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Beauty Confidential: Our Go-to Guide to Natural Skincare for Mamas

Style & BeautyPost Category - Style & BeautyStyle & Beauty - Post Category - BeautyBeauty

Looking for ways to go au naturel, mama?

Here at Sassy Mama we love ourselves some natural beauty, and are always on the lookout for more alternatives to skincare and hair care for ourselves and our families.

Beauty mogul and mama of two Tomoka Nguyen is our go-to expert when it comes to creating natural everyday beauty remedies. Having managed award-winning spas and honing her specialisation in Ayurveda, Aromatherapy and Herbalism for the past two decades (her CV includes being Director of ESPA at Resorts World Sentosa!), Tomoka knows a thing or two about sustainable and holistic beauty. Now, we’ve got a written resource of all her top tips for all things natural beauty! Beauty Confidential is the guide to homemade beauty, natural health and creating a beauty sanctuary in your own home. We chat with Tomoka about her new beauty bible, gain pointers on teaching little ones about natural products, and dig up some insider tips on this entrepreneur’s beauty routine!

Plus, read till the end for a special discount off Beauty Confidential!

What made you want to explore writing a book?

I have been in the Spa & Wellness industry for over twenty years now. I realised that so many toxins go into our personal care products when I took a professional perfumery course at a university in Thailand in 2010. I had two toddlers then (now my daughters are age 10 and 11) so naturally I became more interested in safe, non-toxic personal care products. As such, I started learning, researching and experimenting in my kitchen. My personal experience with homemade skincare was far beyond expectation, and the benefits did not stop on the skin level. So this is really something I wish to share with as many people as possible.

How did you juggle running your spas, taking care of your kids and writing Beauty Confidential?

It took me a very long time to complete this book – five years!

My family was supportive, especially my husband, Nam, who took care of the household and brought the children on holiday when I had to focus on writing. My work in the spa and wellness industry contributed to a big part of the book – working with wellness experts and global spa brands helped me to incorporate a holistic approach to the home spa concept, and the many discussions about therapies and natural ingredients with industry peers and colleagues inspired me.

Do you only use natural homemade products for your kids? If yes, how often do you make them?

Absolutely, and my children are discerning when it comes to natural products as they have been exposed to natural ingredients (essential oils vs. synthetic perfume, for example) since a young age. I try to make the products together with them, randomly as and when required, but it tends to happen every few weeks on a weekend.

What’s your current beauty regimen? We’d love to know!

Spa-on-the-go
Wellbeing isn’t the product of expensive spa treatments and annual retreat but rather it should happen daily. I have recently adopted a ‘spa-on-the-go’ routine in the gym shower. This is how I do it:

Pre-shower
– 2-minute steam to quickly rinse off and dry
– 3-minute vigorous body massage*

In shower
Don’t wash your body yet as skin absorbs good natural oil.
– Shampoo*, followed by hair mask*, leave it on.
– Gentle face scrub/mask*
– Salt scrub* to cleanse, stimulate and hydrate the body.
– Rinse it all from head to toe and pat dry.

After shower
– Apply natural face toner* on the face and hair oil* at the tip of hair.
– 1-min facial massage with oil*

*All products are homemade

Do you have any tried-and-tested 5-minute beauty routines you’d recommend for busy mamas?

Absolutely – I recommend the habit of this daily gentle face massage. I incorporated various techniques I learnt over the years! It should make beauty salons and spas go out of business as it really keeps away signs of premature ageing while gently stimulating lymphatic glands to naturally detoxify and purify the skin.

How long do you recommend someone try a new product before deciding whether it works for them? 

21 days at least or longer, for the skin to renew.

What’s your advice for mamas who are new to natural beauty and are keen on starting this journey for their families?

Start with easy recipes because continuity is the key. It is perfectly ok to combine with your favourite commercial products to start with! But I do wish to highlight that anything good to happen takes time.

Thank you for sharing your wise beauty advice, Tomoka! You can find Beauty Confidential online at jojomoka.net (free delivery!) and in stores at Kinokuniya.

Quote SassyBeauty to get US$6 off every book purchase on jojomoka.net! Valid till 20 December 2018. Promo code is not applicable for in-store purchases.

jojomoka.net/books/beauty-confidential

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