To mix, or not to mix? For my fellow estheticians out there, you may ask yourself this question while crafting up your apothecary style facial, whether it’s the mask you're mixing or the modalities you’re choosing. If you’re a Botnia esthetician or are thinking about bringing on Botnia as a new line for your business, you want to know how to best use all of the tools in your professional back bar. If you use Botnia at home, you might have also wondered what types of products can be used with Botnia to keep your skin on track. Let’s explore what to consider when mixing up your Botnia apothecary!

What is the Botnia back bar?

Botnia’s back bar is a balanced diet for the holistic esthetician. We've created a closed system that's complete, using plant-based skin remedies that truly work. We’ve identified these raw ingredients as full-spectrum nutrition for your skin. Botnia is nutritional skincare. Packed full of the same ingredients just like a balanced diet should be. Learn more about how our apothecary is a nutritional diet for your skin. 

As someone who has solely used Botnia for both skincare treatments and retail offerings since I started my esthetics practice five years ago, I can tell you that having this apothecary back bar is like having a fully stocked kitchen with everything you need to make a healthy dish. The colorful array of ingredients have been specifically chosen for their benefits to the long-term health of the skin. While you as the esthetician (or skincare enthusiast) have everything you need at your fingertips, there are a few dos and don’ts to know when it comes to experimenting with Botnia.

What can I mix with Botnia’s back bar? 

As far as topical applications, goat’s milk yogurt might be a familiar favorite as it was a staple in the Botnia back bar up until last year’s launch of our replacement product Essential Digest, then its sister product Essential Enzymes (we still love you GMY!). Goat’s milk yogurt is still a great option to mix with our powdered masks as a gentle exfoliant that also protects your precious biome. Another topical ingredient that plays well with Botnia is raw honey. This one can be a little tricky as you want to be sure it’s a quality honey. Try a local one from your farmer’s market or our very favorite honey from our limited edition holiday mask set, made in collaboration with Candice from Sonoma County Bee Company (grab this one now if you’re dying to try it!).

When it comes to mixing Botnia with other modalities or treatments, we are big fans of ones that keep the health of the skin a priority, including facial massage, lymphatic drainage, facial cupping and Gua Sha, and microcurrent.

What can’t I mix with Botnia’s back bar? 

Though we love experimentation and play in the treatment room, there are a few things we don’t suggest using with our products, whether in treatment or at home (we strongly encourage leaving most modalities to the professional!).

Because Botnia is a closed system, we recommend not mixing our products with other skincare lines. Each Botnia ingredient was carefully chosen so that the entire plant-based apothecary works as a synergistic system, containing everything you need for all skin. 

Modalities that can’t be combined with Botnia are ones that deeply penetrate the skin, including microneedling, nano needling, dermaplaning, and deep chemical peels. The tough thing about organic skincare with minimal preservatives is that from time to time, depending on the environment, products might spoil--just like fresh produce does. This is a very rare occurrence for us (we are the only organic skincare line we know of that bacteria tests all of our products) and won't pose any danger if you touch or smell a spoiled product, but just like spoiled food, it could do harm if it makes its way internally beneath the skin.

Why can’t these modalities be mixed with the back bar?

Our line really focuses on bringing inflammation down as the means to get beautiful results for the health of the skin. As a general rule Botnia keeps the health and function of the skin's microbiome as a centerpiece of our line. Our view on these types of modalities listed above is that they can cause inflammation and in our opinion aren’t guaranteed beneficial for the long term health of the skin.

For example, removing vellus hairs via dermaplaning disrupts the skin's ability to protect itself. This is something I’ve personally seen in the treatment room many times as some trends gain popularity. The thing is, when the skin doesn’t have the ability to protect itself (say from dermaplaning or other modalities that go further than the stratum corneum), it can result in an inflammatory response, breakouts, and prolonged sensitivity. Protecting your skin’s biome is key to healthy skin!

Another point is that the organic ingredients in our back bar contain all the natural biome and nutrients of the natural world, including pathogens, that can absolutely be totally healthy and beneficial to the skin, but when the barrier is diminished they may actually trigger an inflammatory response. 

When using Botnia’s back bar, curiosity is encouraged and experimentation is rewarded. But it’s important to note that not everything can be mixed together so that you, as the esthetician or skincare enthusiast, truly have all of the tools you need for healthy skin. 

If you want to learn more about our professional back bar apothecary, feel free to send an email to botniaskincare@gmail.com and I’d be happy to connect with you!

If you’re ready to bring on Botnia and join our community, click here to apply!

Xo,
Julianna
Botnia Community Specialist