Khernips

Following is the khernips ritual that I personally follow and use.  Khernips is a sort of ritual purification within the Hellenic tradition, and serves to ready the self for working with the gods by ritually purifying yourself.

Preparation

Bathe and dress.  Brush your hair, your teeth, and avoid makeup, lotions, etc.  If you plan to wear ritual jewelry or don a ritual robe, do so now.

Tools & Ingredients

1 pitcher of water (preferably spring water or sea water; I usually use rain water if I can, or tap)

1 small container of salt (traditionally, this would be sea water, but I live on the Great Lakes in Ohio near Lake Eerie, so yeah - only fresh water here.  Instead, I add salt to the water to further its purification properties.  I always use sea salt.  You can also dissolve salt in water ahead of time, and add the salt water to the spring/fresh water instead of the salt chunks; this way the salt is all dissolved.)

1 bowl, preferably steep-sided (the traditional shaped bowl - avoid rounded bowls, go for ones with a v-shape silhouette)

Bay leaf (can be purchased at the grocery store; go for the bottle with whole leaves)

Working Candle (this can be your purification candle used only for khernips or any other candle, lamp or source of fire, but I've always had a working candle and did not want to give it up.  I always use a white candle as my working candle, and it will be lit whenever I do anything religious or spiritual in nature, and will be present on my shrine throughout my prayers and/or ritual.)

Matches or lighter (to light your candle - if you don't have a candle, this can be used to light the bay leaf instead)

Clean cloth (to pat your wet hands and face)

Khernips (Ritual)

1. Have your ingredients on a table or surface before you.  If you have limited space, this can be done in the bathroom or at the kitchen sink.  It is perfectly alright to have a shrine or altar space with these items on it, and to move them off to continue your daily ritual prayers and celebrations.  
2. Light the candle.  
3. Pour your water into the bowl.  It doesn't need to be full to the brim, just enough to use.  
4. Add the salt.  I usually go for a good pinch or three, using my own intuition on how much is needed.  After adding the salt, I stir it with my projective hand, using my index and middle fingers, to encourage the salt to absorb into the water.  
5. Take a bay leaf and catch the tip on fire from your candle or fire source.  Let it smolder and burn for a moment.  When about half the leaf has been consumed with fire and emberse, throw it into the bowl of water with a "Be purified!"
6. I take a moment to stir the water once more, to really mix in the bay.  
7. With my right hand, I cup water in my hand pour it onto my left hand, and then I switch.  Finally, I lean over the bowl and gently wet both my hands before gently caressing my face, starting at the forehead and moving outwards and down.  I'll repeat this as often as I need to in order to feel cleansed - it's an intuitive process for me.  
8. Finally, I gently pat face and hands dry with the clean cloth.  

Since salt naturally dries the skin, I find it appropriate to rinse my face and hands after ritual to help get rid of the salt.  Salt can be purifying, but it can also be drying!  I follow this by adding moisturizer to my face (which has always been part of my daily beauty routine) and lotion to my hands and wherever else I feel it necessary.