An oil designed for your belly button could be the skin care savior you’ve been missing.
By
Jessica L. Yarbrough
Dec 11, 2019
PHIL JUDE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
I have done some strange things in the name of skin care. I’ve abandoned all face wash in favor of manuka honey. (It’s sticky, but it works.) I’ve had a really thin layer of skin shaved off with a scalpel. (It’s known as dermaplaning, and I would not do it again.) Most recently, I’ve taken to applying a beauty oil every night—wait for it—inside my belly button.
Well, that last one isn’t as strange as it sounds. In ancient India, for instance, oiling one’s abdomen was a totally normal, not-at-all weird thing to do. “Ayurveda refers to this practice in Bhavaprakasha, a text written in the 15th century, in which a dam of amalaki paste is created around the navel and filled with ginger juice,” says Sahara Rose, author of Idiot’s Guide to Ayurveda and host of the Highest Self Podcast. Followers of Ayurveda consider the belly button a mahamani, or “great marma,” or vital energy point—pick your preferred terminology. The point is, it’s a pretty magical spot. Magical enough to maybe even make your skin glow.
To back up a bit: If the word “Ayurveda” sounds familiar, it’s because the Eastern holistic healing system—often referred to as the sister science of yoga—has been working its way west for years. It’s responsible for many of the self-care rituals Stateside wellness devotees hold dear: dry brushing, oil pulling, tongue scraping. Navel oiling, traditionally known as nabhi chikitsa, officially joins the list with the launch of UMA Oils’ Beauty Boosting Navel Therapy Oil, a blend that claims to moisturize lips and skin from the inside out.
UMA Navel Therapy Oils
UMA
revolve.com
$75.00
Before you scoff, there is some science behind the stomach-skin connection (albeit, science shrouded in symbolism). “In Ayurvedic tradition, the navel represents the origin of life, linking mother and child before birth and providing a hub for nutrients to flow between their bodies,” Shrankhla Holecek, an Ayurvedic expert and the founder of UMA Oils, tells BAZAAR.com. “The philosophy of nabhi chikitsa tells us that the body’s center continues to serve as a foundation for balance in adulthood, because of its richness in blood vessels and pathways to the body’s extremities.” The idea is that once inserted into the navel, oil is easily absorbed and effortlessly distributed throughout the body, thanks to through lines formed in its umbilical cord heyday.
This checks out, to an extent. Studies have shown “systemic bioavailability of medications via navel administration,” Nadia Musavvir, ND, notes—in layman’s terms, real results from navel-loaded nutrients. The question is: Can said results really reach your face?
Source: www.harpersbazaar.com
