self-care does not have to be expensive, tedious, time-consuming, or gate-kept. that's one of the things I really wanted to emphasize and embody through Silkish Beauty itself, but also through workshops and in-person courses.
in March of this year, I hosted my very first Silkish Beauty official lip scrub workshop, facilitated by Cosmic Flora Crystals in Moore, OK. I was in a room with four gorgeous and incredible women (and my amazing photographer, Alexis Solomon) not only guiding them through a fun DIY lip scrub activity, but also leading them in meditation and a deep discussion about the importance of self-care.
we as women are fed with a glamourized viewpoint of what self-care should look and feel like: bubble baths, face masks, bath bombs, going to the nail salon, buying that expensive facial oil... the list goes on and on. while all of these activities can be legitimate forms of self-care, they only scratch the surface of what it means to truly show up for yourself and take care of all of your needs.
self-care is more than just standing in the mirror doing your skincare routine, more than just getting a facial once a month, and more than drinking a glass of wine in the bathtub (all totally valid and absolutely amazing, let me just say, but there's more to it!). self-care is something that I like to define as "a sacred commitment to yourself to meet all of your needs and take care of your overall health and well-being". in the workshop, I shared how self-care can actually be divided into five separate pillars, all distinct but interconnected and dependent on one another.
the five self-care pillars are: physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and social. in the workshop, I went through each pillar individually, providing specific examples and suggestions on what each pillar consists of and how to care for them. one obvious example was sharing that exercise / intentional body movement can be a great form of physical self-care. then, an example that might not have been as obvious was when I shared that learning a new language or taking a skill class can be a great form of mental and social self-care. when we expand our social understanding or expand our knowledge through learning a new language or skill, this is a direct way to nourish our mental need to grow and improve. this form of self-care is also a great way to build community and create meaningful friendships, which directly pours into the social self-care pillar. my attendants were able to hear examples of one act of self-care can pour nourishment and strength into multiple pillars at once - this is because they all depend on one another and share lots of connections.
during our open-discussion on the five self-care pillars, I made sure to emphasize with my attendants that self-care does not have to be time consuming, and it doesn't even have to cost money unless you choose for it to. free and quick self-care actions to give back to your needs may take a little more creativity and intention, but they are possible - and I was able to provide some examples of those as well.
after we completed our self-care discussion part of the workshop, we went into the DIY lip scrub portion, which was honestly really fun and satisfying to help guide my attendants through! I was able to provide 2 different flavors for them to choose from, along with cups, spoons, colorants, and raw brown sugar to really make it fun and yummy. I even provided each attendant with a labeled jar for them to take their lip scrub home in. I also opted for vegetable glycerin in the recipe for this workshop, since most DIY lip scrub recipes that are shared online call for honey - which is not vegan-friendly - and my attendants really appreciated this switch.
getting to be in this space with these women was incredibly healing for me. they chose to be there, chose to prioritize themselves and their needs beyond the standard "bubble bath and face mask" advertising that we see online, and chose to hear my perspective on WHY it is so important to take care of all of your needs, not just the physical or the emotional ones. after hosting this workshop, it has gotten me more and more excited to host another one in the near future and continue sharing my wisdom and passion for self-care. I am a firm believer that self-care should be accessible, should be inclusive, and should be deeply nourishing - both for the body and the soul.
interested in attending one of my workshops or want me to host a workshop for your business or upcoming event? this workshop would be really great for a ladies night, a birthday party (for all ages!), a business summit / conference, and so much more. let me know in the comments if this workshop sounds like something you would attend. and if you have any questions about the self-care pillars or the DIY lip scrub recipe, I'd be happy to answer them!
thanks so much for reading. see you in the next post ♡