SELF-CARE, INTUITIVELY.

Growing up I never was much of a sun worshipper because in my culture a tan was abhorred. We were more concerned about beautiful, clear skin. Sun as we know has the ability to give us much needed vitamins but it also has negative properties. In this month’s ritual I’m sharing a kitchen counter scrub that my mother made every time I returned from a day at the beach. It clears off patchy dry skin and brings and evenness to the skin. You can remain a sun worshipper and still benefit from the ritual it bring into your life.

WHY RITUAL IS RELEVANT

More than ever, we need a wholesome look at our body and mind connection. I could just have recipes in Savoured but I really felt that to be able to truly thrive we need to create balance in our lives. Growing up ritual for skin-care and mindset together with nourishing meals came hand in hand. My mother always created homemade kitchen counter beauty concoctions and I made fun of her. But as I grew up I realised that it wasn’t just about the skin-care but it was about the ritual of making them, of using seasonal ingredients and incorporating the properties of spices and herbs in ways that were beyond just eating them. I also saw how she harnessed the act of not wasting but creating beauty from leftovers and discards.

This recipe is a great example of this ethos. Using orange peels, sun-dried or air-dried intensifies the orange oil in them which is brightening, boosts circulation in the skin and filled with vitamin C for anti-aging properties, as well as clarifying for acne and other scars. The turmeric brightens, heals and boosts skin and the coconut oil soothes and tones it as does rose water. The scent is uplighting and invigorating which is perfect for aligning mindset and so this makes this scrub a perfect summer ritual.

Take a moment out of the day to make a batch of this for the summer.

SENSORY summer scrub.

Makes about 50 grams, enough for 2 uses. Try to use all organic ingredients for purity.

Peel of 4 small organic oranges, dried and ground finely

1 tbsp virgin organic coconut oil

1 tbsp organic rose water

1/4 tsp turmeric powder, try to find Amba haldi (turmeric), use regular powdered if you can’t find this. See Spice Sanctuary for more.

Grind the orange peels in a dry grinder and you can put this in a small jar and combine other ingredients when making the scrub fresh. When ready, add all other ingredients and make into a thick paste, apply on skin and leave to dry for 5 minutes. Then wet hands and roll off the skin upwards. Wash face with tepid water and pat dry. Repeat weekly.

Note: To ensure skin doesn’t react negatively, please test on the back of the neck before putting in on your face. You can use this on your body but you’d need a lot of oranges!

Sumayya x