Routines & Rituals with Thomas Grove Skin
This month, Jennifer Hill shares the routines and rituals that help her run her amazing skincare line, Thomas Grove Skin, and raise her gorgeous family. Growing up off the coast in Carmel, Jennifer discovered the power of essential oils at a young age. Desiring to harness their power for topical skin care, Jennifer became a self-taught chemist, and went on to create a clean and effective brand that uses as few ingredients as possible, yet addresses the most pressing skin concerns. Using her father’s first name and her mother’s maiden name, Jennifer launched Thomas Grove in 2020 with her debut hero product, The Facial Oil, and women around the world love it — including THE FULLEST. It’s no surprise that oils and clean beauty products are a foundational piece of her day to day. However, there are many other gems that Jennifer uses to provide both pleasure and purpose to her routine. Read on for some practical but beautiful inspiration!
Q: Can you share a little about Thomas Grove Skin?
A: I was born and raised in California and have taken much inspiration from the ease and simplicity of our lifestyle here. There is an effortless beauty that comes from our connection to self through the earth. I wanted to create a product that was clean and effective, that had as few ingredients as possible, yet would still address our most pressing skin concerns. The Facial Oil is a blend of three organic and luxurious oils, rosehip seed oil, neroli, and Bulgarian rose. We focus on high-quality formulation and sourcing the very best quality ingredients, sustainably.
Q: Do you have a consistent daily AM and/or PM routine? Or do you mix it up?
A: I am pretty consistent with my mornings; my day begins around 6:30 AM and the first thing I do is sip a warm glass of water with lemon. I feel so much better when I stick to this practice. When I have time, I will make a green juice — usually ginger, lemon, apple, celery, and kale. My girls get up around 7:00 AM and we make breakfast and sit together. We like to go outside in the morning and walk barefoot on the grass while we feed our bunnies and chickens.I start most mornings with a heated vinyasa or a Bikram class. It feels so good to start the morning with a good sweat and prioritizing that mind-body connection. I end my day with a warm bath, a cup of tea, and always slather my face with The Facial Oil before bed.
Q: How does the natural world support your modern life?
A: The natural world is what keeps me grounded, yet inspired, and I am very much connected to it. When I am not spending enough time in nature, I really feel it. We actually just got back from a weekend up north in Carmel. Visiting my family up there and being surrounded by the ocean and green hills — that’s the place I really feel at peace, it completely resets me.I am of the belief that plants and food are medicine, and the natural world gives us valuable tools to heal.
Q: Do you have any rituals that you practice daily, weekly, or monthly?
A: As I mentioned above, yoga has been a huge part of my life. It always seems to support whatever it is that I need, and I do my best to practice daily during the week.I have been going to acupuncture, this is new for me. I love the way it calms my central nervous system, and how it can boost our body's natural healing abilities.Recently, I have really been working to open my detox passageways. I use the infrared sauna about once or twice a week and get lymphatic drainage massages as much as I can. I see this amazing woman, Ester, who is a true healer.
Q: Are there any particular foods or botanicals that align with your beauty routine or self-care practice?
A: I try to follow an Ayurvedic lifestyle as much as I can. I discovered Dr. Joshi, a holistic practitioner from the UK about 15 years ago, and he is someone who has really inspired me holistically. It was him who first introduced me to the principles of Ayurveda. I turn to his practices often and try to live by them.To offer my immune system a boost, I consume raw garlic with manuka honey daily. I absolutely love Activist Manuka.Lately, I have been making a lot of calendula tea. It has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant components which help fight oxidative stress and inflammation. I love how insanely beautiful the dried flowers look as they steep.Botanicals have become interwoven in my life in many ways. In particular, essential oils play a huge role in my self-care/mental health practice. When creating The Facial Oil, neroli and Bulgarian rose were mindfully chosen for their aromatherapy benefits. In Ayurveda, it is said that neroli gives confidence and strength to the mind and has been used for thousands of years because of its relaxing properties to help with sleeplessness, and in times of stress. It can boost the mood and even alleviate depression. Bulgarian rose otto is one of the most precious essential oils in the world, and is considered one of the key essential oils for balancing the heart chakra. No flower is more closely associated with love than the rose. It opens the heart and lightens the spirit.I have been using THE FULLEST’s Inheal™ probiotic saffron milk bath in the evenings. I love that it helps support our body’s natural pH and detoxification and I also find it really soothes my muscles and prepares me for a restful night's sleep.
Q: How would you encourage people to incorporate clean beauty into their routines and rituals?
A: Adding in an organic face oil is a really simple way to incorporate clean beauty into your daily routine. People tend to be intimidated by face oils but I would encourage you to give them a try as they are so versatile and your skin will feel better and be healthier for using them. You can use them alone or as the final step to your skincare routine. Face oils will not make you break out, in fact, quite the opposite. They help to balance sebum production and are naturally packed with ingredients like antioxidants, vitamins, and omega fatty acids so you may end up using fewer skincare items altogether. When the skin is extremely dry, I love to layer a face cream over a rich moisturizer to really reap the benefits.There is so much more awareness around clean beauty now, and the growing industry is helping to educate and empower consumers. If you haven’t already, I do hope you give face oils a try!Jennifer Hill is the founder of Thomas Grove Skin and launched Thomas Grove in 2020 with her debut hero product, The Facial Oil. Jennifer currently resides in Southern California where she lives with her husband and twin daughters, Madeline and Hunter Ruby.
