Welcoming the Season of Mother: Caring for Your Soul and Your Skin

By: Quiana LaRae

Summer is the season of the Mother - a time of giving birth to our goals and dreams, manifesting and celebrating. It is when we practice the self-care ritual of packing up and heading to the beach as we welcome summer. It is at the ocean where we go to release, play, and connect to Mother Earth and the Divine. It is there where we can lose track of time among the salt, open sky, crashing waves, ocean breeze and the sun. It becomes home — a place where we can be cleansed by the water and nourished by the sun.

While the beach is at the top of my list of self-care and healing activities, there are a few things we must be mindful of as we venture out.

Salty Ocean Water. Salt water is both a gift and something to take care of once you leave the beach. Salt water is said to be great for the skin. The benefits of salt water include detoxing the skin and improving circulation. However, salt water can also dry out the skin a great deal. It is important to be sure to cleanse the skin after leaving the ocean using a great exfoliate. It can sometimes be difficult to simply wash off a day’s worth of salt from the skin; however, a great sugar scrub such as the HunnyBunny Lemon Sugar can help to gently exfoliate dead skin away while the moisturizing. It can also help remove the excess salt as well as help to brighten and moisturize the skin post beach day.

Sunlight. The sun is my favorite part of visiting the beach. There’s nothing like the warm sun on your skin and the ocean breeze on your face. Similar to salt water, the sun is both a gift and something you must be mindful of the entire time you are enjoying the beach. Yes, even us beautiful black and brown folk. The sun is rich with vitamin D, providing nutrients for the skin. The sun gives our skin a beautiful glow. It is a beautiful way to bronze and highlight our skin without makeup. While the sun is absolutely our friend, we must protect ourselves against exposure to the sun.

It is important to apply sunscreen to the skin at least 30 minutes prior to going out into the sun and be sure to reapply every 1-2 hours while out and about. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, it is recommended that we use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, which blocks 97% of the sun's UVB rays. Our Black Girl Sunscreen is an ultra sheer SPF with a moisturizing blend of carrot seed oil, jojoba oil and cocoa butter that leaves the skin protected and nourished, without the sticky effects of traditional sunscreens.

As an added bonus, take a bottle of rose water spray with you to mist on your face, neck, chest, and shoulders. It is a nice and refreshing way to cool and hydrate the skin. You can also use the rose water spray after coming home and washing the ocean off of your body.

Overall, going to the beach to enjoy the ocean and the sun does wonders for our overall well-being. Our outer environment is truly a reflection of our inner form. If we are mindful to care for ourselves by doing things that bring us joy, that will be one of the main ways we can care for our skin.

The more joy and gratitude we experience internally, the more it will show externally.

What are your favorite self-care and healing activities? Tell us in the comments below.