Primally Pure Q&A
Friends! We are so excited to have Bethany & Courtney here on LSK today from Primally Pure. Bethany is the founder of Primally Pure and Courtney is the brand's natural esthetician + marketing strategist. We connected with Bethany & Courtney a while back and have since become loyal, forever fans of their natural skincare line. We have raved about Primally Pure before on the blog, specifically their deodorant and cleansing oil. Today we are sharing a Q&A that we did with them via email and let me tell you- it is packed with some serious information! If you love clean and natural skincare, you are in the right place. Enjoy the read and be sure to check our their website + follow them on Instagram.
MEET BETHANY What inspired you to start Primally Pure? I dealt with sensitive, acne-prone skin for most of my teenage years and well into young-adulthood. I tried every mainstream product you could imagine, many of which offered short-lived results but didn't truly make a difference in the health of my skin. It wasn’t until after I discovered the power of eating real food that I purged my bathroom cabinet of toxic skincare products and began formulating my own replacements made with real, recognizable ingredients. Much to my surprise, the products I made actually worked better than the dozens I had tried in the past. My acne cleared up and my skin felt (and looked) better than it ever had. But most importantly, I enjoyed using them. I started selling my creations on my family farm's website and a few months later I started a website of my own. Today, I have a team of 11 and we work out of a beautiful office/warehouse space in sunny Southern California. What is your personal skincare routine? My skincare routine is always changing! I love mixing things up based on the season and what I feel like my skin needs most at the time. Lately, I've been using our Cleansing Oil for a deep clean at night 3-4 times a week, and then cleansing with our Baby Bar on the remaining days. I'll usually follow either of those up with a few spritzes of Complexion Mist (I rotate between Neroli, Lavender and Geranium) as a light, hydrating toner. And last but not least, I've been using our Blue Tansy Beauty Cream for its calming + nourishing properties. In the morning, I usually just rinse with water and sometimes use Complexion Mist (really obsessed with Complexion Mist at the moment)!Tell us a little bit about the work environment at Primally Pure HQ! I'm extremely grateful to have a sister-in-law who is an incredibly talented interior designer, and she designed our whole space! From our "spa-ffice" where Courtney works and gives our team facials, to our sitting area, my office, our coffee bar, etc. it's really a simple, clean and inspiring place to be - which is always great for dreaming up new product ideas or visions for the brand. As for the team dynamic, we work hard and play hard. It's difficult to know exactly what to expect with a growing company, but our team has been amazing at adapting as we go along and jumping in to fill in gaps as needed. Everyone is always willing to help with whatever needs to be done. And we reward ourselves with monthly trips to a local winery, spa days and other fun outings together.We can’t help but notice how many bloggers are gushing over your products! What makes you most excited about the following of clean-beauty-lovers that you are curating? I have to pinch myself every day as we notice more and more amazing women (Lauren being one of them!) sharing Primally Pure with their followers. There's no way we'd be where we are today without them, and we're always super grateful and tickeled whenever someone shares their experience with PP!What are you most looking forward to in the future for your brand? So many things! 2018 is shaping up to be a very exciting year for us. We have plans to move into a new + bigger space this summer, launch a few new products (including a coffee mask), hire on some additional members to our team and start a subscription program for our deodorant. Owning a business has been a more challenging undertaking than I ever could have imagined, but it's also more fulfilling than any job I've had and I'm more excited than ever for what's to come.
MEET COURTNEY What do you love most about being a part of team Primally Pure? Oh my goodness, so much! But what tops my list is the people I have the privilege of working with. It’s so refreshing to be a part of a team that genuinely gets along, encourages + supports one another and enjoys spending time with each other (even outside of the workshop!). The women I’m surrounded by on a daily basis make coming to work everyday such a JOY. Plus, the people I have the opportunity to connect with through partnerships, collaborations and customers are some of the most beautiful + inspiring people on the planet (ahem, Lauren + Melissa!). My mom shared a quote with me recently that said, “Your tribe matters as much - if not more - than your task.” And I’m so deeply grateful that I get both - a career that I’m passionate about with people I dearly love. What is your day-to-day like as the holistic esthetician? Currently, I’m splitting my time between being Primally Pure’s in-house holistic esthetician and Director or Marketing. But I love how these positions actually complement each other so perfectly! As a holistic esthetician, I’m passionate about helping others experience health + balance not only in their skin, but in body, soul and spirit. A powerful way to do that is through educating and empowering others - and that’s where the marketing piece plays a big part in my day-to-day. I spend the majority of my days creating content for our blog, social media, newsletters, videos and other creative projects to share clean skincare + holistic wellness with the world. I work in our brand new “spaffice” which is beautifully designed to function as an office for content creation + communication as well as a spa for curated skincare services! A couple days a week I give our team members facials (sorry, we’re not open to the public just yet!) using only Primally Pure products and customizing masks with the pure, natural ingredients we have on hand in our workshop. Like raw + local honey, colorful clays, powdered herbs, natural exfoliants and essential oils. Our plan (hopefully in the near future!) is to open a Primally Pure concept spa offering non-toxic skin treatments, stress relieving services and a space to holistically care for your whole being. But right now I just get to play, dream and design on the daily!What inspired you to become so interested in and passionate about natural and clean personal products? As I started to learn about the science of skin and the reality of how our largest organ reveals imbalances within the body and that the products we apply can actually contribute to these imbalances, I was inspired to search for skincare that was naturally derived and delivered results. Clean skincare just makes sense to me. Why would we want to put anything less on (or in!) our body? I think that awareness first started for me as I began to cultivate my own self love journey several years ago. Genuinely wanting the best for my body, for myself and for others. On that journey, I quickly became fascinated by how food, lifestyle and product choices have the power to positively or negatively impact the state of our health - not just for our skin, but for our mind and soul, as well. This inspired me to start to take a whole person approach (including products, nutrition, lifestyle, stress levels, etc) when caring for skin. I wanted to treat more than what we simply see in the mirror - which can be merely symptoms of something so much deeper. I’ve also developed a deep belief that we’ve already been given everything we need - specifically, from nature. The colors are radiant, the aromas are intoxicating + therapeutic and the benefits are truly healing, inside and out. Life is already too short and too stressful, why add the burden of chemicals and toxic buildup? Clean skincare is a conviction I carry with me, and as a holistic esthetician (and simply, a human being!) I’m committed to caring for myself and for others with only ingredients that are life-giving, to our skin cells and entire self. Tell us the scoop about your natural deodorant- we know that it is a top-seller for Primally Pure and we are so amazed and pleased by the ingredients and effectiveness of it! Aw, thank you! That always makes us SO happy to hear. Our natural deodorant was the first product our founder, Bethany, ever formulated and she’s been on a mission to disprove the stereotypes surrounding natural deodorants (i.e. they don’t work, they’re just for hippies, etc.) ever since. And I’d say she’s doing a pretty good job at it :) It’s so incredible to be a part of a company that offers a clean and effective option to conventional, chemical-filled deodorants. Seriously, their ingredient lists (and the risks of disease + dangerous side effects) are scary! Our formula is so unique because one of its main ingredients is tallow from grass-fed cows. This vitamin-rich animal fat is full of anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties to protect and nourish even the most sensitive skin. Our good-for-you, organic ingredients (fair-trade coconut oil, baking soda, beeswax, arrowroot powder, non-nano zinc oxide, kaolin clay and essential oils) work together to keep you smelling fresh all day long while leaving your skin feeling smooth + soft. And how great is it that you can actually pronounce each ingredient on the back of the tube?! As a brand, we’ve been able to show the world that it doesn’t have to be scary switching to natural deodorant. It’s actually a simple, powerful way to take control of your health (and unwanted odor!).What is your personal skincare routine? PM // First step, Baby Oil to remove my mascara (there’s no essential oils so it’s super gentle around my delicate eye area!) and then Cleansing Oil. I LOVE oil cleansing (and love that you do, too!). There’s so many benefits: facial massage, boosting circulation, deep pore cleansing, steaming with a warm washcloth and a balanced, clear complexion. After cleansing, I apply Everything Spray with an organic cotton pad which heals + calms any current breakouts or inflammation. Or if I feel like my skin needs a bit more moisture (which is definitely this time of year!), I’ll spritz Complexion Mist all over my skin. This step is a must for me before applying our Palmarosa + Mint Beauty Cream as it helps it to absorb better and hydrate more deeply. Final step, I always apply lip balm before bed!AM // I’m still training myself to become a morning person, so I keep my skincare routine super short + simple. After splashing my skin with warm water, I spritz Complexion Mist and I finish with our Fancy Face Serum to help even my skin tone and lightly hydrate. I love using this serum every morning because it gives my skin a healthy, natural glow and I feel like I rarely need makeup anymore!And of course, my daily skincare routine goes beyond the products I apply. I’ve noticed such a difference in my skin since using collagen peptides for smooth + strong skin, dandelion tea (supports healthy liver function) for clear skin and of course, water - we can never get enough of this miracle beauty beverage.
feature image by Christy Johnston + product images via Primally Pure