Why You Should Start A Hair Ritual + How To Do It

Here at mindbodygreen, we're constantly on the lookout for the next "big thing" in health and wellness. So when the La Tierra Sagrada Treatment for hair crossed our desks, we couldn't wait to try it out. Crafted by LA hairstylist Stefani Padilla — aka the "Hair Shaman" — it's no surprise we were seriously impressed with the results. But if you seriously want to take your hair care game to the next level, let Padilla guide you in sacred ritual for your best strands yet. Trust her, she's the Hair Shaman.

One of the most important things you can do to connect with and re-center yourself is to perform a ritual: any action that has an intention behind it and a meaning beyond its appearance. This means that something as simple as caring for your hair can become a sacred ritual if you imbue it with meaning.

A hair ritual is something you can create on your own, in your own time, in whatever way makes sense to you. Tailor the ritual to what you feel is necessary for your mane — more body, brighter shine, stronger strands, etc. — just so long as there's consciousness behind the action.

Though creating a ritual around your hair may seem silly, I can promise that your hair is powerful and many traditions consider hair an extension of the self. From a yogic perspective, hair is a gift from nature that can help increase vitality, intuition, and tranquillity. The Native American tradition believes hair is representative of our strength, wisdom, and power.

So when you take the time to treat your hair to a ritual, not only are you working on the physical strands, but your entire self benefits from the action and intention. Remember: The energy and effort you put into this ritual will stay with you throughout the day.

If you are consciously and mindfully creating a ritual in a hair healing, you're giving yourself energy, faith, trust, and certainty. Creating these types of practices on a consistent level is how you will see a transformation and results, for this is the power and faith of ritual.

While you can perform this ritual whenever you'd like, the most potent time for hair rituals is during new moons.

How to perform the ritual:

Choose a moisturizing oil that works well with the type of hair you have. (Avocado oil works well with thin hair, curly hair likes babassu oil, marula oil is color-friendly, scalp issues will benefit from tea tree oil, and coconut oil will quench dry strands.)

Next, burn some of your favorite space-clearing herb like sage, copal, or palo santo. Then set an intention for your hair ritual.

Massage the oil of your choosing onto your scalp and through the hair, all the way from root to tip. Gather the hair in a loose bun and secure, braid, or pin it up for at least one hour, though I recommend you leave the oil in overnight.