5 Natural Beauty Tips From the Founder of Uma Oils
By Jessica Vince
With our lives getting more fast-paced, it’s easy to become dependent on synthetic beauty products and harsh over-the-counter cures. But they only provide a quick fix. Step forward Shrankhla Holecek, the lady behind Uma Oils, who is an avid advocate of natural remedies.
If there’s anyone you should listen to when it comes to skin care advice, it’s Holecek. She grew up on her family’s Indian estate, which is legendary for growing essential oils for the likes of Estée Lauder and Tom Ford. After moving to Los Angeles, she incorporated 700 years of research into creating the formula for her own line of 100% organic oils.
Not only do the products smell amazing, they’re also powerful problem-solvers for issues like anxiety, insomnia and acne. Every ingredient is ‘homegrown’ on the Uma farm to ensure maximum purity and potency.
I can’t help but be enthralled as Holecek talks me through centuries-old Indian beauty rituals and reveals the skincare secrets she swears by. Read on for her brilliant, and refreshingly natural, tips…
1. Cleanse with honey
I always recommend a simplified skin ritual. In the morning, take a teaspoon of organic honey and layer it on your face before jumping in the shower then wash it off with a warm cloth. Finish with a cold facial rinse. Honey calms your skin and is great as an anti-inflammatory cleanser that won’t strip your skin of natural oils. You then only need to follow up with a few drops of UMA’s face oil.
2. Stimulate with citrus
My hair secret is to use lemon and grapefruit to stimulate the scalp. These natural ingredients allow pores to open by giving more blood flow to the scalp and over time, this helps make your hair healthier and healthier. If your scalp feels particularly stressed and itchy, take a lemon and rub it into your hair for a quick and effective cleanse. A hair oil is also a great way to strengthen the hair and control frizz. Just add two to three drops on the ends of dry hair or apply to the scalp in circular motions. Do this overnight or 20-30 minutes before your shower and your locks will be silky smooth.
3. Detox with lemon
Hot water with lemon in the morning is the most potent detox for your body. It draws impurities out of your body in a very natural way. I also advise scrubbing your tongue with a toothbrush every morning — it cleans up skin issues very quickly because it pulls out toxins. A lot of people forget about thorough mouth hygiene but our mouths are hotbeds for bacteria.
4. Wake up with ice
Ice is an extremely underrated beauty product. If you’ve had five hours of sleep and you’re feeling awful the next day, splash your face with warm water then ice water, warm water then icy water for three minutes. Your face will instantly look perkier. You get dark circles from blood pooling under your eyes so you trick your body into circulating blood better by smoothing an ice cube over your face, which shrinks capillaries.
5. And reeeelax
When I’m on the go, I take a minute to use the wellness oils to relax naturally. My quick trick is to put a few drops onto your wrist, dab it behind the ears and on your temples, then take five deep inhales. Giving yourself a short massage has benefits that go way beyond just the time you spend doing it. Your body is your strongest defence so it’s important to listen to it to help you feel strong and beautiful.