Sustainability and healthy skin care routines

Caroline Oskarsson is a holistic health coach and works with holistic treatments at the same time as she has one foot in the marketing industry. She love to spend time in nature, feel her feet against the moss, her fingers in the soil, taking a dip in the sea or a walk in the forest - that's how she finds home. We are inspired by her wisdom, how she lives her truth and follows the voice of her heart.

What do you work with?

I have a background in marketing and PR, but became a holistic health coach in 2016. This was primarily because I felt the need to equip myself for the tough industry I was in. I realized early on that I needed to lay a solid foundation for myself. After my parental leave with my son, I chose to invest in my own business. I have always been brave and followed my intuition and it became so clear to me that I had different priorities than my colleagues. I strive to let life, my loved ones and my health come first, with great respect for the fact that my work is what enables a lot in my everyday life. Today, my business is a mix of both marketing, holistic wellness and holistic treatments, so I can't say that I have completely changed course. I still work in the marketing industry, but choose to take assignments that align with my values. I love that I can have that dynamic!

Tell us more about your job as a coach and about your treatments?

The most important thing in my role is to create a safe space for my clients, regardless of whether it concerns coaching or a treatment. My way of guiding has changed with me but the corner stones remain, we start by looking at your current situation; Where do you experience resistance? What flows? What do you long for? We then set intentions for how you will get to where you want to be. It may sound simple but having someone who is not emotionally involved in your life, who is fully invested in listening, supporting and holding you through your personal metamorphosis can be incredibly powerful. At the end of last year I chose to educate myself in facial massage, I felt a strong desire to supplement the guidance with some type of body work. This because I know from experience how important it is to invite the body when we go through change and healing. I have designed my Signature Face Massage intuitively and lately I have received so many signs on how transformative that deep relaxation can be. Then the fact that the skin gets a lovely glow is just a bonus.

What does your own skincare routine look like?

My relationship with skin care started when I was young and I became aware early, perhaps unusually early, of what kind of products I want to apply to my skin. As a child I had a lot of eczema and my mother worked in skin care and created her own products. So I learned at a young age what suits my skin. Since I have worked for many years in the beauty industry, I have tried most things, but what works for me is to stick to clean, gentle, natural products that do not disturb the skin's own microbiome. I wash my face with a cleansing oil that I wipe off with a damp linen towel, then I spray my face with a mist and then apply oil. A couple of times a week I use an enzyme peeling and mix up my own clay mask when the skin needs to be cleaned a little more deeply.

What do you think is important to consider in your skin care routine?

Today, it is quite common to expose the skin to quite invasive products and treatments. I think it is important to remember that the skin has the ability to heal itself if we only give it the right conditions to do so. It is said that about 80% of skin care is what we eat and how we live, and 20% is what we apply to the skin. So don't complicate things, find products that you enjoy using every day. Take a few conscious breaths, massage the skin with light strokes to get the lymph flowing, alternate hot and cold water when you rinse your face to get the blood circulation going. There is much we can do with such simple means. Then it is also important to remind yourself, in a society where we see most people wearing filters, that the skin has structure, that we are changeable and that there is something very beautiful about our faces telling a story.

What is important for you to feel good?

Oh, what a great question! I am constantly reminded of how important it is to give myself what I need. In the place in life that I am in right now, with two little ones who have a great need for my closeness and my presence, I need both nourishment and time for self-regulation. Spending time in nature, feet against the moss, fingers in the soil, a dip in the sea or a walk in the forest, that's how I find home. But I also need nutritious meals and proper sleep, I feel best when I manage to rise with the sun and go to bed when it sets. Then I need the women in my life, for conversations about the deep and the superficial, for creative deep dives and messy dinners. And so it is important for me to feel beautiful, not beautiful as in my appearance, more a feeling, how I want to carry myself.

Do you have any tips when it comes to sustainability and how to create sustainable routines in everyday life?

I think it is important that we are aware of the fact that we will not always make the right choice, and at the same time dare to hold ourselves responsible for what we want to pass on to those who come after us. But I usually ask myself "How carefully can I walk on this earth?", "How easy and slow can I take it?". The answers vary from week to week, although the intention is always the same – as simply and slowly as possible. After all, there is so much we can do that is more sustainable and often increases our quality of life. I think everyone should try having a period when you don’t buy anything. You learn so much from it and I feel it sparks so much creativity. And otherwise, I think that stress is usually what leads us to make bad decisions and that we want everything to go so fast. In order to be more sustainable, we need to be willing to work with that attitude, we need to see the sacred in, for example, searching for, preparing and eating food. Do our research before we buy anything.

Do you have any words of wisdom?

I want to say; Don't be too hard on yourself and don't let anyone else's thoughts or image of you dictate your life. Surround yourself with friends who support you without judgment, who ask questions more than they deliver answers. Listen inwardly and follow the clues. There are so many paths we can walk in life that could be right, so don't search for just one. And finally, have a critical eye to advice and truths - that also applies to what you hear from me.