Growing up my mother and my grandmother taught me rituals of love and tenderness through self-care. My grandmother Milka was a folk herbalist who knew about the power of plants for healing and beauty. From growing up in  Montengro to raising her family in Serbia and Morocco, she gathered plant wisdom along the way that inspired me to follow the plant path and celebrate the intelligence of nature. Growing up in the age of oil-free everything, she was the first person who ever told me to put on my skin. As a child I would sit at her feet and she would lovingly brush my hair to gently remove the tangles while telling me stories. This time left my hair shiny and smooth and left me feeling so deeply loved. On my last visit to see her in Montreal shortly before she passed (she lived until 96), she brushed my daughter Mila's hair. The tenderness and power of that scene will always stay in my heart.

Milka passed on the wisdom of care to my mother, Ljiljana, who shared it with me. We would fill the big bathtub in her room up high with bubbles and take long soaks. She taught me not to wash my hair everyday to avoid over-stripping it of its natural oil known as sebum, which is the balanced approach that birthed our line of effortless, low maintenance hair care products.

As a child I would nestle next to her in a big armchair in her office and she would massage my scalp and play with my hair. To this day, nothing relaxes me more quickly than this! Massaging the scalp not only is incredibly soothing but it also can also stimulate hair growth by encouraging circulation to the follicles. While it is blissful when someone else plays with your hair and massages your scalp, it is also a beautiful act of self-care that you can do for yourself. I love to make it a weekly ritual combined with our Hair & Scalp Serum (see below for ritual). My mom still plays with my hair and I love to do the same for my children. These moments of connection and care are a true embodiment of tenderness and love.