Aside from the one time I used a tanning bed in high school (temporary insanity, otherwise known as peer pressure as a 15 year old girl), I’ve always been pretty aware of the importance of sun safety. My dad, a sun-worshipper, had a few cancerous moles removed, so I knew that sun safety was important.

But the problem was, I had (and still have) pretty temperamental skin with my hormonal acne. So it'd be pretty frustrating for me to wear sunscreen that made me break out or to reluctantly wear sunscreen without the cleanest ingredients in it. BUT before we dive into details about that, I wanted to share my tips on how to practice proper sun safety, and what to look for in a clean sunscreen:

Linking all of my products mentioned in my IGTV video showing you my latest skincare favorites!

I’ve been asked many times from followers, media outlets, and friends about what my thoughts are on certain diets of the moment (paleo, keto, IF, etc.) and trends (bulletproof coffee, adaptogens, and now the infamous celery juice). I decided to put this blog post together to hopefully clarify my perspective that really applies to ALL trends, no matter the year— a perspective of understanding based on my education and experience over the past nearly 7 years in this industry. I am always a proponent of providing tools to people for them to make the right decision for themselves, rather than encouraging them to do or not do something….

One of my most requested blog post topics, hormonal acne has also been one of the harder things for me to talk about. Not only because I’ve had quite the ups and downs with it and that it has been an emotionally difficult issue for me over the years, but also because it’s still an ongoing journey for me.

So for me, I struggled with the insecurity and discomfort of sharing my past and current photos of my skin, but also a bit of “imposter syndrome;” as in, how could I talk about healing my hormonal acne when I still have skin that is far from flawless? Then I realized that mentality is exactly what I fight against when it comes to speaking about body image issues, so why should this be any different? If anything, those of us who have dealt with problematic skin are usually far more well-versed in skincare than those with not many skin issues because we’ve had to figure things out!

Why did I switch over to non-toxic, clean beauty? I got slammed with my autoimmune diagnosis and after desperately researching for anything that could help ease the massive load of stressors on and symptoms of my body, I dismayingly realized just how INSANELY toxic some of these ingredients in these products are. The BIGGEST thing is how it affects your endocrine system— aka your hormones. I wanted to make this super comprehensive guide of recommendations and helpful links to help you guys find the best non-toxic, clean beauty products (bodycare, haircare, oral care, everything!) for YOU.

I don’t think I ever thought I would be wading in a cranberry marsh, but holy cow was that cool or what?! My job takes me to some pretty cool experiences I wouldn’t have otherwise, and this trip to Wisconsin with Carmex was no exception. I truly love brand trips because they’re such an immersive, personal experience that allows you to get to know the company, the people behind the product, and the product itself in a way you just can’t from email exchanges.

One of the most emotionally frustrating parts of my Hashimoto’s and hormonal imbalance issues has most definitely been the onset of hormonal acne. I know at first glance, it can seem like an insignificant thing compared to some of the more dramatic physiological symptoms I’ve experienced— but having skin issues can be something that really impacts your self-confidence, causing more stress, which then just makes your skin even worse. It can be a nasty cycle that can feel really hopeless in a lot of ways.

Healthy skincare has been having a MOMENT for the past two years. Women (and men) everywhere are trading in Saturday nights out for Saturday nights in, with sheet masks and green juices because they have to get up at 8am for their Sunday yoga class. Sound familiar?

Everyone is all about caring for their skin as much as possible these days, and that extends from skincare to makeup to internal well-being and care. So after struggling with so many skin issues, I wanted to share my favorite clean skincare and makeup favorites that have made the biggest difference for me, since I know my fellow sweat-tribe can also struggle with this! 

I transitioned over to all-natural clean beauty products awhile ago because some unique issues. After struggling with exhausting autoimmune issues for the past...

6 days to go, and still in a crunch to find a thoughtful gift? I got you with this gift guide is pretty universal for everyone on your list. Why do I say that?

Relaxation and stress management are major priorities for optimal health. In our lives when it seems all too rare when we take time for self-care or to disconnect, it becomes all the more important that we make it happen. And there's nothing like a fun new gift to help encourage you to take those few extra minutes in your day to indulge in a little self-care and other activities that bring you happiness and calm. 

I've rounded up some unique and affordable gifts to help bring your loved one some calm and pampering to their day- so without further ado, here is my gift guide for gifts that pamper and relax! 

I've switched over. I'm a convert. Even with my being so health-conscious with my food and exercise, I didn't really think I'd one day be using soap that has hemp in it. Or that I'd be parting from my failure-proof aluminum deodorant and delicious-smelling shampoos and hair masks, even though I knew there were things in there that probably weren't too great for me.

How big of a deal could it be, anyway? It just seemed too hard. Too hard to learn which of those unpronounceable ingredients were the bad ones because they all sounded too similar; too hard to dump out all my not-exactly cheap cosmetics and beauty products to replace them with things I didn't know would even work; too intimidating, basically. 

Have you guys felt this way before/now? Switching over to all-natural beauty products free of harmful toxins and chemicals can be really intimidating...