6 Beauty Founders Share the Body Care Rituals That Keep Them Centered

Karen Young, founder of Oui the People

Formerly known as Oui Shave, Oui the People is a nourishing body-care line that, in recent years, has expanded its focus beyond shaving to encompass all facets of healthy, comfortable skin, whether you're shaving or not. Founder Karen Young's ethos? Celebrate the skin you're in instead of chasing "perfection."

"When I'm ready to wind down and celebrate my body, our Featherweight Hydrating Body Gloss is my absolute go-to," says Young. "It's an oil-meets-serum that's a super hydrator, seamlessly sinking into your skin to do the hard work of immediate moisture and glow. There's also something incredibly sensorial about applying it to your skin, as it feels like absolute silk and has this delicate orange blossom scent that is perfectly balanced in citrus and floral notes."

Young uses the oil to replenish her skin after bathing, especially. "I have a habit of using multiple soaps in the shower or mixing bar soaps and body wash," she explains. "I use our Clean Slate Lactic Acid Body Wash, followed by a beautiful bar soap from Japan or another body wash from a brand called Kotoshina. I step out, wrap up in a Turkish bath towel, and spritz my face with Violette Fr Boum Boum Milk to keep my face hydrated while I handle my body first. Then, I put Featherweight on within 10 minutes (the best time frame to make sure your skin remains damp enough for the product to really sink in). Since it leaves no greasy residue, it's easy to get dressed from there and finish my face routine. Some nights when anxiety is high, I take a magnesium bath soak, rinse, put Featherweight on right away, and slip right into my PJs and linen sheets, no oil stains included."

Kate McLeod, founder of Kate McLeod

Kate McLeod is an eponymous skin-care line rooted in sustainable, plastic-free, and ritualistic body care. A pastry chef by trade, McLeod created an innovative solid moisturizer called The Stone after she fell in love with its hero ingredient: cocoa butter.

"The Stone is my practice — it got me through a very dark time, which is the whole reason I decided to share it with the world," says McLeod. "Every time you take care of yourself, even if it is just saying something nice to you, you are reminding yourself that you are worth it, you are building that muscle, and shaping the type of relationships you want to bring into your life."

The Body Stone, a solid body lotion, is the brand's hero product, and right now, McLeod is loving the limited-edition Lotus-scented version. "The Lotus Stone is scented with an Egyptian Lotus oil that I found on a trip to Egypt with my daughter last year," she says. "It's soft, floral, earthy, and musky at the same time. Lotus is the scent of the seventh chakra, your crown, so it's deeply sacred. Coming into the end of the year, with the shorter, darker days ahead, this feels very appropriate."

To use the stone, warm it up in your hands and rub it all over. "It is so easy and quick to use," says McLeod. "I find it so much faster and easier than traditional lotion, and it's so much more nourishing."

Katini Yamaoka, founder of Katini Skin

Katini Skin is a luxurious oil brand inspired by founder Katini Yamaoka's upbringing as the child of a Japanese mother and Ghanaian father who was raised primarily in Australia. She leans into indigenous plants and cultural beauty secrets to create gorgeous facial oils — and as of November, ones for the body, too.

"Our Signature Body Oil takes inspiration from Japanese Yuzu bath soaks, which I grew up with in Japan. They have been known for centuries for their hydrating and circulation-promoting benefits," says Yamaoka. "The blend of yuzu, African rooibos, and macadamia has incredible anti-inflammatory and soothing components that naturally soften, protect, and deeply nourish the skin. What I love about this oil is that it absorbs quickly, leaving a velvety finish."

Oftentimes, Yamaoka uses this oil after a warm shower. "I take a small amount in my hands and warm it up by rubbing them together before gently massaging it onto my body, starting from my feet and working my way up," she says. "I approach this ritual as a form of meditation, expressing gratitude to each part of my body for its daily efforts. Remember, there's only one beautiful you in the entire universe. Take this moment to treasure and appreciate yourself."

Erin Kleinberg, founder of Sidia

Erin Kleinberg founded her lifestyle brand Sidia in honor of her late grandmother, who firmly believed in the power of taking care of yourself. After pregnancy left Kleinberg with body-image issues, she expanded the brand's offerings to help her find more pleasure and ritual in the practice of body care.

"I can't live a day without it," says Kleinberg of Sidia's Wired Body Care Duo, a two-step system that includes an exfoliating cleanser and a spray-on body serum designed to make application a cinch. "It's so damn easy, you just spray the product and it melts in and smells heavenly," she says. "The scent of Wired instantly uplifts your mood with matcha, tea leaves, tonka bean, eucalyptus, tobacco rose, and violet."

For Kleinberg, the body treatment is a restorative end to her day. "In the evenings, I love taking the opportunity to cook with my family and have dinner together when possible. Once [my kids are] in bed, I head to my bathroom and take a long, very hot shower," she says. "I use an exfoliating cloth to deeply massage the cleanser into my skin and do some light massaging. I love to do some breathwork in the shower as well; it just feels like time for me and only me. Finally, I finish the shower with cold water to seal all the moisture in, and like to use The Body Serum in the shower while my skin is slightly damp."

Kleinberg views this time in the shower as her me-time and loves that the products can create the same moment for others. "Exploring body care and developing special products designed to give you a moment has allowed me to find deeper care for my body," she says.

Martha Soffer, founder of Surya

Surya is a wellness brand founded by Ayurvedic doctor, chef, and herbalist Martha Soffer. Soffer believes that balance and wellness can be achieved through practical self-care routines. The body-care products are meant to be incorporated into one's self-abhyanga (which translates to self-massage), a practice that Soffer does regularly to connect deeply with her body.

"Every day, especially during [fall and winter], I reach for my Surya Calming Abhyanga Body Oil," says Soffer. "Self-abhyanga is a truly beautiful way to relax, nourish, and honor your mind, body, and spirit. The daily practice (or even just when you can!) calms the nervous system, moisturizes the skin, and allows the potent and healing herbs to soak in through the skin and into the body."

Before beginning her massage, Soffer starts by warming the oil bottle with hot tap water and allowing the steam of her shower to fill and heat the bathroom. Then, she pumps a few drops of oil into her hands. The massage starts on her scalp before she moves down to her feet and ankles, "massaging in small circles around the joints, and long light strokes up the legs towards the hips," she says. She continues making small circles along her hips, belly, back, hands, wrists, and elbows before taking long, light strokes up her arms toward the shoulders. "The guiding principle is to move lymph from the extremities towards the center of the body," she says. "You can either work intuitively or count in 7's for all the strokes. It's very calming and rewarding."

For days when she's really ready to dive deep, she burns incense, listens to a few mantras, and steeps fresh rosemary and ruda in hot water. I "gently slap my skin with the herbs, then pour the herbal water onto me, starting from the very top of my head," says Soffer. "After letting the oil soak in for about 20 to 30 minutes (I love to use this time to make a cup of tea or do my 20 minutes of transcendental meditation), then I'll bathe or shower."

Shannon Davenport, founder of Esker

Body care brand Esker was founded by Shannon Davenport, a certified aromatherapist and former trends forecaster who set out to elevate body care. The brand's hero product, the Body Plane, is an exfoliating massage tool. It's meant to be used with the brand's bespoke oil blends, like Clarifying and Restorative, which are all formulated with efficacious and responsibly sourced essential oils.

"It's easy to get down on yourself during the holidays, so taking the time to create your own cozy and meaningful rituals at home, as well as slowing down and focusing on checking in with yourself and your body, can help a lot. I love using our body oils after a bath or shower to lock in moisture from head to toe."

Recently, Davenport has been using the Restorative formula to wind down before bed. "After my girls go to bed, I'll run a bath and dim the lights in my bathroom," she says. "My favorite thing to do is soak at night and then tuck into bed since warm baths are really great for sleep. I try to stay in a good 20 to 30 minutes before getting out and towel-drying my skin. While it's still fairly damp, I'll apply oil on my body, focusing on the arms and legs where I'm driest. The oils are super silky and lightweight, so I can get in bed right away without worrying about staining my sheets or PJs."