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The slow beauty movement
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The slow beauty movement

Meet the Visionaries Who Are Changing the Beauty Industry From The Inside Out

Janine Tait has become one of the most influential voices in the New Zealand beauty industry today. She is a respected leader within the emerging Slow Beauty movement, which champions a holistic approach to skincare with a focus on dermo-nutrition, health and total wellbeing. In this five part series, Janine shares her own journey from professional disillusionment to hope and introduces us to the Slow Beauty movement and some of the influential women who are emerging within it.

slow-beauty-jtWhen I first entered the New Zealand beauty industry in the mid 1980’s beauty therapy was still very much influenced by European traditions. The long and beautiful shadow cast from early visionaries encouraged a holistic, ‘inside out’ approach to skincare, which focused on total body health and wellness. The industry I entered as a young graduate combined this traditional emphasis with a focus on topical hydration and the protection of the stratum corneum. This was a long-term, sustainable approach to beauty, which worked in partnership with the body’s natural resources and defences.

In the 1990’s, a new trend of fast-acting facial treatments appeared on the beauty scene, which all but buried this traditional wisdom and raised a generation of therapists to favour the quick fix over the tried and true.

Helena Rubinstein was one of the voices forgotten in the flurry of ‘progress’. The founder of the biggest skincare company in the world in the early 1900’s, Polish-born Helena was fascinated by the way food affected the skin. She developed and prescribed skincare products for her clients but believed that in order to achieve beautiful skin they also needed to exercise, practice proper breathing and eat a low-toxin diet of mostly fruits, vegetables and water.

She was not alone in this belief. Madame Micheline Arcier, a famous aromatherapist who became influential half a century later was quoted as saying, “Beauty of the face cannot be achieved without a feeling of well-being, a healthy body and inner harmony.”

Micheline would not have recognised the beauty therapy industry that emerged in the 1990’s. Glycolic acids entered the market promising a faster, easier way to get skincare results. As therapists collectively got caught up in the excitement of new trends the importance of preserving the lifetime integrity of the stratum corneum was forgotten. Thinking about the way food, water and exercise affect skin health suddenly seemed quaint and old-fashioned.

Both of these shifts proved to be damaging. Just as fast food is not good for us, fast beauty has its drawbacks too. The quick fix often treats skin symptoms rather than deep causes. Some treatments can even be quite aggressive to the skin, setting up chronic inflammation, which can be ageing in the long term. In addition, as an industry we collectively did our clients a serious disservice by neglecting to pay attention to the role that certain nutrients play in supporting skin health and repair.

I know I did. By the mid 1990’s, I was struggling to get good results for my clients and had become disillusioned with the beauty therapy industry as a whole. I would have given up at that point but for two things: firstly, having a tenacious personality, I was determined to figure out where I was going wrong and secondly, I was introduced to Janice Sarre Smith (ND) at just the right time.

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Janice is an Australian naturopath with a particular interest in treating skin disorders. She was a pioneering voice of the Slow Beauty movement when she first crossed my path. Janice was able to show me that it was the ‘internals’ that I had overlooked and this turned out to be the missing piece of the puzzle for my clients. I combined Jan’s holistic approach with her plant-based skincare range, Janesce, which proved to be incredibly healing and the perfect partner for my newfound knowledge.

As I put her programmes into practice, promoting wellness, clean eating and dermo-nutrition the results I got for my clients far exceeded my expectations. With renewed hope, I became convinced that this was the optimum way for therapists to treat skin. However, at the time, the industry as a whole was still pursuing the quick fix. Therapists interested in learning about dermo-nutrition had to be prepared to swim against the tide and often had a deep personal belief in the power of a holistic approach, which sustained them.

It has been my privilege and pleasure over the last decade to evolve as a skin health therapist for clients and skin health coach for therapists. As well as studying nutritional medicine I have developed the Bestow Beauty range, which provides dermo-nutrition products and recipes to empower therapists and clients alike to cultivate wellness from the inside out.

The tides of change are well underway and there is now a new generation of therapists leading the way in holistic, ‘slow’ beauty. It is exciting to see this movement growing and I predict that in the future the Slow Beauty approach will be in even greater demand from the public. The Slow Beauty movement is following a similar trajectory to the Slow Food movement and reflects a similar shift in values away from short-term convenience towards slower, deeper and truer ideals.

It is heartening to see other wellness professionals ushering in this holistic renaissance. Dr. Libby Weaver, Sarah Wilson and sisters Julia and Libby are just a few of the influential voices that our clients are listening to more and more. In fact, no health professional can afford to ignore this quiet revolution. From doctors to dermatologists, this movement is forcing us all to up our game and improve our knowledge of how diet and lifestyle impacts on our wellness and appearance.

We believe that nourishing your body with healthy food is important for so many aspects of your life.  It supports your wellness, energy, happiness and appearance. But so often a healthy diet is perceived as deprivation, we focus on what we can’t have rather than what we can. We would like to introduce some beautiful rituals into your daily life that nurture and support you. So we have created a selection of delicious recipes that bestow health and radiance to your being and your skin. The Bestow Within series are our collaborative project packaged in 4 beautiful recipe journals read more about these here.

janine-tait-circle01Janine Tait is an internationally qualified beauty therapist with over 30 years experience. She is a dermo-nutrition expert and beauty therapist educator who champions the emerging Slow Beauty movement and its focus on holistic skincare and wellness. She is the New Zealand distributor for Janesce Skincare and the founder of Bestow Beauty, which provides dermo-nutrition products, recipes and rituals to support inner health and outer beauty.

  • March 8, 2016
Meet Janine Tait
Feature

Meet Janine Tait

Janine Tait is an internationally qualified beauty therapist with over 30 years experience in the beauty industry, a dermo-nutrition expert, and educator with a particular interest in skin health and wellbeing.

The Janine Tait Group distributes premium organic skincare products from Australian brand Janesce, as well as her own brand Bestow Beauty and mineral makeup from Cozmetic Lab, to over 150 beauty therapy clinics in New Zealand. Janine also offers post-graduate training for beauty therapists, and runs the Lox Salon & Spa in Greerton, Tauranga.

At the centre of Janine’s philosophy is the belief that skin health and beauty is intrinsically linked to inner health.

More recently Janine has produced a range of recipe journals under the Bestow brand and the 7 DAYS OF ME Janesce Vital Cleanse program. All of these further support her philosophy in skin health.

Frustrated by the lack of results from common skincare products and a beauty industry fraught with misinformation, Janine developed Bestow Beauty – a range that consists of various ‘skin foods’ and nutritious recipes that are highly beneficial for both body and skin.

To further her knowledge in this area, Janine also studied nutritional medicine to become a qualified nutritionist and expert in dermo-nutrition – the art of slowing down the skin’s ageing process by working with foods that support inner health and outer beauty.

Janine firmly believes that this internal and external approach is the best way to achieve a healthy, glowing complexion and combat skin problems such as eczema, rosacea and acne.

  • April 20, 2015
10 foods to smooth your skin
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10 foods to smooth your skin

What we put INTO our body is just as important as what we put ONTO our body. When it comes to skin we need to soothe it from the outside with beautiful skin care products as well as the inside with the foods we are eating.

While talking with women in the South Island this week, we discussed how easy it is to be fueling skin problems without being aware of it. Many of us tend to get little blockages or breakouts and wonder why?

Becoming more aware of the foods we are eating and what they are doing to our skin is the key to this. Are the foods you are eating congesting or smoothing?

  1. Ricotta, cottage cheese or feta

These are best enjoyed in small quantities and make a delicious addition to a salad, sandwich or savoury treat. They are great to use in place of hard cheeses which contain six times more saturated fat than steak.

  1. Soy milk, almond milk, rice milk or soy yoghurt

An alternative to full cream dairy products, these are lovely in desserts or the occasional coffee as well. Soy yoghurt and a little fresh fruit makes an easy and healthy snack.

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  1. Grilled or baked lean meat dishes, organic chicken, turkey or fresh fish

These provide amazing nutrients for our body and are better options than eating mostly red meat. Try to reduce the red meat intake, trim off visible fat before cooking and avoid mince, sausages, pork and lamb (which all contain high levels of saturated fat).

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  1. Grilled, steamed or baked foods, salads and stir fries

There is nothing more tempting that hot chips, takeaways or other fried foods when you are running short of time and are very hungry but trust us, go for the healthier option of grilling, steaming or baking your food and your skin will thank you. Salads and stir fries are quick, easy options to whip up that will be far more beneficial to your health and won’t leave you with that yucky feeling we so often get after consuming foods that are fried and high in fat, salt and sugar.

  1. Bestow French Dressing (ask your therapist for our recipe)

After you have whipped up your salad (instead of getting takeaways) be sure to top it off with Bestow French dressing, a healthy alternative to mayonnaise.

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  1. Eggs, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, spirulina powder and brewers yeast

Protein powder, drink and bars seem all the rage at the moment but can have a congesting effect on the skin. Instead, go for any of the above ingredients mixed into a smoothie, sprinkled on a salad or eat on their own.

  1. Tahini, almond butter, raw, unsalted nuts and seeds

Like to snack on peanuts or spread peanut butter on your toast? Peanuts are prone to causing blockages in the skin so try Tahini as an alternative spread which is made of sesame seeds and is a great source of calcium. Otherwise, a more similar tasting option would be almond butter and this is also a wonderful source of magnesium and the most alkaline of all nuts. Snack on raw, unsalted nuts and seeds such as almonds and Brazil nuts instead of peanuts or cashews.

  1. Mejool dates and cacao balls

Dates are an amazing sweet treat to enjoy! They can be eaten on their own or made into balls. Mix dates and cacao in a food processor, roll into balls and sprinkle with LSA. You can add other nuts and seeds to these if you would like something a little adventurous. They make a great go to instead of chocolate when you need that sweet fix, otherwise, if you must have chocolate, the darker and more bitter, the better!

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  1. Gelato

With summer over but the heat still lingering at times, opt for Gelato when out with friends instead of icecream.

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  1. Warm milk or soy milk with a dash of cacao, molasses, cinnamon or honey

As those cold nights approach, try warm milk with a dash of honey and cinnamon instead of milo or hot chocolate; it gives that same warm, soothing feeling. Nothing like sitting in front of a fire with a hot drink in your hand!

  • April 2, 2015
Detoxing from coffee
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Detoxing from coffee

Coffee can be very difficult for some people to give up. It can be emotionally and physically addictive. It’s common to desire the ‘pick me up’ effect it has but remember, it will drop you back down once its effect has worn off. Many people find that once they give up coffee, their general energy levels lift and they have less ‘highs and lows’.

Physically it can cause withdrawal symptoms like headaches, lethargy and for some, even nausea. These reactions can last three to four days and can be difficult to cope with. If you drink a lot of coffee, it may pay to have a period of slowly reducing your intake before you attempt the Vital Cleanse. Try replacing coffee with green tea, which will give you a little bit of caffeine to help your body cope with the withdrawal.

  • March 22, 2015
The vital importance of sleep
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The vital importance of sleep

Are you normally asleep by 10pm? The two hours prior to midnight are the most important for sleep and are worth two of any hours after midnight. When you’re busy, it can by tempting to stay up late but your body doesn’t usually appreciate the change.

See if you can be in bed asleep by 10pm and be up by 7pm at the very latest. In Ayervedic medicine, it’s believed that if we wake too late we leave the energetic Vata phase and enter the sluggish Kapha phase, leaving us feeling tired and lethargic. Have you ever noticed this happening to you? I have definitely noticed that if I sleep late in the weekends, I never feel more energetic: just tired and groggy. There is no better feeling than being awake early and getting a head start on the day. Give it a try!

Try meditation or Pranayama
Meditation is a wonderful thing to do but can be difficult for our Western minds to master. I once had some good advice from an Indian yoga master I’d like to share. He said that we must first learn to control the breath before we can learn to control the mind. He recommended that I do Pranayama when I wake up in the mornings. Pranayama is a series of yoga exercises that involve the breath. They are very simple and give you a wonderful feeling of calmness. They are very useful for anyone with lung problems, although you must be careful and listen to your body if this is the case. If you feel dizzy or lightheaded, stop and with time you will be able to do more.

You can check out YouTube for some lessons on Pranayama.

  • March 18, 2015