2019-04-01 Women's Health

6 / WOMEN’S HEALTH

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APRIL 20 19

I’m not the only one with an affinity for the term.

Natural is such a buzzword in the wellness world—three in five millennial

women say they prefer the “natural look,” according to a recent survey—but

it’s used in many different (and sometimes confusing) ways. In our first-ever

Natural Issue, WH explores a variety of categories to answer this question:

What are the products, tips, hacks, exercises, and more that will help you eat,

sweat, sleep, and even look better...all while doing good for the environment

we love so much? (You must check out “The Conscious Kitchen” on page 85;

it completely altered the way my family shops for and stores food.) Consider

this your WH guide to it all.

LIZ PLOSSER

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

@lizplosser

At WH, we’re passionate

about including a diverse

mix of women on the pages

of our magazine—different

skin colors, various sizes,

curly hair, straight hair,

short hair, long hair, gap-

toothed smiles, freckles,

birthmarks, scars.

It’s not to check some box for politi-

cal correctness. We’re genuine

sup er fa n s of what we c a l l “nat u r a l

beauty,” or the perfectly imper-

fe c t fe at u re s t hat m a ke e ach of u s

unique...and awesome.

One way my husband, Matt,

makes me feel awesome is when he

calls me a “natural beauty.” Usually

I hear the compliment just before

bed, when I’m fluffing the duvet in

my tank top and boyshorts, my face

freshly washed, moisturized, and

glowy from my nighttime beauty

ritual. What could be better than

being the truest version of yourself

and feeling beautiful?

According to experts, going au

naturel is better for your skin,

your hair, and the planet. I’m not

suggesting you skip products or

cosmetics, but as our beauty team

prove s i n “Gre en D re a m s” (page

41) and “Be a Sustainable Beauty

Junkie” (page 138), when you take

t he t i me to re ad i ng re d ient label s—

and dispose of your finished beauty

products responsibly—it makes

a majorly positive impact. Their

product recs and recycling tips are

total game changers.

A s we do i n ever y i s sue of WH,

we spotlight many badass women

this month. For instance? The ones

i n “O u r Pa i n Is Inv i sible. But We’re

Not.” (page 144), who live with stag-

geringly painful health conditions—

l i ke fibromya lg ia, Ly me d i se a se, a nd

Crohn’s disease—that are impercep-

tible to the rest of the world. But

they are determined to let their in-

ner and outer beauty shine through.

I tell my 7-year-old daughter,

Lucy, every single night that she’s a

natural beauty, and that I mean it

in a million different ways—from

her darling freckles to her talent for

sewing to her cartwheels in gym-

nastics class. At the end of the day,

I want her (and all of you!) to know

t hat ’s what it ’s a l l ab out: bei ng

your natural self and letting your

personal spark dazzle the world.

No makeup, no filters,

mountain air and

deep sleep...all the best

stuff! At Dunton Hot

Springs in Colorado.

THE

ISSUE

NATURAL