Mala product care

  • Take care and remove your pieces before showering, bathing, swimming, exercising or any use beyond light activity to preserve the life of your jewelry.
  • Avoid contact between the jewelry and hairspray, perfume and any type of body lotion or hand cream.
  • Gemstone and crystal beads are fragile and can break or chip if dropped or exposed to extreme pressures. Avoid wrapping full malas around your wrist for long periods of time, as this puts stress on the beads and the mala string.
  • Please use only wood or Bodhi Seed for prostration (bowing) practice, and these beads can be protected by rubbing small amounts of olive oil on them.
  • We use natural gemstone beads, cut and untreated. Some gemstones have been color enhanced, irradiated, dyed and or waxed depending on supplier and batch. The colors should hold up well, do not wear for long periods of time around neck or wrist, expose your mala to excessive sweat, sunlight, acetone, or wear in the shower, pool or ocean.
  • Do not wear your mala while you sleep.
  • Store in a dry place. Hang the Mala with the tassel facing down when not in use to avoid its bending.

HOW TO BLESS YOUR MALA

You can “bless” or activate your own mala by creating a sacred space, for instance- lighting a candle and then holding your mala over sage, incense or juniper smoke. While you are doing this, say a quiet prayer with an aspiration that your use of this mala may bring benefit to all. Malas become sacred objects to be treated with respect and taken care of. 

Tassel Care

To spruce up a well-worn tassel you can dip the tassel in water, carefully smooth it out or gently comb it and then let it dry. You could also carefully iron your tassel on a low heat with a cloth over the top to help smooth it out. If the end of the tassel is frayed, you can trim the ends using sharp scissors. If your tassel is in really bad shape, you can restring the mala to replace the tassel with a new one.

How to clean your mala

To clean most gemstone, wood and seed mala beads, put a few drops of mild dishwashing liquid in a bowl of room temperature water and soak for up to 5 minutes*. Keep the mala’s tassel out of the water if possible. After soaking, use a very soft toothbrush to brush the beads gently or use a lint-free cotton cloth to wipe the beads using a circular motion. After cleaning, carefully rinse the beads with water and pat dry with a clean soft towel. Place the mala beads in a warm area to dry. Wood and seed beads may need several days to be completely dry.

*This method is recommended for most types of gemstones, but some stones require special care. Do not soak Azurite, Selenite, Lapis lazuli, Opal, Turquoise, amber, emerald, chrysocolla, pearl, and Malachite beads. Instead, wipe with a slightly damp soft cloth and immediately dry them.

After cleaning, wood or seed beads may need to be wiped with a cold-pressed oil like almond, jojoba, or sesame to prevent drying out and cracking. Then lightly rub the mala beads with a soft, clean cloth to remove any excess oil.

Mala beads are known to absorb and store energy – a big reason why we promote positive thinking and positive energy.

Because of how easily these beads absorb the energies of not only you, but also your surroundings, on occasion, you may need to cleanse your mala to reset or recalibrate.

Different ways to cleanse your mala

  • Laying the mala out under a full moon to provide it with a natural rechargeBurning sage or palo santo near your mala to release energies
  • Placing your mala in a Tibetan singing bowl or tingsha bell to purify your mala through sound vibratio
  • Set your mala by a window or protected outdoor space to bathe overnight in the moonlight (this will be especially potent during a full moon).
  •  Hold your mala beads over some burning incense or sage while passing the beads through the smoke. Do this a several times to ensure thorough cleansing.
  • Hold your mala between your hands and channel love and light into your beads.
  • Cover or lay your mala on a bed of organic brown rice for 24 hours. After cleansing, throw away the used rice. You can chant “swaha” and think of a letting go intention as you toss the rice.

What to do with broken malas

As you wear your mala, it is natural that your string may wear down and, eventually, break. If you are able to save the beads your mala can be repaired.