5 Special Traditional Beauty Treatments from Indonesia

Beauty treatments have been around since time immemorial. Although there are now many modern beauty treatments, traditional methods still have many enthusiasts. Fortunately for women in Indonesia, thanks to the diversity of tribes and natural resources, Indonesia has many types of traditional beauty treatments that all use natural ingredients. Below we will discuss 5 traditional Indonesian beauty treatments. 

Sumber gambar: www.kompas.com

• Lulur (Ngadi Saliro) Typical of Java

Arguably the term Lulur (scrubs) is the most popular beauty treatment term in Indonesia. Quoted from the scientific work entitled Uji Angka Lempeng Total dan Identifikasi Staphylococcus Aureus Pada Lulur Tradisional (Total Plate Plate Number Test and Identification of Staphylococcus Aureus on Traditional Scrubs), by Asri Novitasari Ni Komang, 2018, revealed that scrubs are cosmetics that are used to treat and clean the skin from dirt and dead skin cells. Scrub recipes are usually passed down through the generations.

Sumber: berkeluarga.id

Typical Javanese lulur are also referred to as Ngadi Saliro. The term comes from Ngadi Salira Ngadi Busono. Ngadi Salira refers how to beautify himself, while Ngadi Busono discussed how to dress well and correctly.

In the past the tradition of lulur was only done by royal princesses in Java, but along the time its users are getting wider, and until now free to use for all. There are a variety of Javanese lulur, one of which is lulur kuning (Yellow Scrub) made from a mixture of turmeric, rice flour, temu giring (Curcuma heyneana), and pandan leaves.

• Tangas, a Betawi Special 

Tangas is a traditional beauty treatment typical of the Betawi Tribe. As quoted from the page Budayabetawi.con, Tangas is more intended for Betawi women who are getting married. Tangas treatment is done like a steam bath with a mixture of various spices.

Sumber: www.ayonews.com

Unlike the typical Javanese lulur, Tangas has four stages during treatment. Initially we will be invited to do a light stretch, clean ourselves and wash our feet, then just do a core massage. After that we will be scrubbed using leaves of Beluntas (Indian pluchea, Pluchea indica). Once clean, the Tangas stages is finished by consuming herbs.

• So’oso, a Madura Signature

This special beauty treatment of Madura has a variety of philosophies. As posted by Tabloid Bintang, So’oso has the meaning of sren-asren which means beautiful and lovely. Not only that, there are also other philosophies of So’oso’s goal, namely maradin robe, mabagus salera, meaning beautifying the face. So’oso is opened by soaking the legs and massaging the body thoroughly using a special herb. Then the body is given a special madura black scrub. After being scrubbed, we will be invited to do sauna to remove toxins in the body. After the sauna, our body will be scrubbed to clean all the dirt that sticks to the body.

Sumber: www.wowkeren.com

• Boreh, a Bali special

Boreh is a typical Balinese beauty treatment that is generally similar to the tradition of javanese lulur care. Boreh‘s goal is to treat and lighten the skin. Indonesia Travel page mentions the ingredients used in Boreh are thicker, like pasta. Once it is lathered all over the body and dries, Boreh is usually rinsed using rose water.

Sumber: getlost.id

• Batimung, a special of Suku Banjar

Let’s fly to Kalimantan Island, South Kalimantan has a traditional beauty treatment called Batimung. This treatment is known as the typical beauty treatment of the Banjar Tribe. Quoted from Fimela.com,  Batimung is a mandatory ritual for brides of Banjar. It is usually applied 3-7 days before the wedding. Batimung uses spices, some of which only exist in Kalimantan. The herb will be boiled then the bride-to-be will be steamed like a sauna. Steam from this special herb is believed to eliminate body odor, refresh the body and get rid of toxins.

Those are the five traditional beauty treatments native to Indonesia. Actually, there are still many other traditional beauty treatments, we’ll discussed another time just for you, Jamupedia friends.