At Length Magazine Issue 04: A letter from the Editor

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Feb 03 2021,

2 Min read

At Length is a print magazine created by Prose. The publication explores the intricacies of hair and all of the ways in which it influences our culture, our daily lives and our personal choices. Here’s how we landed on Intention as the theme for our fourth issue.

Table of Contents

“The value of practicing self-care is that it helps us find intention in beauty tasks that were once just a means to an end. When we bring purpose into each step, in an almost ceremonial way, it grounds us in the moment.”

Self-care as a beauty and wellness category has really taken of over the past decade. More and more, we are accepting that minding our physical and mental health takes a bit more than an apple a day. We light candles, soak in tubs and layer on masks. Not because there’s magic hidden in our epsom salts, but because the act of turning an ordinary routine into a ritual can work to alter our mental state. The value of practicing self-care is that it helps us fnd intention in beauty tasks that were once just a means to an end. When we bring purpose into each step, in an almost ceremonial way, it grounds us in the moment. And in 2020, there has never been a greater need to focus on the now.

For this issue, we examined beauty routines and found that an intention setting mindset can be worked into the ones that you’re already doing. Paying attention to the details is key. In her essay, Color Me Sane, author and former ballerina Sophie Flack fnds that there is a psychological beneft to learning how to highlight her own hair at home. Not only is she purposefully carving out time just for herself, she’s giving in to the repetitive nature of the process, and fnding her calm. For storyteller Kate Tellers in Blown Straight, it was a hairstyle that helped renew the emotional energy she felt slipping away at her frst post-college job. And it’s not just about concrete tasks. Beauty brands are setting intentions that go beyond making products. We take a look at how they are building companies based on values like inclusivity and sustainability in Good for Business.

So the next time you’re rushing through a blowout or counting down the minutes before washing out your hair mask, take a breath and set an intention for the process. Ask yourself how you can turn your routine into a ritual. It can be the diference between mundane and magical.