Turndown Service with Ashley Perkins

Apr 27, 2022

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Turn Down Service

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What products should you no longer use when you get pregnant for the first time? For Ashley, navigating her pregnancy with her first daughter meant looking for non-toxic products that wouldn’t affect skin disorders, hormone distribution or general health– and, much to her surprise, it was much harder to do than she thought. Queue in Ashely’s new lifestyle that is turning get-ready-with-me routines on their head. Using her experience as a trained chef and AADP Certified Holistic Health Coach, Ashley founded Natur, the holistic, non-toxic, chemical-free hair care line that is one of her key elements in her zero-waste, clean living habits. But what is she doing when she’s not leading her incredible startup?

What’s your favorite (hidden) oasis?

I love being out in Long Island (can’t tell you where or else it wouldn’t be hidden), walking on the beach, by the ocean and in the dunes with my family. St Barths is also a favorite and of course you can never beat a fabulous dinner in New York City in a cozy candlelit, small restaurant with my hubby, some good friends, and delicious food. What oasis is on your bucket list?
What oasis is on your bucket list?

I want to take my family to Greece! My girls are amazing swimmers, true naturalists, and love food and so I know they would enjoy every second! Now that my older ones are bigger, a few other ones are New Zealand or Patagonia (we love being active so somewhere we can hike and be outdoors is a must).
What book are you currently unwinding with?

Besides the parenting books that are always in rotation, right now it’s “No Drama Discipline.” I also just started “Where the Crawdads Sing” and I can’t wait to dive into it. With three young kids, I find it hard to carve out the time, but I love getting into a good book.
What five songs make up the sound track of your life?
- Such a hard question! There are too many to count. I have always loved all different types of music and have it playing in my house, especially the kitchen, during the day.
  
  Right now we have Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift on repeat (currently all I listen to with 10 and 7 year old girls).
What is your favorite hidden space in your home?

I love sitting outside on my back porch looking at the beautiful tropical trees and orchids. I also love my vegetable garden. It gives me the greatest joy when my kids eat right from it picking lettuces, kale, tomatoes and anything else that is growing.
What is your personal "turndown routine" that helps you transition from day to night?

After I get the kids to bed, I love taking time for some self care, face mask, cleansing, moisturizing and then some bedtime tea.
What's our favorite maxi dress or jumpsuit and why?

I love Ulla Johnson dresses, they are instant style, feminine and fun.
What is something you do just for you?

I try to get in a workout everyday. Sometimes it’s only 15 min but whatever I can do I am grateful for. Moving my body makes me feel like I took time for myself. I try to do it early in the morning (5am). Usually it consists of a 45 min (Sculpt Society) workout, short meditation, and then some coffee and emails before the kids wake up.
What's one piece of advice for someone looking to start being more "clean" with their products but is a little overwhelmed with where to start? Any must have products?

Start small, clean living is a journey. I would remove all synthetic fragrances first. This is a huge step for most people because you don’t realize most of the personal care you are using has fragrances that are made in laboratory (body washes, shampoo, conditioner, perfume, candles). That means anything in the ingredient list that says “fragrance” or “perfume.” The reason being is most of these fragrance contain hundreds of different ingredients that don’t need to be listed. Some contain Phthalates, which are endocrine disruptors and most are harmful to our health.
How do you incorporate your philosophies on clean, low-waste, environmentally friendly living with your children?

In our home we believe less is more. We make our own home cleaning products, we use coconut oil for everything, we try to purchase in glass bottles when we can, we cook a lot, we enjoy experiences more than things, and we try to spend as much time in nature as we can.