Integrity: When It All Comes Together
If you have been a longtime follower of Brooklyn Herborium/Between You & the Moon, you probably have noticed that two of our products from our Between You & the Moon Functional Skincare line have updated names: Holy Cow Mineral Mist and Biome Rehabilitation Peel have been renamed Integrity Mineral Mist and Integrity Biome Mask, respectively, to reflect their unique relationship in supporting the skin’s structural integrity. (The product formulations have stayed the same.) You also may have noticed that the unique services that make a Level 2 or 3 facial so special are now offered as standalone services within our menu. Read to the bottom for details.
Integrity Mineral Mist and Integrity Biome Mask focus on supporting the physical structure of the skin, building integrity of the collagen and elastin fibers in addition to making the skin a hospitable terrain for the beneficial microorganisms that symbiotically colonize and protect us.
- Integrity Mineral Mist is used daily with Nourish & Replenish Oil to create a personalized Moisture Duo by spraying 5 pumps of the Integrity Mineral Mist directly into 3 drops of Nourish & Replenish. Integrity Mineral Mist is made of the purest distillate of regionally grown organic tulsi (holy basil) and necessary minerals for good skin-cell communication. There are no artificial ingredients.
- Integrity Biome Mask is used weekly by mixing equal amounts of the dry powder (1/2 tsp) with hot water (1/2 tsp) and allowing the mixture to sit for 2 minutes before applying to the skin. It is generally removed after 10 to 15 minutes. It can also be made with slightly more water and used like a scrub/cleanser, and then removed immediately with a warm, wet washcloth. Integrity Biome Mask is prepared by hand from organic, whole plants (leaves, bark, stems, and roots) and algae, which have been dried with care to retain their botanical properties and methodically pulverized to create this product’s incredible texture when mixed with water. There are no artificial ingredients.
(Please note, as you read through our website and watch our YouTube videos, that it may take some time for us to update all our information. Thank you for your patience!)
The Road Less Traveled
Our method offers four “pathways” that can be mixed and matched to complete your regimen and improve your rituals. We have named them to help you identify what skin with specific conditions needs in order to find relief and thrive. The other three pathways have kept their same names (and purposes), so the four together are:
Pore Refining
The Pore Refining pathway supports the skin’s lubrication-and-hydration function (oil/water balance and barrier) and is great when you experience dehydration, blackheads, milia, or irritation related to barrier issues, or when you just want a little pep.
Sense & Sensitivity
The Sense & Sensitivity pathway supports the skin’s cellular-communication function (immune response) and is loved by those who experience reactivity and inflammation due to immune or autoimmune response, and by those who are simply looking for a lovely sensory experience.
Clear Complexion
The Clear Complexion pathway supports the skin’s elimination function and greatly benefits those who are going through a period where the body is using the skin as an organ of elimination, resulting in stress bumps and pimples.
Integrity
The Integrity pathway supports the body’s first-line-of-defense function (physical structure of the skin and its symbiotic biome), preventing environmental damage, scars, and chronic infection, and is helpful when the skin needs to rebuild in a strong yet flexible way.
Focused Integrative Therapies
Our menu of services has also been updated to reflect our unique way of supporting skin function by offering Brooklyn Herborium’s Focused Integrative Therapy sessions. These specialized services allow the client to choose the results while the holistic aesthetician chooses the exact methods. We use our Between You & the Moon Functional Skincare line, which has no artificial ingredients or preservatives, in each of our services.
Integrative Therapy for Barrier Repair
This service is suitable for anyone who experiences symptoms related to the skin’s oil/water balance. Such symptoms may include oily patches; uneven, mottled texture; enlarged pores; chapped skin; or dry (flaky) patches.
Integrative Therapy for Biome Rehabilitation
This service is appropriate for anyone who is experiencing symptoms related to biome integrity. Such symptoms may include pimples with pus; areas of uneven texture; or large, inflamed, painful welts that tend toward infection.
Integrative Therapy for Reducing Redness and Reactivity
This service can be helpful for anyone who wants to break the negative feedback loop of inflammation overload and support harmonious cellular communication. Clients with overreactivity (symptoms may include inflammation, rosacea, or a tendency toward hives or eczema) have benefited from this therapy.
Integrative Therapy to Improve the Appearance of Old Scars
This service is for clients of all ages who want to improve the appearance of skin that has been afflicted with past conditions that may have resulted in hyperpigmentation, red spots, uneven skin texture, and scars. However, this therapy is only suitable when the skin is functioning optimally; we do not perform this treatment if the skin is experiencing an immune response, or if you are currently on suppressive therapies.
Integrative Therapy for Maintaining Radiance at Every Age
This service is for clients of all ages who want to maintain their radiance while improving the appearance of past conditions that may have resulted in loss of elasticity, dark spots, hyperpigmentation, fine lines, or wrinkles. This therapy is suitable for anyone, though it’s most beneficial when the skin is functioning optimally.
(Please note: Addressing congestion and dehydration requires a Functional Facial. Brooklyn Herborium’s Functional Facial is a specialized, holistic facial that focuses on supporting the facial skin as it functions as a barrier, as a communicator, and as an important organ of elimination. Integrative Therapies targeted toward individualized issues may be added as needed — Level 2 and Level 3.)
Modalities We Utilize in Our Integrative Therapies
Herbal Compression
Herbal Compression is a longstanding traditional method of applying nourishment and herbal actions directly where they are needed by using hot water and appropriate steeping times to break apart the cell walls of the plant material and release the nutrients into water. Organic cotton towels absorb this enhanced water and are applied directly to the face with a compression massage for a relaxing treatment that allows the herbal properties to penetrate deeply into the skin’s tissues, while messaging integumentary glands and vessels.
Facial Point Stimulation
Facial Point Stimulation, though a beauty-enhancement service, is similar to acupressure or reflexology in that stimulating the surface of the skin sends a reflexive message to the subtle body and resonates within, revving up the organ systems. It is a time-proven energetic modality that allows the practitioner and the receiver to focus on internal balance in the body’s quest for total equanimity, increasing overall vitality. We developed this method over many years of clinical practice to simplify the process for daily use while bringing the focus back to the obfuscated ancient teachings and returning healing back to the self.
Fascia Lymphatic Manipulation
Fascia Lymphatic Manipulation is a modern method developed at Brooklyn Herborium to pinpoint the most effective use of Functional Facial Massage Contouring techniques that focus on the fascia and enhance it with a gentle form of manual lymphatic drainage in order to achieve lasting, gorgeous results without resorting to painful, invasive, or “heroic” means. Paired with elemental energy, it can create an immediate effect of lifting saggy skin and the longer-term benefits of evening overall skin tone, reducing puffiness, and minimizing the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and old scars.
Phototherapy
We have been working with phototherapy in conjunction with our own Between You & the Moon skincare line for over 10 years. It is complementary to both conventional and functional skin care and can be utilized while rebuilding the skin’s health, as well as when a more active catalyst is needed to facilitate the return of the skin to its natural state of health and beauty.
Phototherapy lights penetrate deeply into the very bottom layers of the epidermis to transform the skin by encouraging the young cells to reproduce with their original, non-damaged programs and messages. The uppermost layer of skin looks and feels radiant upon the completion of each service, and the full results of each individual treatment reach the surface about 14 days (or half a skin cycle of 28 days) later.
Results are actual and cumulative. This means:
- The more treatments you do, the more results you see.
- The closer together that you book your sessions (no closer than every two weeks, though), the faster you see the results (but just doing one every once in a while also has benefits).
- The changes you make stay with you (it’s not just a lift-it-up-and-then-it-falls-down-again kind of service!), and you can continue to maintain and further improve those results by choosing to continue with sessions after your initial program of series is finished.
Exfoliation
Advanced Exfoliation may be added for an additional cost when appropriate. Consult with your Brooklyn Herborium aesthetician if you think you are a candidate.
- Diamond Dermabrasion can be added onto a facial or Integrative Therapy session to improve the appearance of old scars and texture.
- Ultrasonic Lift-Off with BT-Micro is recommended for thickened skin with impacted congestion in the areas where we want phototherapy to penetrate deeply.
- Alpha-Beta Peel is recommended for resetting oil function and giving the skin an amazing glow 10 to 15 days later.
- Seasonal Pumpkin Enzyme Peel is recommended for immediate gratification and promoting cellular renewal.
- Silk & Pearls is the ultimate in all-natural luxury, preparing the skin for penetration of light in phototherapy and leaving the face soft, silky, and luminescent.
Any Integrative Therapy may be scheduled as a standalone service (55 minutes, $224), as part of a Level 2 Functional Facial (75 minutes, $319), or with added exfoliation as part of a Level 3 Functional Facial (90 minutes, $424).
By Emma Graves
Emma, a certified herbalist and highly skilled aesthetician, has been working in natural skin care since 1998. She originally developed the Between You & the Moon product line to serve her clients in finding a method of natural, holistic skin care that provided tangible results. A 4+ generation holistic practitioner, Emma chronicled her love of skin care and holistic methods in her early blog “The Pimple Whisperer,” some of which is still available on this website.