I started in the beauty industry over 20 years ago as a Makeup Artist for Trish McEvoy. Don't get me wrong, I loved helping women feel confident and beautiful. But, oh my! I had no idea what I was selling.
Years later, after becoming a member of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, attending Nutrition School and doing my own research, I realized that I was selling based on my training in SALES, not SKIN. In fact, even though I had graduated from Esthetics school, I still didn't really understand "skin health" back then. It was all about tossing around fancy ingredients and promising miracle results to make a sales goals (ugh, the pressure!). This is one of the reasons I decided to enroll at the Advanced Holistic Skincare Academy and Institute of Integrative Nutrition later in my career-- for a deeper understanding on how the skin functions so I can help my clients get to the root cause of their concerns and encourage "healthy" skin function.
Unfortunately, just because someone is selling skincare (watch out for SKINFLUENCERS on social media) doesn't mean they have knowledge about skin types and conditions. My advice? Make "healthy" skin your goal. Let go of perfect because there is NO SUCH THING.
The reality is: eating well, and reducing stress play a much bigger part in skin health than your products do. This is something I go much deeper into discussing when I'm providing one of my Apothecary Facials at Copal-- it's very individual. Since you're here taking the time to read this (thanks btw): you're the first to know that I'll be launching Skin Health Coaching services in 2022. Stay tuned.
As for aging? The beauty industry will make you think it's a disease. New flash: AGING is GIFT. Get comfortable with the beauty of your skin and the changes that will occur over time. My personal focus isn't about anti-aging, but rather "aging well". I hope it can be yours too.
One shocking takeaway from my research was learning about the ingredients that make our products look, smell and feel a certain way. These are often the offenders to watch out for.
It's time for the beauty industry to come clean about your cleanser. Love those soft, foaming bubbles? This might rock your world. Most suds come from sodium laurel sulfate, a known irritant that can become toxic when combined with other chemicals. That's why many of the best-for-skin cleansers don’t actually foam.
In addition to toxins, conventional mass market bar soap is made with industrial surfactants that strip and dry your skin. Dry skin is not just unhealthier and less able to defend itself, it also looks older. Follow me on Instagram-- this week, I'll be teaching more about Dry vs. Dehydrated skin.
There's a better way
Instead of squeaky clean, let's shift our thinking and focus on dewy and protected clean skin. Our skin naturally has a protective layer that keeps moisture in, while keeping bacteria + dirt out. Instead of stripping our skin, lets ensure we're keeping that barrier intact and in working order.
Don't let this scary stuff get you down though. That's what I'm here for. Need help discovering your own "healthy" skin journey? Let's talk!
Ps. Have a safe and fun Halloween!
Xo, Jennie
