from Miranda, who loves to take a bath of an evening—and with everything we do at KORA Organics—intend to nurture the mind, body and skin.
As a team, we adore the aromatherapy essential oil, fused with the calming energy of crystals. We love Rose Quartz, Amethyst, Citrine and Clear Quartz!
Bath Bliss Recipe
- Surround your tub with your favorite crystals and candles, as scent is important. Add rose petals for indulgence or sprigs of lavender too. Finish with a few drops of your go-to essential oils.
- Add 2-3 drops of what we think is the best body oil for seriously supple skin. The oil infused water can also soak into scaly patches, and transform your skin for a smoother surface when you step out.
- Finish with one cup of organic epsom salts and a small handful of organic pink Himalayan salt.
- Switch your devices to Do Not Disturb, and choose your sounds of bliss.
- Set an intention or whisper a mantra to yourself: “I deserve this time to replenish my beautiful soul, body and skin.”
Find your presence—enjoy—and try not to fall asleep in the tub!
Dry Skin
For those with dry skin, keeping the skin on your body hydrated throughout all seasons is important in helping prevent common skin conditions from occurring.
You may love Miranda’s Five Step Body Routine for a glow like no other. Starting with our Dry Body Brush before cleansing and exfoliating. Finishing with our body lotion before you use a body oil— feels lush!
You can learn more about facial oils here.
With love,
KORA Organics
