Cleaning Up Beauty with Tina Hedges of LOLI
As we navigate these trying times, staying safe and healthy are even more top of mind. How do we maintain our considered, conscious approach to consumption in a world on lock-down? We turned to our friends at LOLI and their thoughtful, natural approach to beauty and wellness as we think about intentional changes to their daily routines in and out of the home. As a start, we partnered with LOLI to bring an exclusive set of their purifying Grape Hand Tonics to our community.
We sat down with Tina Hedges, the Jamaican-born founder of LOLI to get the scoop on what makes LOLI so special, and how she’s finding reprieve through holistic rituals.
Why did you create LOLI?
My inspiration for LOLI began, unknowingly, as a teenager. My Cuban mother taught me homemade beauty recipes, like steaming your face with chamomile or using honey as a mask. I chose a career in the beauty industry, where I worked with some of the leading chemists to develop coveted products in bathroom cabinets around the world. There I found that the inspiration for those products came from food trends and superfood ingredients.
Years later, I had a health crisis, the result of stress and jet-lag from accumulated years of international travel. It wreaked havoc on my sleep, hormone cycles and ultimately my skin, hair and nails. Seeking a remedy, I went back to my roots and adopted a more holistic approach to beauty and wellness, including blending my own pure and potent beauty products rooted in my roots. I went for ingredients on the food shelves of natural food stores. I had a crisis of consciousness: did you know most skin, hair and body products are made with 80-95% water, chemicals, synthetics and then are over-packaged in plastic? I launched LOLI with the mission to stir up zero waste, superfood skincare.
What makes LOLI products so special?
LOLI is a superfood approach to #zerowastebeauty. LOLI (which stands for “Living Organic Loving Ingredients”) is the world’s first zero waste, organic beauty brand. We upcycle ingredients from organic food supply, and formulate 100% waterless products that are pure and potent. We use only recycled, recyclable, refillable and garden compostable materials - zero single use plastic our customers can customize our multi-purpose products on demand, too.
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What are the biggest misconceptions about natural beauty?
Just because a brand claims that it’s natural or organic doesn’t necessarily mean it’s completely natural or free of toxins like pesticides or heavy metals. Many chemicals can be hidden in the ingredient list under “fragrance” or “perfume” and even organic ingredients can contain some levels of pesticides if neighboring lands are using fertilizers. Many natural products still contain water, preservatives and cheap fillers. Check the ingredient list. Does it list “aqua” or “water”? If that’s the first ingredient, that means it’s 80-95% water! Then there’s the packaging. A natural beauty product may be “clean” but still be packaged using single use plastic or non-sustainable materials.
At LOLI, we source every ingredient directly from the organic, Fair Trade farm or co-ops. We use undiluted, potent levels of each ingredient. Each of our products is independently certified MADE SAFE, tested to ensure it’s pesticide free and packaged in sustainable materials.
How do you stay inspired, fresh and creative as you work to create new products?
We have so many ideas for new products and we’re always seeking innovative ways to make a clean, conscious change in beauty. It’s truly part of our soul to find a way to make a difference in the lives of our customers and positively impact the planet at the same time. It’s about connecting to ancient wisdom and learning from traditional wellness recipes spanning Ayurveda to Chinese Traditional Medicine. It’s also about eliminating the 129 billion units of wasteful beauty packaging that ends up in landfills every year. So many opportunities exist to improve the archaic ways of bringing effective beauty products to market. Our work is never done!
What’s your favorite LOLI beauty product?
Oh, that’s so hard - I love them all! But if you can only have one product in your cabinet, I would go from the Plum Elixir. It works on your face, your hair, your scalp, your lips, nails and even your décolletage! And it smells of marzipan - it’s the natural scent of the rare, French plum seed oil we upcycle.
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What does your daily routine look like with your products?
I believe the most essential part of your skincare routine, especially if you tend to have breakouts, suffer from oily skin or are worried about aging, is to properly cleanse. This means ditch the soapy, foaming cleansers which are disturbing your skin’s delicate pH acid mantle. The more detergent cleansers you use, the oilier your skin will be, the easier it is to have breakouts or red, irritated and sensitive skin, not to mention lines and wrinkles. I use our Chamomile Lavender micellar. It’s a two phase, part oil, part hydrosol (no added water) that you shake and apply to a reusable pad or washcloth. It will gently wipe away all makeup and grime and leave skin smooth and hydrated.
Next, Splash with Sweet Orange or Rose hydrosols and then apply Plum Elixir. At night, I also add some Chia Carrot Brûlée, an anti-aging balm, or Date Nut Brûlée if I’m super dry. Several times a week I polish my skin with our Purple Corn Cleansing Grains, and once a week I do a detoxifying and revitalizing mask with our Matcha Coconut Paste.
What was the last thing you read that really moved or inspired you?
I love spending any free time, when I’m not brewing up or blending potions, reading all sorts of books on magical herbs and alchemy. I just read Full Moon Feast - Food and Hunger for Connection by Jessica Prentice. It’s a journey through the cycles of the moon, weaving history, folklore, myth and medicine with recipes. Think The Joy of Cooking colored by the cycles of the moon for a connected, edible experience. We have lived far too long in a world where strawberries are available year round and tomatoes taste like cardboard. Food is one pathway to learn the inherent wisdom of our universe.
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Your products are all food grade - What should we be thinking about in our how and what we eat too?
The relationship between what we put in our bodies and on our bodies is inextricably intertwined. I believe we are nourished internally and externally by whole foods or ingredients that have integrity, that haven’t been manipulated or genetically altered. Deep nourishment is about wholeness, connecting the earth, our Pacha Mama to our bodies and our souls. That’s why our “food grade” ingredients are sourced from organic, wild-harvested or biodynamic farms or co-ops, minimally processed, non-GMO and no people trafficking is involved. It would be pointless to do all of this if the energy behind the planting, harvesting and processing of any of our ingredients was tempered by someone’s unhappiness.
How have you been navigating these uncertain times and adjusting to the demands of today?
The world went pear-shaped a few months ago and we instantly asked ourselves, what can we do? The answer came one night late in the office. We realized that while there was a scarcity of hand sanitizers, we actually had all the ingredients to blend some up - and that’s what we did that very same night. I pulled out the 190 proof organic grape alcohol (also known as “Moonshine”) that we use to preserve our micellar waters, added some organic witch hazel for it’s antiseptic properties, organic glycerin to moisturize and then infused it with clove and cinnamon known to have anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-microbial benefits. A dash of sweet orange gives it an uplifting scent. We are donating them to local hospitals - as well as offering them online.When you find a way to stir up a meaningful change, it always results in a deeper sense of being alive. And at this moment, that’s our North star.
What Snowe products are getting you through quarantine?
Before sheltering at home, I was all about the dreamy SNOWE sheets, the uber luxurious bathrobe and of course, the candle - I am a DIY spa girl at heart and bathrobes + candles are part of my jam. But now that I’m cooking once more, and actually drinking more than a cup of coffee at home, I’m eyeing some new wine glasses and dinnerware.
The full assortment of LOLI beauty products can be found at lolibeauty.com, and Snowe customers get a special 15% off their first purchase with code: SNOWE15