In Bloom With Dee From The Sea

Dee is an inspiring endurance swimmer who has swam across the English channel, done an ice KM in Antarctica and recently completed a 33km swim in False Bay in South Africa. She has even experimented with free diving under ice in Finland!

I first met Dee back in 2019 when she messaged me to say that she had suffered bad jellyfish stings on her face and that our Nourishing Radiance Serum had been the only thing that helped heal them. I was thrilled and have since been following with admiration Dee's exploits. She is an absolute powerhouse and her determination to meet her goals is inspiring. I hope you enjoy our interview as much as I did! 

 Can you share a little about yourself for our readers?

I am full time in the military based in Ireland and try to balance a high volume of channel swim training along side this. Over the years I have developed a love of the sea and have tried to actively protect it as well as encourage others to be able to find the same love for it safely. I am a beach lifeguard and swim coach in my spare time and regularly guide and assist swimmers from beginner up to fellow channel swimmers. I have led groups on sunrise beach yoga and beach cleans at times when I have not been so absorbed in my own channel training.

All of the extras outside of swim training and work have been on pause as I try to swim my way across the north channel. I have been forced into some extra self care this year when I had a fall on a hill run in the Mourne mountains and damaged ligaments above my ankle as well as breaking a bone in my leg. This has been the biggest eye opener for me and has forced a huge amount of self care and a need to ask for help upon me.

There is more scientific research out now than ever that shows the negative impact stress has on our body and minds including our skin. How do you manage stress in your very busy life?

I habitually manage a busy, stressful life. More so than on my skin my gut reacts to stress and forces me to slow down. In the last three years I have pulled back on all the extras I used to do and focus on work, swim training and time with friends. I have realised I don’t always need to be organising an event or be the first to volunteer my help. I live a much quieter life and have tried to cut down my commute time on my days off to get to the pool or the sea. This has been the single biggest change for me. 

Could you describe your favourite self-care rituals that help you find calm and balance?

Self care for me is listening to a podcast on my headphones while doing normal things like cleaning or making food. I find it really hard to do normal tasks without this so just recognising that this helps has been a gamechanger for me. 

Skincare selfcare for me is having the items and products I need everywhere I might be and in my swim bag. This includes the shampoo and conditioner bars I like, a hairbrush or something to tie my hair up with and Nunaia Nourishing Radiance Serum for my face, which I love both for the smell and how it feels on my face.

Three words that describe how you feel after you practice your favourite self-care rituals? 

Settled, grounded and calm, 

How do you prioritise carving out the time for your own self care?

I say yes to far too many things and often don’t leave myself enough time to factor in any big self care, this is something I have become more aware of over the past few years and I make an effort to be more on top of it.

I will book in appointments like chiropractor ahead of being injured to stay on top of it and as a reset.

I know how important sleep is to feeling well and staying healthy and would say I am naturally a night owl. I have become more aware of what I need to do to wind do before bed to sleep well. I even have filtered glasses for the evening to help me wind down. I would say once you can establish a better routine it gets easier to keep it. I do also have a sleep mask which is lovely and soft on my eyes and I find it has a side effect of once it’s on I won’t look at my phone again before sleep which for me is a positive.

We know you are a big fan of Nunaia – is skincare a part of your own daily self-care ritual? What are the beauty rituals you swear by? 

I am very minimal on beauty rituals which is why I swear by the Nourishing Radiance Serum. I have a bottle of it everywhere, in my swim bag, in work, in my van and at home so there is never an excuse to not use it. It feels so nice on and smells good. I’m not able for any kind of strong scent or perfume so it is actually my signature scent, and my face always feels brighter when I have used it. I use the Superfood Cleansing Balm in the shower 

I spend a lot of time in water and at certain times of year a lot of that time is in a chlorinated pool. It might sound like I am giving the tick box answers here mentioning the products but from the minute I found them they became my go to. They are in my opinion the absolute best especially for skin out in all conditions of open water in all temperatures.

Does your skincare ritual influence your overall wellbeing? 

Yes, skin is something people notice and will comment on - you look tired, you look fresh etc. and  skincare can be the difference in looking one or the other.

Your Nunaia desert-island product?

This would have to be the Nourishing Radiance Serum, I even use it on my lips if I don’t have lip balm to hand so I can imagine on a desert island I would find many uses! My first introduction to this serum was when I had jellyfish stings all over my face that didn’t seem to want to go down until I got the serum by chance. They healed so much faster than a sting ever has before once I started using it.

We make products in a unique way— using whole plants that build a connection with the skin and soul that you can't get from synthetic ingredients. Can you tell us more about why you think connection to nature in all its forms is a connection back to ourselves?

Nature is amazingly cyclical and seasonal, while life can try and keep us on a busy routine tempo, observing nature and things like the tides, moon phase and the seasons can keep us in check in how we alter our own energy levels and activities. I can often feel hard on myself for overestimating how much training I have done or should be doing but when I take a step back and think about it I often see that a small rest can lead to a better overall result in the bigger picture.

What would be your advice to others that are curious about self-care rituals but don't practice a regular ritual?

My best advice is if you find a product you like get it in multiples and leave them in places you are likely to use them. My lifestyle can be a bit chaotic travelling for work and swims so not having to remember to bring the same bottle of Nourishing Radiance Serum everywhere has been my saviour. Outside of products then I would say recognise the things that settle you, like ear plugs or a face mask, the little things that can help you calm down into your own space no matter where you are.

WELLNESS WISDOM

Your favourite place to go to find a moment of calm and tranquility?

A walk by the coast or a run in the hills.

Your favourite book, podcast, or music playlist that helps you unwind?

Any book by Matt Haig.

Top tip to restore instant balance

A nice big swim in the sea with friends.

Top tip for building self-care into your day?

Light a candle when you come in the door rather than turning on the tv and set your phone to flight mode even for a few minutes. Give yourself a moment to breathe and unwind.

Listen to behind the scenes tales of Dee's adventures and all things swimming on the podcast She Swims He swims she co-hosts with Ian Claxton. Follow Dee as she prepares for her upcoming North Channel swim attempt at @deefromthesea. 

Shop Dee's favourite ritual skincare here