At sixteen, I was diagnosed with rheumatic psoriasis in South Africa. What began as a skin condition quickly developed into a full-body autoimmune journey that reshaped every part of my life. By my early twenties, over 90% of my skin was inflamed, cracked, and painfully sensitised. 

Psoriasis was never just a skin condition. It affected how I saw myself, how I moved through the world, and how safe I felt in my own body. 

I was vibrant, ambitious, and creative. I had earned a bursary after winning a fashion design competition at LISOF and was accepted to study fashion in London. Everything felt open — until my health redirected my path.

After returning to South Africa, my self confidence in the trenches, my self-image non-existent - I lived with early-onset arthritis and chronic inflammatory skin flare-ups. While conventional treatments offered temporary relief, stress from studying business instead of fashion and working full-time often intensified my symptoms. These symptoms weren't just skin deep, they affected my body and nervous system in their entirety. 

What I came to understand — through lived experience — is something often missing in conventional skincare and healthcare:

Chronic skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema are deeply connected to the nervous system, immune health, diet, hormonal balance, and emotional stress.

In my mid-twenties, I moved to Germany, where my skin became even more reactive. Mainstream skincare, fragranced products, and even “sensitive skin” ranges triggered inflammation instead of calming it. I grew desperate. 

In Germany, my kitchen became my laboratory. My body became my test subject. Out of necessity, I began formulating and testing natural skincare blends with only a few ingredients I could tolerate — simply to bring my skin back to comfort.

That was the turning point.

I immersed myself in studying skin barrier repair, botanical skincare formulation, and ingredient safety. My kitchen experiments became structured formulation work, guided by one goal: to create gentle, natural skincare for sensitive, reactive, and compromised skin.

I began developing plant-based skincare focused on:

• Skin barrier repair and protection
• Anti-inflammatory botanical oils and ingredients
• Fragrance-free, hormone-conscious formulations
• Gentle skincare for psoriasis-prone, eczema-prone, and sensitive skin

On a quiet Sunday during the 2020 COVID lockdown, Freedom Self-Love was born in South Africa.

The first dermal balm was simple, imperfect — but it brought relief. Friends struggling with eczema, dermatitis, dry skin, and hormonal skin sensitivity began using it and experiencing real improvement in comfort, softness, and skin resilience.

Today, Freedom Self-Love is proudly formulated in South Africa as a natural skincare brand focused on psoriasis skincare, eczema skincare, and sensitive skin skincare solutions.

Our formulations are created for:

Psoriasis-prone and reactive skin
Eczema and dermatitis
Dry, cracked, and inflamed skin
Compromised skin barriers
Sensitive and hormone-reactive skin

Freedom Self-Love is more than a natural skincare brand in South Africa.

It is skin barrier restoration.
It is ingredient integrity.
It is botanical skincare rooted in lived experience.
It is the return to safety — in both skin and self.

Because when your skin begins to feel safe again, you begin to feel safe within yourself.

And that changes everything.