Welcome to a new series here on my blog all about holistic beauty! I’ll be sharing interviews with a variety of women asking about their holistic beauty rituals. Some are beauty experts, some are just regular gals like you and me. Let the holistic beauty secrets begin!

Meet Anne Havens – holistic beauty expert.  I met Anne through a mutual friend and have attended her women’s empowerment group and yoga retreat. Anne glows from the inside out. She is a licensed esthetician and certified yoga teacher with 15 years experience in the holistic wellness industry. She loves working with women to educate and support them on their healing journey through holistic skincare, health & beauty rituals, yoga, and postural alignment classes.

How do you approach aging and beauty?

I am all about prevention!  The more we support our bodies in our 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s the healthier and more vibrant our skin will be as we mature. Diet is very important to me as well. Knowing that our skin is an organ and the 7th channel of detoxification, helps me keep my nutrition in line.  The skin is a wonderful mirror of internal imbalances which most often comes from inflammation and stress in the digestive system.

I was trained on the island of Maui from a holistic spa & wellness school. Here, I gained a foundation of holistic skincare that emphasizes customized nutrition, mind-body practices, meditation, stress reduction, supportive skincare, and cultivating inner fulfillment and happiness.  I strive to create a complete experience for my clients that addresses these areas as well as supporting their connection to nature and spirit.

What are your daily beauty rituals?

*Deep and complete beauty sleep
*Oil pulling first thing with coconut oil and tongue scraper
*Tall glass of lemon water to hydrate the cells and lemon to gently cleanse
*Green drink with green powder (with probiotics), kale and a few blueberries for breakfast. This alkalizes the body and helps flush out toxins.
*Exercise daily either: yoga, hiking, trail running, or dancing
*Dry brushing before I shower to exfoliate and stimulate lymphatic system
*I exfoliate my skin everyday with a gentle facial cleanser, this helps keep my pores clean and prevents breakout
*Antioxidant rich moisturizer for my skin type that prevents moisture loss and feeds my skin
*I use eye cream and lip balm every night before bed

What are some rituals that you feel all women should be doing?

Facials are really amazing to nurture women and help us feel beautiful and cared for. There is something so soothing and pampering about a facial. When someone lovingly caresses, cleans, and massages your face and scalp, mental tension melts away and you connect to your body in a loving way.

Do you have any beauty rituals or natural products that you have recently tried and/or incorporated into your routine?

I am really loving Eminence Organic Skincare’s Lotus Detoxifying Night Treatment. It has a micro green complex from sprouts that detoxes the skin of environmental pollutants, like car exhaust, while you sleep.

How do you eat for beauty?

Lots of greens and veggies, limit sugar, eat healthy fats and protein. I have experienced less breakouts, colds, and fever blisters when I Eat Right for My Blood Type.

I love drinking green tea and when I am done with the tea bag I use it to clean my face and as a toner around my eyes allowing my skin to soak up all the antioxidants.  Night time is the most important time to wash your face and do your skincare ritual.  It cleans all the dirt and toxins off your skin that have collected there throughout the day and helps the skin to naturally cleanse and restore itself while you sleep.  This process can also help you relax and fall asleep faster.

Any beauty secrets you want to share?

I think whenever we are working towards a goal there needs to be a good balance of practical steps i.e.: hydration, nighttime ritual, detoxing, facials, healthy diet etc. as well as spiritual steps i.e.: meditation, soul-searching, forgiveness, getting clear etc. A lot of time the spiritual steps are left out. But knowing who you are and being really comfortable with your true self leads to inner beauty and outer radiance. Embracing the truth of your being, your nature and all of its flaws, letting go of perfectionism and loving yourself fully creates a clarity and beauty in the eyes, radiance in the skin, and magnetism in your energy.  This is a lifelong process of self-discovery and alignment with our soul’s purpose and calling. I’ve seen this time and again, the shift in the eyes and the energy that happens from owning our story and owning our gifts and deeply loving and accepting ourselves no matter what our situation or circumstances are.

What else do you do to support vibrancy and beauty?

We can stabilize the skin for a time with products and treatments but true lasting beauty comes from both the alignment of the inner and outer, the physical body, mind and soul. One of the best beauty rituals we can do is to look inward at our limiting beliefs whenever they arise. Instead of running away from them, dissect them, see where they are coming from and then choose to see them differently. And we do this over and over again until they no longer have a hold over us. We can continue to stay in a vibration of self love and acceptance as much as possible.  This is beauty.

Anne Havens has a holistic skincare and wellness practice in Arvada, CO, Havens Holistic. She teaches yoga in Golden, CO at McIntyre Community Acupuncture & Wellness Clinic and is co-owner of YOLO Yoga Retreats LLC

For information on their upcoming yoga retreat this June please visit yoloyogaretreats.com.