Tag Archives: EcoCert

My Organic Spray Tan Experience

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Don’t judge me. I used to lie on a sunbed. Yes, in my ignorant pre-green days. GAH! I shudder at the thougth now. SHUDDER. Damn you Virgin Active Westville – for having such a cool (influencial and on-trend) gym with a sunbed. Which reminds me, I need to book an appointment with a dermatologist to get my moles checked. Note to self.

There are a few things in the green-eco space which I LOVE. One of them, is finding Ecocert certified products (like Pure Beginnings and Woolies Organic Coffee Beans). I’ve gone on and on about Ecocert before, but they are an AMAZING international certification body and you can’t get a sneaky whiff of nasty-anything past them. You can’t green-wash when it comes to Ecocert. This is the label I’m referring to:

So you won’t believe my excitement when I found an Ecocert certified SPRAY TAN. Hellllooooooo!!! Are you kidding me? A COMPLETELY organic, non-toxic tan? Say hello to Vita Liberata – the world’s first non-toxic and organic spray tan, free from parabens, perfume and alcohol.

Vita Liberata – Luxury Skin

“A Vita Liberata tan is the purest in the tanning world. Made using natural, certified organic and Ecocert ingredients, Vita Liberata tans nourishes the skin, ensuring your glow looks radiant and fades patch-free, just like a natural suntan. With zero parabens, preservatives or other chemical nasties that can dry out your skin, Vita Liberata tans give you a 100% healthy and completely natural glow, all year round.

So I did my pre-spray tan oil-free exfoliation (with epsom salts) focussing on ankles, elbows, colar bones, wrists etc. and off I went. Fortunately having given birth three times, I’m not skaam about getting naked infront of strangers (not something I do on a regaular basis mind you). I put on my stylin’ paper g-string and got sprayed!

I GENUINELY felt like a Greek goddess after. Had you given me some oversized wings I could have walked straight onto a Victoria’s Secret catwalk. I felt like this:

Of course I didn’t LOOK like that, but I sure FELT like it. Overall self esteem boost to the max.

Post tan: I didn’t touch much. I slept on a towel (our linen is white), and didn’t shower for 12ish hours. When I did shower, I felt like I was washing hair dye out of my hair with lots of colour coming off – which I must be honest was a bit of a relief seeing as I felt unusually brown (not a BAD brown, but this was all new to me).

The next morning (post shower) I went straight to an Adventure Boot Camp and worked my ass off feeling all glamorous and golden. Beverley Hills here I come.

I was really, really happy, and REALLY impressed with the tan. My tan lasted longer than 2 weeks – and felt SO natural and wonderful. In fact, I bumped into a school-mom at the shops (post school holidays) and she said “Ah, have you been away?” Honestly – no word of a lie.

Price point? You will pay from R400 for a Vita Liberata spray tan. The ‘sprayers’ are all professionally trained to give you a ‘healthy bronzed glow’.

How Vita Liberata differs to usual spray tans (besides it being organic and non-toxic of course):

  • Skin Colour: The intention of the tan is not to make the natural skin colour darker (per se), but rather to enhance your skin colour by bringing out it’s natural beauty by bronzing & illuminating it. The formulation works with the melanin in your skin to give it that glow. So you’re not painted orange. Your result is almost ‘tailored’ to your natural skin tone.
  • Hydrates skin: Dark skin, like white skin, can look dry, dull and particularly ashen if not regularly exfoliated or correctly hydrated. Vita Liberata contain a patented 72 hour moisture lock which keeps moisture in the skinand nourishes the skin.
  • Anti-oxidants: All skin responds to the absorption of anti-oxidants which hydrate, heal, feed and prevent free radicals which are aging to all skin colours. Vita Liberata products are intensely rich in anti-oxidants as ingredients like liquorice, lychee, melon & raspberries all are naturally & inherently high in ant-oxidants.

That tan line along my hip (from the paper g-string) is 9 days post tan. Impressive. 

Finer details for those ingredient watchers out there:

What Natural Ingredients go into a Vita Liberata tan?

Aloe Vera – The extract from this plant is full of vitamins C and E and has a host of skin benefits including anti-ageing properties that improve the skin’s firmness. It also hydrates, moisturises, conditions to give you a softer, younger looking skin.

Cucumber – Cucumbers are rich in vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that protects skin from damaging free radicals and helps fight premature ageing. Cucumber extract also contains vitamin B-5, a compound that helps your skin to retain moisture, helping to keep skin hydrated and maintain your glow for longer!

Lychee – Lychee extract is a great source of vitamins B & C which both have powerful antioxidant and anti-ageing qualities. Vitamin C helps boost collagen production, meaning plumper, more youthful looking skin, and Vitamin B helps skin retain moisture to help your glow fade naturally.

Pomegranate – This vibrant red superfood contains anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and healing properties. Packed full of powerful antioxidants, the extract helps to neutralize free radicals, helping your skin resist the ageing process caused by every day pollutants.

Melon – This extract is a wonderful source of vitamins A&C and offers a wide range of antioxidant benefits. Vitamin A is also known as retinol, an extremely effective cell-communicating ingredient, which means it can connect to almost any skin cell and tell it to behave like a healthy, younger skin cell. This super smart vitamin helps prevent wrinkling and increases collagen production.

Papaya – Papaya extract is bursting with Vitamin C, our favourite source of antioxidants, and a must-have for helping build and produce collagen – the natural way to firmer, plumper looking skin.

Raspberry – This little berry has powerful skin conditioning benefits and is packed full of antioxidants – it ranks among the highest fruits for its antioxidant strength. Thanks to this there are many repairing, conditioning and moisturising qualities associated with this this super berry. Think younger, brighter looking skin and a natural glowing tan.

So it’s pretty much like having a fruit salad sprayed onto your skin, resulting in health, happiness and broze-goddess-ness. Who loses? No one! Get brozed safely, and naturally with Vita Liberata.

You can find them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Also, check them out Online: www.vitaliberata.co.za

For a list of Mobile Tanners and stockists in other areas check out: https://www.vitaliberata.co.za/vita-liberata-stockist/

My Summer Must Have

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Summer has hit Cape Town hard! It is hot, and being post-partum, I’m feeling it. Like feeeeeling it. Drought aside, it’s awesome! The sun is bright, Christmas is in the air, it’s time for early morning runs and drinking wine at sunset. Watermelon, grapes, evening concerts, flip flops and sunnies are all a go. But the mozzies. THE MOZZIES.

No idea why God created them. I’ll ask Him one day. Defenseless little Brea is being chowed. Poor thing, she is following in her brother footsteps. Last year I took my son to the doctor thinking he may have chicken pox, but no – it was just mozzies. That’s how bad it is this side guys – it’s BAD.

It was roughly 2 years ago, I put a message out on Facebook saying something along the lines of “Hey yo Cape Townians, hit me up with some natural insect repellent…” (maybe a little less gansta). And it was then that Pure Beginnings entered our world. A friend told me about their insect repellent stick and I have been a RAVING fan ever since. If you know me at all this is not new news to you.

So here is my one and only defense of these wicked, desperately-unwanted buzzing pests. I have a tube of Pure Beginnings Insect Repellent on hand – ALWAYS.

This product is so gentle I rub it on her face. It is made with citronella, lemon eucalyptus, neem & lemon bush. It’s 100% natural, and naturally repels insects and is DEET FREE, so is safe to use on babies and kids.

Pure Beginnings have recently launched a new product – the Insect Repellent Spray – which I haven’t tried yet, but cannot wait to get my hands onto. Same as spray on sun creams – you must ensure the child does not breathe it in, which is why having both (spray and rub) is pure genius.

When we were renovating earlier this year, my dad (who is also one to get completely chowed by mozzies) would spray about an entire can of Tabbard on himself every night and hubby and I could smell this poison-like-stuff a mile away. Urgh. I’m so so so relieved I can use something safe, natural and most importantly EFFECTIVE on our tiny little precious baby girl.

Beautiful, Beautiful Baby Bum Cream

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It’s amazing how my journey towards greenness started with a bleeding, horribly rashy newborn bum and how far we’ve all come since then. That bum is now 4.5 years old and thriving. If you’ve read any of my initial posts about this, you’ll know that it took calendula cream and clay powder to heal that bum after no medicated options worked.

So, the after the birth of our little girl, we swore we’d do anything to avoid that pa-lava. Enter Pure Beginnings. I religiously slapped their heavenly-smelling bum cream onto our newest tush after EVERY bum change. And have we had a problem? Heyyyyy no!

Pure Beginnings Baby Bum Cream is a therapeutic baby bum cream. It is natural and organic (obviously) and certified by EcoCert Greenlife (we love EcoCert things – they’re reliable and honest. You don’t get much past EcoCert).

Here is some more information on the cream:

  • Contains baobab fruit extract which is high in vitamin C and anti-oxidants (helps with skin elasticity and protecting against free radical damage) and also contains vitamins A and B which assists in firming and hydrating as well as having anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties.
  • Organic lavender oil, which has soothing and anti-septic properties.
  • Organic tea tree oil, which has anti-fungal, anti-septic and anti-bacterial properties.
  • Extremely effective barrier cream due to its natural anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties.
  • Can be used to treat nappy rash as well as little insect bites and stings. (Winning!)

Sure, you can go simple and lather your baby with organic coconut oil or a variation of natural go-to’s, but what I really like is that this concoction is so well thought out. Lavender for calming, tea tree for anti-fungal and anti-septic. It is packed with vitamins that assist the delicate natural of the skin.

And our little Brea’s bum, with the help of Pure Beginnings, is perfection.

The Pure Beginnings Baby Bum Cream (125ml) costs R84.99 and can be purchased directly from them online, Faithful to Nature, BabyGroup, Baby City, Dischem (a new retailer on board) and many other retailers here.

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I ask you with tears in my eyes – please put down the Vaseline and Johnson & Johnson’s and give this cream a go! You will not regret it.

One Step to Reducing Chemicals on your Skin

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With all the talk around chemicals and our exposure to them, I’ve had to take time to rethink what I do automatically, every day, without thinking, and if it’s a good or bad move on my part, especially during pregnancy. You know that saying ‘Every time you eat or drink you are either feeding a disease or fighting it’… well I think the same rings true for what we put ONTO our body.

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One of my New Years Resolutions for this year was to find homemade recipes for all the make up I use and l have it be all natural by 31st December 2016. Then I got pregnant, so let’s not be holding me to all that right now. I used to make my own mascara in Vancouver (with raw egg yolk – not even kidding!), and it was awesome, and EASY, but I feel like I now need a bar fridge in my bathroom to store all my homemade products. Regardless of my lack of research into natural make up over the course of this year, I do stop and think, and pick my battles wisely.

One of these automatic, sub-conscious things I do each day, is wash myself in the shower. Having reconsidered what I use on the kids, it was only appropriate that I reconsidered what I used on myself (and hubby, who really just grabs whatever I put in the shower for us to use). I tried making homemade soaps, but the ingredient list got too long and I always found them a tad oily, and arghhhh, was just never happy with it. I prefer a good (foamy) scrub using a liquid gel, and once I tried out Pure Beginnings’ Body Wash with Organic Baobab and Ylang Ylang I was sold. There is a fair amount of exposure around their baby and kids ranges, and so has been great to see their Organic Care range expand over the years, with products such as these.

organic-care

Small steps guys, small steps. You don’t need to change EVERYTHING you use in one huge tidal wave motion. Small changes that can be maintained are where it’s at. I love how this body wash foams (unlike castille soap, which I really like, but have found some frustrations with), and how it smells and how clean it makes me feel. Also, we love a pump bottle – quantity control. It really can last much longer than squeezy bottles. I’ve even let some friends use it (I’m generous like that :)) and while initially critical, they’ve been pleasantly surprised and well impressed!

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“Suitable for the whole family, this natural SLS-free body wash infused with community sourced organic Baobab fruit extract will leave skin feeling soft and clean. The natural citrus and ylang ylang fragrance combine to make bath and shower time a delightful experience”. 

Also, don’t be fooled. This is a bigger issue than you might think. This natural body wash is not just eliminating the BAD stuff (SLS, parabens, etc.) but it is using and introducing the GOOD stuff.

It optimises environment for beneficial microbes:

  • Includes inulin, a prebiotic, to create a healthy micro-climate for beneficial bacteria.
  • pH balanced to avoid stressing the skin.
  • Gentle surfactants to ensure natural skin oils and beneficial microbes are not stripped and skin is not compromised.

It defends agains environmental stress:

  • Baobab Fruit Extract and Vitamin E, both strong anti-oxidants, fight free radical damage from pollution, the sun and the environment.

It hydrates and nourishes:

  • Natural plant oils such as Jojoba, Coconut, Argan and Sunflower oil deliver essential fatty acids to hydrate and nourish.
  • Inulin provides moisturising properties.

It soothes and calms:

    • Aloe Vera acts as a natural anti-inflammatory to soothe irritation and calm the skin.

And so just like that you have more than enough reasons to stop, rethink, and reconsider what you are putting on your skin each day, reduce the amount of synthetic chemicals you are exposing yourself to and be properly awesome at the same time.

If you want more inspiration, and have conquered step one by changing your body wash, why not go wild and rethink your toothpaste, deo, shaving cream and hair care?

Re-thinking the Bubble Bath

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If there is one thing I can do to lure my littlies into a bath they’ve been playfully (and therefore skillfully) avoiding, it is uttering the words “I’ll add bubbles”. Well then, mind out the way, because they’ll come running.

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But, do you know what ingredients are in most bubble bath liquid soaps? I hate to burst your bubble (sorry – I couldn’t resist), but the news is NOT GOOD.

For ages and ages, all I used to wash my kids with was pure Dr. Bronner’s castile soap. It’s the purest kind of liquid soap I could find and I used to buy it in bulk overseas. I love castile soap but it’s pretty boring (no bubbles, barely any foam), and once kids learn that bath time can involve colourful fizzies, beans bursting into different shaped sponges, toys that flash different colour lights and then, BUBBLES (!), it’s hard to stick to the same old unimaginative castile regimen.

So can we find something better than Sailor Matey Ahoy Bubble Bath? Of course we can. Have you ever tried Pure Beginnings’ Bubble Bath? I love a lot of PB products, but this one fills a gap that I haven’t been able to fill otherwise – it offers safe, clean and enjoyable bubble baths.

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Here’s exactly what’s going into your kids mouth as they eat the bubbles:

Aqua (Water), Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Decyl Glucoside, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract*, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil*, Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) Fruit Extract*, Xanthan Gum, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower Oil, Linalool**, Limonene**, Geraniol**

*Ingredients from organic farming, **component of natural essential oils, 99% of the total ingredients are from Natural Origin, 97% of vegetable ingredients are from Organic Farming and 10% of the total ingredients are from Organic Farming.

If that doesn’t really mean all that much to you, remember that Pure Beginnings is Phytotrade Accredited, Beauty without Cruelty Certified, as well as EcoCert Certified (which is another way of saying every single ingredient is scrutinized and every detail of the product and its’ production is audited).

This bottle of bubble bath costs R65 for 250ml and it actually bubbles (unlike some other eco brands out there) so you don’t need to use it all in one go – thank goodness. YAY for genuinely awesome bubble baths!

You can buy it straight from the Pure Beginnings website, or find a stockist closest to you here.

The Purest of Beginnings

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It feels like we went overseas, came back, and everything was different. BOS iced tea is like the new ‘it’ drink and is available in every corner cafe and, much to my delight, Pure Beginnings Organic Skincare is available… every-where!

Having been attacked by mozzies upon our return to SA in mid-summer, I sent my hubby out to find a natural mozzie repellent, and voia la – we were officially introduced to the Pure Beginnings brand.

PB Insect repellant

As with all reviews, there is a plethora of overly-shmoozy things I could say about Pure Beginnings. I could say I love them because they’re EcoCert certified (so they cannot include any baddies such as propylene glycol/PPG/PEG, petrolatum, mineral oil, parabens, sulphated surfactants (SLS/SLES), DEA (Diethanolamine) / TEA (trethanolamine), phthalathes, DEP, DBP, DEHP, aluminium, fluoride, synthetic colourants & fragrances) or because they support African Communities and Biodiversity Conservation through fair trade and ethical sourcing (I love ethical). I could also say I love them because they use recyclable packaging and use only ingredients that are biodegradable and are approved by the Vegan Society, Beauty without Cruelty and Phytotrade Africa. It could also be because they have a good understanding of healthy (vs. bad) bacteria and consider optimising the beneficial bacteria in ones ‘body-ecosystem’. It really could be because of any of the above, right? Pssst… I like this last healthy bacteria bit in particular and it’s why I drink kombucha.

PB Eco Cert Certified

Buuuut, let’s pretend I didn’t say any of the above. I met them. In the flesh. So you can take my gushyness of Pure Beginnings to heart. They are RAD, they are trying to find better ways of doing things for you and your family, and they care.

Pure Beginnings genuinely believes in keeping your skin as pure as the day you were born by creating high quality, effective, organic skin care products that care for you and your family’s skin (and that are not harmful to the environment). Again, if you’ve read the post on why we cloth diaper, you’ll know this ‘skin as pure as the day you were born’ stuff was where I had my ah’ha moment, which has since changed everything.

Bum Cream

Pure Beginnings started out in 2007 with their focus being specifically Organic Baby and Organic Kids ranges and has since, expanded into a skin care brand for the whole family. Do I hear a ‘hoorah’? Since then Pure Beginnings has been the leading and most trusted baby and kids organic skin care brand in South Africa. Over these past 8 years, this family owned and run business has worked closely with mothers, midwives and child birth educators (and doulas!!) to develop a skin care range that meets the needs of babies and kids using the purest and safest natural and organic ingredients.

Surely you’ve seen these gorgeous products with the super adorbs child friendly characters…

Ollie the Owl

Max and Minky

…looky here! There’s a new addition to the troop (more info coming soon!)

Ruby the Rhino

The ranges are comprehensive. And there is a product for preeeeetty much everything you need. (I even used the baby bum cream to moisturize my dry, sniffly nose this winter)…

Organic Baby Care Range:

Within the Organic Baby Care range you’ll find: Baby Bum Cream, Berry Toothpaste, Bamboo Baby Wipes, Natural Aqueous Cream, Baby Lotion, Baby Wash & Shampoo, Teething Gel, 100% Natural Insect Repellent and a gorgeous Organic Baby Gift Set.

PB organic Baby care

My faves: No doubt the Berry Toothpaste is on my shopping list about once a month (my little one looooves teeth-brushing time!!). The Baby Wipes are fantastic and are my backup in case I run out of my homemade wipes. The Teething Gel sits on my night stand in case bubs gets fussy in the night. We also love the Bum Cream and the Insect Repellent. (The stick container makes it so easy to apply) .

Organic Kids Range:

Within the Organic Kids Care range you’ll find: Fun Time Bubble Bath, Fun Time Kids Wash, Kids Hygiene Hand Wash, Vanilla Mint Toothpaste and 100% Natural Insect Repellent.

My faves: The Bubble Bath is just the best (ask my kids!), as well as the toothpaste (again, we don’t have to fight over teeth-brushing time).

Organic Care Range:

And in the Organic (Family) Care range you’ll find: Deodorant, Shampoo and Conditioner, Shaving Cream, Body Lotion, Body Wash and Fresh Mint Toothpaste (and of course… the good old trusty insect repellent).

My faves: Fresh Mint Toothpaste! While my hubby is not sold on my homemade kind, this is what he always asks for. My dad also loves the shaving cream!

Pure Beginnings Body Wash

Please. Do yourself and your family a favour and get onto the Pure Beginnings bandwagon. You can find all of their stockists here (there are HEAPS so no excuses), and take a peek at the latest news on their blog, facebook and twitter pages. Prices of products range from R35 – R115, and it’s money well spent.

Whether we think about it all that much, we vote with our money. Just like the food we eat either helps or harms us, how we spend our money directly influences which companies thrive and which suffer. Let’s please choose WISELY as to how we spend our money and support local businesses. Let’s join together and support those who are making it easier for us to care for our families and for our environment.