Clean beauty seems to be everywhere these days. But, how can you incorporate clean beauty products into your daily routine? What are the best clean beauty product brands? What are some self-care routines and best practices you can implement today?

We chatted with Alexa Joy, who is a clean beauty expert for Shop Good in San Diego, California – where she gets to play with and help people discover all things clean makeup and skincare all day, every day (more on this below!).

I currently wear a few different hats -- I am a Product Expert at Shop Good, which is a local clean beauty and wellness spa/boutique. I also freelance as an Administrative + Marketing Coordinator for two small businesses. I specialize in clean beauty product education, business systems development, + marketing coordination for small business social media platforms. 

(Wow, that was a mouthful. haha) 

I am currently based in the bright + beautiful city of San Diego California. 

My journey has taken plenty of twists and turns! I’m definitely not doing what I initially set out to pursue when I was in college. I got my Bachelors of Science in Psychology and landed a job working for a large church in San Diego managing the counseling department shortly thereafter. I was with them for four years (whoa, that still sounds so wild to me!) + then decided to take the leap into a more creative field. 

I accepted a position at Shop Good as one of their Product Experts and began the fun journey into the clean beauty industry. I get to play with all things makeup and skincare all-day-every-day! The best part has always been helping people discover the products and tools that support their wellness goals + watching them light up when something actually works for them. In the year and a half that I’ve been with this team, I’ve had the opportunity to assist the Shop Good team with content creation for social media channels, as well as assist in the development & refinement of the makeup offerings on our menu. It’s been a really fun journey + I’m so thankful to have such a beautiful team of girls to work alongside!

Honestly, I’m just a fangirl! I have always been a product junkie + totally obsessed with everything makeup, skincare, and wellness related. I currently have far too many products in my collection + on my bathroom counter -- but I kinda love it that way. I started the way most girls do : roaming the aisles of Target as a teenager + picking up the prettiest packaging I could find. But by the time I graduated college, I started to learn more about the nastiness that is found in most traditional beauty brands + COULD NOT ignore it. 

While I was on my own emotional wellness journey, I discovered a better way to pursue beauty both internally + externally through clean and non-toxic brands. I have always been a self-care + emotional health advocate, and treating your skin well with nourishing ingredients (both topically + internally) is so key. That’s why I have totally fallen in love with Wholy Dose! You guys just get it -- everything is packed with high quality, clean ingredients to nourish the skin, hair, and nails from within. Bravo!

This is a LOADED question -- and I love it. When you say “self-care”, most people think a face mask, a glass of wine, and netfix. No, no, no, my friends -- that’s all wrong! Although a good mask and an occasional glass of wine are great (I love those things just as much as the next girl!), they don't even begin to scratch the surface of what it means to truly care for yourself. Most of us are living our day-to-day lives without considering the way we process emotions (if we do at all), the way we engage the world around us, or the way we are treating our minds or our bodies. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but “self-care” most certainly cannot be reduced to a face mask. 

Self-care is about holistically approaching your life -- spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally. Those four aspects of a person are intimately intertwined -- you cannot be healthy in one, and be unhealthy in the other. So when I am talking about self care, I’m talking about getting adequate rest (body + soul), bodily nourishment, honest living, and emotional awareness. 

And if you want to throw a mask on while you’re practicing some good self care -- more power to ya!

Start with one thing. Educate yourself on that one product --- how is it better than it’s traditional competitor? What ingredients are actually good for you instead of detrimental? Learn how it performs differently (dare I say, even better?!). Once you feel confident and comfortable with that, swap out another one. No one is ever going to be 100% clean and non-toxic. That’s just not the world we live in, so there’s no need to put that pressure on yourself. But you can make one good choice for yourself at a time -- that’s where the magic happens. 

From day to day it can look a number of different ways. Most mornings my husband + I set aside a few moments to start the day from a place of peace instead of hurry together. For us, that means praying or meditating and checking in on how one another is doing. It literally only takes us about 10 - 20 minutes in the morning, but it makes SUCH a big difference. I usually take it slow in the morning -- adaptogenic latte, quiet time, journally from time to time. Starting the day right is so important. 

About 4-5 times a week I work out -- sometimes I go for a run, but lately this has looked like at-home Barre Pilates. And I am OBSESSED. I feel SO good when I finish. It’s a great moment for me to let go of some stress, refocus, + feel strong. Honestly, I cannot handle life without a good sweat a few times a week. 

And last but definitely not least, I try to schedule a counseling appointment with my therapist once a quarter for a mental health check in. It’s been a little while since I’ve done that, to be honest (cue setting a reminder for myself to go schedule one now). But I recommend this rhythm to everyone -- you don't have to be in crisis to need a good therapy session. We all have emotions, and the way the world is turning at the moment with so much unrest, it’s vital that we all take the time to really process in a healthy way + make sure we’re taking care of our own internal world. The world needs the best possible version of “you”, so be kind + gentle with yourself. 

SLOWING DOWN + setting some good boundaries. I have been doing my best to slow down, limit my time on social media channels, and focus on my own internal work. It feels like we’re all living through two intense pandemics: one is health related + the other is social. There is so much work to be done in the world, and right now in this moment, it's an absolute priority that we fight for the lives of our Brown and Black Communities --- change isn’t accomplished in one day or two weeks, so I had to acknowledge the importance of slowing down in order to build up my endurance emotionally + mentally. I’m reading and educating myself offline, having important conversations with loved ones, + participating in everything that I can to be a good ally. It’s a wild time + I want to make sure I can keep showing up to each day as honestly as possible while contributing something of value, too. 

Wellness:

Sun Potion Yin Power

Sun Potion Mucuna Puriens

Wholy Dose Unflavored Beauty Superfood Powder

Ora Organics Trust Your Gut pre & probiotics

Body:

Black Spruce body oil (Berlin Skin)

Makeup:

ILIA Skin Tint

Lily Lolo BB Cream

KOSAS Sun Show Bronzer

Ere Perez Brow Pencil

ILIA Limitless Mascara