My Body Care Routine: Rosie Johnston of By/Rosie Jane on making the shower an oasis

When Johnston launched By/Rosie Jane as a clean fragrance brand in 2010, she didn’t plan to include body-care products. Though her brand was built on empowering others to feel, smell and do good, Johnston struggled with body shame. She owed that to the impact rigid societal standards of beauty have on women and their perception of themselves.

During the pandemic, however, something shifted internally for Johnston. Spending a substantial amount of time at home and unable to go outside gave Johnston the opportunity she needed to learn to accept every inch of her body. It was in the shower — away from the stresses of motherhood and running a business, and the judgment from others — that Johnston found the safe space she needed to accept her body, flaws and all. And after a lifetime of self-doubt, this new, accepting version of Johnston wanted to learn more about her body, body care and ways to help others who may be struggling with similar issues.

“I’m married and I have three children who were all young [during Covid-19]; no one was in school. As we couldn’t leave our houses, it was a crazy time,” Johnston told Glossy. “The shower and bathroom experience became my escape. … I had up to five minutes [of alone time], and it became my oasis. That’s [what sparked the idea] to create products that have benefits for skin, that make you feel like you’re doing something [special] for yourself and that have ties to the fragrance world.”

The idea to create a luxurious-feeling body-care product that can be used in the shower led to By/Rosie Jane’s line of body washes in 2021. From the Rosie Everyday Body Wash to Johnston’s personal favorite Wake the F*ck Up Body Wash, each product is full of essential oils, antioxidants, clean ingredients and fresh-smelling fragrances. Together, they hydrate the body and also boost your mood, she said.

“[The shower] is an uplifting space. If you read into the mental health of what showering does for people, it’s unbelievable. It changes the whole course of their day, having the opportunity to feel clean, loved and spend time with yourself,” Johnston said.

As Johnston explained, taking showers is extremely beneficial to both the mind and body. Cold showers have especially shown health benefits, including improved circulation and temporary improvements in brain function. Plus, people who take cold showers get sick less, according to the World Economic Forum. However, the extent of shower health benefits and their exact reasons remain to be determined.  And although showers and personal hygiene are nothing new, the TikTok trend #everythingshower has also significantly helped increase the awareness of its health and overall well-being benefits. Currently, the hashtag has almost 143 million views on the social platform.

According to Johnston, the timing of this new trend and her self-love journey could not be more fortuitous. Through her new foray into body care, Johnston has gained not only a new level of confidence but also a new demographic of consumers: body-care enthusiasts. Johnston says By/Rosie Jane will continue experimenting within the body-care category and to release products that make people like their best selves. With that, Johnston shared that the brand has a new body-care product set to launch in May, but she declined to provide more information.

Read on for more highlights from the conversation.

Johnston’s full body-care routine
“My normal weekly shower is pretty quick. I generally shower with our Wake the F*ck Up Body Wash, because this blend of essential oils is designed to invigorate and make me feel ready [for the day]. I use body oil daily — I use it in the shower. I love to drench myself, so that when I’m drying, I’m left with this sheen of skin. Sundays are my ‘I’m going to take time in the shower’ [days], where I shave my legs and take much more time [to pamper myself]. I exfoliate my skin and dry brush before I get in, which I love. I do a full head-to-toe wash: I wash my hair, I shave and I exfoliate my face. It takes me longer than any other day. I will even fake tan on a Sunday. It’s my once-a-week thing, and I do it with oil, [even though] I know you’re not supposed to put a lot of moisturizer on. For me, [Sundays] have become more about body appreciation. I grew up my entire life not loving my body. In today’s society, I would be considered mildly overweight, especially when I was growing up, so I always had body-loathing issues. During Covid-19, and really in my mid- to early-40s, is when I finally started to be like, ‘OK, I’ve had three babies, I’m fit, and I’m healthy. I need to stop this body-shaming of myself.’ So that’s also what [my Sunday routine] has become. I do my mantras. I [express] gratitude, and I tell myself, ‘[My body] may not be perfect, but it’s mine. It’s healthy, it’s strong. It’s given birth to three babies. It runs a business every day. I need to love you in every way I can.’”

Shop Rosie Johnston’s Holy Grail products below.

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