Let’s face it; we all could use a little beauty inspiration from time to time, our day to day beauty routines can start to get tired and our go-to products start to feel a little lackluster. However with the world growing ever smaller, we fortunately have a wide range of beauty sources to draw from. From Hong Kong to Paris, we absolutely love all the variety in beauty rituals – so there’s no room for the mundane! Here’s a list of our favorite natural beauty secrets from around the world that will help you put a little flair (and exoticism!) back into your routine:
1
CHINA
Chinese women always seem to have impossibly perfect complexions, possibly because they have perfected the art of skincare. It turns out an ancient practice may be at the heart of traditional Chinese beauty: jade rollers! At first it might not seem obvious – what could jade, besides being a pretty accessory for your vanity, do for your skin?
This cool stone actually smooths out puffiness to maintain younger, healthier looking skin. While this ancient beauty ritual used to be reserved for elite Chinese women, jade rollers are now making an appearance in luxury retailers all over the world
2
FRANCE
Who can claim that they haven’t at some point of their life, wanted to look like a French woman, graced with a seemingly natural elegance and beauty? With such stunning French actresses like Marion Cotillard gracing the screens, it begs the question: what is their secret? Well, it should come as no surprise that French women love indulging their skin. And one such indulgence is frequent use of face masks; French women are noted for using twice a week according to recent research!
While we in the United States consider face masks a treatment reserved for a special occasions or when our skin needs some major TLC, French women love to treat their skin very regularly to keep it healthy and glowing. We also love how many women in France use natural ingredients for face masks, and we have some ideas of our own of how to create all-natural face masks at home here.
3
INDIA
Ever wondered how Indian women keep their hair so luscious and skin so healthy? Well – let’s just say for Indian women there is a blurred line between the bathroom and the kitchen! Give us a second to explain: Indian women use a lot of food ingredients – with very effective results – in a variety of hair, skin and body care solutions.
Take lemon juice, for example. When used with hair oil (like coconut or sesame) it’s a great dandruff buster. When used with honey, it makes a great facial cleanser and exfoliant. Also did you know that oatmeal, yogurt and turmeric can be combined to make a very effective body scrub? And while coconut oil is a now a Western staple, Indian women have been using it for centuries as a makeup remover and cuticle softener!
Try our own beautifully scented UMA Intensely Nourishing Hair Oil to rejuvenate the strength of your natural thick hair. For all the benefits of turmeric in an effective body scrub, try our Deeply Clarifying Face Mask, a product that is sure to change the balance of your skin for the better!
4
SCANDINAVIA
We have seen the stunning Nordic beauties who grace the runways, and their beauty is indeed enviable to the point where we are tempted to just pin it on genetics. But there is more to these lovely women than just good genes.
Some environmental factors are at play here! The cold climate and lack of sunlight protects skin from damage, and more importantly, there is the Nordic diet. Women in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland eat a superfood packed diet which includes lots of healthy fats and berries! Berries especially can work absolute wonders for your skin. Read more about our favorite skincare superfoods here
5
BRAZIL
Brazilian women are practically infamous for their beauty and glamour (we’re looking at you Gisele). Are they really all naturally blessed with that perfectly tan skin and those flowing locks? Not entirely and there’s hope for all of us as women in Brazil have many beauty rituals they use to maintain their glowing skin.
One of their biggest beauty secrets? Sand! Yes, we are talking about the stuff from the beach here. It turns out rubbing beach sand on your skin increases circulation and can even decrease cellulite! Don’t spend enough time at the beach? Incorporate this beauty trick at home by using a pumice or check out some other tips on reducing cellulite here.
6
EGYPT
Egyptian women have already introduced some of their stunning beauty secrets to the world. Kohl, for example, is a cosmetic product to emerge from Egypt, and the thick, black, winged eyeliner look is something we still love today. But one of the most intriguing ancient beauty rituals is, well, milk baths. We are totally serious. While Cleopatra is not around to vouch for this practice, the science behind it makes sense. The lactic acids can help soften your skin and the fats in the milk can moisturize and heal it.
7
AUSTRALIA
We all envy the carefree beauty of Aussie girls, and we would love to know what beauty tricks the land down under has to offer. It turns out one old ritual, originally used by Aboriginal women, is yarrow root. Apparently this special herb has some incredible moisturizing and renewal power, which is why women used it to prevent stretch marks as well as to hydrate. The good news is you still can find yarrow root extract at retailers today!
Spill some of your own beauty secrets in the comment box below. Our favorite three will receive a month’s supply of Uma goodies!
