A Holistic Mama’s Reflection on Teens, Skincare and Simplicity

By Shirley Jo, Holistic Esthetician & Mother of Two

For some time, I’ve been watching what’s happening in the world of tweens/teens and skincare and I feel an ache in my heart. You’ve probably seen it too: girls as young as nine spending their allowance on serums, contouring their faces for TikTok, swept up in a wave of products promising perfection.

It’s not their curiosity that concerns me, it’s the invitation. They’re not being led into a relationship with themselves or with nature, they’re being pulled into a commercial loop of self-critique, comparison and consumption.

But there is another way.

As a holistic esthetician, and more importantly, as a mother of two daughters, ages 10 and 14, I’ve made it my mission to guide them through a different portal. Not the doors of the mall, but the wide-open arms of mama Earth, plants, simplicity and self-love.

Since they were babies, I’ve used evanhealy with them, not as a beauty ritual, but as a soul ritual. A soft mist of Rose or Lavender HydroSoul (“honey spray” as they called it) at bedtime. A fingertip of Whipped Shea Butter with Olive Leaf smoothed onto sun-warmed cheeks. The scent of Blue Cactus grounding them into their bodies. Not because they need it, but because it feels SO good.

As the body’s largest organ, the skin is richly connected to the nervous system. Every gentle touch, every breath of botanical scent, sends signals of safety and calm. When our children learn to tend to their skin with love, they’re also learning to tend to their inner world. They’re learning that beauty isn’t something to chase-it’s something they already carry within them.

Sometimes, I walk into their room and see a small gathering of hydrosols on the dresser and something inside me softens. It's the same pride I feel when they ask for more veggies at dinner or reach for fruit over junk food. It is setting a blueprint for the rest of their lives, and what they will crave going forward.

And they are instruments of connection to self, to nature, to something bigger.

Each mist of HydroSoul is a pause. They bring peace. They bring presence.

This is the world I want my daughters to grow up in. One where beauty begins not with comparison, but with relationship. One where caring for the skin is less about appearance, and more about awareness.

I’ve noticed how even the smallest rituals like choosing a HydroSoul, warming a few drops of plant oil between the palms, pressing it gently into the skin can become anchors. Tiny ceremonies that pull us out of the noise and into the moment.

And in a world urging our daughters to look outward, to buy more, be more, these moments of inward connection are quietly revolutionary.

Sometimes my youngest will say, “I’m craving rose or immortelle tonight,” like she’s asking for anything else that is wholesome and from the earth, like a warm herbal tea. It’s natural. Innate. Her body knows. Her skin knows. It’s not about image, it’s about feeling. It’s nervous system support. It’s like brushing your teeth or combing your hair.

Simple. Sensory. Human.

This is what I want for our children:

To know themselves not through a filter, but through the palms of their own hands. To know the healing power of plants. To feel beauty not as something to chase, but something they already are.

And this is what I want for us as mothers:

To remember that we are the guides. We are the threshold keepers. We don’t have to follow the noise. We can choose something slower, quieter, more real.

So if you’re feeling overwhelmed, or unsure of how to navigate this wild terrain of teen consumer culture, just start with one thing: a mist. A shea butter touch. An invitation to connect. Let skincare be the side door….the real gift is self-worth, wonder, and a lifelong relationship with the Earth and plants.

With love, Shirley Jo