When Joseph Hunwick left the fashion industry to retrain as a Chinese herbalist, he had no idea that this would be the starting point for a range of beauty products based on traditional rituals from West Africa, where he grew up, and Egypt, where he studied.

“Traditional beauty rituals around the world use what is grown locally,” explains Hunwick, whose Sapphire Natural Beauty Company is based in Glastonbury. “Plants growing in a particular region will contain the properties needed to treat skin problems that result from that region. Native American Indians, for example, used avocados as a deep-nourishing moisturiser that provided a natural sunscreen, as well as treating skin exposed to the sun. And women living in Mediterranean countries and the Middle East — wherever olives are grown — traditionally used olive oil as a hair treatment.”

One of Sapphire’s bestselling products is a West African-inspired body butter, with shea, coconut, cocoa and avocado butter, as well as lime oil. Natural butters such as these are established on the tropical coast from Senegal to Nigeria, where they are used both medicinally and in cooking. The tradition is passed on from medicine women and the male herbal doctors: at birth, babies are covered by the midwife in shea butter, made from the nuts of the shea tree. “These butters are all-round medicines that also repair the skin,” says Hunwick.

Lime and Avocado Body Butter, £22, by Sapphire Natural Beauty; 01458 835100, www.sapphirebeauty.com

CHINA — GREEN TEA

While travelling in China, the yoga teacher Pavllou Landraagon discovered that local women followed ancient traditions, using green tea as a part of their daily beauty regime. Leftover tea leaves are saved up in a jug, topped with hot (not boiling) water and used at the end of the day in several ways: in the bath, to improve skin condition; as a scalp/hair rinse to help combat dandruff and add shine; as a facial wash, or mixed with egg white as a face mask, for smooth skin; and even as a soothing antifungal foot wash.

“It was fascinating to observe women of all ages holding cups of tea near their face, to steam the skin around the eyes and stop crow’s feet and lines,” says Landraagon. “We were shown how to hold a freshly made cup of tea to do this. After a few days of trying it out, our skin was glowing.”

For maximum beauty benefits, Landraagon explains, the tea has to be high-grade, which in tea jargon means picked in spring, before the rain. This tea is the least processed, and contains the highest level of antioxidants, with numerous health properties. “And tea bags won’t work,” she says “because they contain what is, effectively, tea dust, so the properties have been lost through processing.” She loved her tea discovery so much, she has brought it back to sell in the UK.

Landraagon Cha Green Tea, from £17 for 50g (about 50 cups); 07956 890036, www.landraagoncha.com

CHINA — FACIAL MASSAGE FOR MEN

Men have their own beauty rituals, says the Barefoot Doctor, an author and healer. “Famous in the Far East, among narcissistic and wayward holy men, is an ancient taoist physical and facial rejuvenation system that involves various routines of push-ups, sit-ups, side bends and back bends, as well as facial stretches and self-applied massage to tone muscles and beautify the features.” The beauty benefits are a side effect, as the real benefit lies in the development of chi (life force), which, when flowing strongly, brings health to the vital organs and is even thought to induce a state of enlightenment. An easy version is this: stretch the face as wide as you can, scrunch it up slowly 18 times, then perform 18 strokes up either side of the nose, onto the forehead, outward onto the temples, down the cheeks and along the jaw.

www.barefootdoctorworld.com

NORTH AFRICA — OILS FOR FACE, HAIR AND PERFUME

Argan oil, known as Moroccan gold, comes from the seeds of the argan tree, once widely grown in Morocco but now found only in the south. For Bedouin women, it is the Crème de la Mer of anti-ageing treatments — it is rich in alpha-tocopherol, a form of vitamin E and a natural antioxidant that helps prevent and decrease signs of ageing. Argan is traditionally mixed with rose oil, for a moisturising facial treatment in the evening, or with jojoba oil, as a hair conditioner.

These oils also smell great and are the basis of a perfume tradition. “The great thing about them is that they are also uplifting — they work on the mind, so you get a double treatment,” says Pavllou Landraagon, who uses the Sapphire range of Egyptian perfume attars.

Organic Rose and Moroccan Argan Face Serum, £85, Jasmine Hair Oil, £35, and Perfume Attars, £22, all by Sapphire Natural Beauty, as before

INDIA — YOGHURT HAIR AND BODY WRAPS

Yoga isn’t just about breathing and body poses. Yogic tradition includes massaging live yoghurt all over the body. “This removes toxins from the body and leaves the skin soft and glowing,” says Guru Dharam, a yoga therapist and expert in oriental medicine. Try this authentic treatment, passed through yogic traditions via the kundalini master Yogi Bhajan: get into a bath with 4lb-5lb of live natural yoghurt, give yourself a vigorous yoghurt massage and soak for at least an hour. Then take a warm shower and dry with a soft towel, massaging until your body glows nearly red. “This really gets the junk out of your system and you’ll feel as if you have had a sauna,” says Dharam. Have a sleep afterwards, then, on waking, drink some warm milk. For a hair treatment, mix the juice of half a lemon, 3 tbsp olive oil and a small tub of live yoghurt (double these quantities for long hair). Massage into hair and scalp, leave for up to two hours, then rinse and wash normally.

Guru Dharam; 07958 928252, www.kundalinilotus.com

Times recommends

• Live chat: Thrifty ways to update your winter wardrobe
• Is anybody out there really listening?
• Nutrition Q&A: Will eating late make me fat?