When endometriosis forced Jaimee to examine every product in her home, she discovered the average person applies 12 personal care products daily, exposing themselves to 168 different chemicals. What started as a health necessity became a business revelation when she bought Cooki Haircare, a low tox solid shampoo company with over 5,000 5-star reviews for their 'ultra-foaming' travel-friendly shampoo bars. A former editor and brand marketer with 15 years' experience spanning retail, startups and publishing, when Jaimee bought Cooki Haircare in 2023, where she grew orders from 11 to 160 sales per day profitably in 18 months. Today, they save 300,000 bottles from landfill annually whilst helping women navigate menopausal hair changes and chronic inflammation.
Key Takeaways
Your Daily Chemical Load Is Massive
We use 12 personal care products daily, exposing ourselves to 168 chemicals. One third of 318,000 beauty ingredients lack safety data. Many cause hormone disruption and inflammation. When dealing with endometriosis, PCOS, or inflammation, reducing toxic load significantly helps.
Synthetic Fragrance Is the Worst Offender
Contains phthalates that disrupt hormones and increase inflammation. Look for "phthalate-free" or essential oil-only products. Jaimee's stage four endometriosis became inactive after eliminating synthetic fragrances alongside other changes.
Menopause Transforms Your Hair
Hormones completely change hair texture, making it frizzy, flat, oily, or thin. Old products stop working because your hair has literally changed. Natural ingredients like ginger oil help prevent thinning, while purple bars help maintain grey hair.
"Clean" Marketing Tricks You
Terms like "clean beauty" and "natural" mean nothing. Check ingredient lists. Avoid synthetic fragrance (listed as "parfum"), parabens, silicones, and harsh sulphates. Start with trusted curators and educate yourself.
Small Swaps Create Big Impact
Don't overhaul everything overnight. Finish what you have, then swap one product at a time. Each shampoo bar removes three plastic bottles whilst reducing chemical exposure.
Why Midlife Women Need Low-Tox
Hormone disruption compounds during perimenopause. Inflammation increases chronic disease risk (80% of women over 50 develop multiple conditions). Skin becomes more permeable as oestrogen drops, absorbing more toxins.
Take Action
Start with one swap. Check labels for synthetic fragrance. Use the cumulative effect principle: small changes add up.
Follow Jaimee:
Instagram @cookihaircare
Jaimee on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimee-vilela/
Use MIDLIFE20 as your coupon code, which is valid to all new Cooki customers on their first order with us. It also applies sitewide including bundles too!
Connect with me
Book your 20-minute connection call https://calendly.com/jo--138/20min?month=2025-07
RE-IMAGINE: A personalised 1:1 six-week mentoring programme https://www.joclarkcoaching.com/work-with-me
Share your journey with me by sending me a message on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/joclarkcoaching/
Email me your success story at jo@joclarkcoaching.com.
Remember, there's so much untapped brilliance in midlife women. You are wise, strong, and talented. You just need the space to hear yourself and the courage to act on what you know.
The second half of your life can be even better than the first.
