Posted by Heather Urquhart on July 16, 2015

If you’ve been cruising the huna Natural Apothecary website lately, you may have noticed that we are changing our terminology (and mindset) from Anti-Age, to Age-Grace. What exactly does Age-Grace mean? In a world packed full of negative messages around growing older and aging, it is more important than ever to reinforce how natural a process aging really is. Aging gracefully isn’t just a bogus concept or façade created to convince us of ever-lasting beauty and the fountain of youth. It is exactly the opposite in fact.

Don’t get me wrong, at huna Natural Apothecary we are all about keeping skin looking youthful and glowing, however our approach is distinctly different than the mainstream beauty approach to “anti-aging” skincare. (Geez- the very term sounds so dauntingly negative!). Aging with grace, or Age-Grace, represents a new path forward for women today. There is no shame in fine lines and sun spots- they represent the journey of your life. That’s not to say we need to fall in love with our aging skin and get rid of all the mirrors in our homes. It is a strong statement however, to say that unrealistic beauty standards are very damaging, particularly to young women today. It is a statement to say enough is enough! We need to teach ourselves, our friends, our sisters, mothers and daughters, to love ourselves (and each other) unconditionally. Every single day…see the beauty that you are and all that you bring to the world and those around you.

Being a positive person, I’m choosing to grow and age in a positive light- by aging with grace. I’m choosing to embrace my life and just enjoy the present moment. No more fussing about how I can go to war against a natural and inevitable aging process. (Why would I try and battle myself anyway?!) Instead, I am putting the focus onto maintaining my health, physical and mental wellbeing, fitness, and nutrition. Eat balanced and healthy, get regular exercise, always keep positive, find a way to manage life’s stressors, wear sunscreen daily, and keep skin nourished, hydrated and healthy with natural skincare products. That’s it. That’s my fountain of youth!

Growing older is inevitable, and showing signs of physical aging (especially in the skin), is very natural and equally inevitable for all of us, at some point or another. This process will happen at different stages for different people, depending on factors such as your level of unprotected sun exposure, health and nutrition, genetics, lifestyle choices, and how you care for your skin daily. I really hate to be the bearer of bad news for anyone having a difficult time swallowing this…but all of us will age. So it isn’t about whether you will age (again, I repeat…we all age!), but rather a choice of how you choose to age.

As a young girl, I remember watching my grandmother perform her skincare and beauty practice, and she regularly told herself while looking in the mirror- “Oh Evelyn, you are beautiful!” At the tender age of 11, I used to think that my grandmother was perhaps a bit full of herself! But now, I get it. It’s easy (and so destructive) to look yourself in the mirror and pick apart what you see, especially as we grow older. The next time you look in the mirror, focus on what you like (even love!) about your reflection. Tell yourself you are beautiful, because you really are…just the way you are! And tell your best girlfriend that she is beautiful when you see her next too!

Until next time, keep well beautiful!

Heather