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Thank you to everyone who sent in their questions on Instagram — I love hearing from all of you and I wish I could answer every question. Answering five of the most asked below :)

FYI I will be doing this at the end of every month so make sure you’re following my personal account on Instagram @jessegolden and subscribe to my email list HERE so you don't miss your question potentially being answered!

 

TOP 5 QUESTIONS

Q1: I've always self-tanned but after seeing your page I don't want to, but still want color with a glow.

You can achieve a glow by just being healthy, connecting with nature, and doing a little self-care. Here are 3 things you can do to naturally glow:

1. Eat a diet high in beta carotene. Drink organic carrot juice every day and/or eat one raw carrot. You can also look into the carotenoid supplement astaxanthin- the antioxidant that gives salmon and flamingos their pink hue.
2. Get adequate sun exposure every day for your skin type.
3. Dry brush with Goddess Shaping Body Oil, cool rinse (no soap) then apply Aphrodisiac Glow Body Oil.

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Q2: What do you use to clean your body?

If I use soap at all, it is an oil-based soap with zero fragrance. My skin tends to run dry so I usually dry brush with my Goddess Shaping Body Oil before I shower then just rinse and only wash my pits and bits.

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Q3: Do you get grey hairs? If so, how do you cover them?

I just asked my hairdresser if she saw any gray hairs and she said one or two but she covered them. Ha, luckily I’m so blonde that I think they are easier to hide. I only highlight my hair every 4-6 months but get plenty of sun in between to keep the hairs that frame my face light. Some natural ways I keep my hair light in between getting it professionally highlighted is making a little concoction of lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, and honey. A few sprays of that in the sun and it instantly gets bright and naturally lighter.

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Q4: I'm a side sleeper and have noticed a lot more lines on my chest, and some bumps. Any recs?

Yes, our chest is one of those places we often neglect but when you start giving it a little bit of love, it’s miraculous how quickly it smooths out. Here are some tips to start incorporating:

1. When you do your nightly skincare routine, put on a tube top or wrap a towel around you so that you have complete access to your chest and aren't constricted by clothes. 
2. Think of your chest as an extension of your face and give it just as much love and care. This goes with your Cleansing Ritual, Aura Beauty Mist, Youth Beauty Face Oil, Instant Glow Facial Mask, Sorceress Stone Gua Sha Beauty Tool, and Gold Pulse Firming Face Wand.
3. Practicing gua sha on my chest is one of my favorite things to do. It feels so good, is great for the lymphatic system, and over time helps smooth out lines and discoloration. Prep the skin with Aura then Youth and starting at the midline, take the long comb edge vertically and sweep out towards your armpit. This should feel really good. Continue from under your clavicle to your breast. You can even gua sha massage your breasts with sweeping motions out towards your armpit.
4. Try to train yourself to sleep on your back. I myself have been trying to sleep on my back more. I find putting a pillow on my stomach and hugging the pillow all night really helps. There is also a pillow called Sleep and Glow that I love that doesn’t necessarily help with chest wrinkles but helps support the face when you sleep on your side. 
5. Lastly, medical-grade silicone patches work wonders to prevent wrinkles anywhere on the body but I really like them for the chest. The only downside is they need to be applied to clean, dry skin so you can't use your oil in combination but they are great to use before a special occasion.

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Q5: You mentioned how self-tanner is bad. I use it on my face, is that aging me?

Yes. I know this is something that nobody wants to hear but the answer is yes.

Let me explain. Many people think that they are doing "the right thing" by avoiding the sun and lathering up in self-tanners but I hate to break it to you, but you are likely to cause more damage than if you just got sun safely on a regular basis without the use of self-tanners. See, the active ingredient in most self-tanners, even the natural ones, is an isomer of glyceraldehydes called (DHA) Dihydroxyacetone, which can cause genetic mutations and wreak havoc on human DNA. It is usually synthetically made but can be considered "natural" as it can be derived from sugar beets or cane sugar. But just because it sounds okau, doesn't mean it is. Let's break it down.

DHA creates a chemical reaction in the skin called the Maillard Reaction. This reaction is similar to what you see happen to grilled meat or toasted bread. The top layer of the skin produces this same reaction giving your skin the appearance that it is tan. This is called melanoidin. This reaction often comes with a scent, which is the smell of your skin literally caramelizing, aka burning flesh. Many companies try to cover this scent up with more harmful ingredients, such as fragrances - which in itself comes with a whole slew of health issues but regardless, whether there is a scent or not, if there is DHA in it then the damage to your skin is happening. Now let's get into what this actually does to the skin:

1. It deteriorates and degrades the collagen and elastin matrix causing accelerated aging.
2. It increases sun damage by 180%! DHA is highly unstable so if you use a self-tanner while exposed to UV light, the damage increases up to 180% versus not wearing a self-tanner.
3. Increases oxidative stress, inflammation, and free radical production.
4. Damages the delicate balance of the protective skin barrier.
5. Melanoidins inhibit the production of Vitamin D. 
6. Creates overall hormone disruption.

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xo jesse