I have fond memories of my childhood where I was enlightened to the potential of plants. The shelves at home were lined with books for bushcraft, foraging, and plant identification. I remember being so receptive to this idea that plants were more than their aesthetic. And it almost felt like magic to know their capabilities. From being a source of food to having medicinal qualities, I feel that this is where my appreciation for natural skincare derives. 

Admittedly, as my childhood waned into my teenage years, I slowly lost the discipline of learning and researching about plants. I still had a love for the natural world around me but, it was not until adulthood that I began to acknowledge the importance of this information. 

It is not uncommon to hear that people have gone back to nature as a form of healing from their overstimulating lives. And nature and wellness appear to go hand in hand. So as I found myself staring at the breakouts lighting up like wildfire across my face. And many products available on the high street acting as fuel for that fire, I decided to go back to my roots and explore the potential of natural skincare. 

From my experience of using natural skincare, I feel that it is modest in its approach. It is something you have to be persistent with. It is not an overnight success, it is a slow incline and something to complement a healthy lifestyle. Natural skincare embodies that to me. However, one thing I will boldly standby as a truth, is that natural skincare is immediately soothing and something my sensitive skin was crying out for.

I am no skincare expert. And I will not assume that my experience will be the same as someone else's. So I feel it's really important to consider that not every skin type is receptive to natural skincare. And sometimes your skin is a reflection of your diet, your stress, and even misunderstanding of its type. I was surprised to realise that the oily skin I thought I had, was actually sensitive in a flux of panic as I stripped the surface layer of it away by using harsh chemicals and rough scrubs.
I changed my approach to skincare and began to only use products that were stripped bare of bells and whistles and just used the essentials.

Reverting back to nature within my skincare regime ignited a passion that I had let fade away into just embers. I found myself wanting to know the ingredients, and more specifically the plants and their properties within that. I found the Floragy ingredient directory an educational starting point. Not only is it informative, but also incredibly transparent for a brand to be so open with its consumer about ingredients within their product line. To me, it felt like it was sharing that magic that I felt as a child, where I was rediscovering the potential of plants and their hidden qualities. Once you begin to delve a little deeper into the world of plants, you find your curiosity evolving into more areas that you can bring into your everyday.

Personally, I feel that this is the real beauty of natural skincare. It is an extension of an appreciation for the natural world and how beneficial it is for us as humans to initiate that within our everyday lives. 

Written by Kiya-Ellen Rose (@pipedream____)