BehrHull Stories

Postpartum Glow Up

After just having my third baby in 5 years I felt like I was in need of a serious glow up. Now I am not sure if I am done having kids or not, but either way I have never felt so motivated to start focusing on my health more than I have been and trying to get my groove back. I also just had to have my gallbladder removed, so it’s time to make a big overhaul on all things health and wellness.

Starting with the loss of my dad, I have slowly really let myself go. I got pregnant with Palmer shortly after he passed, so it snowballed. I was adjusting to being a mom and then got pregnant again, so everything has just fallen to the wayside. The adjustment from zero to one felt easier than one to two, but I wasn’t prioritizing my health whatsoever. One to two was really hard on me. I felt mom guilt about not being able to give Palmer my full attention and I was also working, and we were in a small house that felt overrun with baby equipment. This time I feel pretty confident about being a mom, I know that I am giving my kids the best gift that I can (and they are obsessed with their sister) and there just feels like a lot less of the “unknown.” I just had the healthiest pregnancy that I have had and I want to keep that rolling.

I spent a whole day (with the help of ChatGPT) honing in on the optimal skincare/haircare routine for me. I am in my 30’s and need to start taking care of myself if I want to age gracefully. So here is what we came up with according to my low tox agenda. I am not outrageously low tox/crunchy, but I do want to try limit as much exposure to toxic ingredients where I can. For the most part these brands are accredited as “low tox,” but there are a few that are just dermatology grade products. Here is what ChatGPT and I came up with and have been doing for the last few months:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday EXFOLIATE

☀️Morning

These are all the current products I am using in the morning or plan to try next. The jade roller just makes me feel like I’m getting my blood and lymph system going. Not sure if it is really doing anything, but it makes me feel like it is. If I have a screaming baby this is the step that I will skip.

I like to just do a quick rinse with micellar water in the morning because it helps me feel refreshed before I put on any other products. I’m not picky about micellar water. I’ve used the brand linked above and the Garnier one.

The Dr. Dennis Gross and Obagi make my skin look incredible, but they aren’t necessarily the low tox brands I am looking for. They are dermatological grade skincare and very high quality, which means they are probably better at combatting the wrinkles, but I want to prioritize the low tox over that. Everyone has their different priorities! I had these before I started looking into cleaner skincare so I am trying to finish that bottle before trying the Mae Love and Sunday Riley (both of which I have heard great thing about!) I have also used the Mad Hippie because it is what I bought my husband and I really like that one as well! My problem is I like to try a bunch of different options before I pick a favorite.

The niacinamide serum gives me the hydration that I like before I put on the SPF. It just seems like some extra hydration for my skin and I like to do that in the morning on the nights that I am exfoliating because that can dry me out a bit. I have also noticed that it helps with the sticky feeling of the vitamin C. I started out using Naturium and I like it a lot. I just got the Glow Beauty and the Eight Saints and I have been rotating those so I use one Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I like them all and haven’t really been favoring one over the others. I am going to try the Alpyn Beauty and Three Ships when I need a new one to try!

I like to use the Beauty by Earth caffeinated eye cream in the mornings because it seems to make my eyes look brighter. Sometimes I will do the Obagi in the morning too instead of the cream, just depends on how I am feeling. The 100% caffeinated cream is what my husband uses and I also like that one. I am looking for a can’t live without product. The Obagi is definitely something I can’t live without, but I want a caffeine cream for the mornings. I am excited to try the Osea Ocean Eyes and Sunday Riley next!!

I am going back and forth between Sky and Sol and Color Science Tinted SPF for my SPF right now. I really like the Color Science because it doesn’t get in my eyes when I sweat like other SPFs I’ve used before. I also like that there is a little tint to it, so I don’t feel like I need to put on any make up. The Sky and Sol feels a little thicker, but not in a way that I don’t like it. I really like to use that on my neck and chest because it feels like it gets really good coverage. I’ve used EltaMD in the past and it’s a great option. I just wanted to try something new and bought the color science from my local esthetician. The Juice Beauty and the Suntegrity are the next options I want to try!

🌙Evening 

Avoid bakuchiol or retinol on these nights.

By the end of the day I am always really looking forward to washing my face. The gua sha is the same as the jade roller for me – I like to do it, but if I am up against the kids’ bedtime that is what I am going to skip. I like to make sure that I do it before an event or I know I’m going to see a lot of people because it does seem to make my face less puffy after I do it.

Right now I am alternating between the Osea Ocean Cleanser and the Mad Hippie Cream cleanser. They are both so gentle on my face but make me feel clean. I used to think that the tightness I felt after cleaning was good and that meant I really got clean. Now I realize that just means I dried my face out. These make me feel clean with no oil without the tight/dry feeling. I love the smell of the Osea Cleanser and the Mad Hippie literally feels like I’m washing my face with lotion it is so hydrating and about the same texture.

I do one of each of the three exfoliants on MWF. I just started doing the Herbivore mask on Fridays because I put it on when I am doing my scalp mask, so it just works with the flow of things, but if I am going out on Friday or doing something social (haven’t been doing that much lately lol) I will do it on a different day. The Herbivore mask made me shed some dead skin the next day, the first time I tried it, but hasn’t again since. I was a bit shocked by this because it is not the texture that I expected. It is really thin and goes on clear and dries very quickly. I like the results from it! I have used both the Paula’s Choice exfoliants and have been very happy with them. The BHA was the first liquid exfoliant I ever tried at home and using these a few times a week has been the only thing to get rid of the blackheads on my nose and make my pores look really small. I am looking forward to trying the other three when these run out.

The Obagi Eye Serum is one of the products that isn’t super clean, but it was a recommendation from Skinny Confidential, so I wanted to try it. I can see why it is one of her holy grail products. It works so well – I am obsessed. I put it on my under eye crease and my eye lid crease. Sometimes I will put it around my lips too. I do sometimes throw in an eye cream though when I am feeling dry or when it has been a while, like maybe once or twice a week. I love the Alpyn Beauty and the Biossance ones. They’re super lightweight but feel like they fill in the lines around my eyes. I am going to try the Mad Hippie one next!

I get a whipped beef tallow cream from a local gal here whose husband is a butcher. It’s been so good for my skin, but it is pretty thick and leaves me sticky for a while after applying, so I try to do it an hour or so before bed so it absorbs before I lay on my pillow. It leaves me feeling so moisturized and glowy and has done wonders for shrinking my pores! I’ve been using this for a while now and this alone has made my skin feel amazing. I use this the most for sure. I do however really like the Sky and Sol beef tallow moisturizer. It is a little lighter than the cream I get locally, but I am definitely bought in on the beef tallow propaganda lol. I will use that or the Alpyn Beauty moisturizer, or Osea Dream cream on the nights where I am going to bed right after putting it on. I haven’t found an Osea product that I don’t like, so I will continue to be a big customer of theirs! I also really like the Alpyn Beauty moisturizer because it feels nourishing and lightweight, and not sticky at all.

Tuesday, Saturday RETINOL

☀️Morning also for THURSDAY & SUNDAY

The only change here is using the bakuchiol in the mornings. You want to make sure you’re not doing that on nights that you use an exfoliant, so I do it on the four other mornings. I switch back and forth between these two. I don’t have a favorite, I think they’re both great! Leaves my skin feeling hydrated which feels nice before putting on sunscreen. I usually find myself using the Eqqualberry in the mornings and In Your Face in the evenings. I think the color of the Eqqualberry makes me want to know I will wash it off in the evening lol. I am going to try the Herbivore next!

🌙Evening 

I am not currently using the Marie Veronique because I am breastfeeding but I am looking forward to using it again when I am done. I would recommend this product because before using retinol for the first time I was pretty scared, but I didn’t have any reactions to it or issues with it. It made my skin look great and I love that it is a clean product. I am new to retinol, so I haven’t had much exposure to it, but I will also be trying the Versed and Mara Beauty retinols when I am done breastfeeding.

Thursday, Sunday RECOVERY

☀️Morning (Same as above Tuesday & Saturday)

🌙Evening 

Option A: Targeted Eye Treatment

The Osea Anti-Aging Sea serum makes my skin feel so hydrated. I really like applying it. I think it is super helpful to use after a night of exfoliating because it feels like it helps hydrate the fresh skin. I’ve also enjoyed using the Biossance Squalane Oil because it is super hydrating as well. I let that soak in for a bit before I put on my moisturizer for the night and I usually use the moisturizer instead of the tallow because I am ready for bed when it is done. I am excited to try the Osea because I love every single product I have tried from them, the True Botanicals because I have used some hair oil of theirs and it was incredible and the Outset because I haven’t heard of this brand until now.

The Depology Microdarts might be the best thing that has happened to my under eyes. I am using the Obagi every night, so I can’t say that it alone has made my bags disappear, but the night after I used them for the first time I got complimented by both my husband and my nanny who see me everyday on how great my skin looked. They feel a bit weird when they’re on and they leave a clear film on my skin in the morning after (it washes off very easily,) but my eyes look plump instead of sunken in!

Option B: Peptide Focus

I have tried the Algenist Liquid Collagen, Mae Love Peptide Squad, Cocokind Resurrection Cream, and the Naturium Multi-Peptide Serum and they all make my skin feel so soft. The Cocokind is more of a moisturizer than it is a serum, so I have always used tallow after that. The Naturium is a lot like their Niacinamide. It is lightweight and hydrating and absorbs into the skin really quickly. The Mae Love feels a little more sticky, so I like to use tallow after that one. The Algenist might be my favorite one, but they’re all working very well for me right now and I will probably keep using them all.

I haven’t had Botox in over a year and a half and I have been so excited to get more because I feel like 31 has really hit me, but this skin care routine has seemed to really help with my fight against aging.

🌿Haircare DAILY (as needed)

🌿Haircare TUESDAY

🌿Haircare FRIDAY

🌿Haircare SUNDAY

Fridays are my favorite haircare days because my scalp feels like I need a treatment by the end of the week and my hair always looks the best after one of them. I have three that I am switching between. The Nutrafol was one I was influenced to buy on Tik Tok, the Amika was a recommendation from my stylist, and the Act + Acre was what Chat GPT recommended, (it’s the cleanest/lowest tox option.) They all make my scalp feel cleaner but I really like the applicator on the Nutrafol one. It seems like the easiest one to get all over evenly. However, the beads from it seem to kind of linger even after I wash it off. The Amika one makes my shampoo lather super well, so I know that it cleans my scalp and hair really well. The Act + Acre one feels the most hydrating.

For shampoo and conditioner I am using Prose right now because I am obsessed with the paradiso scent, but Chat GPT did give me some recommendations to try and I know that I will eventually be getting to those. I am just trying a lot of new things currently that I don’t think adding more will be smart at the moment! I also have a leave in conditioner and a scalp treatment from them that I sometimes throw into the mix, but I am not overly impressed. I did not like their curl cream.

Lately, I have been using the Innersense leave-in conditioner and I think this may be the best leave-in that I have ever used. It is super light weight, it feels like it spread out in my hair evenly, and it doesn’t make my hair feel oily or greasy. I can’t say that this product alone is what has gotten my frizz under control, but it is the only product that I have changed that I use the most consistently and my frizz has never been better. I think this is one of my favorite new products that I have tried and one that I will continue to use over and over again.

I have tried the heatless curls and they just don’t look great on my hair unfortunately, so I do want to find a mousse or something to help with my natural curls, but the silk bonnet has also been really big for my frizz, although I don’t sleep in it every night. I typically wear my hair in a claw clip everyday, but I do want to start having my hair in better shape everyday. I really want something that I can do the night before, like a wake up and go thing, but even if I have to do something for 5 min that would also be okay.

OTHER BEAUTY PRODUCTS

💡Final Notes

You don’t need every single treatment at once. What matters is consistency and protecting your skin barrier. Focus on:

  • Daily SPF
  • A retinoid/retinol
  • Antioxidants (C serum, diet, sleep)
  • Gentle actives (peptides, exfoliants, hydration)
  • Occasional in-office or device-based treatments
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Mimie Hull
**About Me** Hi, I’m Mimie Hull—a 30-year-old mom of two (soon to be three!) wonderful little ones. My world revolves around my vibrant 3.5-year-old daughter, Palmer, my sweet 1.5-year-old son, Erikson, and soon, our newest little girl on the way. Between navigating motherhood, juggling family life, and embracing all the chaos that comes with it, I’ve created this blog as a space to share my journey, connect with others, and leave a heartfelt record for my kids to look back on someday. This blog is a blend of family life, lifestyle musings, and candid reflections on the everyday moments that shape us. From the ups and downs of parenting to the lessons I’m learning along the way, I’m here to offer a raw, real perspective on what it means to be a mom, a wife, and a woman in the midst of it all. You’ll find stories of both the mess and the beauty of motherhood, relatable thoughts on daily struggles, and lots of gratitude for the little things that make life so special. My hope is that this space feels like a warm, welcoming hug for other parents, and that my children, someday, will read this and find comfort and insight into the woman who was there for them through it all. Thanks for joining me on this crazy, beautiful ride. I’m so glad you’re here!
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