Every Greek girl has a grandmother with a beauty philosophy, and it usually fits in a kitchen cupboard. Long before ten-step routines, our yiayias were working with olive oil, strained yogurt, chamomile and a firm rule about staying out of the midday sun.
Olive oil, the original multitasker
A few drops on damp skin after a shower, a little on the ends of your hair, a dab on dry cuticles. Yiayia never called it a “body oil,” but that’s exactly what it was.
Yogurt, but make it a mask
Thick Greek yogurt on the face for ten minutes after a day at the beach is a summer ritual in half the villages of Greece. Cool, soothing, and already in the fridge.
Chamomile for everything
Χαμομήλι tea was for tummy aches, tired eyes and blonde highlights. A cooled chamomile rinse is still the gentlest way to bring out summer lightness in your hair.
Mastiha, from Chios to your shelf
The resin from Chios mastic trees has moved from chewing gum and liqueur into modern Greek skincare lines. It’s one of the most Greek ingredients you can put in your bathroom cabinet.
“Inside by two, out again at six. The sun isn’t going anywhere, κούκλα μου.”
The one thing yiayia didn’t have
Daily sunscreen. Keep the rituals, add the SPF, and if something on your skin worries you, see a dermatologist. Yiayia would want you to.