What in the world does skincare have to do with spirituality?
I hear this all the time at events where I exhibit my products, and—I’ll be honest—it is difficult to answer directly.
You see, this all started a few years ago when I was going through a quite a rough patch.
I was very stressed at work and had been diagnosed with high blood pressure; I found a lump in my abdomen and was then diagnosed with multiple, LARGE fibroids. I discovered that I had been losing quite a significant amount of blood every month—so much so that I was exhausted ALL the time…
…oh, and yeah, I had lost the love I’d once had for my profession.
I was only in my 30’s!
I am a pharmacist, you see, and going into work turned into a complete nightmare; I was battling constant exhaustion while trying to manage staff, meet targets, and deliver NHS services.
Something had to give, and—unfortunately—it was me.
So, while on holiday in Italy in 2014 and sitting in front of a stunning Italian olive grove, I burst into tears. I emailed my resignation, which was by immediate effect.
I wasn’t going back to work. I had already cleared all of my personal items from the pharmacy, and I wasn’t going back!
But I didn’t feel any better. Not even a little. Not even at all.
I realised that my exhaustion was also mental and spiritual.
I realised that leaving the pharmacy behind was only the first step, and—somehow—I needed to rediscover the person I was in order to understand the person I had become.
I did all the usual things: Meditation, CBT, NLP, Empowerment courses, Discovering Yourself courses, etc. They helped my mental health for a while. They meant that I could deal with my decision to leave a profession to which I had dedicated myself since doing my A Levels and that I could find a way forward without getting too lost.
But the high never lasted until I realised that, to become whole again (because this whole process had left me mentally battered and bruised… not to mention ashamed of being branded a quitter), my crushed spirit also needed some rebuilding.
I had no idea where to start. All I knew was that I had blocks in my mind and in my soul—blocks to the person I could become and my ability to move forward and become whole.
I needed to get rid of them. But how?
By chance, a few years before, I had come across a wonderful shop called ‘The Green Witch’ in Babbacombe, Torquay.
I had been working in a pharmacy in Torquay for a few weeks, and I had gone from stressed to more stressed. One day, I simply refused to work through lunch yet again! I was about to lose it, and I had to walk out of the pharmacy.
I was fuming, and—as I wandered around the small parade of high end shops—I came across this oddity.
The shop had essential oils and crystals—the usual new-age paraphernalia—in the display window, and I was about to walk away when I saw that they had lavender essential oil. I thought to myself, I need some of that.
So, I walked in.
I honestly can’t tell you with any certainty what happened next, but all I know is that, before when I entered that shop, I was stressed, harassed, and ready to burst into tears…
…but I walked through that door and it felt like I had left the weight of the world outside. For the first time in god knows how long, there was silence in my mind and calm in my soul.
So, I did the only thing I could.
I burst into tears.
The wonderful lady who owned the shop came over—she didn’t say a word—she just gave me a hug and allowed me to cry.
When I was done, I explained in brief why I had come in, and she recommended a couple of essential oils to use in the bath or in oil applications. I bought them all plus the lavender essential oil that I had gone into the shop for in the first place.
I used those products every day until they ran out. They brought me back to that place of calm and peace every time.
That shop saved my life.
When I was faced again with the same level of soul-deep angst, I went back to what I had experienced at that wonderful shop in Babbacombe.
I reached for the essential oils that I had found then, and I studied all the others that I could find.
I studied how they worked aromatherapeutically, what they did naturopathically, what they were meant to do magically, and I experimented with all of the essential oils that I could get a hold of.
I found that the various blends I used delivered different results, which altered my mood and empowered my sense of self. They brought me back to that place of calm and peace—a place from which I could begin to discover the person whom I had become. A place where I could deal with those blocks.
I also realised that, while I was busy using the essential oils to help me get through all the stress, they were having an amazing effect on my skin.
I also realised that, by turning those blends that I used in my bath and in my diffusers into lotions, I could keep the feeling of peace, calm, clarity, empowerment…
…whatever the blend was designed to help with, they worked ALL day!
I realised that I wanted to share this with the world.
No, I NEEDED to share this with everyone!
There are so many of us going through our own very private—sometimes public—versions of hell.
There are so many of us who are just in a stuck place that is frustrating and disempowering and corrosive to our sense of self.
We need a little help to get through.
A little calm.
A little peace.
A little clarity.
A little boost to our skin and to our souls.
We need a little help to get through.
That is what I do.
That is what skincare has to do with spirituality.
I create essential oil skincare blends that help you find that place from which you can become a fully actualised human being: free and able to live in the highest expression of yourself.
