Macrobiotic Skincare

Macrobiotic is a concept that has been bypassed by other, more modern trends. It shouldn’t. Macro is a Greek word and means great and large. Bios means life. So Makrobios is the Great Life in English.  Macrobiotic way of thinking values ​​everything life brings to us. It teaches us positive thinking and gives us joy.

Japan is the home of macrobiotic thinking. It means a whole way of life; a macrobiotic way to live our lives. I got to know macrobiotic myself over 30 years ago. I would now like to introduce you this traditional Japanese philosophy of life, and especially macrobiotic skin care. Interested in hearing more about this topic?

Macrobiotic skincare is harmony

Macrobiotic is a harmonious life together with nature. A human is part of nature and therefore we should live under conditions of nature.

Macrobiotic do include also a healthy, non-toxic diet. Different cooking methods are a very important part of the diet. In macrobiotic, ​​local food is appreciated because it is good to live in symbiosis with the earth. Vegans and mixed eaters are not separated in the macrobiotic diet. In macrobiotic, all humans have their own individual diets. Macrobiotic diet is mainly gentle and vegetarian and it is very important in macrobiotic, but let’s not talk about it anymore.

Macrobiotic is a philosophy of life that provides guidance for all areas of life.

You can raise your children according to the principles of macrobiotics. You can meet your friends and parents following the ideas of macrobiotic way of life. Macrobiotic is a holistic way of thinking, but not a religion at all.

The macrobiotic way of taking care of our self and our health, hygiene and other well-being suits so well to present day. That is why macrobiotic occurred to my mind and I decided to write about it. It’s time to take a closer look at macrobiotic skincare and see what it has to offer to us.

Macrobiotic skincare and cosmetics

In macrobiotic, when the harmony has been achieved, skin care is not even needed. This may sound amazing. Healthy skin does not need any skin care products.

Totally healthy skin is achieved by living in harmony with nature and the surrounding environment. Unfortunately, only few of us today have the opportunity to live like this. That’s why we need cosmetics to moisturize and protect our skin. Nowadays, our nutrition is far from natural and optimal. Insufficient nutrition is then immediately visible on our skin.

Less is more

It is best to treat our skin only when needed. According to the rules of macrobiotic way, the skin should be treated as little as possible.

• A drop of oil is enough but use good, organic quality oil that is locally produced – if possible
• Light cleaning is enough, but make sure that the water you use is as natural as possible. In summer you can take advantage of clean streams and lakes. If you have genuine spring water at your disposal, it’s better.
• To protect your skin, it is best to avoid strong sun exposure rather than constantly use sunscreen.
• According to the rules of macrobiotic, always choose the most natural option.
• Replaced sunscreen by clothing and natural shade
• Choose a natural fibre face towel instead of an artificial fibre
• Use a guasha roller to refresh the skin of your face rather than face masks
• Use oils produced in your area / country for skin care – if possible

No compromises in macrobiotic skincare

Macrobiotic means living in harmony with nature. If we want to live macrobiotically, everything we touch and use should be as natural and pure as possible. Cosmetics made following the standards of natural cosmetics are, of course, very pure. They are free of plastic and harmful chemicals. However, there are some trade-offs made in natural cosmetics that are not present in macrobiotic cosmetics. Preservatives, emulsifiers and other chemicals that affect the appearance of the product are just those trade-offs. They are factory-made, synthetic chemicals that are no longer natural.

Organic ingredients

Organic ingredients and wild forest products are used in macrobiotic skincare. Organic raw materials are sometimes unfortunately hard to find. Organic production does not cover everything.

What ingredients are used to make macrobiotic products

When you start making macrobiotic cosmetics, you should start with very simple formulas. In Japanese style, macrobiotic cosmetics is very simple. All unneeded ingredients are removed from the product. Only pure, natural raw materials are left. In macrobiotic cosmetics, the freshness and quality of the raw materials are the most important values.

At its best, macrobiotic cosmetics are made up of ingredients that have grown near you. The ingredients in macrobiotic cosmetics are locally produced, traditionally part of the environment where you live. That is what symbiosis with nature means.

A good example of a macrobiotic cosmetic raw material is oats

Oats are a very traditional ingredient and it  is particularly good for skin care. Other good macrobiotic cosmetic ingredients are

• flax seeds
• apple
• rose hips and roses
• all wild herbs
• lake water, river water, spring water
• and many other raw materials

It is up to you to decide which plants are suitable for your macrobiotic product.

In macrobiotic cosmetics, the origin of the raw material is very relevant information

Macro-biology focuses on local production. We must therefore pay particular attention to the origin of the raw materials. Make sure that all the ingredients in your product are locally produced. This is the original idea of ​​macrobiotics. Online shops are flooded with macrobiotic cosmetics made in Japan from Japanese ingredients. Don’t buy such products unless you live in Japan. Therefore, always choose domestic raw materials whenever you make your own products.

The formula of a macrobiotic cosmetic product is very simple

You don’t need expensive equipment and tools to make macrobiotic cosmetics. It is enough that you have access to fresh, domestic ingredients.

Oat oil

Oat oil itself is a macrobiotic cosmetic product. You can use it as it is for skin care.

Hemp oil

Hemp oil is one of the best cosmetic oils. Hemp is a very ecological plant with a negative carbon footprint. You can read more about hemp oil in skin care here.

Beeswax and honey

A natural way to make creams and ointments is to melt beeswax to the oil. If you use domestic camelina oil, the product is very macrobiotic. Camelina oil is also good for maceration or oil extraction. Extracting gentle natural herbs into camelina oil gives you a wonderful macrobiotic salve for skin care.

Honey provides moisture to the skin. It works well as a facial mask as such. Honey can also be mixed with herbal oils to give extra power to the mask.

Macrobiotic skin care is current trend right now

Right now, we need to focus on supporting domestic and local production. Local production is an ethical and ecological choice. I will tell you more about macrobiotic cosmetics in the future. It has been one of the most inspiring philosophies for me for decades. Macrobiotics fits really well at this time. It teaches us how to appreciate and be grateful for what we have around us. We do not necessarily need exotic ingredients for our skin care products. Often, vegetable oils produced nearby perform even better.

Are you familiar with macrobiotic skin care?