For centuries, cacao has been regarded as a divine ingredient, often reserved for the elite classes of the Mesoamerican native cultures to enjoy during ceremonial rituals as a hot beverage boasting many health and spiritual benefits.
In today’s world, we’re lucky to enjoy this ingredient in a variety of forms and with extreme accessibility, but its divine nature is still one to behold, which is precisely what Herbal Skin Solutions’ newest addition to our signature skincare line urges you to do.
With it’s warm and comforting aroma and natural skin-restoring benefits, the Cacao Seed Softening Mask can serve as a part of your skin ritual that will not only will soften and restore your skin’s barrier, but also work within to calm your spirit as well as open your heart chakra and emotional center.
Packed with plant flavonoids and polyphenols, and featuring a luscious and silky rich texture that provides the mask with its moisturizing properties, the gentle nature of the enzyme in the Cacao Seed Softening Mask helps strike the perfect balance that makes this mask an ideal fit for all skin types.
Even those with dull and sensitive skin, who are in need of light resurfacing and texture smoothing as well as restoration of the skin’s barrier, will enjoy the enzymatic exfoliation (and glycolic acid) in the Cacao Seed Softening Mask, which provides balancing properties that work together to build an overall healthier and more luminous glow.
And as with all Herbal Skin Solutions products, you’ll find that the Cacao Seed Softening Mask works most effectively when incorporated into an intentional and immersive skincare ritual.
We believe this honours the sacred divinity and indigenous history of the cacao in addition to the other bounty of botanicals found within the product, and connects us — our mind, bodies, and spirits — back with Mother Earth who provides us with these skin- and soul-benefitting ingredients.
To craft a unique and full-sensory experience utilizing the Cacao Seed Softening Mask, we offer these ritual touchpoints for you to incorporate into your own skin and self-care ceremony:
- Heighten your sense of smell – Cacao’s natural properties are not only powerful when applied topically and consumed, but it’s also beneficial when used as an aromatherapeutic to calm the mind and body, helping to maintain healthy blood pressure and improve cognitive function. To heighten your sense of smell, consider dimming the lights, turning off devices, and completing your masking time during meditation practice.
- Repeat a love or compassion-focused intention or affirmation – The Anahata energy centre (Sanskrit: अनाहत) or heart chakra is the fourth primary chakra and is correlated with compassion, affection, and love. According to ancient Mayan texts, cacao ceremonies have been described as “heart-opening,” and while a skin ritual using the Cacao Seed Softening Mask doesn’t involve ingestion (unless you desire to make and incorporate a traditional cacao elixir — a beautiful idea to take your ritual to the next level!), repeating a compassion-focused affirmation such as “I am deserving of love” or “I am a beacon of love and compassion” is another way to invite heart-opening.
- Align your body for heart-opening – If non-verbal heart-alignment is more your style, or you like the idea of pairing affirmations or meditation with the flow of movement, we invite you to strike (and hold) a heart-opening pose while masking. Our favorites are Fish Pose (Matsyasana), Cobra (Bhujangasana), and Standing Star (Utthita Tadasana).
When ready for the masking stage of your ritual, apply a smooth, thick layer of the Cacao Seed Softening Mask to your freshly cleansed face, neck, and décolleté (avoiding the delicate eye area), then relax and soak in the rich and relaxing properties of the cacao and rinse off with tepid water after 20 minutes or as soon as the mask begins to dry.
Complete your skin ritual by following with Herbal Skin Solutions’ pH Balance Toner or Hydrating Mist, Vitamin C+ Enhancement Serum, and the Healing Cream moisturizer for a.m. or Blue Moon Overnight Sleeping Mask for p.m. rituals.
To view and shop the whole Herbal Skin Solutions line, visit herbalskinsolutions.com.
