7 Secrets of Beauty and Wellbeing: Theresa Edward, founder of SKIN ALCHEMISTS
When Theresa Edward, a native St. Lucian, fell over as a little child, her mother would automatically rub fresh turmeric on the graze. Pomegranate skins were used for tummy aches and cloves for dog bites or irritated nerves. Theresa comes from a family of renowned herbalists and grew up watching her Aunt Mano – the leading herbalist on this Caribbean island – blend medicinal plants from her garden to make remedies and tinctures to help local people overcome all sorts of ailments and also skin conditions. As in many similar cultures, this knowledge was passed down from generation to generation and is, Theresa says, ‘part of my DNA’.
After Theresa settled in London, her skin and health fell victim to the negative effects of a fast- paced city life, air pollution and processed food. A shift in consciousness came during a trip back to St Lucia after observing an almost immediate increase to her energy levels attributed to eating fresh, organic foods. Her skin became clear and glowing from swimming in the mineral salts of the ocean and masking with volcanic mud from the sulphur springs.
Over the next few years Theresa, by then working in the skincare industry, started researching the arena of ‘clean’ skincare – which included, she found to her dismay, ingredients that were not, she felt, clean at all. So – that began her quest to create a line of organic skincare formulated using ancient remedies and potent plant alchemy to transform people’s skin.
SKIN ALCHEMISTS, which launched in 2019, is 100% vegan and natural. For her beautiful products, Theresa uses the highest quality organic or wild crafted ingredients – with no synthetic chemicals including preservatives - at the highest quantity for effectiveness. Her passion for sustainability extends to protective miron glass bottles and the outer packaging, made by a family run business in England, is fully recyclable and/or upcyclable.
1. The power of touch. My aunt Mano who was the master alchemist of my family believed in the power of touch, as do I, because touch imparts love and healing energy. It’s one of the first things we respond to as babies. A full body massage and lymphatic drainage facial each month is a must for me [now likely to be possible again as lockdown guidelines are being lifted]. A balm-like home remedy called a ‘fixion’ is a staple in St. Lucian families. Essentially it is a multipurpose rub for aches, pains, fever, flu etc and each family has their own twist to the recipe. We all believe there isn’t much that couldn’t be fixed with a good rub down using a fixion. With Skin Alchemists I strive to create the most sensorial products, which encourage consumers to use the power of touch on themselves and make their skincare application process a loving rather than functional ritual.
2. Making time for myself. Alongside building a young business I’m raising a toddler who does a very good job at demanding all my attention, so I’m guilty of putting my needs last. I remember once reading a quote that said ‘give to yourself what you freely give to everyone else’ and from then I made a conscious effort to do something for myself each day. It can be just five minutes, such as making shower indulgent with aromatherapy skin treatment candles like Sweet Dreams or taking an extra few minutes in the morning to cleanse and massage my face with our Humble Warrior Cleansing Oil/£40 for 100ml.
3. Detox regularly. I detox my body as often as I feel I need it and practice a digital detox at least once a year. As children growing up it was ritual to detox and drink senna tea every August before we began the school year in September. Our family herbalist taught me that, as well as ridding the body of toxins, it keeps the kidneys healthy and in turn positively affects all other parts of the body. I also add magnesium salts to my bath and soak in it whenever I begin to feel run down.
4. Prevention is better than cure. I take a preventative approach to my health and wellbeing whereas in western cultures it seems normal to take a reactive approach. I treat food as my medicine and try to eat seasonal whole foods and fruits. There is nothing more delicious and satisfying than a meal cooked with fresh whole foods packed with vitamins, omega-rich oils and antioxidants. I began formulating my own natural skincare because of the positive effect that switching to a diet of fresh, wholesome ingredients had on my health and I wanted to transfer that to my skincare. I always cook extra so I can have leftovers for the following day’s lunch and I’ll pack some activated nuts [i.e. soaked in water to help nutritional value and absorption] and a piece of fruit in my bag to combat any hunger pangs on the go.
5. Sleep is a necessity. It’s so important for maintaining a healthy body that one of the first questions asked by integrated health practitioners is ‘how are you sleeping?’ Our bodies need sleep to reset, rejuvenate and to help the body heal when we are ill. Religious texts note that on the seventh day even God rested. With so many stimuli around us, we now live with the fear of missing out and that makes it difficult to unplug from it all. I suffered from the inability to relax and sleep even when I had a newborn baby, which is why I formulated my skin treatment candles using aromatherapy to soothe my mind and body into relaxing.
6. Find solace in nature. When I’m in London long walks through Epping Forest are a must for me every week. In St. Lucia I go to the beach and the volcanic springs, and occasionally do something more challenging like a hike up the Piton.
7. Exercise! It releases the happy hormones so it’s good for psychological as well as physical health. Being active doesn’t necessarily mean slaving at the gym all week. I like swimming, cycling and taking long walks, as I said above.
Read more about Skin Alchemists here
