Rituals are important to our lives. They focus and empower us. Rituals give us time to slow life down for a few moments and savor the small things. A cup of coffee in the morning. A daily yoga practice. Journaling. Rituals enable the distractions to melt away, giving us the chance to gain insight and happiness. Your beauty ritual is no different.

Often we’re too busy to enjoy the simple pleasures of our beauty routines. How many times have you frantically rushed through a shower in the morning? When’s the last time you really enjoyed the scent of your shampoo? Or, the sensation of water on your skin? When have you relished the cool feeling of applying your favorite moisturizer?

Just like you nourish your body with organic food, your skin deserves care with organic beauty products. Many non-organic beauty products on the market today include an astonishing amount of scary chemicals. From parabens (chemicals linked to cancer) to formaldehyde to petroleum waxes, an ordinary lotion can contain quite the toxic mixture. Certified-organic skincare products cleanse, tone, exfoliate and moisturize your skin without using any of these noxious artificial chemicals or additives. That’s not all, though. Here are a few more reasons to choose organic beauty products for naturally beautiful skin.

When it comes to your shampoo and conditioner, you want products that you adore. Nothing feels more lovely than soft, hydrated and bouncy hair fresh from the perfect shampoo and conditioning. But, searching for natural options that leave hair feeling luscious doesn’t always end well. Many natural or organic shampoos and conditioners don’t create that sudsy lather we associate with feeling clean. Others smell funky. Still, others create product buildup and leave hair feeling greasy or dull. Lucky for you, your search is over. We’ve tested a bunch and found three shampoos and three conditioners that work hair wonders—the natural way. Enjoy!

The next time your skin feels dry, tight or chaffed, the solution may be found in a nutshell, a shea nutshell to be exact. Shea trees, also called Karite trees, are native to sub-Saharan Africa, growing uncultivated across 20 countries. Once they reach about 20 years of maturity, they produce the extremely emollient and skin-friendly moisturizing shea nuts, which are made into shea butter, and continue to produce these nuts for about 200 years.

When you have sensitive skin, even organic beauty products can irritate. The essential oils that replace the yucky synthetic fragrances found in conventional products can make sensitive skin itchy and red, even though the oils are completely natural. Essential oils are often too potent for hyper-sensitive skin. Watered down products and exotic filler ingredients can also aggravate sensitive skin. When it comes to organic beauty, it’s often hard to find something simple.

That’s why S.W. Basics of Brooklyn is all about no-frills skincare. This natural line of skincare products all contain just five ingredients or fewer. The company believes less ingredients means more effective skincare. That’s why the company only uses the exact necessary number of ingredients to make healthy skincare products that work.

Has the winter weather wreaked havoc on your face? Grapefruit scrub to the rescue!

Cold, dry weather is hard on your skin. Chances are, your face is pretty dry after so many chilly months, and a scrub can help slough away dead skin cells, leaving you with smooth, soft skin. Grapefruit is loaded with vitamin C and citric acid to help rid your skin of those dead cells that cause flakiness and breakouts.

A fresh face powder gives your makeup that finishing touch. Sheer and weightless, it ensures that your makeup stays put longer and adds a flawless sheen to your face. It absorbs any extra oiliness and even minimizes the appearance of fine lines. When you brush a loose face powder over freshly applied makeup, it enhances any complexion, but those lovely powders can get pricey, especially for the more natural options.

You keep slathering on the lotion, but your skin still feels itchy, dry and irritated. Lotion alone won’t help your parched skin if you have other bad beauty habits going on. A lot of factors influence how your skin looks and feels, even ones you may not realize—like these five bad beauty habits. Find out what they are and fix them!

Your facial skin is the first to fall victim to winter wear. While the rest of your body is bundled up and protected, your face is exposed to cold, dry air on a daily basis, making it more prone to becoming flaky, red, and lackluster. Instead of splurging on over-the-counter products, often packed with chemicals, additives, and other toxic ingredients, look no further than your very own pantry and refrigerator for a potent combination that will rescue your complexion this season. This 2-ingredient recipe combines the power of raw honey and plain yogurt in one simple stir.

While there are a number of new, sophisticated lab-created or synthesized peptides and other bio-active cosmetic ingredients, Mother Nature often provides some pretty powerful medicine on her own. A case in point are pomegranates, that hard-as-heck to open and eat, stain your fingers red, jewel-like seed filled deliciously tart treat, is one of the oldest fruits around, originating in the Middle East and steeped in history. Legend holds that Adam and Eve’s indulgence in pomegranate--not apple--resulted in their being cast from the Garden of Eden. Religious beliefs and folklore aside, pomegranate extract has been shown to be highly beneficial to our health and of great benefit in the battle against aging and sun damaged skin, even skin cancer.