I’m so excited to celebrate my 5 year blog anniversary! Wow, has time flown! 5 years today, I posted my very first post not having any clue what I was doing or where I was going! Go HERE to read that RANDOM post! I had an urge to start a blog half way hoping it would turn into a career but mainly needing a creative outlet and distraction from motherhood and a tough marriage. I knew I needed my own thing outside of my family and I also knew God made me a creative person for a reason.
So over the last 5 years Jenni Raincloud has been my platform to help make “going green” a little easier. Through these years I’ve learned and discovered right along with you all. Having a background as an aethetician I knew a lot about skin but choosing safe products was not on my radar back then. Cleaner beauty products and household products, healthier food choices and caring for our planet have been a slow yet steady journey.
I’m happy to say that the world is changing. The beauty industry is catching on and using cleaner, safer ingredients. There are still quite a few companies that continue to use unsafe ingredients but so many have cleaned up their act and so many new skin care and makeup lines have emerged and are proving that their products perform just as well as the products that contain unnatural ingredients!
Of course I can’t not mention the main niche of this blog, DIY skin care. I was updating my DIY recipe menu the other day and couldn’t help but marvel at how many DIYs are on this blog. I just love the notion of taking control of the products I use and found that many times, a recipe doesn’t have to be complicated in order to deliver results. Granted, I certainly don’t claim to be a scientist and have been a bit too ambitious at times but I do know that our skin often responds to simple and always responds to natural.
My message is clear-treat your body with great care. We’re so lucky to be alive. I also believe that balance is key and perfection is boring. Letting go of toxic products that you use daily is the first place to start. Replace 2-3 at a time and before you know it, you’ve reduced your chemical intake HUGELY. Next, start with the products you use weekly, like household cleansers and detergents. Next up, replace what you use only on occasion. Don’t get overwhelmed and move at your own pace.
My biggest and most important message is that we are our only advocates for our bodies. Don’t always trust doctors and healthcare professionals. Most are steeped in pharmaceuticals. No one lives in your body but you-therefore, no one cares about your body the same way you do. Think of the longterm rather then short-term. God made our bodies to heal and to function but we must do our parts.
I love this space so much and cringe to think where I’d be without this blog. I thank God often that I followed that nudge to start a blog not even knowing it would turn out to take this direction. I hope I inspire you to follow your heart even if it doesn’t make sense. Just take a baby step and see if more of the big picture is revealed. Maybe only a window is cracked but it’s enough to feel a cool breeze.
I love you all and appreciate your support. You all have offered such sweet cushioning during the hardest time in my life. I’m so glad I shared it here and found healing through many of your words of wisdom and encouragement. As always, I urge you to comment. I’ve always been super content driven but as I grow, I’m becoming more community driven and would love this to be a place of support and resource.
BIG HUGS!! Jenni
