Gwyneth Paltrow shares her wellness and wonder routine

You might remember when she made headlines after declaring that she scrimps on sunscreen. Or when the Goop founder brought a soon-to-sell-out candle titled ‘This Smells Like My Vagina’ to market.

Yep, when it comes to Gwyneth Paltrow, her take on wellness can be all kinds of weird, wonderful and sometimes worrying, with die-hard devotees and jade-egg sceptics in equal measures (SPF is always a non-negotiable, though).

Now Paltrow is grabbing the attention of the online world once again after sharing her entire wellness and beauty routine on IG this morning. From tongue scraping to sleep strips, and all her wellness habits in between, here’s what we found out – plus, what the experts think.

She’s a fan of tongue scraping

‘I start my day with a tongue scrape and oil pull,’ wrote Paltrow on IG stories. If you’ve come across the term ‘tongue scrape’ of late, it’s no surprise; it’s the wellness world’s latest buzzword and refers simply to a tool that aims to get rid of a build-up of bacteria by ‘scraping’ it along your tongue.

But like many wellness trends, it can be a divisive topic. ‘Tongue scraping is actually a method that dates back to ancient times; it’s a good way to help your body to eliminate toxins that accumulate in the mouth overnight,’ says skin expert and founder of Espérer, Dina El Adlani. ‘Not only does it help to remove build up of bacteria and debris which lead to bad breath and issues with oral hygiene, some suggest that it can enhance your sense of taste and stimulate digestion when practised twice a day, regularly.’

However, scraping too hard could cause you to damage your taste buds or even break your tongue’s surface, she urges. Leading Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and Founder of 001 Skincare, Ada Ooi, agrees with the latter:’ I don’t think a tongue scraper is necessary. Over-cleaning will irritate the tongue, which will not only make the epithelial cells in the tongue over-proliferate and be more likely to grow a tongue coating, but can also easily hurt the taste buds, causing numbness of the tongue, loss of taste and loss of appetite for a long time.’

She dances in the morning

The link between dance and good mental health is an avenue that researchers are tapping into more and more, with studies pointing to the psychological benefits.

And, for Paltrow, a dance workout via @tracyandersonoinlinestudio is just what she needs for a sure-fire serotonin boost.

Loyal fans of the dance technique include everyone from Alessandra Ambrosio, Victoria Beckham and Nicole Richie to Paltrow herself, who swears by its unique, science-backed method. But whichever way you choose to do it, dancing is good for you.

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She swears by sleep strips

‘This is probably the single best wellness too I found recently,’ writes Paltrow on IG today, speaking of sleep strips. Heard of them? Worn on your mouth, they are said to promote sleep quality and stop snoring.

But what do the experts think? ‘An external force promoting the closing of the mouth overnight can cause excessive tension in the muscles, leading not only to wear and tear but also to bruxism,’ says physiotherapist, Flavia Morellato. ‘Snoring can be reduced by this practice, as the muscles will not be relaxed to the point of compressing the airways.’

Ooi also notes that having your mouth taped shut while you’re sleeping could be anxiety inducing. ‘It’s not for everyone and perhaps a mouth guard might be a better option instead.’

She’s into transcendental meditation

‘Then meditation for 20 minutes, I practise TM (transcendental meditation), @thedavidlynchfoundation,’ Paltrow writes on IG.

While the benefits of meditation can’t be denied, your might be wondering exactly how ‘transcendental’ differs. ‘Unlike mindful meditation where it is controlled as you are guided to focus with texts or breathing, I find transcendental meditation very natural and effortless – it helps slow down the mind while celebrating its instinctive creativity,’ says Ooi.

‘Research shows that during transcendental meditation the frontal areas of the brain become more active, and these areas are associated with higher executive functions and moral reasoning. EEG recordings show that the activity of alpha waves also increases, indicating relaxation and calm,’ she continues.

‘The overall coherence of brainwaves increases during Transcendental Meditation. The more coherent the brain is, the better its parts can communicate with each other, so the practice of TM turns on the entire brain and helps it to function as a holistic unit.’

The best part is that, like Paltrow, it’s easy to slot into your daily routine too. ‘Sit comfortably with your eyes closed, chant a mantra for 20 minutes, then silently repeat a sound/mantra in your head,’ says Ooi.

She loves dry body brushing

Post-workout Gwyneth also uses a hair oil and–another buzzword that’s been circling in the beauty industry recently–a dry body brush, which, no surprise, is sold out on Goop.

Morellato says she highly recommends dry body brushing: ‘The body brush is definitely one of the techniques I use and recommend for accelerating the circulatory and lymphatic system, promoting stimulation to the skin receptors, favouring the best collection of fluids, leading to the detoxification.’