This month we have been talking a lot about slow beauty, what it stands for and how you can incorporate it into your daily routines. Slow beauty is such a wide- ranging concept that it can also link into other lifestyles and philosophies that we love here at Evolve, such as wabi-sabi.
What is Wabi-Sabi?
Wabi-sabi is a Japanese philosophy that finds beauty in imperfections. Instead of spending time overthinking what something could be or how that particular item could be better if it was new or undamaged, wabi-sabi teaches us to appreciate the journey that item has been on and learn to love it for exactly what it is.
A lot of things that we love the most in life are often perfectly imperfect. We may have an old belonging of a loved one which could be torn and delicate, but that shows all of the memories we hold onto it for. We may have a favourite book that we’ve read thousands of times, in various places, with tear or tea stains on the pages, but that just shows how much it is loved.
So, if we can love these small imperfections and appreciate the stories that they tell...why can’t we love our own imperfections?
The Link between wabi-sabi and slow beauty
Wabi-sabi teaches us to find the beauty in imperfections, whereas slow beauty teaches us to appreciate the concept of beauty and appreciate ourselves.
Learning to love yourself and your imperfections may be difficult but it is a journey that so many people are currently on, and it is beautiful. By learning more about the two philosophies of wabi-sabi and slow beauty, it may bring more light to your knowledge and help you along the way.
The concept of slow beauty teaches us how to take time for ourselves and enjoy the time we spend with our bodies. Whether it is taking 10 minutes of an evening to massage a new lotion into your skin, or whether it is finding joy in your morning skincare routine that you used to rush, these small rituals that you can create for yourself are designed to show you and your skin love.
Another great link between these two concepts is appreciating the stories in the beauty of the natural world around us. A great example is materials such as wood being used to build Japanese architecture. Over time this wood will be affected by the changing weather. Its wood may become dull and worn. But this creates a story. It makes you think about the journey that it has been through, just like each different mark or scar on our skin tells a different story unique to each of us. Wabi-sabi allows us to think differently about things we may have otherwise overlooked completely.
This can be the same for slow beauty. Slow beauty allows us to make more educated decisions when it comes picking natural skincare products. Mass produced products that are harmful to the environment may appear perfect on the outside because they are designed to look that way, but when you look inside them they can be damaging and unnatural. However, natural products may not appear to be perfect in every single way, but when you look at the ingredients and how these products work, they are a much better choice for both your skin and the planet.
How can I Follow slow beauty and wabi-sabi in my daily routines?
Finding time to appreciate the natural beauty that surrounds us, whether it is in our skin care, ourselves or the world around us will give us all time to sit back and enjoy it a lot more.
So why not take small aspects of these two philosophies and adapt them into your daily routines?
Wabi-sabi is an easy philosophy to adopt in some way. It is a really simple way to try and turn more negative thoughts into positive ones, and is a great philosophy to practice if you want to spend more time reflecting on your surroundings.
Slow beauty is also a really easy concept to enjoy day to day. Try using more natural products and setting aside some time each day to really enjoy them. Give yourself time to think about where the ingredients came from and remember to find the beauty in all of your own perfect imperfections.
Why not create your own slow beauty ritual to learn to appreciate something you deem an imperfection? If you have one area of yourself that you maybe don’t like as much as the rest, take some time out and focus on it.
If it is your body think about how much you have put it through and how strong it is for still carrying you through each day. If it is your legs think about how far they’ve brought you, how many amazing places you’ve explored because of them and how they allow you to dance and run and skip wherever you want.
It is important to find the beauty in everything, and reward yourself with self care and love.
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