The Maker Behind the Bottle  · 

From Construction Worker to Skincare Formulator

The Jesse Brock Story — and Why He Built Shu Hong

Some products are dreamed up in a marketing meeting. Shu Hong was built by a man trying to fix his own skin — after everything else had failed.

The Man Who Didn't Plan to Make Skincare

When you find a product that actually works, it's worth knowing who made it and why. At Valley Health Market, that's the whole point — real medicine, real people, done the right way.

Shu Hong Botanicals is the work of Jesse Brock. He'll be the first to tell you he never pictured himself here. An ex-construction worker turned acupuncturist, "skincare guy" wasn't part of the plan. But chronic skin problems — his own — pushed him into formulation out of sheer necessity.

What he built is a three-phase system — Balanced, Flare Control, and Fire Control — designed around how skin disease actually behaves. This is his story, in his own words.

It Started With a Health Crisis

Jesse lived with chronic appendicitis for nearly 30 years without knowing it. Halfway through acupuncture school, it finally reared its head. Around the same time, his skin had been getting worse — and after his surgery, things went from bad to far worse.

The procedure was a midline open surgery to clear out the infection. As Jesse describes it, the toxic load on his body was enormous. His skin reacted hard. He became reactive to nearly everything he ate. The flare-ups intensified — not painful, but relentless, and almost entirely on his face.

He tried Western medicine. He tried internal herbal formulas. He was dissatisfied with all of it. So he asked himself a simple question.

In His Own Words

“I was just dissatisfied with all the results, and I finally said to myself: well, what are you going to do about it?”

— Jesse Brock, Creator of Shu Hong Botanicals

Skin That Wouldn't Sit Still

Part of what made Jesse's case so hard to treat was that it refused to behave like a textbook condition. He describes it as a crossover — somewhere between eczema and psoriasis, shifting day to day.

This is exactly where conventional, single-product skincare breaks down. You can't treat a moving target with one fixed tool. That realization became the foundation of the entire system.

A Different Way of Seeing Skin

“In Chinese medicine, we don't really think in terms of rosacea or eczema or psoriasis. It's the different factors — dryness, excess, fire, stagnation. So I just started honing in on the variables I was really looking at.”

— Jesse Brock

How the Three Phases Came Together

Jesse's first formula was called Classic — the grandfather of today's Balanced. It worked, but it was missing something. The hydration wasn't there.

Once he understood that day-to-day maintenance needed real hydration, a touch of damp-fighting action, and gentle microcirculation, Balanced took shape. From there, the rest fell into place quickly — because he'd stopped thinking of it as a one-stage problem.

Flare Control became the damp-heat formula — what Jesse calls “the kitchen sink of damp-heat topicals.” It's actually built on a formula from the early 1800s, expanded to cover additional factors. And Fire Control rounded out the system for the deepest, most reactive states.

The 5-Layer Formula Architecture

When Jesse describes what makes Shu Hong different, he doesn't talk about one hero ingredient. He talks about layers — a multi-layered thought process behind every formula.

A Note on the Flush: "Venting Heat"

Some people notice a brief redness when they first apply Flare Control — the face may flush for five to ten minutes before calming down. Jesse explains this as a feature, not a flaw.

What Keeps Him Going

“The biggest thing is knowing that people with these reactive conditions — the amount of anxiety it creates, feeling out of control — are seeing change. That's what excites me.”

— Jesse Brock

Three formulas, three phases — built around how skin disease actually behaves.

The Short Version

• Built from necessity: Jesse Brock created Shu Hong to solve his own reactive, treatment-resistant skin after surgery.
• Designed for a moving target: his skin shifted between eczema and psoriasis day to day — so he built a system, not a single cream.
• Five-layer architecture: inflammation, barrier repair, surface modulation, circulation, and a precise delivery system.
• Rooted in tradition: Flare Control is based on an early-1800s damp-heat formula, expanded for modern use.
• A brief flush is normal: the temporary redness after Flare Control is heat venting to the surface — it resolves quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

In Closing

“I never thought I'd be Jesse Brock, ex-construction worker, skincare guy. That didn't line up with my vision. But it naturally went in that direction — and I love it. My skin is still problematic, but man, it is so much less problematic.”

— Jesse Brock, Creator of Shu Hong Botanicals

That's the kind of maker we look for at Valley Health Market. Not a brand chasing a trend — a person who solved a real problem and built something honest along the way.

— Will Sheppy, L.Ac.  ·  Valley Health Market

Try the System Jesse Built

Start with Balanced for daily care, or reach for Flare Control and Fire Control when your skin needs more. Explore the full Shu Hong line at Valley Health Market.

Want the deeper clinical framework? Read The Guide to Topical Chinese Medicine at Valley Health Clinic.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Shu Hong Botanicals is a cosmetic, skin-supportive topical product line. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Personal experiences and clinical observations described are shared for educational purposes only and are not guaranteed outcomes. Individual results vary. Consult a qualified healthcare professional for any medical skin concerns.