Plant Magic for Dreamy Fall Facials
A note from Bethany:
I shared a reel on Instagram recently about how my perspective on skincare has changed. It seemed to resonate with quite a few people and it really got me thinking about the complicated nature of holistic esthetics and how we are evolving as an industry.
It’s interesting to me that “holistic” is portrayed as the fringe perspective because what I see is that many estheticians want to take the holistic approach. We may take steps to be informed about holistic approaches like nutrition, energy work, touch therapies or plant medicine… but we are still programmed to believe that a brand (or a guru) has the answer. We rely on others to formulate something - a product, a protocol - that we can simply copy to provide the result because we don’t trust ourselves to do it. We don’t trust our own knowledge and we don’t trust our bodies when we feel in our gut that something is wrong.
What ends up happening is that instead of using products, services and rituals that align with our beliefs - and investing in brands and teachers who do the same - we end up investing in the same old thing under the guise of a different marketing strategy. And we end up doing the same old things with our clients - promising quick results, demonizing “non-professional” skincare, treating the skin like it is a separate entity from the body, undervaluing the importance of touch and nervous system regulation, using fear-based marketing tactics and shaming them into overcomplicated, overly-aggressive skincare routines.
In my conversations with many of you who are trying to navigate this messy situation and create the business of your dreams, I see the same themes pop up: we want to be intentional, we know what we want to do but we are scared to do it. We are scared to trust ourselves, scared to tell people what we believe, scared to make the changes we need to make in order to run an aligned business. We are scared because we are told constantly what the “right” way is to do things and it makes us feel as if what we are doing is “wrong.” It takes a lot of internal work and deprogramming to get around this and, even though it isn’t exactly comfortable, I kind of love watching it happen in real time. If we want the industry to evolve in the right direction - a direction that promotes compassion, kindness, connection + community care - we all have to do the work, both individually and together.
So my challenge for you as we approach this Pisces Full Moon + Mercury Retrograde period is to go within and ask yourselves…
Is my approach to skincare actually aligned with my beliefs?
What do I want to do more of?
What can I let go of?
How can the universe support me?
Where are 2 ideas fighting within me and creating confusion?
What path feels the best, like I could just float along and go with the flow and feel the least resistance in my body?
Where is resistance going to be good for me, help me grow and teach me an important lesson?
Sit with your answers without making any important decisions until the end of the Retrograde period… this time is likely to feel confusing, foggy or chaotic. You may even have crazy dreams about doing things differently, or you may want to talk it out or share and feel like you can’t get your point across. The most important thing is to check in with how you feel in your body - what feels good? - and trust that feeling.
What feels good to me is a facial that smells like tea and honey and feels like a warm hug. It needs to be an original warm hug with my own twist… I have my favorite skincare brands that I love to incorporate, but nothing makes me happier than creating my own herb blends to infuse my facials with intention + plant magic. When I do this, I often think about how to co-create with the universe - what season are we in? What do people need right now? What energy is standing out to me? What archetypes can I draw on to help me understand or approach these energies? - and that is what we want to share more of with you today.
xoxo,
Bethany
A note on Mercury Retrograde + Pisces Full Moon energies:
Quiet your mind and let your intuition lead.
Mercury Retrograde begins exactly one day before our Full Moon in Pisces. Overwhelm, confusion and high alert are feelings to be expected during this shift. Rather then being disoriented, try to tune into true Pisces energy - find your center and let your intuition lead. Go with the flow.
During this time, Mercury appears to be spinning backwards which causes us conscious beings on planet Earth to feel a bit disoriented. This backwards illusion can cause us to fall back into old patterns, old relationships and old ways of thinking. Lots and lots of grounding and centering will be important these coming weeks.
Libra is the leader in this third retrograde of the year, leading us with balance and love as to encourage our inner voice to surface and quieting the outer noise. The key to going within is slowing waaaaay down. As summer comes to an end and Fall begins, grab some tea (try some soothing, warm-belly blends we curated), your comfiest pair of fuzzy socks and breathe into the dissonance.
Characteristics of Pisces Full Moon:
Fantasy
Daydreams
Intuitive bad bitch!
Relationships (platonic and romantic alike) are in desperate need of clarification during this time. Connecting with your own inner desires first will help better define the connections with the people you love. As for the wild energy retrogrades vomit all over us, it’s best to resist any urge to back peddle to an ex - or anything else that you’ve previously closed the door on. Let this phase pass and if the desire is lingering, revisit it once the dust settles.
The goal is to turn your energy inward, center yourself, ground your energy + come out fully recalibrated and renewed!
Plant Magic for Dreamy Fall Facials
To support you through this (potentially chaotic but much needed) shift into the fall season, we wanted to share some of our favorite tea blends for the body, mind + spirit. Creating custom herbal tea blends to use in treatments is one of the best ways to practice trusting yourself and your power to create… and it doesn’t require fully stepping away from those skincare brands you love. Incorporating plant magic doesn’t have to be an either or situation - it also shouldn’t feel overly complicated or challenging. Play with what feels good to you. It is enough to just choose a blend that smells good or brings back a fond memory. If you’re wondering how you can incorporate these dried herbs or herbal infusions, here are some ideas…
Drink them
Use them to prep your facial towels
Replace any water used in a facial, such as rinsing bowls
Put them in your steamer (specifically for those of us that have Katana steamers - otherwise, follow your manufacturer’s directions and use discretion here)
Spray them onto the skin with an oxygen sprayer, Dr. Lucas sprayer or any other atomizer
Infuse honey to use for honey tapping
Make intentional herbal poultices
Blend as fine as possible and mix with water to create a paste - a thick paste could be used as an exfoliant while a thinner paste could be painted on as a mask
Amplify them by using moon water and crystals for your infusions
When you are done + if you are able to do so, return the tea to the earth. Tea leaves + herbs make great additions to compost piles and outdoor gardens (and why not give your indoor plants some intentional love too). Think about creating a full circle ritual to complete the cycle.
Check out each blend for more info on when/why to use.
But don’t take our word for it… try them out, blend your own, see what works. Experimentation is the best teacher.
PS - Archetypes are a great way to inspire + imagine a type of energy you want to embody. These blends all have a corresponding archetype - a tarot card - that embodies the energy we imagined flowing through the blend. To go deeper, investigate the meaning behind each card and where it might be beneficial in your journey through this season.
Queen of Pentacles: Soothing
Vibe: soft, gentle, loving, soothing, calming, motherly, a warm hug
Use for: anxiety, sympathetic activation, dry skin, sensitive skin
The Moon: Psychic
Vibe: intuitive, dreamy, witchy, psychic AF, knowing yourself, integrating shadow
Use for: activating third eye chakra, exploring dreams, hydration, all skin types
The Hermit: Grounding
Vibe: solitary, grounded, connected to the earth, understanding yourself, introspection
Use for: healing root chakra, stabilizing, going inward, dry skin, sensitive skin, acne, lymph flow
Justice: Balancing
Vibe: integrating divine feminine + masculine, balanced energy, clarity, relief, equality
Use for: hormonal balancing, acne, pigmentation, purification
Temperance: Autumn
Vibe: renewal, healing, patience, moderation, being cautious before acting
Use for: invoking a pause to consider before acting, taking the safe route, cell renewal, pigmentation, aging