Q&A: Dr. Mona Vand, Health & Wellness Consultant

Dr. Mona Vand is a modern day pharmacist, a health & wellness consultant, a skincare expert, and content creator. She shares her healthy living lifestyle daily across her social channels and she’s believes that “the key to true beauty is anchored around 3 main objectives: a healthy body, beautiful skin, and positive mind.” Since we’re all about anti-aging, wellness, and beauty at Julien Farel, we sat down with her for a conversation about all things health and beauty: 1. You’re all about beauty, healthy living, and anti aging, what inspired to have a healthier lifestyle? I first took interest in health and exercise my last year of pharmacy school while I was on clinical rotations. My workload was a bit lighter since we had fewer classes, so I joined a gym and decided to commit to fitness. A year later when I graduated and moved to LA, my inspiration grew 10 fold! I was emerged in a culture that was based around health and wellness, and now it's just a part of who I am. 2. How do you balance work, personal life, relationships, and family? Well, work pretty much takes precedent over everything right now! Not that my family isn't more important to me, but the last couple years I've been really focused on building a brand and career that's going to make me happy my whole life. But it's been tough. Some of the people in my personal life haven't understood, and it's definitely distanced some of my friendships. I'm lucky that my family and the people closest to me understand, and even though they find my crazy schedule frustrating, they're supportive. 3. What’s your go-to anti aging beauty regimen? Its two-fold: diet and skincare. When it comes to diet, I'm 100% plant-based; I drink a LOT of water, and snack on organic berries as much as I can (they're the best food for your skin!). With skincare, I swear by serums, especially hyaluronic acid. It's so hydrating, and that's key for keeping your skin soft and smooth. I also love the occasional laser treatment. They're pricey, but they're really worth the investment once - twice a year. 4. What are your favorite beauty products (face, hair, skin, etc)? Face: Hyaluronic acid serum and vitamin C serum. Hair: I use a heat protecting serum before blow-drying, and sleep with coconut oil in my hair once a week. Skin: Sunscreen! It’s so simple but it is so effective for anti-aging. 5. Which do you think is more important: a healthy diet or working out? If I HAD to pick one, a healthy diet. But they're really both so important! 6. We’re all about anti aging for the hair and scalp. What are some healthy foods one can eat to have shinier, healthier hair? Definitely healthy fats such as avocado, flax seed, chia seed, coconut, etc. These are amazing for moisturizing your hair and skin, and definitely add shine. 7. How do you think where you live and environmental conditions affect one’s health? I think where you live greatly affects your health. I always say living in Los Angeles plays a huge role in how healthy I live my life. In most cities ordering take out is very unhealthy, but cooking at home 7 days a week just isn't realistic for most people. I could order an organic acai bowl for breakfast, a kale salad for lunch, and vegan gluten-free lasagna for dinner (just to name a few examples)! Everywhere I turn there's a juice bar. People even sell fresh cut mango on the side of the freeway! You get the point. Not that it's impossible to live a healthy life anywhere, but environmental factors can definitely make it more challenging. For more about Dr. Mona Vand click here.