Quick answer: In this update, Nikol Johnson shares the honest, unpolished version of where she is right now: burnout, on-and-off numbness in her hands, hormone testing, and, above all, a real focus on sleep. She walks through the everyday tools helping her rest better and frames all of it as her own experience and information-gathering, with professional medical guidance as the anchor. Nothing here is medical advice.
Key takeaways
- Nikol opens with takeaways from Ali Webb's memoir The Messy Truth, which got her thinking about burnout and using work to avoid slowing down.
- She's candid about why she shares vulnerable things (her past infertility, IVF and endometriosis journeys): being real helps other women feel less alone, even when it invites criticism.
- She's had on-and-off numbness in her hands since 2020, which she links to 20-plus years as an aesthetician and makeup artist, and she's been researching it and seeing professionals.
- Sleep became the priority: she's built a nightly routine around mouth tape, a silk eye mask, a pillow mist, and small skin-care rituals.
- Her throughline: gather real information about your own body, lean on your doctors, and give yourself grace when the journey isn't linear.
Hey ladies. Life gets messy, and pretending otherwise doesn't help anyone. In this wellness update, Nikol Johnson, the founder of Nikol Beauty, shares where she actually is right now, the reading that sparked it, and the small tools carrying her through a demanding season. Here's the honest version, in her words.
What is "The Messy Truth," and why did it resonate with Nikol?
It started with a book: The Messy Truth: How I Sold My Business for Millions but Almost Lost Myself by Ali Webb, the creative behind Drybar (a brand Nikol has loved since 2013). Nikol shares a few takeaways that hit home. Webb writes about burnout as something she didn't recognize until she looked back and saw work as an avoidance mechanism, a way to stay too busy to feel. Two lines stayed with Nikol: that we're not always who we want to be, and that's okay, and that showing who you really are empowers others to show up as their true selves too. After three years of building her line, Nikol says a lot of that felt familiar.
Why does Nikol share the vulnerable parts of her health journey?
Because it helps other women feel less alone. Nikol has been open before about her infertility struggles, IVF, endometriosis, and surgeries, through years of blogging, a video series, and her book Beauty Reinvented. That openness hasn't always been easy; she's received pointed messages, including a stranger's DM trying to diagnose her, which she found invasive and too personal. Even so, she chooses to keep sharing, because being real outweighs the criticism. Her one gentle caveat throughout: what she shares is her experience, not a diagnosis or advice, and health decisions belong between you and a qualified professional.
What's going on with Nikol's hands, and how is she investigating it?
Nikol describes numbness in her hands (something she's wondered might be carpal-tunnel-related) that started around 2020 and comes and goes. She traces it back to more than 20 years holding tweezers, doing lash extensions, facials, and permanent makeup, which is a lot of repetitive strain. Rather than guess, she's been gathering information and working with professionals. She researched physical-therapy podcasts, saw a chiropractor who focuses on the atlas bone and uses soundwave therapy (she preferred a less invasive approach than traditional spinal manipulation), and did before-and-after X-rays that showed no major findings beyond a slightly straight neck. She also tried acupuncture for a few weeks, has been looking into vitamins and magnesium, took an at-home women's health hormone test, did primary-care bloodwork ahead of her annual, and booked an ophthalmologist for vision changes she's noticed from constant screen time. None of this is a conclusion, just her working the problem with her doctors. If you're dealing with numbness or pain, please see a professional rather than self-diagnosing.
What's in Nikol's nightly sleep routine right now?
When the hand numbness disrupted her sleep, Nikol leaned hard into rest. She uses an Oura ring to track how she's actually sleeping, then layers in a handful of tools she's currently testing (all third-party products she bought or was sent, shared as her personal experience, not recommendations or medical claims):
- A bamboo silk mouth tape, plus the Skinny Confidential mouth tape, which she uses to encourage nose breathing. She's clear that you should talk to your doctor before trying mouth taping, since everyone's breathing and airway needs are different.
- The Drowsy silk eye mask (a wide one that blocks out all the light) for deeper, darker sleep.
- Frownies facial patches for a smoother forehead in the morning.
- A Soft Services magnetic hand cream with retinol, which replaced a Chanel one she'd used up, because moisturizing her hands at night matters to her.
- The Neom Perfect Night Sleep Mist, a lavender pillow-and-body mist from a London company she just started trying.
- Moisturizing heel socks, worn over a Soft Services retinol body serum, for dry heels.
She also tried wrist splints for the numbness, but found they made her feel claustrophobic without helping, so she stopped. Nikol admits the whole routine is a lot, and says she's testing a few sleep aids she'll update everyone on later.
The bottom line
Nikol's message is simple and kind: gather real information about your own body, lean on the professionals who can actually help, find the community that makes you feel less alone, and give yourself grace when the road isn't linear. If a small ritual makes a heavy season feel a little lighter, that counts. That same spirit is behind her makeup line, where beauty is a small daily act of caring for yourself. Explore her best-sellers, browse the classics, or shop the full makeup collection when you want a little everyday ritual of your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "The Messy Truth" about?
It's a memoir by Ali Webb, the creative behind Drybar, titled The Messy Truth: How I Sold My Business for Millions but Almost Lost Myself. Nikol shares takeaways about burnout, using work to avoid slowing down, and the idea that showing your true self helps others do the same. She links it in the video description for anyone who wants to read it.
Is at-home hormone testing a substitute for seeing a doctor?
No. Nikol frames her at-home women's health test purely as information-gathering to make conversations with her healthcare providers more productive, never as a replacement for professional care. She pairs it with primary-care bloodwork and appointments. If you're considering any testing, treat the results as a starting point for a discussion with a qualified professional, not a diagnosis.
Why did Nikol start focusing so much on sleep?
The on-and-off numbness in her hands disrupted her sleep for a while, so she made rest a priority. She now tracks her sleep and layers in a nightly routine of small tools to help her wind down and sleep more deeply. She stresses this is her own experience and that she's still testing what works for her.
Is mouth taping something I should try?
Nikol says to talk to your doctor first. She uses it to encourage nose breathing and feels it helps her deep sleep, but she's careful to note that everyone has different airway, breathing, or obstruction concerns. This article shares her personal experience only and is not medical advice, so please check with a professional before trying it.
Does Nikol share specific medical diagnoses in the video?
She shares what she's comfortable sharing, in her own words and framing, and describes symptoms and the steps she's taking rather than any confirmed diagnosis. She also mentions finding it invasive when strangers try to diagnose her online. For the full context in her own voice, watch the update embedded above.
What does Nikol suggest for women on their own health journeys?
Three things: gather real information about your own body, lean on the professionals and doctors who can genuinely help, and find the voices and community that make you feel less alone. Above all, give yourself grace, because the journey is rarely linear. Her comment section became exactly the supportive space she hoped for.
