Being a woman is rather fun, especially on days like I had yesterday. I am one of those girls that rarely indulges in such luxuries, but I sure do appreciate being pampered once in awhile. Who doesn't?
First off was simply a trip to my salon for a hair cut. I love my hairdresser, she's a doll! She always makes me feel gorgeous!! At the end of every hair cut, she recommends all the products she used to make my hair look the way she got it to look and off I go. As if I can use all these things to 'maintain' or make me look good. ;)
Next I head to a fancy pants spa with a gift card in hand. (Thanks to my lovely girlfriend, wink wink, you know who you are!) I proceed to the counter and they have me fill out a form, much like the ones you fill out the first time you go to a new doctor. After I turn that in they usher me into the ladies dressing room to obtain my locker with my robe and slippers. Once robed up, I head to the room you wait in until you are then ushered on to your massage, facial or whatever treatment you are in for. There I sat on a plush comfy couch in dim lighting with soft music and candlelight glow, and fabulous smells wafting in the air. A woman came in and gave me a clove scented foot bath, while I read my girlie magazine and relaxed. Not too shabby, I could get used to this! Finally, Samantha comes in, she will be giving me my facial and we walk off to her room together.
She sits me down and explains what she will do, asks me my skin care routine and I tell her (think bare bones minimum here folks, after all I am a naturalist at heart). She kind of chuckles at me over it, like she knows something I don't know. But I don't mind, I am happy with my minimalistic approach. She then proceeds on with the facial. At one point she takes out a bright light after having put cotton pads over my eyes and proceeds to evaluate my skin, or should I say, look for blemishes (hehe, you all know where this is gonna go). After about a million products and applications, with some massaging mixed in and a mask that peeled off like I was a character from Mission Impossible, the facial was done. I sat up and she told me how much better off I was now that she was done with me, and then she proceeded to tell me I needed to use a moisturizer twice a day. I guess my skin is supposed to feel somewhat 'dewy' all the time. Anyway, she tried to recommend a product the spa sold, so I asked her what was in the product. She said, oh you know just the right blend of humectants. I was aiming for the actual ingredients, but she didn't know. Being that I am a naturalist, I like to know what's in a product I am then going to put directly onto my face, which then in turn will make it's way into my blood stream. But, most people don't even worry about that. I guess if these products only make your skin temporarily soft, they're the bees knees.
Okay okay, so a little disclaimer, I am not against products, and I am not bashing my time at the spa. It was a much needed and appreciated time for me. But I got to thinking, why do people look at the external problem and then try to fix it externally rather than internally first. I happen to know that good skin and good healthy hair do not come from products. Nor can products ever make my skin or hair whole or complete. No, that must come from the inside out. What I consume, what nutrients go into my body to nourish me are what are going to dictate the health of my skin or my hair. Sure there will be some things externally that can have affect on my hair and skin, but I really think if they are strong from the foundation they can buffer these outward effects.
It's funny because I have noticed the health of my hair return, from having had a bunch of babies and going through an immense season (like the past 10 years, at least) of stress, to coming into a full understanding of grace and then learning to eat real whole nourishing foods. This past winter was the first winter I did not suffer from dry dry skin, especially on my face. So I knew that I was healing slowly but surely from the inside out. But Samantha, (God bless her sweet soul), insisted she knew better and prescribed a ritual for me to follow to maintain better skin.
Does any of this sound familiar? As I was writing I kind of pictured myself back at my old church. I remember when I first went there, I was so impressed by all the 'bells and whistles' so to speak of the church. Not long after I started attending I realized people were quick to help you 'better' or 'improve' yourself by pointing out your flaws and offering a regimen to give you the results of external 'beauty' so to speak. The focus is on what people can see on the outside of you. Funnily enough it's in the world too. Wouldn't it be amazing what the implications of living free of our externals/appearances on this earth could really be! People would be free in so many ways (and probably save a whole lot of money too, haha). I just marvel that in this culture the church and the world are constantly getting you to look at your flesh and then essentially writing you their prescription for 'fixing' all your problems..........When will they all know that we have Life on the inside of us, a life that will burst forth through us from within! That's what I long to see break out on this planet, a revelation of our already perfect and beautiful state within that shines brightly through us!!!! That's the kind of dewy glowing face I want!!! :D
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