10 Beauty secrets of Scandinavian women

Let’s see what the beauty secrets of Scandinavian women are and what is hidden behind them. Why the Scandinavian gold beauty standards are set apart? What do the Scandinavian women have and do that the majority of the world doesn’t? Probably, it’s a no-frills approach and all-encompassing attitude when it comes to beauty? Well, let’s start.

10 Beauty secrets of Scandinavian women

#1

Glacier water

Pristinely clear and impeccably rich in oxygen, it’s some of the purest water on earth. And as you know, it’s one of the most dramatic factors that affect your overall health and beauty, a principal ingredient in game-changing skin and hair care. It is invaluable when it comes to softening, refreshing, and cleansing hair and skin.

#2

Cloudberries

Cloudberries are one of the best-kept natural beauty secrets of Scandinavian women and a key component of their beauty care. Its benefits are as dreamy as the whimsical name would suggest.

These Nordic berries are not the ones you can usually buy in a supermarket. They are even more exotic than açaí and goji. They are soaking in sunlight around the clock for 24 hours straight in the part of the world where the sun doesn’t set in summer. That makes their vitamin and antioxidant potential incomparably richer than any cultivated berry. A single cloudberry contains as much as four times more vitamin C than an entire orange.

Scandinavian women eat these wonder berries fresh with breakfast cereals and desserts, cook into jams and pressed to make juices and liqueurs. And cosmetic giants have turned cloudberries into their beauty hits.

#3

Omega-3 fats

Packed with Omega-3 fats, fish is a staple in the Scandinavian diet. It is pure omega fatty acids found in the deep and clear waters of Scandinavia’s fjords stimulate the collagen and elastin synthesis in your skin and keratin in hair. Overall, Omega-3s work wonders for hair and skin.

#4

Sauna

A common Finnish proverb says that a woman looks her best after the sauna. With numerous health and beauty benefits, saunas play a very special role for Scandinavians. No wonder that they are big fans of saunas and ice baths. See what sauna does for your health and beauty:

• Nourishes and rejuvenates the skin and hair: The heat in a sauna improves blood circulation meaning more nutrients are being delivered to your skin and hair. It enhances collagen and keratin production, thereby strengthening and rejuvenating the complexion and hair health. The oils, which are the natural moisturizers and antibiotics present in our skin are mobilized through saunas. In other words, saunas help you look younger.
• Makes you sweat and sweating has a cleansing effect on pores and glands, flushing out toxins and impurities. It results the healthier skin, less prone to acne, blackheads and pimples. The heat and sweating soften dry skin helping in removing dead skin layers.
• Keeps the skin moisturised: The sweating stimulates the sebaceous glands in the skin that keep the skin moisturised and lubricated.
• Promotes weight loss: You can burn as many calories from a sauna session as you can from going for a run
• Reduces stress levels: Sauna gives your skin a healthy and fresh appearance, as if you were coming straight from the skiing slope or from a walk in the woods.

#5

Seasonal skincare

Nordic women don’t sticks to the same skincare routine throughout the year. During the cold and dry winter months they switch to rich moisturisers and serums; whereas in summer an increase in humidity increases the skin oil production, which usually calls for cooling cleansers.

#6

Ice-water facials

Scandinavian women always embrace the cold and drinking ice-cold water and washing their faces with it are just their daily routine. They also have learned that the best thing for lustrous locks is to douse your hair in cold water at the end of a warm-water wash. This closes the hair cuticles and results in glossy strands.

To be honest with you, even the thought of freezing water being poured on my head or face gives me goosebumps. However, there are many benefits of applying ice water to the skin: it decreases inflammation, reduces puffiness, improves the skin tone and tightens the pores.

#7

Sulfate-free shampoos

Nordic beauties try to use exclusively natural cosmetics. They know that shampoos with sulfates and parabens deprive the hair of moisture, which leads to dullness and dryness. Sulfates may strip away too much moisture, leaving the hair dry and unhealthy. They may also make the scalp dry and prone to irritation. Moreover, many people have an allergy to sodium laureth sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate. Sulfate free shampoos keep the natural oils on the scalp and hair making the risk of getting a “dandelion effect” minimal. It leaves hair feeling healthy, clean and smelling great while amplifying your natural texture.

#8

Shark liver oil

Shark liver oil has been long used in Scandinavian folk medicine to treat multiple ailments, including wounds, cancer, heart disease, and infertility. In beauty care, shark liver oil effectively treats pimples, blackheads, whiteheads and other skin blemishes such as freckles and age spots. It provides skin hydration and protects it from ultraviolet damage. A useful component is added not only to facial skin products, but to shampoos and masks. It promotes rapid hydration of the hair and increases its elasticity.

One of the main components of shark liver oil is a compound called squalene. Sharks, especially deep-sea sharks, are targeted for the high concentration of squalene found in their livers. Squalene and its derivative squalane can be found as ingredients in cosmetic products, ranging from anti-aging cream to lip gloss.

#9

Scandinavian holistic balance

Scandinavian women embrace all the aspects of life as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole. They have a very holistic approach to beauty trying to find the balance in all the important aspects of health and lifestyle: exercise, diet, makeup, beauty care, and socializing are all connected. Spending hours outside in fresh air, eating healthy food, and being active is built into the traditional Scandinavian lifestyle.

#10

Hygge, Lagom and Sisu –  wellness the Scandinavian way

Hygge, lagom and sisu are Scandinavian lifestyle concepts from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. While hygge is about creating a cozy and comfortable environment in which one feels content, lagom is about finding a more manageable, comfortable, balanced way of doing things. Sisu is about determination, a drive to stick with something, to see it through. More than just a commitment to an idea, sisu means to fight for something even if the odds are against you.

It’s about appreciating the simple things in life. Instead of looking inwards as in a traditional meditation, they are centered on looking outwards, restoring yourself socially and having small pleasures and indulgences every day. Scandinavian women are not concerned with perfection; it’s all about living life happily, but not necessarily by the book. Work, home and everything in between is delicately weighed out in their quest for BALANCE.

According to Scandinavians, nothing contributes to female beauty more than quality time spent alone or with friends and relatives. An evening with a book and your favourite aromatic tea, a walk through the snow-covered forest with your dog, or a weekend with your loved ones are moments that boost the happy hormones productions that help Nordic women resist stress, and therefore improve our overall health.

Famous Scandinavian beauties

The beauty of Scandinavian women with lush blond hair and expressive blue eyes has long conquered men’s hearts in various parts of the world. Purposeful, with a persistent Nordic character, with a wonderful sense of style, they easily achieve success in any field of activity. Here, we’d like to mention the most famous Scandinavian beauties – natives to Nordic countries as well as living and working in other parts of the world.

• Ingrid Bergman (1915–1982)
• Greta Garbo (1905–1990)
• Signe Hasso (1915–2002)
• Anita Ekberg (1931–2015)
• Ann-Margret Ohlsson (1941)
• Tippi Hedren (1930)
• Eva Aulin (1950)
• Britt Ekland (1942)
• Victoria Silvstedt (1974)
• Sarah Larsson (1997)
• Malin Maria Ackerman (1978)
• Elsa Hosk (1988)
• Mini Anden (1978)
• Emily de Forest (1993)
• Frida Gustavsson (1993)
• Rebecca Ferguson (1983)
• Sigrid Agren (1991)
• Mona Johanesson (1987)
• Alicia Vikander (1988)
• Helena Mattsson (1984)
• Camille Sparv (1943)

It turns out that the severity of their homeland did not make Scandinavian beauties harsh and impregnable. They are relaxed, smiling, friendly, and their sexuality and sense of style is simply captivating. Communicating with them, many note that they have an excellent quality – they know how to age beautifully using the gifts of Mother Nature and an innate sense of beauty.