There was a time when beauty routines were never about products lined up on a shelf. It was rather about what was available at home. Oils were prepared, herbs were ground, powders were mixed and a grandmother’s weekly ritual could become part of a child’s memory. As interest in natural ingredients and traditional practices grows, some of those routines are finding their way back into contemporary beauty and wellness.
For singer, actor and entrepreneur Smita Vallurupali, that connection goes back to her childhood and her paternal grandmother.
“When I was a baby, my Nayanamma (dad’s mom) would make rub me with ubtan, hibiscus, saffron etc in the backyard cottage behind our house every weekend. For them it was like you have a grandchild and that’s your weekend duty,” she recalls.
That memory became part of the thinking behind Old School, which Smita describes as a tribute not only to her grandmother, but to an earlier generation that had the patience to follow such rituals.
“I call it a tribute to all our ancestors because what they have done is something that nobody this generation has the patience for,” she says.
For her, the revival does not mean simply reproducing what earlier generations did. It is about taking those practices and examining them through contemporary knowledge. “There’s so much science and development in that area that we have over the years, so much that we can gain from it and bring the two worlds together,” she says, adding, “You are doing what they have done with a touch of modern study where it’s the best of both worlds together.”
This interest in traditional ingredients is also reflected in the growing curiosity around ingredients that have long been familiar in Indian households. Smita points to turmeric as one example.
“You know when foreigners talk about the benefits of curcumin, I am like, ‘dude, we eat that every day for lunch and dinner’,” she says. “For us it’s just part of our everyday meal, but for these people that come from different countries and origins, they look at it as a very exclusive ingredient.” She believes the wider shift towards traditional beauty is partly about recognising what is already available within Indian culture.
“We have so much in our own culture,” she says, pointing to the range of herbs and ingredients traditionally used in household practices.
That philosophy has also informed the way she developed her products. Smita says the process began with years of research and experimentation and eventually moved from her home kitchen into a dedicated production setup.
“When we were going through the process and our formulators came in, they suggested we take the easy way out instead of the long process,” Smita says, adding, she resisted shortcuts that did not fit the way she wanted the products to be made.
“I said this is not what Old School is. This is not what we are going to sell,” she says.
The same approach extends to the experience around the products. Smita says the idea behind the brand’s Brindavanam space was to create an environment where the rituals could be experienced rather than simply buying a product off a shelf.
“It should be a storytelling experiential brand,” she says, describing the philosophy as one built around “memories, love, little luxuries, pure, clean” and naturally derived ingredients.
That idea of looking backwards while incorporating newer forms of wellness also extends to crystals. Smita says her interest in crystals began separately, through conversations with someone who worked with them, before she began thinking about incorporating them into the experience.
“I personally am a very curious soul and I like exploring science and spirituality. Crystals was one area of interest for me,” she says. The result is a crystal-focused energy room at the experience centre, along with crystal-infused oils and treatments.
Smita says the concept developed around the idea of creating a space (the crystal room) where people could sit quietly and recharge. Selenite, which she describes as a ‘recharger’, became part of that concept.
“I said the body needs to charge much like your phone battery. So if selenite is the charger, why don’t we create a chamber with a selenite bench where you sit on it, close your eyes and it becomes like a little time where you charge yourself,” she says. The crystal-infused treatments include oils positioned around different experiences, including aura cleansing, feminine energy, creative energy, power, glow and protection.
The combination may appear far removed from the ubtan, hibiscus, milk and saffron from her grandmother’s backyard ritual, but for Smita, both belong to the same larger idea of making time for personal care. “I believe a lot in energy and crystals,” she says.
For a generation accustomed to quick beauty routines and ready-made products, the renewed interest in traditional practices is also bringing attention back to the ingredients, rituals and memories behind them. What is changing is not necessarily the desire for something new, but the way older practices are being adapted for contemporary lifestyles.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
