Lulur – the queen of Javanese beauty treatments
Have you ever heard of Lulur? If you have been to Indonesia and visited a local spa, you probably were lucky enough to have tried it. If you don’t know what Lulur is, imagine a wonderfully relaxing full body treatment consisting of cleansing + polishing + massage that will leave your skin soft and glowing.
Are there specific ingredients used for Lulur? And can I make my own Lulur at home? Keep reading to find out.
Traditional Lulur
Used to cleanse, polish and soften the skin, Lulur (in Javanese ‘coating, polish the skin’) is a traditional beauty ritual that originated on the Island of Java around the 17th century. Today, traditional Lulur is offered to brides-to-be every day, for 40 days, to prepare the skin for the big wedding night and leave it soft, supple, glowing. And, of course, is the treatment on the menu at all Indonesian spas offering traditional beauty rituals.
The ritual
The ritual begins with feet cleansing, followed by Lulur itself, or body scrub, using a powder made of rice flour, traditional spices, Turmeric, and other roots to remove dead skin cells and lighten the skin.
Next comes a full body massage, face included, with virgin Coconut oil done with long strokes and palm pressure for skin cleansing and deep relaxation.
Then fresh yoghurt is applied and rubbed to the whole body to refresh, soften the skin and balance the PH.
Finally, a luxurious soak in a tub of fragrant flower blossoms completes this beautiful relaxing beauty ritual.
The ingredients
Traditional Lulur involves many ingredients.
Massage: Warm virgin Coconut oil, a cleansing and very nourishing oil
Lulur scrub: the scrub powder is a blend of Rice powder (brightens and softens the skin), Turmeric, Temu giring (Curcuma heyneana, a local type of Turmeric) both heat up the body, helping to boost circulation and eliminate toxins, and groundes spices such as Pandan leaves, Cinnamon, Cassia, Vetiver, Nutmeg, Centella, Kaffir Lime leaf.
Yoghurt: fresh, natural yoghurt (unsweetened)
Bath: a selection of fragrant flowers such as Frangipani (Plumeria), Jasmine, Ylang-Ylang, Rose…
How do you make Lulur at home?
If you don’t live in South East Asia, it will be quite hard to find all the traditional ingredients. Here is our suggested version of easy-to-find Lulur ingredients:
Massage: Warm virgin Coconut oil, Almond oil, Sunflower oil, Jojoba oil. For Face + body usually 30 ml is just right. For face and décolleté, you can use LULUR • Ultra-gentle Cleansing Oil
Lulur scrub (full body): Rice powder (finely grounded, especially if used for the face) 3 to 4 tbsp, Almond meal 1 tbsp, Turmeric 1 tsp (watch out – it stains!), a dash of Cinnamon powder, and Nutmeg powder.
Yoghurt: fresh, natural yoghurt (unsweetened)
Bath: Rose and you can add to the warm water a few drops of essential oils (Jasmine, Rose, Lavender)
Steps:
Massage face and body with oil.
Pulverise all dry ingredients and add a splash of water to make a smooth paste and smear your body.
Once dry, gently rub the paste off the body to exfoliate and polish the skin.
Rinse your body under the shower.
Splatter your body with yoghurt, and rinse it off after few minutes.
Soak in warm, flower-filled (or essential oils enriched) water and enjoy the ultimate body relaxation.
