H for love

Woman and their "business" are an obsession of mine.  I want to know everything about their story. The beginning ideas, struggles and how a passion turned into what it is today-  Bee from H for Love is a fine example of what woman can do.  In just 3 years she has accomplished the great success she has today with only more growth on the horizon. I believe this is only the beginning for Bee.  She has barely begun to scratch the surface of all she wants to do in the skincare world.  She is so smart about her product, her business, her choices and it just shows.  I loved hearing her story, learning of her journey. When she speaks you just want to be a sponge and absorb all her knowledge. I could brag on and on because that is just how much I admire Bee.   But for now I will stop and let you read the answers to some of your questions.

Thank you BEE for your time, for your words and of course your pretty glowing face!  I love capturing the woman behind the business. 

What is your next goal for H &/or next product you would be interested in adding to the line? I’d love a non-toxic perfume!

This is a hard one. I have so many ideas for products I feel I could offer as a clean and highly effective option. However, with H IS FOR LOVE one of our core values is minimalism. In terms of skincare I can’t at the moment think of a product that would add something to the line that’s needed, although I’ve been working on a lotion for some time. Mostly for fun. In order to execute that properly, I’ll need to find a clean preservative that measures up to my standards in terms of providing a benefit to skin in addition to broad spectrum protection. I’ve also formulated a really amazing deodorant, but many of my plans for other products will need to wait. We have a ton on our plate currently with the time it takes to produce our streamlined offering. A perfume? I’d love that, but natural and totally clean options tend to absorb into the skin leaving much to be desired in terms of wear time. Once I solve that riddle, it’s a possibility.

What is your daily skincare routine?

Every single morning I drink about 40 ounces of Berkey purified water before my feet hit the ground. I can feel the water awakening every cell and organ in my body and revitalizing my skin. I rinse with warm water only, unless I feel my skin needs to be exfoliated. If I do exfoliate, I always soften my pores by cleansing first with RAPHA and steaming with a warm damp cloth. Using natural products makes it really easy to read your skin and respond accordingly. Most of the time I skip cleansing in the morning because my skin is already clean from the night before. After cleansing with warm water I mist with POLLEN to reset the pH of my skin and prep it for application of oils. I follow with NECTAR, our light oil (like a serum) and seal it in with BARA, our deeply moisturizing balm. I mist again with POLLEN and proceed with my makeup. I always finish makeup by misting with POLLEN. It preps my eyelashes for application of mascara and sets my makeup with a dewy glow! At night I use our gentle cleanser RAPHA over dry skin and makeup and massage well to dissolve all oil soluble debris. I wipe away with a warm damp cloth. Then I mist and moisturize as above. About three times a week I use our purifying mask, PROPOLIS. I mix it with purified water and allow it to almost completely dry, then I get it wet and gently wipe away. PROPOLIS removes all water soluble debris. Just as skin needs both oil and water to be truly satisfied, it needs to be purged of both as well. PROPOLIS can also be mixed in the palm of your hand and used as a gentle exfoliant when you don’t have time for the full mask. That’s how I use it the other two times a week. It makes skin GLOW! When I bathe or shower I always use LIN our body exfoliator, and follow with KINU our body moisturizer. The change in my skin since incorporating these products is absolutely amazing. I use our Lip Conditioner and Glace exclusively as my lip moisturizing products.

What make-up products do you use and will you every introduce make-up to your line?

I’m in love with Gressa Minimalist Corrective Serum Foundation. Svetlana is a chemist and her products are as clean as they get. It’s the most natural coverage I’ve found. I also love RMS highlighters and colors, Jane Iredale (brow gel), Eco Brow (brow fill), Gressa colors, W3ll People mascara and eyeliner, and lip colors by KOSAS Cosmetics. I’m not planning on introducing makeup, but I’ve learned to never say never.

Why skincare? How has “this” become a passion you wanted to turn into a business?

Skincare happened by accident. I started this journey into the natural world like a lot of people: a family member became sick. I learned to heal the body with food about a decade ago, and I haven’t looked back. I then addressed cleaning products in the home, fibers that filled my home, and eventually turned to skincare and makeup. What I discovered was a term called “greenwashing.” So many products are touted as “natural” but that term means absolutely nothing. So, armed with the confidence I’d found long ago in the kitchen, and the depth of understanding I’d gained as to how the human body works, I chose to make skincare for myself. I wanted to approach it the way herbalists have made medicine for thousands of years, so I chose to use herbs infused into cold pressed, unrefined, organic oils. Our processes are lengthy and very involved, but they’re highly effective. I found that I have a passion for this-more than anything I’ve ever done. People asked for me to make them skincare so often, I decided to turn it into a business. One of the major contributors to this passion are the emails from our customers who share that H has changed their skin and also planted a seed that encourages them to look at other areas in their life where they need to eliminate toxins.

Do you believe a natural way is better for your body than a chemical way? I struggle with putting chemicals in my body but see so many following the trend of using a needle to look younger.

100%. The body speaks in the same exact language as the natural world. Using synthetics of any kind can be likened to eating refined sugar (something many people believe is about their waistline, which it is, but it’s more about the reaction of the body to something that’s been processed). Refined/white sugar has had the minerals removed. The body treats it as a poison and responds by initiating an inflammatory response. This is a healthy response of the body to rid the invader, but our culture is riddled with chronic inflammation due to the abundance of refined sugar (and wheat, and pasteurized foods) in absolutely everything. Coconut sugar, raw local honey, and dark amber maple syrup are some healthy alternatives. Natural applies to skin in the same way. Using synthetics of any kind might produce an immediate result (think acne products), but over time, our bodies are in fight or flight mode as they try to make sense of what’s been absorbed into the bloodstream. The only safe and truly effective products are going to be organic, unrefined, cold-pressed, and as unprocessed as possible. This kind of mindful living also resonates on a soul level. When we give ourselves the very best of what nature has to offer, we’re telling ourselves we matter, and loving ourselves has a huge effect on the way we perceive the world. Regarding the needle, I have no judgement on any of that. But I do question the long-term effects of such procedures, and don’t and won’t be partaking!

A lesson you learned starting a business? Words of wisdom for us wanting to turn what we love into a job !?

Do it. Just start and follow through and don’t quit. Take advice when it fits, but don’t listen to anyone who tells you it can’t be done. If you have an idea you believe in, follow your gut (always) and know that no matter what you face, you’ll get through it and it will make you and your business stronger in the end. We need more female entrepreneurs in this world.