To feel at home in your own skin.
Isn’t that what we're all journeying towards at some level? And when we reach that place of home, we realize we must continue to walk out that feeling each day.
Years ago I sat in front of a camera a few times per week chatting to the abyss while applying makeup. Youtube beauty guru’s were just becoming a slightly recognized thing, and upon my own discovery.. it looked like the most fun and chill activity out there, so I tried it out for myself. I quickly loved the media aspect much more than the makeup part, despite how much my ability and knowledge grew in a short time, so I moved on.
I liked being able to apply makeup skillfully, but the truth was that I'd always preferred my bare skin.. when it wasn’t covered in acne. A fully covered face, or a bare canvas plagued with sores that spoke to a deeper, internal illness… neither felt like home.
Each human's journey home is unique. A huge adjustment I’ve made along my own path is making the slow transition to natural skincare products. Each new expensive and acne-targeting ‘miracle’-suggestion, previous, only served to make matters worse. The more I sought to fix the root cause instead of topically treating my issue, the more clear it became that if what I put inside my body mattered, what I put on my body also mattered. The effect of that choice, while slowly implemented with grace and patience, has been ridiculously rewarding.
Now don't worry, I'll get into some of the scientific reasoning behind why this change was important for me to make in my wholistic-health pursuit and acne journey at a later date, (spoiler alert, it has to do with endocrine / hormone disruptors), but for now I'll share some of my favourite products that I've adopted into my skincare routine.
I can't even begin this conversation any other way than by talking about Cocokind. As a brand, Cocokind stands out above others, to me, for a few reasons. The first, obviously, being that all of their products are made with completely natural ingredients, but the second being that the company's core values line up with mine perfectly. Their slogan is " Clean and Conscious Skincare for All". The brand is completely USDA Certified Organic, ethically sourced, 100% cruelty free, all products not containing beeswax are vegan and a lot of their packaging is either glass or, (like my favourite cleanser), made from recycled sugarcane.
Check, check, check!
My favourite Cocokind products (all are a part of my weekly routine), are their Oil to Milk Cleanser, Sea Moss Exfoliator, Rose Water Toner, Raspberry Vinegar Toner, My Matcha Stick, Turmeric Stick, Chlorophyll Mask (pictured wearing) and Chia Facial Oil.
The only fault I have with my fave brand is that they're American, and thus.. expensive to get here, after shipping. Thankfully *SOME* of their products have begun to sell in Shopper Drug Mart locations in Canada (but not the oil to milk cleanser, yet, which is my #1 necessity).
Other brands that I've tried and loved and are Canadian (but don't yet have a favourites list of) are:
I am still coming home. I’m more at home than I’ve ever been.. in the midst of imperfection, in the centre of process, in the stepping into the 'walking out'.
Friends, knowledge is power. Action is choice. Home is a place you choose to live.
Let me know, have you ever tried natural skincare?