I've been running Skin Elixir for nearly 10 years.

A decade of formulating and hand-crafting in small batches botanical skincare. Award-winning products. Happy customers. Beautiful results with bakuchiol, black seed oil, and organic ingredients.

But I've only just realised what this has all been about.

Skin Elixir isn't just skincare. It's self-regulation.

The Epiphany

It hit me recently, after decades of self-discovery.

I've been on this journey for a long time:

2005: Using frankincense essential oil as part of my arsenal for managing Crohn's disease. Learning that plants could support my body in ways conventional medicine couldn't fully address.

2007: Neurolinguistic Practitioner Training. Understanding how our thoughts, language, and patterns shape our reality and behaviour. I was too stressed back then to really take it in plus I have a blind mind's eye but that's another story!

Praxis Yoga Yoga teacher training foundation course. Learning to connect breath with movement, mind with body.

Training in Transcendental Meditation to learn to bring stillness to mind to open up creativity.

Sydney Banks' Three Principles training (Mind, Consciousness, Thought). Understanding the nature of thought and how our experience is created from the inside out.

Praxis Yoga Energy Foundation 6 months of energy work. Understanding that we're more than just physical bodies.

4+ years of therapy. Unpacking patterns, healing wounds, learning to regulate my nervous system.

13 years of solo parenting. The ultimate crash course in self-regulation when you have no choice but to keep going.

And, since 2016 I've been formulating skincare.

I thought I was just making natural products with effective botanicals.

But I've been creating sensory anchors all along.

Moments to pause.
Moments to breathe.
Moments to return to yourself.

I just didn't have the language for it until now.

The problem with over-analysis

Here's what I've learned through all that therapy, training, and personal work:

We can over-analyse life in ways that don't serve us.

We can spend hours dissecting why we feel anxious, where our patterns come from, what our childhood taught us about worthiness.

And yes, that work has value. I'm not dismissing it.

But sometimes—most of the time—what we actually need are simple moments to catch ourselves, restore, reflect, and rebalance.

Not a 90-minute therapy session.
Not a weekend retreat (though I'd actually LOVE this and can't wait for my best friend to launch hers).
Not a complete life overhaul.

Just a moment.

A breath. A pause. A sensory anchor that brings you back to your body.

Why this matters

Because skincare isn't just about what you put ON your skin.

It's about how you feel IN your body.

Stress, overwhelm, and dysregulation show up on our skin just as they do in our gut.

I learned this firsthand with Crohn's disease. When my nervous system was dysregulated, my gut suffered. When I found tools to regulate—breath, botanicals, presence—my body responded.

The same is true for skin.

Inflammation. Breakouts. Dullness. Premature ageing.

When we regulate our nervous system, our skin responds.

This isn't wellness fluff. It's biology. And it's why I've been invited to speak at the Society of Dermatology Conference at the University of Nottingham in July 2026 where I will be discussing the connection between nervous system regulation and skin health.

As a Mother, I need these moments

Single motherhood taught me something crucial:

You can't pour from an empty cup. But you also can't wait for a spa day to refill it.

Self-care has to be woven into the everyday. The small moments. The 30-second pauses.

I don't have time to over-analyse why I'm overwhelmed. I know why—I'm a single mother running a business while trying to be present for my son & daughter.

What I need are tools to catch myself before I spiral. And I do spiral! Because I'm human. And I now fully intuit that at the foundation of Skin Elixir is my own quest for self regulation and what an epiphany!

Applying face oil isn't just hydration—it's a moment to breathe deeply, notice the scent of frankincense (the same oil that supported me through Crohn's), and anchor into my body.

Massaging in night cream isn't just anti-ageing—it's a tactile reminder that says "I'm here, I'm present, I'm caring for myself."

These aren't indulgences. They're survival tools.

And if I need them—as a mother, as a business owner, as a human navigating modern life—then so do you.

What this means for Skin Elixir

Section by section I'm overhauling the website to reflect this truth.

Clearer messaging. Deeper education. A focus on self-regulation skincare—products that nourish your skin AND support your nervous system.

And I'm introducing ROOTED by Skin Elixir (coming very soon): a self-regulation toolkit for everyday overwhelm.

Not affirmations. Not journaling prompts. Not another thing to over-analyse.

Evidence-based grounding practices on beautifully designed cards.

Simple instructions for moments when you need to catch yourself, restore, reflect, and rebalance.

Because you deserve tools that actually work.

Coming into year 10

After nearly a decade in business and decades of personal growth—yoga training, energy work, therapy, chronic illness, single motherhood—it's time to marry Skin Elixir with its truer purpose:

Skin health AND mental health.

Not one or the other. Both.

Because your skin doesn't exist in isolation. It's connected to your nervous system, your stress levels, your gut health, your emotional state.

Calm isn't just a vibe. It's biology. And it shows up on your skin.

Why I'm sharing this

Because I believe in building a business that's honest.

I could have kept selling "anti-ageing facial oils" and "radiance boosting creams" without ever mentioning nervous system regulation. The products work. The customers are happy.

But that's not the whole truth.

The truth is: I formulate the way I do because I understand what it's like to be overwhelmed, chronically ill, burnt out, and desperately seeking moments of calm in the chaos.

I've done the yoga training. The energy work. The therapy. The deep inner work.

And I've learned this:

Sometimes we don't need more analysis. We need simple tools to catch ourselves and come back.

Every product I create is designed to give you that moment.

A sensory anchor. A pause. A return to yourself.

What's next

The new updated website is coming. ROOTED by Skin Elixir is launching. The messaging is shifting.

But the products?

They're the same award-winning formulations you already love—just with a deeper understanding of why they work.

Because when you regulate your nervous system while nourishing your skin, something shifts.

You're not just treating symptoms. You're addressing the root.

That's self-regulation skincare.

And that's what Skin Elixir has been about all along.

A note to you

If you're reading this and thinking "yes, I need this"—you're exactly who I'm creating for.

The overwhelmed mothers.
The burnt-out professionals.
The people who've done the therapy and the training but still need simple daily tools.
The ones who know self-care should be more than bubble baths but don't know where to start.
The chronic illness warriors who understand the gut-skin-nervous system connection.

You're not broken. You're human. And you deserve tools that actually help.

Not more things to analyse. Just moments to catch yourself, restore, and rebalance.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for supporting my small business. Thank you for trusting me with your skin and your nervous system.

Let's do this together.

— Shona
Founder, Skin Elixir
Nottingham, UK

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P.S. Frankincense essential oil has been part of my journey since 2005, when I used it to support my body through Crohn's disease. It's still in my signature moisturiser today and across my range—not just for its skin benefits, but because the scent is an anchor. A reminder that I've been through hard things and found my way back. You can too.