Jacq's Organics, All Natural Beauty

This week, I interviewed Barbara Jacques, founder of Jacq's Organics, an all-natural apothecary created with families in mind. It was so much fun to hear her take on why natural beauty products are the way to go.

Be sure to check in TUESDAY on the Holistic Spaces Facebook for a special giveaway from Holistic Spaces + Jacq's Organics!

AC: Tell me about your story starting Jacq's Organics.

BJ: In 2011, I was inspired to begin my research on all-natural bath and skincare after my husband and I learned I had an ovarian tumor during my pregnancy. I became obsessed with learning about my tumor, baby bath products, preservatives and ingredients.

At the time, the majority of the products available on the market contained the toxic ingredients I was trying to avoid, especially in baby care products. Frustrated, disappointed and irritated with what was available, I started researching; formulating and creating my own bath products for my family.

After the birth of my daughter, we launched Jacq’s Organics in the spring of 2012. 

What are 3 ingredients to watch out for in our beauty products?

3 ingredients...there are a minimum of 12, but to be honest, our skin is the largest organ. What we put on our skin has a systematic effect on your overall health. There's a list of the dirty dozen, the 12 most common ingredients used in products that are harmful. You can find the list on www.ewg.org, The Environmental Working Group site, but the 3 ingredients I'd say to avoid are:

Mineral oil - it's a byproduct from crude oil/petroleum - it clog pores, coats skin like a plastic bag and interferes with skin’s ability to eliminate toxins.

DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (Monoethanolamine) & TEA  (triethanolamine):  You can find these in many beauty products. Studies show that these ingredients, used as a preservative, cause irritation, and headaches. They're hormone-disrupting chemicals and linked to liver and kidney cancer.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) & Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES): This preservative is used in many cleansing products including dishwashing detergents, degreasers, bath, hair and beauty products. It's been linked to breaking down your skin's immune system and more.

What are 3 simple tips for readers who want to go organic with their beauty products?

My first tip for readers looking to go organic with their beauty products is to start with your food. The best way to go green with beauty is from the inside out. I strongly believe that beauty radiates from the inside out, and what you eat is just as important as what you put on your skin. The rest will follow.

My second tip for readers looking to go organic with their beauty products is to Keep it Simple. On our blog, we published an article discussing the stages of going organic with your beauty products called What Shade of Green Are You? We elaborate in detail on the simple steps you can take when switching beauty products. We talk about the different stages, including light green for beginners, medium green for intermediate and dark green for individuals that are well versed on ingredients, beauty products and more. As a beginner, shop products that you are able to read the ingredients, and experiment with D.I.Y. facials and scrubs using ingredients from your pantry. 

My third tip is to arm yourself with tools and resources. My two favorite books for beginners include Eat Pretty Nutrition for Beauty, Inside and Out by Jolene Hart and Holistic Beauty from Inside Out by Julie Gabriel. Both books are jammed pack with information on food, nutrition, skin care, ingredients and even recipes. 

There are so many resources available online, like the Environmental Working Group, www.ewg.org, that work to keep consumers in the know about food, household and beauty products and more. They send out articles on ingredients, laws, environmental changes and more. It's an amazing resource. There's also a cosmetic database compiled with a list of hundreds, if not thousands, of products ranks from 0 to 10 based on their ingredients, so consumers are aware of which ones to stay away from. 

What's your favorite product from Jacq's Organics? 

My favorite Jacq's Organics has to be our Carrot con Leche Cleansing Bar. It was created when a family member really needed a product to help combat breakouts. It's made with fresh, organic carrot that we grate and mash, and organic rice milk that we make in our studio. It's the only cleanser I use on my face and just love the soap bubbles and natural scent.

How have you created Holistic Spaces in your life? 

At home, I try to create a space that feels cozy, warm and inviting, which is extremely important with a toddler running and jumping around. I have throw sheets on every couch with soft pillows for jumping and throwing. Stackable wicker boxes as side tables for her toys and organization. We also have a couple of great abstract art pieces on our wall created by our little one. I really enjoy sitting on the floor with my little one. Makes for a perfect location for crafts, reading or cuddling. Come to think of it, our home is a combination of warm earth tones with pops of green, blue and yellow.

My entire family suffers from allergies, so our home is filled with plants that help purify the air. The plants, for me, are relaxing but they also give me an opportunity to teach my daughter about plants. She loves watering the plants and asking questions about the different plants and herbs we have. I also use aromatherapy in our home. In the morning, I like to light our Le Soliel Candle. The citrus scent is refreshing and a great way to start the day. I also like to light palo santo and hand-made incense from Japan to help clear the air, and the scents are soothing and calming. If I've had a long day, I like to end the night with our La Lune candle.

I've always been into Feng Shui, even more so during my college days. However, between home, work and juggling a family, trying to find a balance can sometimes feel unattainable. One way for me to create a holistic space is by avoiding clutter. This helps so much. When it comes to our home, I try to create an open, clean space that will allow room for more chi so the kiddo can run around and I can breathe and find balance.

by Anjie Cho

Barbara Jacques is a yogi, recovering beauty product junkie, Founder and Formulator at Jacq's Organics. With an uncanny drive to help and aide those in need, she has worked in the not-for-profit sector in Development at a well known national social and community based organizations. After years of juggling a full-time job and running Jacq’s Organics, an all-natural apothecary line created for a growing family, Barbara decided to take on the beauty industry full-time. The company’s mission is to be socially responsible and seek to promote and encourage healthy alternatives that everyone in your family can love and enjoy. She speaks on beauty, holistic health and enjoys all things beauty, volunteering, cooking, running, yoga, traveling and entertaining family and friends. 

Type A Zen and Other Dawnsense

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This week Holistic Spaces caught up with Dawn Gluskin, from Dawnsense.com. Dawn is one of my favorite twitter personalities and is dedicated to living a successful life full of zen and peace. Check out our chat below, where we talk Type A Zen, meditation, daily gratitude and more!

AC: You talk a lot about Type A Zen in your social media posts. What does that mean?

DG: I’ve been a ‘Type-A’ all my life, which, to me, means highly driven, motivated, with big goals and willing to put in the time and work hard.  But, from the outside, this same personality type can also be considered a workaholic or someone that has blinders on to all the rest of the beauty that life has to offer outside of work and achievement. At some point, I came to terms with my own perfectionist traits and realized that I never stopped to celebrate my successes, and frankly, wasn’t happy.  My life was a constant focus of one big goal to the next.  

In recent years, I’ve counter-acted that with lots of introspection, yoga, meditation, self-care and just an overall deepened spiritual practice. Now, I am still super-driven, but not so attached to the outcome.  I find happiness in just be-ing and not artificially through achievement.  Type-A Zen is also the title of my forthcoming book, where I talk in more detail about my own life experience, offer jewels of inspiration, and share the stories of some other amazing women who’ve lived their own Type-A Zen stories that go from chaos to clarity and love.

You're very involved in yoga and meditation. Do you think one of these would work as well without the other? How do they relate to you?

Sure, you could do one without the other, but they really do go hand in hand. Both involve focus on breathe and cultivate mindfulness.  The difference is in meditation, you are completely still, and in yoga you are syncing movement with your breathe.  Both practices allow you to connect more deeply to yourself, find your center, and your peace, which are all such beautiful and lovely things and why I incorporate them into my daily practices.  For me, they are what help to fuel the ‘zen’ and ‘spiritual’ aspects of my being.

What led you down the path you're currently on, of taking care of your body inside and out?

I’ve also been into fitness, but I think it used to be fueled by the wrong motivation: vanity and my perfectionism (you know — gotta get that perfect body and be in shape).  But, since I’ve deepened my spiritual practices, my motivation behind everything has changed.  I look at wellness from a holistic perspective: mind, body, and soul working in harmony.  Now, I work out to feel good and to take care of the temple that is my body.  The ‘vanity’ portion doesn’t really play into it, and the perfectionism is out the window. I feel better than ever from the inside out. 

What does it mean to be a Zen Rebel?

Zen Rebel is a little movement I’ve started and wish to grow in the years to come.  It’s about living a healthy, spiritual life, being of service to others, living your truth … but without any pretension.  In other words, you can drink green juice in the morning and still have a glass of wine at night.  It’s permission to do no harm, but also take no sh*t!  It’s a concept to make spirituality and expanded consciousness accessible to all.  You can strive to live a purpose-driven life and make a positive difference in this world … and still leave room to be perfectly imperfectly human too! Right now, I’m getting together with a few designers and experimenting with different distribution and e-commerce platforms to sell yoga-inspired clothing and jewelry and raise money for causes near & dear to my heart.

You're a huge advocate of daily gratitude. Tell us a bit about what gratitude does for you in life. 

I believe that by acknowledging all that we have to be grateful for, we not only increase our happiness, but also attract more abundance into our lives.  When I’m having a bad day or a rough time, I remind myself that it can always be worse. For any of us that are blessed enough to have our health, food, water, a roof over our heads, clothes on our back …. we’re better off than many others in the world.  In fact, just putting our two feet on the ground in the morning and taking in a deep breath is a major blessing. When we can truly and deeply appreciate what we have and how far we’ve come, we send the Universe a message that we are willing and able to receive more.  It’s really hard to be unhappy when you are counting all of your blessings.  (Try it next time you’re in a funk)

What tips would you give my readers to lead a holistic, healthy and happy life? 

It all starts within.  Go inward to discover your true passions and purpose in life. We can only give from an overflowing cup (not an empty one).  So, fully love, accept, and take care of yourself first and everything else will fall into place. 

How have you created your own holistic space?

This is a constant work-in-progress for me.  I like to keep the house as de-cluttered as possible with free-flowing energy, but with two young children and a ‘pack-rat’ husband, it can be a bit of a challenge sometimes!  I do keep my own space nice and tidy and clean out my closets often. Cluttered space to me is a cluttered mind.  I also use all-natural products & essential oils for cleaning & making the house smell nice & fresh!  I do have my own little altar/spiritual space where I keep all of my favorite things from beautiful candles, my buddha statues, angel cards, to sweet, personal notes, chakra stones, etc. This is the space I go to mediate each morning.  It’s very peaceful & beautiful to me. (And, of course, clean!)

by Anjie Cho

Dawn Gluskin is author of forthcoming book, “Type A Zen.”  Formerly founder & CEO of a 7-figure technology company that she founded in her living room, Dawn is no stranger to hustle, but was also no stranger to high-stress living.  In working with so many other women in business, she quickly learned that the modern day super woman’s “having it all” can come with a high price tag.  Through mindfulness practices: yoga, meditation, journaling and a lot of self-reflection, Dawn has found much joy & peace in her own life … while still keeping her business chops & motivation.  She teaches and inspires others how to do the same by redefining ‘success,' turning inwards and living life from the inside out!

Katie Dalebout on Journaling

image credit: Abbey Moore

image credit: Abbey Moore

One of my favorites, Katie Dalebout from The Wellness Wonderland, is back again, this time to share her expertise on journaling. Check out below, as we talk legal pads, post-it notes and what she calls, "Stop, Drop and Journal."

AC: Please tell us about your story with journaling and about the book you’re working on.

KD: It all happened by accident, how most good things come. I was in college and going through something in my life that was challenging. I was healing in treatment from an eating disorder, graduating and trying to figure out what to do with my life. I had a lot on my mind. A coach and mentor told me to get a journal. I intuitively knew to just do that, and I got a journal, then she told me that would be a good idea, so that cemented it.

I started to write down my thoughts, and one particular journal had different colored pages. The first third of the journal was green, the next third was orange and the next third was red. I remember thinking, “I’m going to just let out all of the negative thoughts in my mind in the green part, and by the time I get to the middle, I’m going to be happy, and they’re all going to be positive thoughts.” The reality was that it was so cathartic to just write, and I allowed myself to write whatever was on my mind and really put all of that out there on the page without judgment. It was so cathartic that, by the time I got to the orange pages, I didn’t want to stop. Everything wasn’t butterflies and rainbows, because that’s not what journaling is. Journaling is getting out whatever’s there. Whether it’s happy, whether it’s joyful, whether it’s really dark, it doesn’t matter, because it’s real.

That is what’s so cathartic for me about the process of journaling. When I started to do that, I realized that I was able to be more authentic in my life because I was authentic with myself. I don’t know how I’m feeling or what I’m thinking unless I’m writing. It’s really been a practice for me to sift through the thoughts in my mind and get to the new thought forms that are under all of that. That’s how I started, and at the time, it would have been very helpful if I had had a guide. I just made one for myself by doing it, but I thought that there would be a need to fill with a book about journaling. Giving people prompts, giving people the information and explaining why it was so helpful for me.

I had tried to meditate, to clear my mind, but found I couldn’t really do that effectively until I first allowed those thoughts to come to the surface, and then I could try to change them or clear them or put an affirmation over them. You have to feel out your emotions before you can heal them. You can’t just go and heal them directly. We all feel happier when we’re being authentic, and if you can be authentic with yourself, even if it’s just with your journal that you share with no one, you’re more likely to be authentic in other areas of your life. It’s just like any other muscle. If you use it, it will get stronger.  

That’s interesting that you brought up meditation. It does actually sound like meditation. You’re getting all that noise out so you can really be aware of underlying thoughts. This is like a nice little pre-meditation process. 

It’s a pre-meditation process, a post meditation process, a during meditation process. I don’t sit on a meditation pillow without a journal nearby. You’re likely to get creative thought forms and ideas during that time and have thoughts and emotions come up that need to be felt, dealt with and healed. It all comes to the surface. You’re stirring the pot by not stimulating yourself with being around other people and electronics. While you’re stimulating your mind, other things aren’t going to come up. When you’re really alone with yourself, you’re going to feel a lot.

There were guided meditations I would listen to of voices guiding me to “Go to the top of the mountain and see yourself there,” and I remember pausing and thinking, “Wait, wait, I need to write that down.” I’m just not the person who can feel it, see it, move on. I have to write it down. It’s just the way that I synthesize information. I can’t really visualize it, but if I start writing about it, then I can see it in my mind. That’s been a powerful visualization tool for me as well.

There’s a lot of power in writing things down. When you put things down, you said it helps your visualization, it also helps to manifest things.

I think there’s something to be said for the permanence of writing something down. It’s beautiful, because it’s one thing to claim it in your mind that you want it, and it’s another thing to write it down. That really sends a signal to the universe. You feel this pressure to follow through on that, because you put it out there so then you’re immediately responsible for going to get it. And if you put it out in your mind that you want to do that, you’re not really that responsible to anyone, even yourself, because you could forget about it tomorrow.

When you write it down, you’re more likely to remember that, and even though you may not be claiming that to the world, you’re claiming it to yourself and to the universe. Manifestation is all a big trick to get you to go after your dream. If you actually claim that you want it, you’re going take action to have that unfold. 

It’s interesting, also in the Feng Shui that I practice, anytime we do a Feng Shui adjustment, we reinforce with body, speech and mind.  It’s letting the universe know energetically, in many ways. It’s like a ton of bricks on the universe saying, “This is what I really want.” When I had journals when I was young, I hated keeping them. I would always throw them away. What is your take on that?

A lot of people ask me about that because I’ve inadvertently become this "journaling expert." People come to me with all their journaling questions, and that’s the one that people ask me all the time. Do you go back and look at them? Do you get rid of them?

I think it doesn’t really matter. Whatever you want to do, whatever feels right for you. Often times for me, my best journaling is done on a legal pad that I just throw away when I get done, and then I do another one, because I write so much. I like to do morning pages every day, which is just feelings on the page first thing when you wake up. Sometimes it’s in Google Doc or sometimes it is a physical journal, whatever feels best for you. Sometimes I delete the file, sometimes I go back and look at it, but I don’t have a specific practice to that. Some people find it really powerful to get of rid of it. Feng Shui-wise, maybe it is really powerful to just get rid of those and not really hold on to them. I think it’s an individual thing. 

I think that’s a great answer that you don’t have to keep it. You can do what you want with it. I go to Shambhala Center, and they do a Shambhala calligraphy or Shambhala art. It is like doing morning pages, but visual. I was holding onto them, and they were getting piled up. I talked to my meditation instructor, and he said, “No, just throw them away. You don’t want to have attachment to it.”

People gift me really beautiful journals or I’ll buy a really nice, expensive journal at Anthropologie, and I love those. Sometimes I’ll make those my gratitude journals, where every night before bed I write down 5 things that I’m grateful for. Those are ones that I don’t mind going back through and reading, “Oh, February 28, I was grateful for this, this and this, and today, I’m grateful for those same things and something completely different." It’s all positive things, so it’s okay to kind of go back and look at.

But I find some of my most expressive, cathartic, beautiful writing is on a legal pad or a post-it note or something in Google Drive that can just be impermanent. You can just put it out there and there’s more tomorrow. I think that is really an awesome practice.

Danielle LaPorte once said she never journals anymore. She only writes blog posts. She said, “Every time I write something, I end up sharing it in some way. I make it a teachable thing and put that out as a blog post, and sometimes they’re really great, sometimes they’re not but they’re real and it’s my feelings on the page." I have found that a lot of times, what I write does end up being a blog post or an Instagram post or an idea for something I want to write in the future. It’s very frequent that I’m writing something just destructive, but something that’s just very abstract, on a legal pad, and that ends up being something I want to share with a lot of people on my blog. There are two sides to that. They always say creation and destruction are very, very similar, or opposites I guess, but I think you kind of have to have that balance of both.

We grew up thinking journaling as a diary, that’s a book with a lock on it. The way that you look at journaling, what do you think are the benefits? 

The number one benefit is clarity of mind. You can see how you’re feeling. You’re really creating space in your mind by skimming away the scum for the new thought form and creative ideas to enter. We have over 60,000 thoughts a day, and usually we think the same few thoughts on repeat. If you’re only thinking those few things, you’re never going to have new ideas or creative thoughts. That’s why, in the morning, it’s so powerful for me to just think “I had this weird dream. I’m really worried about this, but it’s going to be okay. I think I can do it."

I find a lot of times that my journaling will start very negative, but I’ll self-soothe and self-coach myself through, and by the end it’s very positive and uplifting and bright. It can go from dark to light on the page, where it’s more difficult to do that in your mind.

Is there a specific time of day that’s better or a specific place that you would recommend or that you like to personally journal at? 

I think that it needs to work in someone’s life. Someone works the night shift, what works for me isn’t going to work for them. I think ideally, writing at least something when you first wake up in the morning is really powerful. It’s been proven to be really helpful for a lot of people. That being said, sometimes I’d have my greatest journaling sessions in the evening, right before drifting off to sleep, so any time of day really works well. I always carry a journal in my bag, so if I’m at a park or I want to just stop, drop and journal, I can do that. A lot of times after exercise or after yoga class or a walk, you’ll have that clarity of mind, and you might have really great ideas. That might be a really great time to stop, drop and journal.

I also keep a Google Doc folder of journal entries. I’ll write down whatever I feel during the day that I just need to write about. Sometimes I need to do that in the middle of the work day, so it’s usually done on my computer on Google Docs. That’s really cathartic. I think when you have an emotion that feels really strong and you need to feel it and figure out what it is, writing is a really great tool to do that. However, a lot of us don’t have the luxury, when that emotion comes upon us, to stop, drop and journal. I think there’s something to be said for giving yourself little prompts and saying, “I need to return to this.” Just giving yourself a bullet point of prompts, so when you do have time to journal, you have something to write about.

And what are 3 tips that you would give to readers that they can do now to start journaling?

The first one is, just start. There’s this great Yogi Bhajan quote, “When the time is on you, start and the pressure will be off.” There’s no recipe for this. Although I’m writing a book that will give you prompts and be your guide, you can guide yourself if you just start. Just get out a piece of paper and write something down. Just say something. Write down your thoughts.

The next thing would be to not judge yourself. If you judge what you’re writing down, you’re not journaling. Whatever comes out, it doesn’t matter. No one has to see it. As long as it’s honest and real, it’s perfect. You just have to be honest and authentic.

A good way to get started is to ask yourself a question, something that you’re wondering, something that you’re nervous about, something that you just need guidance on. Just the same way you would ask a friend or something you would want to ask a psychic. 

That’s a good idea.

The kind of thing you would ask a Magic 8 ball, ask yourself. Then your intuition, will come forward on the page and reveal to you what you need to know. That’s a really, really powerful practice. You may start out thinking, “I have no idea,” but as you are writing, you’ll synthesize the information you do have, and it will transform all that information with what your higher self needs you to know, kind of like a meditation.

Perfect! I think I should start journaling now! I’ll get a legal pad. That’s a great idea, because it’s no pressure. You just throw it away.

Yes, exactly. I always throw them away, and they’re the most honest, the most authentic. I think there was some part of me when I was journaling in a really nice journal or even on my computer, that thought, “Oh, someone could see this,” so I wasn’t allowing myself to admit what I already knew to be true. If I had something I knew no one would see, or in my mind I felt wasn’t as visible, I could really get honest and real. When you can get that real with yourself, it really opens things up, and you’re just more clear about everything.

That’s really great. I think that’s a great way to clear out some of those repetitive thoughts.

It’s great before meditation. After meditation might be a time to write down your stuff or do your art right away. Just something creative, because you’re so open at that point!

Thank you so much! I’m really excited to have another interview with you!

by Anjie Cho

Katie Dalebout is an author, speaker, yoga teacher, social media butterfly, life-coach, podcast host and most importantly, mayor of the Wellness Wonderland. Katie believes that every detail counts, positive thoughts make miracles, authenticity creates strong relationships, and that every day you should dress, eat, and act like it’s a special occasion.

With her grounded Midwestern roots and astronomical dreams, Katie has taken her passions for communication & wellness and blended them together to share them with the masses on this platform. And elsewhere including Over The Moon, MindBodyGreen, The Beauty Bean and Bella Life. 

With her thoughts, Katie truly lives in her own…well…wonderland, visit her there often and create your own state of  bliss. If you’d like more inspiration from the girl behind the blog, hop on over to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. Be well…

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com