Our core values have almost nothing to due with products and I'm explaining why.
Crafting skin care is my gift...
which I serve to you...
as a tool...
to support your wellness journey.
I'm passionate about fulfilling skin and wellness goals by mastering intuition, embracing whole health, unapologetically nurturing and loving one's uniqueness. Let's go through the Wilder North Core Values.
#1 - CALL ON YOUR INTUITION WITH YOUR SKIN
Listen, Nurture, Support and Heal. You already have what it takes to succeed.
There are some theories that stripping, injuring and defying skin is a means to achieve perfect skin. Notice I said, "perfect" and not "healthy". Perfect and Healthy are likely not the same thing. I prefer to make the goal skin "health", because your greatest personal beauty is a reflection of your health. I encourage gentle supportive measures to elevate skin into it's healthiest state of being. When you think about getting perfect skin, you might think about flawless filtered faces of celebrities - other people's skin which is not your own. It's not in your control, or even possible to make your skin look like someone else's. When you focus on getting "healthy" skin, it brings the focus back to YOU; what IS in your control and the attainable, realistic, authentic version of yourself.
So where does intuition come into play? Intuition is an instinctive knowing or feeling rather than a conscious reasoning. Conscious reasoning might tell you that you need to follow a specific skin care routine or your skin will break out... that's too strict for our changing hormones, environments and habits. Intuition lets you assess your skin health and use whichever product you feel is appropriate for that day. That's not to say no reasoning at all comes into play. Having a solid understanding of holistic health can help guide your intuition. That's why we arm you with holistic wellness articles and experts who share their knowledge freely.
Here's an example: I wake up with a breakout. Knowing that it's probably not product-related because I'm using skin-supportive products, I think about where I am in my menstrual cycle, I think about what foods I've indulged in, in the past 10 days, I think about whether or not I've been skipping washing my face before bed, how much water I've had, how much I've sweat at the gym. Knowing all these factors, I can intuitively make a call. Today I shall use my Rivae Blemish Serum, get back on track with an acne-free lifestyle, and move forward knowing I am nurturing that blemish right off of my skin. You have the ability to learn your body cues and fine tune your intuition.
Nurturing... nurturing your body gives skin the ability to heal itself. Using beautiful, vibrant plant oils on your skin supports it's innate ability to work magic. Your body DOES know what to do. Using ingredients that do not impede skin's natural ability to heal will give you sustainable skin health. So take your skin's cues and act with nurturement.
#2 - LOVING YOURSELF AND WORKING ON YOURSELF ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE
Embrace and appreciate all that your body does for you, while still setting goals for yourself. Limitations are often our own Making.
Let's find some middle ground. Unapologetic Body positivity is a strong and healthy belief, but it can be used as an excuse not to make healthier lifestyle choices if you don't find balance. Discipline and self improvement are also strong and healthy beliefs, but it's easy to get dragged into obsessiveness, self hate, guilt, and low self esteem. RATHER than focus on either one of those extremes alone, I encourage women to celebrate where they are at, while setting attainable and actionable goals - it's the best of both extremes. Maybe you are 1 year post-partum and struggling to feel like yourself again. You can thank your body for creating life and give yourself some grace - WHILE you make changes to get back into the shape that you feel good about. Maybe your skin is maturing and your not thrilled with the new lines or sagging skin. It's okay, you can appreciate those smiles and expressions but also get into gua sha and supportive skin care. I've personally found that finding this balance is easier as I've aged, there is a maturity and rooted values that we find over time.
#3 - THINK & LIVE HOLISTIC
Beauty is a perk of Whole Health. Topical products are only one piece to the puzzle, they work in harmony with a healthy lifestyle to achieve your greatest beauty. Surround yourself with people and habits that support you!
If you are someone who has tried hundreds of products to solve your skin concerns but never found a solution, you might be looking in the wrong place. What we apply to our skin is not the only factor; hormones, diet, and a variety of lifestyle choices can impact our appearance. I like to think of our skin as a means of communication, signals being sent from unhappy organs, desperately trying to get our attention.
So where else should we be looking for solutions?
- Find solutions in your diet, read up on skin-loving foods and beauty-stealing foods.
- Move your body, movement and exercise stimulates lymphatic flow, transporting toxins out of your body.
- Check your water intake, your skin might be thirsty!
- Are you overindulging? Alcohol, coffee, sugar and cigarettes can do damage if we don't moderate.
- How is your quality of sleep? Can you fall asleep quickly and stay asleep through the night? Our bodies and guts need this time to rejuvenate.
- How is your mental health? Are you hiding stress or anxiety?
- Are there a lot of chemicals in your food or household?
- Are you laughing? Touching other humans? Touching animals? Getting into nature? All good things to add!
These are just a few examples of things that ALL impact skin health. You know the phrase, "you can't out-exercise a bad diet?" Well you also can't "out-product a bad lifestyle". Up your overall wellness and you up your skin beauty.
#4 - CONFIDENCE IS FOUND WHEN YOU REFRAIN FROM COMPARING TO OTHERS AND APPRECIATE YOUR SELF
Find your power and reject shame that social constructs of perfection place on you. Follow your own path.
In this age of social media, filtered selfies, staged photos and 12-layer makeup tutorials, it can be hard to find and reveal your true self. What is presented to us can feel unattainable, the steps might seem excessive, it can do damage to our self esteem. The more value you place on yourself and your own beliefs, the less value you will place on comparing yourself to others. As I look at others who I might be tempted to compare myself to, I tell myself "Beautiful, but that's not me." Go ahead and appreciate what you see, give a compliment! But YOU have a unique beauty which is incomparable. You have the ability to play up your natural beauty in whatever way feels right to you. This is another value that I feel gets easier with age, self acceptance.
#5 - HIGH VIBRATIONAL PRODUCTS
Lastly, Skin Care... the final product which I create from the 4 values above. These values are the heart of our products, these are what inspire me to use high vibrational ingredients. I actually didn't have words for this until recently when an esthetician friend mentioned one her clients said she could "tell that my products were High Vibrational". I was floored by this thoughtful compliment and the words stuck with me as I interpreted their meaning and realized she was right. The intrinsic energy of the sun, soil and rain which gave bloom to each precious plant, the bees and butterflies whom pollinated, the loving hands of those whom harvested the leaves, fruit and blooms, the intention of past generations whom plucked these plants to heal loved ones, my own respect and thoughtfulness for ingredients that are truly nourishing enough to treat your skin. These ingredients have a vibration that no synthetic ingredient could dream of, and will amplify the health of your skin when used thoughtfully and safely.
Will you join me in celebrating these core values and honoring your wellness?
Naturally yours,
Marissa
Founder of Wilder North Botanicals
