Routines & Rituals with Alexis Smart

In this month’s Routine and Rituals, we were blessed to sit down with this half “English rose” and learn the secrets behind her angelic glow and peaceful demeanor. Unsurprisingly, flowers (in many forms) are part of her AM/PM routine. Alexis Smart also shares her story and her top flower remedy picks for beauty and self-care.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and flower remedies? Did they pick you or did you pick them?

I’ve been a flower remedy practitioner for the last 18 years. I am also the founder and creator of Alexis Smart Flower Remedies, a comprehensive collection of flower remedy formulas based on my years of working one-on-one with clients. I was born to British, bohemian parents and grew up in Los Angeles, surrounded by artists, musicians and eccentrics. My herbalist/astrologer mom always treated us with natural remedies when we were sick, so I was raised with the wisdom that the body can heal itself when given the right support.Two years ago, I moved to Joshua Tree and have found a peace here I could never feel in Los Angeles. I have my flower remedy studio here, where we make the Alexis Smart Flower Remedies by hand in small batches. Later this year, I will be opening a store that will stock all my remedies, apothecary, food, and home goods — basically, everything I love.

Flower remedies are a healing system like no other, in that they are for emotional and spiritual aspects, not for the physical. The remedy is chosen based on your personality and emotional state.

For example, there is no remedy for a headache, but if you take the flower remedy that matches your feelings, the theory is that the stress causing the headache will dissolve and you will heal physically.Flower essences were discovered in the 1930s by a British doctor, Dr. Edward Bach, after he became disillusioned with the medical model of the day that treated only the body of the patient. Dr. Bach saw his patients being cured of physical ailments but noticed that they were still suffering emotionally or mentally. He believed that this was not true healing and he sought to find a system of healing that would bring us back to a state of joy, which is our birthright. Through experimentation, he discovered that the extracts of blossoms, when ingested, had a profoundly positive effect on the mood of his patients. He created 38 different flower remedies, each one addressing a different emotional imbalance or personality type.Flower remedies are very safe, and their gentleness makes them an excellent choice for highly sensitive people (like myself), babies, pets and pregnant or nursing moms.Flower remedies definitely chose me and I have never had a stronger sense of my fate than when I discovered them. It happened in such an easy way, as if a carpet had rolled out before me and led me right to the very thing I needed at the time. I took my first flower remedy for a month and it cured me of anxiety, long term grief and the lingering effects of malaria (most notably extreme spaciness and weakness).After that, I was a believer. I completely changed my career path and became a practitioner. I did one-on-one consultations for a number of years, where I witnessed profound changes in my clients.

People were healing in a short time from things they had been trying for years to overcome with therapy. I really wanted to bring this healing to the world at large. There were no combination formulas on the market at that time and I saw a real need for flower remedies for universal issues like heartbreak, anxiety, creative blocks, low self-esteem and lack of focus.

I started my line of flower remedies based on the clinical work I had done with my clients over those years and now I have 23 formulas, including a kids line, a beauty product line, and everything in between.

Do you have a consistent daily AM and/or PM routine? What are some of the items or products supporting your mornings and evenings?

Yes, I start the day with four drops of one of my flower remedies. Right now I am loving Unblocked, my collaboration with Lacy Phillips of To Be Magnetic. I have been taking a lot of supplements, as I’ve have been healing from mold issues. It’s a lot of work and you have to be consistent, but it’s paying off. Luckily, they have been keeping my immune system very strong this last year. I take monolaurin for breaking down biofilm of viruses, liposomal glutathione , G.I. detox binder, liposomal vitamin C and I just started ION (the Zach Bush product), which I love.I am a long time user of tonic herbs too. I’m currently taking Dragon Herbs Reishi mushroom (if you only take one herb, reishi is it. Immune, heart opening, everything) and Jing (Jing is life force, which in Western terms would be adrenal nourishing).I love flowers in all their incarnations and I find scent very inspiring. I avoid synthetic perfumes because they can disturb the endocrine system. I love Sigil perfumes and start the day with one of theirs.

What is involved in taking a flower essence?

It is really the easiest thing to do. You just have to remember to take them regularly. Take four drops of your chosen remedy/formula under your tongue, four times a day. After about three weeks, you will notice a huge change and improvement in the areas you needed help. After one month, you can reassess then if you feel good, repeat the same remedy for another month. 

Do you have any rituals that you practice daily, weekly or monthly?

I love my rituals. My days are different every day, as I wear different hats, so the bookends of my day are important to keep me grounded. I start the day with a cup of English breakfast tea with milk and honey and I write in my journal, dreams if I can remember them, or any creative ideas for my work. I have a lot of ideas when I wake up.I have been sunbathing in the early morning for about 15 minutes and I notice a huge difference in my mood. I usually listen to podcasts or books on tape while sunbathing. I do a short yoga sequence or a ballet floor barre video with Cati Jean, my ballet teacher from L.A. I make a juice (usually apple, carrot, ginger, celery) and then get to work. Every other night, I do an infrared sauna. In the evening I read and write in bed or indulge too much in TV (my mantra is, as John Lennon said, “Whatever gets you through the night, it’s alright, it’s alright”).Once a week, I go to the Joshua Tree Farmers Market. Even when I travel, I always go to farmers markets. It connects me with the place I live, the food I am eating and the whole cycle of growth and life. Eating seasonally and locally is so much healthier and knowing the people who grow my food is hugely enriching to my life.

Are there any particular flower remedies that align with a beauty routine or self-care practice?

I think all flower remedies make you beautiful, because whatever makes you happy will make you radiant…but specifically, I have two formulas that are incredibly beautifying. The first being Beauty Formula No.8, which is my floral answer to Botox and filler. It’s a miracle worker for plumping and bringing back a youthful glow, but it also makes you feel amazingly shiny and charismatic. I take this one frequently. The second is Beauty Formula No.7, which is the little sister of Beauty Formula No.8. This is for acne, low self-esteem and all the challenges we face during our teenage years (though you can use it at any age if you relate to the description). It fills you with confidence and strengthens your sense of identity.

What do you wish people knew about flower remedies?

Mostly what they are not. They are not another hippie or new-age trend. They are not aromatherapy. They are not “too subtle” to have any real effects. They are a powerful and legitimate healing system invented by an MD and may offer an alternative to toxic drugs and chemicals.

Where can people find you?

alexissmart.com or on Instagram.