Want to know the best kept secret for combating sensitive, allergy-prone skin?  Well, look no further Zovers, cause we've got the inside scoop from a beloved friend of Zove Beauty; and someone who has dealt with pesky intolerances and skin conditions all her life - Yours Only founder, Ashli Templer. 

Our recent collaboration with Yours Only gave us the opportunity to learn more about Ashli, her journey with Hashimoto's Disease, how the brand came to be and why she created COAT.

So sit back Zovers as we present this exclusive interview to inspire you to learn more about how to best take care of sensitive, allergy-prone skin. And know that if you've been on this journey, you're not alone!

Tell us about your journey leading up to creating Yours Only. How did COAT come about?

Where do I start? I was born with pesky allergies and intolerances, where some I grew out of, and some I was diagnosed with as I got older.

One thing I never lost was my sensitive skin. It’s always been so dramatic – I’ve never stopped carefully reading the labels of all the pretty products found in skincare stores.

Then, about three years ago I was diagnosed with a salicylate intolerance, which meant I had to cut out A LOT (more) skincare, food and cleaning products from my life, leaving me to buy boring and clinical looking chemist brands. And voila, the idea for Yours was born.

Tell us more about your journey with Hashimoto's and how you've been able to break down the "barriers" that typically come with this? It's really inspirational.

Hashimoto’s disease is a thyroid condition where the body attacks your thyroid (auto-immune), which is not great for your system. You need your thyroid to function and without it, you’re one sick human.

I was diagnosed at the young age of 23, however, it took about a year and 8 doctors to diagnose. I was told I was “too young” and “too skinny”, which was so frustrating. I just knew I had it as thyroid disease runs in my family. It’s something I will have to manage my entire life, and I am constantly learning new things about it.

I used to live my life at 100 million miles per hour, but I know I physically can’t do that anymore. I now skip the HIIT classes, and go for soft yoga classes, as that’s right for my body.

In terms of breaking the barriers, I think just talking about it helps, as no one really understood it when I was diagnosed, and we’re slowly starting to hear more about it now.

What is the best way to apply COAT? How does this differ from any other skincare moisturisers on the market (especially if I have sensitive, irritation-prone skin)?

Once you try it, you will just know! The amount of compliments we get on how soft it makes skin feel honestly makes me so happy.

It’s different to other moisturisers as it doesn’t contain all of those fancy ingredients brands are trying to sell to you to “revolutionise” your skin. Instead, we’ve stripped everything back and have created something so simple, that just works on all sensitive skin, especially psoriasis and eczema.

The best way to apply it is to freshly washed skin (face, body and scalp), but allow it to cool first as sensitive skin needs to feel calm before applying anything.

Can people with sensitive skin use the Zove Facial Roller and Gua Sha tools?

100%. One thing I try to tell people is to reduce the amount of products you’re using in your life.

I keep things super simple so I don’t overload my body with too many ingredients.

Tools like these are perfect, as they don’t add to your ingredient load, and they also soothe the skin, which is all we want when we have dramatic skin.

What is one thing you'd like to encourage other Zovers reading this today - especially those who have gone through a similar journey as yourself! 

Don’t ignore reactions to products and food! If you’re body doesn’t like it, you need to listen to that.

If it’s sensitive, step away from a million ingredients, start with something simple, and ease your way into reintroducing products to see what your tolerance level is.

Always try to work with a professional to make sure you’re doing it right too, it’s a really tough thing to manage.