"A little green juice changed my life"
As kooky and dramatic as it sounds, that leafy vitamin drink was the catalyst for my huge lifestyle transformation ten years ago. It was the moment I really connected the dots between what I put into my body and how that impacted my skin. The gut-skin connection.
My own skin nightmare
My skin problems began young. I got the usual hormone related acne spots as a teenager. I hated the way those pimples appeared on my face, but looking back that was nothing compared to what was to come. At age fifteen, clusters of tiny red dots appeared all over my tummy.
I booked an appointment with my GP and after various misdiagnoses and inappropriate treatments, I was eventually told this was psoriasis, and there was no cure. Those little droplets (guttate psoriasis) grew, merged and spread, turning red and angry, then eventually forming white scaly plaques.
My skin felt dry and sore, my body hurt, I felt emotionally drained and hated the impact this disease was having on my life. I willingly tried everything the doctor offered me; steroid creams, emollients, lotions that burned, stinky coal tar solutions, stronger steroids .. nothing ever offered a permanent fix.
Besides conventional Western medicines, I experimented inconsistently with acupuncture, UV sun-beds, Chinese medicine and the so-called herbal miracle creams I found in the early days of the internet (mostly scams). I spent hours desperately searching for a solution, but nothing ever offered true remission.
At my lowest point, I was offered cancer drugs
Ten years ago I went back to my doctor, at this point I was desperate. My psoriasis was out of control, it was impacting my relationships, my social life and even my ability to work. Sensing my deep depression, the GP suggested something stronger - an immunosuppressant medication called Methotrexate.
What he didn’t fully explain is that Methotrexate is a chemotherapy drug. If I accepted the prescription I’d need to be regularly tested for liver failure. It was a route I simply couldn’t bring myself to go down and I felt determined to search for a natural alternative.
Empowered to get well
This is where my transformative journey into gut health began. My ten year journey has been a constant education. Early on, I began to really understand the massive impact my poor diet and stressful, unhealthy lifestyle were having on my skin. I made huge changes to my lifestyle and began fixing the underlying problem, in turn creating the right environment for my skin to begin healing naturally.
Books
I cannot begin to describe the feeling of empowerment that comes with holding the key to healing yourself. Just six months after clearing my skin of psoriasis through making these changes to my gut health, I launched a blog; 'My Goodness’. On it I began sharing food recipes, health tips and natural skin treatments - everything I’d learned about healing myself. That blog eventually led to publication of Radiant - Recipes to Heal Skin From Within, my beautifully illustrated book published in January 2017. Radiant has now sold over 50,000 copies worldwide.
My second book Skin Healing Expert was published three years later. A more relaxed approach, it’s designed to help anybody struggling to follow a strict all-or-nothing method. I love the impact my books have on people's lives. The reviews are so lovely and being able to help people follow a similar path to the one I took and seeing them experience the same mind-blowing results is incredibly motivating. I knew back then that this was my life's passion and purpose.
Skincare
As well as understanding the strong gut-skin connection, I began to work with a local naturopath and aromatherapist who taught me about kinder alternatives to the greasy emollients I’d been liberally slathering on my arms and legs for twenty years. Harnessing the power of natural botanicals, I began creating a little kitchen table range of skincare products to support natural healing, which my blog readers loved.
Hair
Chemical-free formula designed to soothe sensitive scalps.
Body
Intensely hydrates without leaving skin feeling oily.
Body
Overnight repair balm for very dry or sensitive skin.
Body
Formulated with DEFENSIL®-PLUS to protect and soothe sensitive skin.
Body
Wonderfully light but intensive formula for everyday use.
Face
Unique blend of oils to hydrate your skin from dusk 'til dawn.
Body
Unique blend of oils to help improve the appearance of existing scars.
Hair
Chemical-free formula designed to soothe sensitive scalps.
Body
Intensely hydrates without leaving skin feeling oily.
Body
Overnight repair balm for very dry or sensitive skin.
Body
Formulated with DEFENSIL®-PLUS to protect and soothe sensitive skin.
Body
Wonderfully light but intensive formula for everyday use.
Face
Unique blend of oils to hydrate your skin from dusk 'til dawn.
Body
Unique blend of oils to help improve the appearance of existing scars.
Dragons' Den
The range kept going from strength to strength. Then in 2019, the brand saw a huge boost with my appearance on BBC’s Dragons' Den. Faced with the rare option of offers from all five dragons, I chose investment from Tej Lalvani and Peter Jones.
My range was stocked into 300 Holland and Barrett shops virtually overnight and the awareness my TV appearance raised around chronic skin conditions and the impact natural treatments could have was amazing.
As cliche as it sounds, the past decade has been a real journey for me and I’m so grateful for the community of book readers and social media followers who have been on this ride alongside me.
From understanding my own gut and skin health intently, to formulating a range of scientifically backed, natural skincare and supplements, which genuinely make such a difference to people's lives, I’m endlessly blown away and feel very privileged to do the work I do.
So what's next?
The birth of my little boy Freddie two years ago triggered fears I’d always harboured over the potential for my child to inherit terrible skin.
Before he’d even arrived earth-side, Freds inspired a conversation with our wonderful formulation team - I asked them to make some samples of simple products I could use on my baby’s delicate skin.
Oh Baby
Fast-forward three years and 2024 will see the launch of my natural baby skincare range and I’m so excited! With a deep focus on gentle formulations and sustainable kindness for our planet, Freddie’s range is the project I’m probably most proud of in my work so far.
I’m looking forward to spending the next ten years developing this wonderful team of strong,
inspiring women who work alongside me. Our mission is to continue growing our amazing community of empowered, natural skin-warriors worldwide and help as many people as possible to feel happier and healthier in their skin.
