The best self care routine is the one that you can consistently maintain, improves your overall health, and most importantly brings your nervous system into balance.

My Self care routine includes long walks on my treadmill and around the neighborhood

I walk for about 1-2.5 hours while multi-tasking on my laptop using a standing desk treadmill. My walking routine is 2 miles minimum in the morning and I wind down with 2 miles minimum in the evening. I naturally alternative between zone 1 and zone 2 (heart rate zones) training. If I want to add some resistance to my training, I’ll wear my bala bangles either on my wrists or ankles. Walking reduces the amygdala activity in my brain allowing me to release any stress so that I am able to make rational decisions.

Afterwards, I’ll hop into the shower, use lukewarm water for the majority of the shower, and towards the end lower it to cold allowing the water to hit my vagus nerve located on my neck alternating between the front and back sides of my neck. After my shower, I’ll try and end with stretching using my bala bangles for additional resistance.

After effects of a long cardio session or a long walking session: exercise increases your dopamine receptors and sensitivity. Try listening to music after a long workout and post shower. It’s a different experience. If you have a tool box of dopamine inducing activities, this will 10x the experience without using any outside substances, simply using your natural biochemistry. Don’t opt for cheap dopamine fixes, like doom scrolling on social media, that come without any returns on investment in your mental, emotional, and physical health.

Oral Hygiene

Your oral microbiome and gut microbiome are connected.

• Floss
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste (usually cinnamon scented)
• Tongue Scraper
• Miswak
• Pomegranate Oil Lip Scrub
• Pomegranate Oil Lip Sleeping Mask
• Aquaphor or Lanolin Nipple Cream to moisturize lips

Body Hygiene

Your skin is an organ that absorbs whatever you lather on. Your skin has it’s own unique microbiome.

• Full Spectrum Lavender CBD Hemp Balm for my neck and behind my ears.
• Magnesium Body Butter: an all over body butter.
• Lavender, Sandalwood, Honeysuckle, Vanilla, and Rose Ultra-Rich Body Cream Moisturizer: an all over moisturizer.
• Tallow Body Butter for my arms. (Ingredients: tallow, walnut extract, organic walnut oil, shea butter, rosehip oil, cranberry oil, and vitamin e)
• Wild Weed Salve for my ashy elbows. (Ingredients: organic olive oil, calendula, chickweed, marshmallow, st. john’s worts, yarrow, beeswax, english lavender, plantain, and vitamin e oil)
• Deodorant: The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner + a dab of Full Spectrum Lavender CBD Hemp Balm.
• Natural perfume oud bar from wadi rum, natural perfume lotion from nablus, rose vaseline oud, or kuumba made vanilla musk and lavender lace fragrance oil on both of my wrists.

Facial Hygiene

• Cleanser: Nizoral shampoo with 1% Ketoconzole: a tiny amount mixed with water to keep natural fungi biome balanced on my skin.
• Internal Gut Cleanser: 180ml (3/4 cup) of homemade probiotic-rich yogurt.
• Moisturizer: currently using Cerave baby moisturizing cream with 3 essential ceramides & hyaluronic acid. It is made without parabens, fragrance, and dyes. I would opt for a legit probiotic-rich moisturizer and sunscreen in the future since the skin has it’s own unique microbiome.
• Sunscreen: no sunscreen currently.

Instead of using a GI-MAP stool test (for gut related acne) or a DUTCH test (for hormone related acne) to help treat acne, they should have skin microbiome testing since we each have a unique skin microbiome. Your skin microbiome is a biome of trillions of diverse micro-organisms that live in harmony together including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. When there is an imbalance in that biome, that can result in acne depending on the specific imbalance – in either bacteria, fungi, or viruses. The products that work for my skin may not work for my sibling and vice versa since we each have different skin and gut microbiomes.

tracking my menstrual cycle:

I used to use an app, Clue, for this but currently the notes app works just fine. It’s usually a 26-27 day menstrual cycle. I like to track wherever I am at during the 4 different cycles (menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase) to match my energy levels based on the fluctuating hormones.

1. Menstruation: typically lasts 5 days.
2. The Follicular Phase:
3. Ovulation: glowy skin, increased energy, positive mood,
4. The Luteal Phase:

Morning Routine:

• morning showers are a must

Night Routine:

• nightly showers are a must
• cerave face moisturizer
• brush teeth, tongue scraper, and floss. In that order. I may use a miswak after brushing my teeth.
• pomegranate lip scrub
• pomegranate lip mask
• depending on my mood I may wear the OG red kajal since it’s beneficial for eye health

Hair Hygiene

• Organic Cold-Pressed Unrefined Castor Oil for hair growth.
• Lavender Infused Hair Oil for hair growth. (sulfate free, phthalate free, and paraben free)
• Carol’s Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey Shine Pomade

Eye Hygiene

• Kohl كحل الاثمد الاصفهاني الاصلي: to improve eyesight and strengthen eye muscles.