It's no secret that I'm an avid lover of all things natural, and I avoid chemical-based beauty products like the plague. When it comes to my skin and what I put on it, I'm picky because the skin is the largest organ, and everything that goes on it, ends up in the body.
It all started when I had an extreme reaction to hair dye several years ago. I was still bleaching my hair blonde and buying off-the-shelf shampoo and conditioner. I'd been for a cut and colour at a new salon, and within a few days, my entire scalp peeled, my psoriasis flared up, and I broke out in a rash. Thinking it was just a side effect of new products, I carried on with my beauty regime and changed nothing. A few weeks after that, I started a new skincare range, and the same thing happened; my entire face peeled, my psoriasis flared up, and I broke out in a rash.
So, I took a long hard look in my beauty bag, and I got real with myself. The old saying, 'no pain, no gain', wasn't good enough anymore, so I cleaned out my entire collection of face goop, hair products, beauty creams and magic serums, and I started from scratch. Around one in three of the products I owned was made with Formaldehyde (a toxic but common beauty ingredient), and half the products I owned contained endocrine-disrupting toxins too.
My body had reached a point of no return, and it was screaming at me for change. I learnt about the pitfalls of prolonged use of toxic-beauty products the hard way, but now that I know what to look for, it's simple: if you wouldn't eat it, don't put it on your skin.
Since switching to products with stringent clean beauty standards and ethical values, I don't have breakouts, my overall health is better, my hormones are balanced, and my skin is the best it's ever been.
And when I need a skin pick-me-up these days, instead of using magic serums full of chemicals, I opt for a natural scrub. Kirra Australia's all-natural, nasty-free and certified organic scrub blends tick all my ethical, sustainable and clean beauty boxes, and they smell absolutely delicious too.
Lovingly handcrafted with only the best ingredients, Kirra Australia is inspired by Australian nature, powerful women, and a sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyle. The Kirra Australia ethos is simple: to use consciously sourced ingredients that care for you and the environment.
Now that I'm six months pregnant, I'm even more of a hawk-eye when it comes to what I eat, use and wear, but every Kirra blend is skin safe, toxin-free and entirely natural, and I feel confident knowing that what I'm putting on my skin, is safe for my body and my growing baby.
Head to Kirra Australia for the full range and spoil yourself. I'm yet to find a blend I don't love!
The Fashion Advocate x
