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Hydrated, healthy and glowing .. Who doesn't want to keep their skin looking and feeling its best, at any age? 

While there are numerous trending ingredients that promise results, one super-ingredient works harder than nearly any other in the game. And until now, it's remained out of sight and largely untapped in the beauty conversation. 

Our skincare secret? Full flower hemp. It's unmatched when it comes to strengthening the barrier and repairing daily damage, while also keeping skin calm, hydrated and naturally vibrant. That's why it's front-and-center in Muri Lelu's Full Flower Ritual. 

And while it's holistic potential has been revered for centuries, it's millennia-old wisdom is now backed by science. Numerous studies have been conducted on full flower hemp extracts. including one one recently conducted by scientists that confirmed the plant has the power to improve many of skin's core building blocks. 

How does full-flower hemp positively impact baseline skin function and health?

1. Hemp rebalances the skin barrier. Our skin barrier keeps us safe from bacteria and toxins, and preserves the moisture skin needs to stay healthy. When our barrier is compromised, skin becomes dry, sensitive, irritated, red or blemish-prone. Hemp helps skin maintain healthy and normal barrier function, keeping these harmful signs of inflammation at bay. 

2. Hemp is one of nature's most potent anti-aging ingredients. Antioxidants fight damage caused by free radials, compounds that impact our skin cells health and accelerate the aging process. Shown to contain more antioxidative properties than either Vitamin C and E, hemp is a powerful treatment for dark spots, fine lines, wrinkles and other signs of aging.

3. Hemp increases hydration levels in skin. Hemp helps increase the amount of moisture that our skin can retain, giving a hydrated and healthy appearance. 

4. Hemp keeps blemish-causing excess oil in check. Hemp has been shown  to reduce excess sebum — a major component in acne formation — production and regulate the hormones that produce oil in the first place. 

5. Hemp calms, soothes and de-stresses skin. A powerful anti-inflammatory with ultra-soothing properties, hemp calms painful irritation and reduces redness. A perfect ingredient for eczema, rosacea and sensitive skin. 

Each of these benefits are powerful on their own, but in combination they are nature's most innovative way to support the continued health and vibrancy of our skin throughout our lives and the aging process. Products featuring full flower hemp, like Muri Lelu's Full Flower Ritual, harness the full potential of this super-ingredient for a radiant complexion. 

First things first: Megan Graham is a woman after our own heart. 

Driven by insatiable wanderlust, Megan is the founder of Ries Beauty, a new brand that absolutely needs to be on your radar. Born out of the desire to create a better experience for People of Color who lacked reliable ways to travel with hair care products, Ries is the first collection of refillable travel beauty containers made from sustainable materials.

We recently caught up with Megan to talk travel hacks, tackling sustainability and the beauty of anthuriums in full bloom. 

From our very first call with Shae Johnson (@northandstate_estheticsstudio) — esthetician and founder of natural skin services destination North & State — it was apparent we had met someone as passionate about plants as we are.

A staunch advocate of hemp’s ability to holistically heal mind, body and skin, Shae is part of a new wave of estheticians bringing plant medicine into treatment rooms and using it to repair clients’ compromised skin.

We caught up with Shae for conversation on self-care, feeling beautiful in your skin and how our favorite flower helps skin thrive. Read highlights from our chat below and during September tune into our Instagram for exclusive education, tutorials and a behind-the-scenes facial with Shae.

Muri Lelu: For those who aren't familiar with you or your work, please introduce yourself! 

Shae Johnson: Hi yes, my name is Shae and I am an Esthetician specializing in plant focused and natural skin care services at North & State - a private studio outside of Minneapolis, MN. My focus is relaxing and healing facials as well as brow art! 

ML: How did your journey into being an esthetician begin? How did you end up opening your practice today? 

SJ: So I always say I grew up in the industry & my mom is still a practicing barber/cosmetologist of 40 + years! I became fascinated by the work of Estheticians as a young adult when I first learned it was such a niche group of service providers at the time. I really liked the dynamic of the Estheticians I began to know in the industry. I started out in makeup (of course) and quickly realized I was way more intrigued in advancing my practice beyond just making people look and feel beautiful with cosmetics.  

ML: Muri Lelu is all about unlocking the holistic benefits of all botanicals, including ones that have been overlooked or considered taboo. For a plant like hemp which (unfortunately) still carries a stigma, how do you typically get your clients to begin considering its beautifying benefits? 

SJ: It’s so funny because I think it’s ridiculous that people can legally smoke cigarettes knowing what we know but then we still have to regularly defend a plant with more healing benefits than you can keep track of. And that’s exactly how I explain it to my clients and to anyone who will listen really. So many mainstream commercial brands and products out there are either using plants, or more often synthetic ingredients that act like plants - it makes more sense to me to use ethically harvested plants with proven potent benefits to cure and heal us vs synthetic ingredients or animal derived chemicals that don’t even preform with the same efficacy. 

ML: What types of skin would you typically recommend products with full flower hemp for? As an esthetician, what do you see as the most impactful benefits of this super ingredient? 

SJ: I regularly suggest that anyone use full flower hemp, or at least try it in their skincare routine if they have not. It’s so effective in what it can do for dry or sensitive skin but I also suggest clients to use [it] for hydration and and balance - keeping that outer layer of our skin healthy and bright. It’s also sebum balancing - so we know if someone is over producing bacterial oil, full flower hemp can help regulate that. I really do believe anyone can use [this plant] for healing skincare purposes. 

ML: You champion the healing powers of plant medicine across both your esthetician practice and your own wellness and self-care practices. What drew you to more holistic modalities of healing and what were some of the easiest things you did to begin making a more conscious shift in your daily routine? 

SJ: So I think every year I feel a little more connected with nature than the last. Growing up and still to this day, my mother takes great pride in gardening. She always instilled in us the importance of eating things from the earth. We spent a lot of time in the garden and outside as kids and I grew akin to trusting plants and nature as being the most beneficial things for our body. The “easiest” shift for me was quitting alcohol! I know that sounds extremely difficult - and it is in this world - but when I quit drinking I started to become more and more interested and aware in the ways of preserving my body and caring for myself. 

ML: The definition of self-care continues to expand and shift, sometimes drifting far from what it is at its core: a well-rounded practice of replenishing the self. When you strip it all back, what do you consider essential acts of self-care? 

SJ: At the absolute core of self-care to me means caring for your nervous system, your mind and body. Massaging your face for even 60 seconds a day can shift your mood and mental well being. Being given a facial massage for 60minutes can reset your nervous system and calm your anxiety. Of course rewarding ourselves with acts of kindness and the occasional material possession is instant gratification, but to deeply care for yourself and/or schedule time to be taken care of, is invaluably beneficial.  

ML: When do you feel most beautiful in your own skin?

SJ: When I am in the water and in the sun! I always feel my best externally and internally when I am near or in water for sure.