What My Face was Trying to Tell Me

In 2018, an experience with a well known esthetician in Chicago spearheaded my quest to natural and simple body and skin care. My face enjoyed the services at the time but months later, it revealed it was not happy. From scars, to continuous breakouts, chemical reactions — all I wanted was my face back.

I initially tried to remedy it with over-the-counter products that are known for treating acne and calming the skin. My skin said No. I gave products up to a month to see change and nada. I have never been a huge makeup person so to have to wear full coverage to cover up my acne scars daily really affected my spirit. I had had enough. Every product had a list of ingredients that I couldn't pronounce and also couldn't understand why there were so many. So instead of searching for the quick fix product I researched and found organic oils that by themselves or with other essential oils could heal my skin. I felt the urge to simplify. Scale down to the basics. And that's exactly what I did.

I reduced my facial routine to a simple castile olive oil bar soap from Whole Foods, rosehip oil, and vitamin E. My face cleared up and hyperpigmentation faded away within weeks.

I then became obsessed with natural ingredients. I started making my own body butters. I love Shea butter but it dried my skin out and left a film on my skin. Coconut oil also didn't seem to quench the thirst of my skin. Neither gave me the penetrative glow it gives when first applied, so I found mango butter. Mango butter is my JAM!

As my healing journey continued spiritually and through stages of learning and unlearning, so did my interest in healing my body — taking into account not only what I was feeding it, but also what it was consuming indirectly through clothes, products, and environmental factors that affect not just our skin but our nervous system and hormonal balance. The findings were astounding. Here we will talk about it all, with viable solutions, so we can heal together.