Hey have you ever wondered about the safety of products you're putting on your body and in your body? Well I'm here to help!
My name is Yvonne and I'm a Board certified toxicologist and natural product expert. I've got a PhD in Environmental Toxicology and over 17 years of experience studying and working on chemical safety. I started this blog to share my favorite cosmetics and body care products so you can make informed decisions and live a more healthy and natural life.
My History
I discovered toxicology in 2001 as an undergrad when I took a part time job as a lab assistant in a reproductive toxicology lab. Before that I was like, 'WTF is toxicology?' Who knew that would be the beginning of the amazing journey that led me here?! I washed and sterilized glassware and prepared chemical solutions for experiments. The professor who runs the still-functioning lab is the most incredible mentor and role model. She's got more letters after her name than anyone I've ever known and I'm honored to have been able to learn from her. I mean, this woman has got it going on - her own lab full of students, runs the toxicology department, runs a medical clinic, advises the state of California as a toxicology expert, and finds time to live a super clean & healthy life. She's a BADASS.
I was so amazed and curious by the things she was doing in her lab and asked if I could join her group as a research student. Miraculously she accepted! I finished my research project and was deciding between grad school and med school. After realizing that med school wasn't for me (long story maybe for another post) I asked if she would accept me as a graduate research student. Again, miraculously, she accepted! This was a time when no one had money for research and other students were begging for a spot in her lab yet she had enough faith in me to invest in my future. I spent 5 1/2 more years in her lab figuring out how natural hormones in the female body could protect us against toxicity caused by chemicals in the environment. These were the most formative years in my life as a toxicologist and young adult and I'm forever grateful for her mentor ship, leadership, and powerful woman inspiration.
Why I started this blog
Most people aren't familiar about what's safe and what isn't so it's super important to me that I use my knowledge & expertise to actually help people purely from my heart. I'm a new mother and I know how vulnerable babies & children are to chemical toxicity. They need to be protected the most, so to all the mamas out there - I have your back! I also see young girls influenced by celebrities and bloggers who promote products and lifestyles that aren't just toxic physically but also emotionally. Let's get back to basics and help women look and feel their best using safe & natural products!
I've spent a combined 17 years doing toxicology & molecular biology research and working in the food industry evaluating products for safety. I have read thousands of research papers & books and joke that I'm practically a shaman or medicine woman because I know so much about plants and traditional medicines from all my studies. Not only that, but I also healed myself from autoimmune disease and leaky gut by cleaning up my diet, my medicine cabinet, and all the cosmetics & body care products I was using. A huge part of healing was also nursing my brain back to health with yoga & meditation (more on that later). Those are more reasons why I'm an expert in clean living and detoxifying your life!
I'm here to share my favorite healthy skincare and cosmetic products and routines that I personally use and truly believe in. I'm not funded by anyone and proud to be able to give you unbiased reviews. So please ask questions, comment, and let me know which products you're curious about and I would be more than happy to give you my opinion :) I do it all the time for my family and friends and now I want to share this ability with the world!
In health and wealth,
Yvonne