happy new year, crunchies! i hope you and yours are happy and healthy!
it’s been quite some time since i’ve posted on AE… not to mention, i left without a word. you deserve an explanation. right? right.
the last 8 months have been quite the period of growth, challenges, great losses, and great gains. i had a lot going on in my personal life, and although not what i wanted or ever intended for me & AE, it was a good timeout from social media.
from the bottom of my heart, i’m sorry for disappearing without saying anything. i hope you can get back on board with me, and be the amazing source of support and inspiration you always have been (not only for me and AE, but for each other).
i’ve had time to work through things in my personal life, and now i’m back to AE. i’m ready. i’m focused.
AE update:
i want to bring back this blog to its true form of DIY green beauty and tailored support for our community. this means i want to get back to the basics of empowering each of you to understand ingredients and their uses. this will not only give you the ability to mix up whatever you need, but also will give you as a consumer the power to read ingredient labels and know exactly what each is and what the purpose of each is. i also want this community to further empower each other by providing a space to share ideas, mixes, new ingredient discoveries, etc.
on the flip side, that would also mean no product reviews (like makeup, lotions, etc). do i use products? sure. do i support these green beauty companies? absolutely! but there are a ton of amazingly talented bloggers already reviewing wonderful products of every type.
what do you think? your input is very valuable!
see you later this week for a new DIY!
i’ve missed you so much.
almostexactlyblog.com 
Hi Alex,
I’m glad you’re back because now I can finally thank you. Inspired by you I started putting argan oil on my face and doing OCM. Very slowly I saw little improvements and now about two years later I use only argan oil and wash my face with warm water and my skin is finally starting to look really good. So thank you!
…and I’m mostly interested in DIY and I like to read about your experience.
Petra
aw petra, thank YOU! i’m glad to have you here and supporting… and also that the green beauty swaps are treating you well! love.
Of course everyone will be back on board- your blog is one of the best ones out there for us crunchies! And your index page is like the Bible for no-poo hair care and other DIY options. 🙂
For that reason, I’d love to see the focus on DIY products and ingredients. I find that the most fulfilling replacements of commercial products are those that are DIY, healthy, effective, inexpensive, and support sustainability.
My two cents and welcome back!
thank you so much for the kind and supportive words, trisha! what kind of DIYs are you most interested in seeing? love!
Makeup is what I still haven’t tackled, so that would be awesome!
perfect; thank you!
Wooo!!!! I have followed your blog for years and must say that I squealed with excitement when I was notified about the new post!! Welcome back. We’ve missed you and are sending good vibes your way for a fresh and happy new year ❤
ahh; thank you so much scarlett!! happy new year to you as well. all my love!!
Woohoo! So glad to have you back. Must say I have strayed a bit from my crunchy ways but looking forward to getting back to it this year. You are an inspiration and a ray of hope in this crazy consumerism world where fact and fiction seem to be used interchangeably. Thank you for the update!
thank you so much kristin! that means a lot. looking forward to seeing you on the blog!
I’m excited your back! 😀 Would you mind posting trusted bloggers who review natural/pure products? I would love to diy everything but with working full time, going back to school, working out and taking care of my toddler time is hard to come by. Lol. I’ve always trusted your blog because of your background and interest. It’s been harder to find other bloggers for me 😕😊 hope things are much better and stay that way!
thank you, aieyerra! yes – that is a great suggestion. i’ll definitely work on a list of bloggers. love!
Love this idea too!
I love that idea too!
Welcome back! looking forward to reading your posts again 🙂
thank you izzy! so happy you’re still here and supporting! love!
This is great news. Welcome back, and thank you for offering a great example of self-love and respect by stepping away from the whirl of social media when you needed to. Though we all missed you here, it is inspiring to read from you now and to understand that this was an important and necessary time for you. I’m also glad to read of the shift back to a DIY focus and away from product reviews (though I totally bought and love several of the green products you’ve recommended); making my own products from simple and natural ingredients is so much more grounding for me. Looking forward to your posts, and happy new year!
thank you so much for the thoughtful words and support. that means a lot! and thank you for your thoughts. i’ll keep this in mind! happy new to you too love!
Hey Alex,
It’s great to see you back! ♡♡♡
Hope you’re doing well and please know, that there are people all around the world that truly appreciate you, because of your work and honesty and the will to share with us your knowledge. If there’s something that we can do as a small society for you – feel free to engage us 🙂
I even think that perhaps a forum might be a good platform for such a collaboration 🙂
Have a wonderful weekend!
…and is it me or have you shorten your hair???
yes! i cut a loottt of it off haha. i’m debating whether or not to grow it back out… what do you think?!
thank you licentia!! you are so kind. and what a Great suggestion! i’m definitely going to find a way to host a forum on the blog so everything is in one spot for you. thank you for your support!!
Very glad to hear that you are back! I hope you are well. I’m over in the UK and looking forward to getting better at reducing chemicals further. The main ones I still use are dishwasher tablets. Have failed to make anything good enough so far! Otherwise I also have bought some makeup by Tropic, but I’m not 100% sure how good it is I’d love to hear what you think xx
thank you!! those are great post topics 🙂 i’ll whip something up!