Chemical storms galore
My skincare journey began when I was 14, when my whole face suddenly got covered with terrible, painful, inflamed cystic acne. Not just my face, but my shoulders and back, too. It was one of the most embarrassing and emotionally painful periods of my life. It was already hard enough being a teenager, and all of a sudden it became almost unbearable.
I quickly began experimenting with 1 million different skin care products, including abraisive scrubs like St Ives, chemical storms like Proactiv and supermarket foundations, desperately trying to get rid of and cover all my red bumps.
I also went on the OCP in hopes of reducing my breakouts. It helped a little, until it didn't.
Light at the end of the tunnel: holistic therapies, diet and nervous system reset
Over the next decade, I discovered a more holistic lifestyle, completed my Traditional Chinese Medicine degree, took vitamins, naturopathic and chinese herbs, yet still continued a similar skincare routine but with more "natural and non-toxic products".
It was when I fell pregnant with my daughter in 2020, that I came across the work of Weston A Price and the teachings of Sally Fallon, where they stress the importance of animal fats and fat soluble vitamins. I also discovered the work of Dr Ray Peat who taught about the nuiances of the human metabolism.
At 25 weeks pregnant, I began implementing their knowledge to my daily life. For the most part, the rest of my pregnancy was a breeze. I had a very healing and enriching post partum, which I have to thank my diet for. My vitamin and mineral stores were being replenished, and I had an incredible first few months of letting go of maidenhood and immersing myself into motherhood. This period of my life taught me to slow down and be present. Even though I had to take care of a newborn, I felt immensely at peace. I felt my nervous system regulating as the years of stress from life, studies and work began melting away. I had a new purpose, and that was to take care of the brand new little life in now laying in my arms. For others, finding peace and slowing down may look a little different. But for me, this is the path my body and soul needed.
As my nervous system, my metabolism and my hormones began to heal, so did my skin. At this point I was still using natural, detergent-based cleansers and alternating my skin moisturiser between non toxic moisturisers and tallow. I wasn’t fully committed to the change and my skin was showing it, still feeling tight and dry and some irregular breakouts.
Committed to tallow... but something is missing?
I made a full committment to tallow in early 2022. At this point, I was rendering my own tallow (not purifying) and adding an insane amount of essential oils to mask the smell. My skin was OK, but something still didn't feel right in my gut. "There must be a way I can make this even better!" I thought. This is where fate brought me to the work of April Graham (She Is Of The Woods), Stephanie Peña (Kossma Beauty) and Arielle de Martinez. These knowledgable women taught me the dangers of essential oils (read more here), and how much more beneficial, healing and sustainable whole herbs are in skincare. Duh! I why didn't I know this?! Years of studying Chinese Medicine and dispensing herbs to patients, even buying medicinal herbal-infsed balms for scrapes for my daughter, why didn't I connect the dots earlier?!
the Ah-Ha! moment
This was it. The AH-HA moment for me. The idea of whole plant infused animal based beauty was born in June 2022, and the Capricorn that I am, I wasted no time and quickly started researching what ingredients I wanted to use. I knew there was no place for PUFA rich seed oils in my products. These are highly unsable and oxidise quickly when exposed to light and heat. No way these were going on my customers' skin!
The hero ingredients in my skincare are animal fats, of course. Tallow, lard and ghee. All pastured/grass fed animal fats of the highest quality infused with specially selected whole plants for their active compounds and medicinal constituents. I also taught myself how to effectively render tallow, and purify it for the cleanest final product.
Gaia Uncovered was born
As I was experimenting with my new products on myself, I couldn't believe my eyes, or the way my skin felt! Magic! I believe it was the Ghee Cleansing Oil that made the most difference to my skin and finally allowed my skin barrier to have a much deserved break and heal properly. The years of stripping my skin lipids and dehydrating my skin cells with detergent based cleansers were finally over! Ghee Cleansing Oil gently removes dirt and makeup without disturbing the skin barrier like detergent-based cleansers do.
The second secret to healing my skin was rehydrating my skin. Detergent based cleansers not only strip the beautiful skin lipids, but also severely dehydrate the skin. I created Floral Toner for this purpose. Made with organic rose and chamomile hydrosol, as well as organic aloe vera juice, not only does it quench the skins' thirst but also adds back essential vitamins and minerals into the skin. With added glycerine it helps bring and hold the hydration in the skin cells.
From here, the holy trinity of skincare was born. The Cleanse, Tone and Moisturise bundle addresses everything the skin needs. Gently lift dirt and makeup, rehydrate, and lock it all in with your favourite animal-based balm.
In August 2022, after countless hours of research, I finally launched Gaia Uncovered Skin Care. Since, then, not only has my skin been improving, but so has yours! In my first year of launch, over 700 people have purchased Gaia Uncovered, with over half of them being repeat customers! Never in a million years would I have thought this many people would want to switch to animal based beauty!
I haven't and will never stop researching and adding knowledge to my tool belt. I am constantly looking for ways to improve my products and bring you the best up to date health information.
I am forever grateful for everyone's support throughout the past year. It means everything to my family and I! <3
So much love,
Daria xx
