1 . How do you choose which plant oils to work with ? Where do you harvest the ingredients used in your skincare ?
We choose the oils based on their soothing and healing abilities on the skin . Working with skin for the past 20 years , I have found that most people struggle with reactive skin types . We live in a world of unnatural and " active " ingredients that just don ' t suit most skin types . Most epidermal tissue wants to be healed and nourished opposed to overstimulated and stripped . A balanced skin care routine should keep your skin looking great all the time . It doesn ' t have to be this roller coaster of good days and bad days . We harvest our ingredients all over the world . We find that ingredients are typically their best when they grow in their natural climates and native landscapes . Ultimately , we are just looking for the highest quality of any singular ingredient and sometimes that does mean grown in a greenhouse . For example , we source reishi mushroom spores grown in a controlled environment . These spores would blow away in an organic setting but in a still windless room they can be captured . To be able to capture the spores of a mushroom is an incredible thing as this is the best source of beta glucan that you can find . Beta Glucan is an amazingly effective , yet gentle , ingredient for moisture retention .
2 . Monastery skincare nourishes and heals the skin to create a natural , outer glow ... What daily rituals do you practice for enhancing your inner glow ( mind , body or soul )?
Thank you , I ' m so happy that you find that our skincare line nourishes and heals your skin . That means a lot to me . I run or bike every day . Biking is the main way my family of four travels around our city day-to-day . Being outdoors and getting my blood moving is extremely important for my inner glow , so I try to protect my skin from UV as much as I can . We also listen to music constantly . Music takes the place of a screen in our family . A fun fact is that my husband makes the ambient music that we use in our Monastery spa . He makes his music out of our home , so we are constantly surrounded by it in that way as well . were sleeping should be prized . That being said , our cleansing oils do not tamper with the microbiome , so if you really wanted to do another oil cleanse in the morning you definitely could .
4 . What do you think has been the most valuable lesson you ’ ve learned since starting Monastery in 2011 ?
To just keep my head down and keep moving forward . The largest tasks will eventually get smaller .
5 . Your grandmother introduced you to the healing power of aromatherapy and natural skincare … What else has she taught you that you will never forget ( life skills , words of wisdom , etc .)?
My grandmother influenced me in so many ways . She was a super strong woman , a total perfectionist . She could be difficult at times , and wasn ' t always great with outward signs of affection , but if she made you something - whether it be food or a tincture or an oil - it was truly a magical gift . Something you wouldn ' t forget . She showed her love through her gifts that she made with her hands and that is something that we don ' t do as much these days . I originally bottled up the products as gifts for my clients , so in a way I like to think that every product that someone holds in their hands and puts on their face is a gift from me , a sign of my thanks .
3 . How many times a day should we be washing our face ?
I only wash my face at night . I wash it to remove things like sunblock , makeup , and the dirt of the day . This is the way I see it : if my skin didn ' t get dirty throughout the night , I should just leave it alone . The replenished and balanced microbiome that our body worked so hard on while we
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