Ireland: Seaweed as a Curative Soak

iVillage: Global Beauty: Skincare Traditions from Around the World

Seaweed may be most associated with Japanese cuisine and culture, but the Irish have a long, deep tradition of soaking in seaweed-infused baths to cure dermatological ailments. For the treatment, seawater is pumped directly from the ocean into large cast iron tubs (chosen for their heat retention), and then piles of locally harvested seaweed are added in. Within a few minutes, the plants release alginic acid, a silky compound of essential oils that nourishes and heals the skin.

Cultural practice: In the Edwardian era, dedicated seaweed bathhouses dotted the coastline in County Sligo and County Kerry, with people of all ages using the baths medicinally and recreationally, enjoying a pint or cocktail while they bathed and strolling along the seafront post-soak. After a drop off in popularity, the tradition has recently experienced a resurgence, as psoriasis sufferers rediscover the treatment's healing benefits.

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The Atlas Mount...

Morocco’s most buzzed-about beauty export may be argan oil, but another endemic ingredient has equally impressive benefits. Rhassoul—a brown clay found only beneath the Atlas mountain range—has been used for more than 1,500 years to maintain the supple, blemish-free complexions of local women. Like all clays, it works by drawing out impurities as it dries, but thanks to unusually high levels of silica, calcium and potassium, rhassoul actually replenishes and nourishes the skin after it’s rinsed off.

Cultural practice: After mining the clay from local quarries, locals let rhassoul sun-dry before it’s pulverized into a fine powder that will be used as a body cleanser, facial mask and scalp treatment. Many hammams (traditional Moroccan bathhouses) incorporate rhassoul into their treatments.

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Ireland: Seaweed...

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Bali: Boreh as a...

Often a postscript to an intense Balinese massage, boreh is a healing paste made from various combinations of herbs, roots, spices and tree barks (cardamom, cinnamon, chilies, shredded coconut, ginger and galangal usually make an appearance, but specific recipes are often kept secret.) The ingredients are ground in a mortar and pestle, then smeared all over the body and allowed to dry.

Cultural practice: Boreh is intended as a warming, circulation-enhancing treatment, with the added benefit of softened, toned skin. Traditional occasions for boreh include weddings and seasonal shifts, but young Balinese (and tourists) may partake at local spas whenever the mood strikes.

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Czech Republic: ...

Due to the plant’s high levels of formic acid, touching a stinging nettle in the wild will make your skin burn. But once the leaves are dried and boiled, nettles become an effective—and perfectly safe—treatment for oily hair. Modern Czech women, who likely remember their grandmothers making homemade foraged nettle hair rinses, now rely on store-bought nettle-based shampoo to keep their tresses grease-free for as long as 36 hours.

Cultural practice: The older generation may still make a home-brewed nettle rinse by boiling chopped leaves in water, while younger devotees pick up astringent nettle hair care products at the supermarket.

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South Africa: Ro...

In South African traditional medicine, a daily cup of rooibos—a low-tannin, caffeine-free red tea indigenous to the country’s small Cedarberg mountain region—is said to keep eczema, psoriasis and rashes at bay. And Western science has lent its support to the practice, showing in recent studies that aspalathin, a flavanoid unique to the tea, helps protect cells from inflammation and age-related skin damage.

Cultural practice: South Africans have brewed rooibos for generations, enjoying both the vibrant red version we’re familiar with in the U.S., as well as a younger, green rooibos. Locals also use soaps and lotions infused with the tea and, for severe skin conditions, hospitals offer rooibos baths as a topical treatment.

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Polynesia: Taman...

The island nations of Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti and Vanuatu revere the oil of the tamanu nut, found in the region’s ati trees, for its ability to promote the formation of new skin tissue and heal wounds, scars and burns (the oil was even used in the 1920s to treat leprosy and wounds.) Scientists aren’t sure how the oil works, but research is underway to unlock its unique chemical qualities.

Cultural practice: Tamanu kernels require several weeks of drying to release their oil, which is thick and fast-absorbing. The end product is applied topically to Polynesians and Melanesians of all ages, including infants, and relied upon by Tahiti’s tough-as-nails athletes, who compete in the country’s traditional outrigger races and Ironman-style contests.

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Nile River Delta...

The Pharoahs relied on black seed oil, derived from a variety of cumin seed, to thicken and condition their famously lustrous hair, and thousands of years later, people living near the Nile massage the oil into their scalps for the same effect. Some even credit the treatment with preventing premature graying, which is rare in Egypt.

Cultural practice: The seeds are milled into unrefined, highly fragrant oil that is applied directly to the scalp. (City-dwellers often buy the oil in easy-to-used capsules that can be mixed into shampoo.)

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Brazil: Carrot J...

Perfecting a deep, long-lasting tan is practically an art form in Brazil’s beach communities. And while gradual sun exposure and safer self-tanning agents are both employed in the pursuit, many locals attempt to enhance their glow from the inside out by drinking pigment-packed carrot and beet juice.

Cultural practice: Fresh juice stands are often situated near the praia (beach), enabling simultaneous sipping and sun worshiping.

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West Africa: She...

Found in ancient tombs, lauded in historical documents and fought over during colonial wars, shea butter has been vital to the economies and cultures of Senegal, Mali and Togo for centuries. A pale yellow fat extracted from the walnut-sized nut of the shea tree, the salve is known for its “meltability”—the fact that it liquefies upon contact with the skin and absorbs quickly, leaving no greasy residue behind.

Cultural practice: Shea butter is truly an all-purpose salve, used on its own as a lip balm, hair conditioner, medicinal ointment and natural sunblock, and blended into soaps and cleansers.

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Indonesia: Tamar...

Beloved by Southeast Asian cooks for its unique sweet-sour taste, the tamarind fruit is also a traditional Indonesian beauty treatment for scars and age spots. Packed with enzymes, fruit acids and vitamin C, the pulp works as a gentle skin peel, much like papaya and pineapples, exfoliating the top layer of the skin. Cultural practice: The fresh pulp of the pod-like fruit is either massaged directly to the skin (no pureeing needed) and left on for a few minutes, or mixed with water or honey and used as a mask.

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