This article was originally published on Her Story Goes, a lifestyle blog that I co-founded with my best friend in 2016. After two years of giving it our all, we decided to call it quits in order to pursue other passions; the site will be permanently shut down in 2025. Rather than part with the content forever, however, I decided to display all of the 40-something posts that I wrote in that two-year span on my personal blog. (I’m a nostalgic.) Hope you enjoy reading!

◊ ◊ ◊

Confession: the world of supplements confuses the heck out of me. In fact, I’ve been known to stand in the vitamin aisle of my local Whole Foods scanning the shelves for what feels like hours before becoming overwhelmed and leaving empty-handed. There’s a magic pill for everything these days—from poor digestion to brittle nails—and with all of the back-and-forth health information circulating out there, it’s hard to tell what’s actually worth investing in. (Supplements aren’t cheap.)

Which is why, before two weeks ago, you could’ve considered me a multivitamin virgin. In college, I read somewhere that most of us are already getting more than enough of certain minerals from our food. Take calcium, for example. If you’re eating a normal diet, chances are you don’t need any more of this bone-strengthening nutrient. (In fact, too much of a good thing can even be dangerous.)

Ever since, I’ve only taken specific supplements that have been recommended to me by my doctor (such as a daily probiotic). But with the rise of hip health brands such as Care/of and Hum, supplements have become all the rage again, and what kind of nutrition nerd would I be if I didn’t at least dabble in one or two of the latest health fads?

Enter Ritual, the cool-girl company responsible for creating a new and improved multivitamin for women.

I mean, just look at it. The aesthetically pleasing pill (and its minimalist packaging) oozes style and science-y sophistication. Ritual’s product is the sexy librarian of supplements—and being a sucker for good design, the look alone was enough to capture my attention. (Their head of marketing is pure genius.) But it was the simplicity of the company’s mission and the total transparency of its ingredients that made Essential for Women impossible to resist. Hook, line, and sinker.

Kat Schneider came up with the idea for Ritual after her search for the perfect prenatal vitamin proved inconclusive. She couldn’t find a brand she trusted, without synthetic fillers or stabilizers, so—alongside a team of doctors and scientists—she decide to create her own. Here’s her statement, straight from the website:

I founded Ritual with the belief that better health begins with better ingredients. With us, you’ll know where everything is coming from and why it’s there. Some call it obsessiveness, we call it traceability.

Essential for Women contains only NINE ingredients, all of which have been identified by experts as the nutrients that most women aren’t getting enough of. Um, awesome. If you’re worried about stomach irritation, don’t be: “We use a vegan, delayed-release capsule that not only bypasses the stomach to prevent nausea, but also ensures maximum absorption of the nutrients.” And, bonus: Schneider’s multivitamin is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, GMO-free, and manufactured in the USA. How much “cleaner” can you get?

For $30 a month, they’ll send you a subscription box of 60 capsules every 30 days (a serving size is two capsules). I just started taking mine a little over a week ago, and I can already tell a difference in my overall mood and wellbeing. Not only am I sleeping sounder at night, but I have beaucoup more energy throughout the day—no more midday slumps for this girl! Only time will tell if this supplement holds up to its provider’s promises (supported immune system, heightened brain function, beautiful skin!), but I think I’ll take my chances.

*UPDATE: The lovely ladies at Ritual were kind enough to offer HSG readers a discount! Simply use the promo code SHETHRIVES at checkout when you purchase your first month’s supply of Essential for Women via their website. YAY! (Code expires September 4th, so don’t wait!)