Self-Care: The Benefits of Beauty Therapy

What is the importance of self-care?

Life can be busy, overwhelming, exhausting, and stressful.  So, how do you reboot and push the reset button??  Self-care! 

Practicing self-care means addressing your personal needs so that you can find a happy balance in your life.  It allows you to be better equipped to handle life’s challenges and is the best way to prevent mental, emotional, and physical burnout. 

Just getting away for a few minutes and devoting to some “me-time” can make life far more manageable.  Your health & wellness matter, so put yourself on your own “priority” list. 

And when you start taking better care of yourself, other areas of your life will begin to blossom too!  You can never be the best version of yourself if you aren’t taking care of yourself. 

Having learned this the hard way back in early 2014, wrapped up in life, work, clients, family, and friends, I often found myself neglecting my own needs.  I was a people pleaser…I’m still working on this one haha ;).  But I was giving, giving, and giving, to the point of feeling depleted. 

My health began to suffer, I developed problems with my nerves, sometimes constant itching, while other times I was in pain.  Then I developed edema of the legs and started to notice numbness in my feet and toes.  Walking had become a struggle too.  After seeing several doctors, I just ended up having to stop everything and take a good hard look at my life. 

I was overwhelmed, tired, and depressed.  Several things needed to change.  Inevitably, this led to me realizing that I needed to make myself a priority and practice better self-care.

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What is beauty therapy? And how does it relate to self-care exactly?

There is a direct relationship between beauty routines and mental wellness.  In fact, more and more studies, are coming out proving this point, as many more women are using their beauty routines as a form of self-care. 

Which brings me to the point, where I’d like to ask you, “what is “self-care” for you? 

Is it a nourishing and mindful approach to life?  Taking care of your mental and emotional well-being? 

Focusing on caring for your body…maybe even enhancing your outward appearance? 

Self-care can be a very subjective and personal thing for each person.  But I feel that all these views and approaches to self-care are tied up together and linked.  Each affecting the other and all creating a beautiful, delicate balance internally and externally in our lives. 

The care we take towards ourselves can directly impact how we feel.  When we look our best, we feel our best.  And when we feel our best, we can step out into the world with confidence feeling fully equipped to take on the day! 

A daily beauty routine is a simple reminder to take care of YOU…. the VIP of your own life!  It’s about making yourself more of a priority on a day-to-day basis. 

Whether it’s through makeup, skincare, hair care, or something else entirely, your beauty routine should be something you take pleasure in and enjoy.  Allow it to be a means to self-soothe, heal, relax, find calm, have fun, or boost your mood!

But… Is a beauty routine really self-care or just something frivolous?

Now I know some people look at beauty routines as frivolous or unnecessary… thinking they are simply a form of self-indulgence.  But the truth is these routines can be a form of self-care for SO MANY women.  And we all know that self-care is neither selfish or unnecessary. 

For many women, a beauty routine goes far beyond the outer surface and impacts the inner.  What starts as a simple daily routine becomes something much larger! 

It begins as a gentle nudge, a reminder to pay just a bit more attention to yourself, prioritize yourself, and practice some extra tender lovin’ care.  Then it can evolve into fully honoring yourself…loving yourself boldly and out-loud — an empowering expression leading to a renewed sense of self.

It can become a means to take back your power.  Or, it can also simply evolve into finding genuine comfort in one’s own skin, living a more joyful and beautiful life!  In conclusion, for many, something that starts small easily grows into a representation of something much bigger.

What are the benefits of self-care through beauty therapy?

Let’s delve a bit more into the therapeutic benefits of a beauty routine…. the “therapy” part of “beauty therapy” if you will. 

• Surprisingly, a simple beauty routine can help to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. 
• Beauty routines can lead to an increase in self-esteem, self-love, self-reflection, self-expression, energy, and productivity. 
• Lastly, often it is found that relationships can begin to improve. You see, when you start addressing your own wants and needs, you become better equipped to help others. 

Stress Reduction

For women dealing with stress, many find that focusing on themselves with deliberate and intentional “me- time” is beneficial for their mind and their body. 

The very act of establishing a beauty routine as a sort of ritual with this devoted time can even be slightly meditative. 

It can be refreshing, peaceful, and calming compared to the usual daily pressures.  Just taking a break for even those few minutes from the stressful hustle and bustle helps your body and your mind to relax. 

Pro Tip: Beauty routines that rely on touch (makeup, skincare, haircare) can trigger chemicals in the brain, specifically, oxytocin…which, in turn, makes the body relax.

Related: 7 Ways To Relieve Stress & Anxiety Right Now

Anxiety & Depression Reduction: Breaking Thought Patterns

More and more studies are finding a simple beauty routine can help “break the negative cycle and thought patterns” associated with depression and anxiety. 

Establishing a routine allows for a shift in focus, as it forces an individual to be mindful to only the particular task at hand.  While one is focused on the individual steps of the beauty routine, they can suspend thoughts about the things bothering them for that specific block of time. 

Just the process of focusing on one thing at a time and being mindful in the moment can provide calming effects.  It’s the “paying attention to the details” and each little step that is crucial.  Much like adult coloring books, the detailed focus stalls the negative thought loops.

Anxiety & Depression Reduction: A Vehicle for Control

Often with anxiety and depression, women feel overwhelmed, scared, and like everything is completely beyond their control.  A routine (yes, even beauty-related) can sometimes become a vehicle to feeling more in control of their lives. 

Having something small and tangible like a routine, where you know what the steps are, know what to do next, know how it works, etc.… can help.  It comes down to feeling like there is finally something you can control…and that something is YOU. 

You may not be able to control the world, family, politics, friendships, relationships, or your job…but you can feel a sense of security in having control over yourself.  You get to be in control of the what and the how…what you are doing in your routine and how you choose to make yourself feel beautiful.

Anxiety & Depression Reduction: Repetition through Habits

The beauty of a habit!  If you have ever experienced anxiety or depression, you would know that it can take baby steps towards feeling better.  But studies show that daily multi-step, repetitive habits have a way of setting a tone for the day and in turn, making you feel better overall. 

Some women find that by going through a beauty routine (makeup or skincare for example) at the very beginning of the day, and the fact that they are able to fully complete that task from beginning to end, gives them a sense of accomplishment from the very start of their day, even before stepping out the front door.

Self-esteem and Self-love

For those struggling with self-esteem and a sense of self-worth, their beauty routine can be a source of empowerment.  Taking that devoted time is a reminder to themselves that their wants and needs matter.  It can serve as a commitment to one’s self to care of herself. 

The act of deliberately caring for one’s self consistently, over time leads to recognizing and conveying more value for one’s self.  And obviously, the physical results of the routine can also give them a confidence boost.

Self-reflection and Self-expression

With makeup in particular, for some women, it represents their war paint!  Their shield and armor to handle whatever challenges the day brings their way.  Others look at it as a fun way of redefining and expressing themselves.  They can experiment with it, choose how they want the world to see them and then playfully switch it up.

Energy and Productivity

Hitting the pause button, slowing down and shifting the focus to you and your needs can lead to more productivity in your life.  Alone time devoted to your beauty routine, even for just a few minutes, can help you reboot and recharge. 

When we allow ourselves to reboot and recharge, we can come back at life with a new sense of vigor and energy.  This, in turn, leads to us being more productive in other areas of our lives, instead of constantly depleted.

Relationship Improvements

If you are constantly taking care of everybody else but yourself, you will eventually experience burnout.  As the expression goes, “you can’t pour from an empty cup!”

And once that cup gets empty, you could likely experience unhappiness, low self-worth, crankiness, or even resentment.  When any of these things happen, you are not bringing your best to any relationship (family, friends, significant other, co-workers, etc.).

How do you practice self-care as beauty therapy?

So, how do you get started with practicing self-care and beauty therapy exactly?  Simple, simple, simple is key here. 

All you need to do is follow 7 easy steps.  Sometimes we need a visual reminder to stay on track….so to help, you can have these tips as a print-out to check off each step.  Here’s how I did it and how you can too!

Sign up for the 7 best tips (steps) for women below!

1) Make the Commitment

First, you need to commit to yourself and make the decision to make yourself more of a priority in your day-to-day life.  Give yourself permission to just start taking a few minutes each day to shift your focus to caring for yourself. 

If this seems daunting, just start a challenge… call it your “6 Weeks to Loving Me Challenge”!  Decide for the next 6 weeks to try it and just see how things improve for yourself.

2) Pick Your Self-Care/Beauty Practice

If your goal is to start taking better care of yourself with beauty therapy, decide what that routine is going to be.  Will it be related to skincare, haircare, makeup, or something else entirely? 

Will it be bubble baths, weekly detox baths, a weekly hair mask, a daily skincare routine, or a DIY facial?  Maybe just some time to yourself trying out new makeup ideas? 

What makes you feel beautiful and confident?  Makes you feel pampered?  What relaxes or soothes you?  Restores you?  What lifts your mood? 

Think about the answers to these questions, and they will lead you towards finding your perfect routine.

3) Create A Self-Care Plan

Is it a daily thing you want to do, a weekly thing, or a combo of? 

I suggest at least something small for daily and then you can always try something bigger for weekly if you want.  It’s best to make it something that will become a part of your regular daily routine rather than waiting until you have reached the point of burnout. 

Plan the week and day around this goal, knowing that you will just need to carve out a little bit of time for yourself.  It does not have to take long, just a few minutes.  Be realistic with yourself, if you are super busy, start small and keep it as simple as you need it to be.

4) Get Your Essential Self-Care Tools Together

What do you need?  Do you need some yummy smelling soaps for your bath?  Some candles or essential oils to zen out as you bathe? 

Maybe, some beginner makeup brushes and tools?  Do need ingredients for a DIY hair mask?  Whatever you need, just make sure you have your tools readily available to simplify things. 

5) Find Some Special Space

Just designate a small area where you can keep and store your tools.  Maybe its a drawer, kit, cosmetic container, or bag? 

I’m big on organizing my tools!!  I like to know where everything is so I can easily find it when I need it.  I’m always looking for containers and organizers from the Container Store, Bed Bath & Beyond, or Target lol!  I’m the organizing queen lol!

6) Schedule It

Treat your self-care time like you would treat any important meeting, call, or appointment for work.  Remember it doesn’t have to take long, just a few minutes. 

If you don’t intentionally make the time for it, you will always have excuses, and you will never find the time.  Put it on your calendar as a visual reminder or put it on a to-do-list if you must.

Check out these tips for how to make time for self-care and use our FREE planner to help!

7) Find Accountability

Find someone you can share your goal with, it may seem silly, but it can help.  If you don’t have a friend to share it with, you can always share it with me!  I’d love to help, and we can stay accountable together!

Tips for Success with Self-care and Beauty Therapy

Multi-Task:

If your life is incredibly busy, find ways to multi-task!!  For example, let’s say you decide to start doing a once a week hair mask, and you also happen to have weekly chores around the house to take care of…

Perhaps Sunday is your usual day of the week in which you try to get all the house cleaning and laundry done.  What you can do is put on your hair mask and then while it sits for 30 minutes, you can then do the dishes, laundry, cleaning, etc. 

Need to check work emails before Monday?  Put on that sheet mask while you do so!

Ask For Help Or Delegate:

What things do you absolutely have to do yourself vs. what things could someone else do for you?  Could your hubby watch the kids for a few minutes?  Could you get groceries delivered instead of going to the store yourself? 

Most grocery stores offer this service. Could you use a service like Amazon Prime Pantry and have your grocery products delivered to you?

Or what about using Thrive Market and having healthy options shipped straight to your door?

Prioritize:

Do you spend a lot of time just scrolling on social media or scrolling the TV channels?  Could you be using that time to do your self-care beauty routine instead?  Figure out what’s important and essential and what can slide a bit. 

Or maybe, do you sometimes find you take on way too much, commit to too many things or responsibilities?  In these situations, it becomes more about you learning to say “no” or maybe just “some other time”.  It is completely ok and accepting to say “no” at times.  Don’t overcommit or overdo it, especially when you are tired and drained.  Make yourself the priority instead.

Try New Things:

When you are thinking about what you want your routine to be, you should look into trying new things and then just see what fits with your lifestyle.

Stop With The Guilt:

No, it is not selfish to take care of yourself.  It’s ok to put your needs first at times, and you should not feel guilty about it.  If a beauty routine makes you feel good, balanced, restored, more confident, then it is helping your emotional and mental well-being.  It’s not frivolous, or self-indulgent, but rather it is quite necessary.

More on feeling guilty about self-care and solutions to help!

Do Some Time Blocking:

When it comes to planning your time and scheduling your routine, look for little blocks or small pockets of time when you can fit it in.  Maybe you try getting up earlier?  Perhaps you wait until the kids are in bed?

For more on “time blocking!“

Be Flexible:

Know that sometimes things are not going to go as planned.  Some days you will be better at sticking to it, others not so much.  But as long as you keep trying, that’s all that matters.  Look at each day as a new chance to get back on the horse and get back to taking better care of yourself.

Final Thoughts on Self-Care through Beauty Therapy

Practicing self-care is probably the most important thing you can ever do that also has the biggest impact on your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. 

It’s a very personal thing for each of us, and for some, beauty therapy is a very rewarding and simple means towards practicing it.  From reducing stress, anxiety, and depression to increasing self-esteem, self-reflection, and productivity, the benefits are wide-ranging. 

And starting small with a beauty routine as your self-care practice of choice can be an easy, beginner step into the much larger world of self-care!

• Want to Plan A Self-Care Spa Day At Home??
• Need more inspiration?  Check out some of these tips for using self-care as a means to prevent burnout from several successful women!
• Do you struggle with practicing self-care?  Do you neglect it or feel guilty about taking time for it?  You can get a free printable to help you stay on course! 6 weeks worth of empowering reminders to show up for yourself and avoid burn out!

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