Think that Kourtney Kardashian is a radical loon refusing to use deodorant while nursing? Tired of hearing that Cross Fit/Paleo fanatical dude across the hall from you at work drone on and on about the dangers of aspartame and fake sugars.  While I embrace health, wellness and nutrition I have to admit I was getting a bit skeptical (and overwhelmed by so many claims)until encountering Indie Lee.

Indie Lee is a natural ingredients advocate, who has devoted her life to educating consumers on the dangerous contaminants that consume our lives. Following her recovery from a life-threatening brain tumor, likely caused by environmental toxins in food products and cleaning and skin care products, Indie left her corporate suits and lifestyle behind to re-dedicate her life to educating consumers on the hidden dangers of chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products. She took it upon herself to provide a healthy, non-toxic alternative. From this notion, .Indie Lee & Co. was born.

Indie is based in the big apple so I couldn't actually sit down with her as I hoped. Instead I sent her the below questions and marveled at her replies.  One of many lessons learned: do what you love.  The rest will follow. 

LACEE:  Your site has an extensive listing of Good Ingredients as well as Ingredients To Avoid. If you were to advise readers of 2 ingredients to
always use and 2 ingredients to always avoid what would they
be?

INDIE: That’s a tough one…so many on each side of the equation.
I think avoiding is a bit easier –
Formaldehyde releasing preservatives. These bad boys slowly release small
amounts of formaldehyde, which we know causes cancer.
Parfum/Fragrance listings – there is a huge loophole in cosmetic ingredient
labeling. Manufacturers are not required to disclose fragrance ingredients;
instead they can just list the term parfum or fragrance. This “term” most
often represents a number of potentially hazardous chemicals
that are now hidden from product labels. Many of which are phthalates,
which are suspected endocrine disruptors.
Always Ingredients –
My favorite ingredient to formulate skin care with is Squalane. A fantastic
moisturizer and anti-oxidant for any skin type. I could probably write an
essay on this ingredient alone. Specifically, I use Squalane derived from
organic olives.
I also love jojoba oil (which is technically a wax) but a fantastic
moisturizer that is similar to our skins sebum. I use it all over my body
and hair. It’s just so versatile.

LACEE: The Clear Skin Drink on your site look UH-MAZING. Do you have any other go to quick healthy
recipes or on the go snack ideas to share?

INDIE: You should see our office…it always has healthy snacks on hand (ok and some
not so healthy snacks too – it’s all about balance after all).
I love almonds – I try to make sure we always have raw unsalted almonds
(with their skins) in the pantry for our team. Almonds are high in vitamin
E, fiber, protein, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The antioxidants serve
to actively cleanse and eliminate toxins and free radical damage in your
body. Vitamin E, abundant in almonds, is often called a skin food as it
nourishes your skin. The high fiber content smoothens our digestive system.
Although not normally something we like to talk about (when discussing
beauty), but constipation is often associated with acne – as your body is
not cleansing toxins from your body properly.
I’m also a huge fan of fresh berries as a snack. There is something so
decadent about berries in a beautiful bowl or in a yogurt parfait.
Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries are all chock full of healthy
vitamins and high in antioxidants essential for repairing free-radical
damage. Further – they are delicious. My kids and I love to pick them in
season…we have tons of raspberry and blackberry bushes on our property.
We’ve been known to go out and pick them before the day gets started and
have them for breakfast.
Being blessed with a large greenhouse in my backyard, I have the luxury of
growing micro greens for extended seasons. These babies are incredible in
salads and have incredibly high levels of beta-carotene. If you have enough
sunlight on a windowsill – you can easily grow these in your home.

LACEE: On your site you candidly write about the discovery of your tumor
leading to the discovery of your calling and purpose. I especially enjoyed
this.

"So I created all natural, 100% organic baby body products for my soon to
be nephew. Wow what a great idea everyone said, you should market it
separately. Of course my inner voice said gee that would be fun, but could
it be successful? No matter how many people believed I could do it, I had to
believe in myself."

This resonates with me as too often I encounter friends, co-workers, loved
ones (even myself at one time) who struggle with believing in themselves and
acknowledging their true calling.If you could give any advice or insight to our readers on how to foster
their inner calling what would it be?

INDIE: Live passionately. I’ve found that if you do what you love, trust your
inner (positive) voice, success will follow. Positive energy produces
positive results. While I have bad days, I always look for the silver
lining or positive angle to what was bringing me down. From that, the
negativity is spun around. I don’t have bad days so often, because you get
into a habit of just creating a positive environment. It’s way too much
energy to fight our instincts and we have so little time in scheme of this
journey called life to not do what we love and what we are meant to do.

And now for Indie's signature DIY EGG WHITE MASK !!!!

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