Tag Archives: organic skincare

My latest Little Green Box treat!

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It’s been a while since I posted about a beauty review – and whoa, do I have a cracker for you! Recently I went to my fave little eco salon (The Little Green Box), which, if you’re concerned about chemicals on your skin at any beauty therapist – you don’t need to worry here! I was treated to the NEW Esse Age Defying Facial. Yes. Please.

If you haven’t read previous experiences that I’ve had with Peta, you can do so here and here (she is so very wonderful, and sooooo much in line with how I think and what I love). She is an Esse expert and beams organic, wholesome, holistic and non-judgemental light as soon as you walk into her space. She also told me I had little live friendly pac-man type creatures crawling all over my skin during the exfoliation… intrigued? Read on…

EVERY TIME I have a facial I think I need more facials because they are so goooood for my skin.

Here is a little about the facial itself: 

Esse products are (in my opinion) some of the best natural products out there. Formulated under incredible minds, these products are creme de la creme.

Esse is USP certified organic, they use natural and organic ingredients as well as live probiotics, and is considered a cosmeceutical (because of the delivery system and how the ingredients penetrate the cellular membrane). No nonsense here guys…

Probiotics are for the skin, like water is for a thirsty soul! They protect, hydrate, improve barrier function, skin firmness, slow the rate of aging and detoxify. Esse’s philosophy includes providing skincare that is ethical and sustainable. They care about being carbon neutral, committed to the Fairtrade movement and are Phytrotrade Africa accredited which monitors plant diversity. Esse are also cruelty free, and vegan.

 

Have you heard of the Human Microbiome Project? Basically it will challenge everything you thought about healthy bacteria and (extreme) cleanliness, and how desperately our skin microbiome needs attention.

In 2013, the Human Microbiome Project concluded that “microbes contribute more genes essential for human survival than humans do”.

What is the Microbiome?

The Microbiome is the sum total of all the microbes in and on your body.

What is a Microbe? 

A Microbe is a single celled organism.

What is a Probiotic?

Probiotics are beneficial microbes.

What is a Prebiotic?

Prebiotics are food sources for beneficial microbes. By giving them food, they proliferate and thrive thereby excluding the pathogenic (harmful) ones.

Microbes are essential for health. Esse treats the skin as an ecosystem, and every ingredient is carefully considered for its impact on the microbiome. Back in 2015, Esse launched their revolutionary Probiotic Serum. This serum contains 3 species of lactobacillus microbes. These probiotics are only activated on contact with water on the skin. They then seed the skin with billions of live probiotics which help to rectify imbalances in the skin as well as repair barrier function for a firmer, fuller and more radiant skin.

Sooooooo, back to where my experience came in… Peta gave me Esse’s Age Defy Facial (because I’m no spring chicken anymore guys, and well, my cross-face lines, they’re sinking in deep…).

The Age Defy Facial by Esse Organic Skincare:

  • It enhances preservation from probiotic and botanical actives, restores the skins vitality and promotes collagen and elastic formation (so, you see, those cross-lines are a goner).
  • It also boasts an advances skin smoothing mask with muscle relaxing properties.

A few things to note from the facial:

The Beta Hydroxy Exfoliation:

  • This is a light peel for getting skin back on track
  • Gently dissolves (Peta described this as little pac-man friends eating away at my old, dead skin and) the ‘cement’ that binds skin together.
  • It is very gentle. Not a ‘scrub-type’ exfoliation.

The Intensity Mask: 

  • This is a skin smoothing mask contains Marfane Extract – this is the crucial main ingredient. Considered as a natural alternative to botox (YES please!), it has a strong relaxing effect on muscles and takes 2hrs to activate.
  • It also gives an intense moisture boost.

We took before and after photos (but my phone died a slow and painful (for me) death and had to be wiped clean, l so I can’t show you the final result) but I dared to go out to do the school run with my naked face and felt amazing. It was soft and plump and healthy-looking. I will absolutely be back for another treatment!

I am constantly amazed at the current and on-going advancements in technology when it comes to organic skincare and how THIS is where significant discoveries are being made (such as the importance of our microbiome, keeping the skin of the pH accurate and feeding it, as opposed to scrubbing, smothering and simply ‘cleaning’ it).

Peta is a wealth of knowledge, (she clearly LOVES this stuff) and I’d highly encourage you contact her if you have ANY questions about any skin concerns. She has numerous facial options for those wanting age-defying, or a hydrating, or a intense facial treatment.

The Little Green Box has become such an obvious spot to stop for any skincare need, as well as for gifts and gift vouchers (ask my friends). Besides all this, vote with your money. Support small, ethical, local business. Always (okay, or as much as you can…)

Check out the full The Little Green Box Price List and don’t forget that Gift Vouchers and Spa Packages are also available. You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter for updates and more info.

Contact Details:

41 Meadow Way, Constantia Meadows.

Tel: 074 816 7794 (or whatsapp)
Email: littlegreenboxskincare@gmail.com
Web: www.greenboxskincare.co.za

The Little Green Box – Eco Skincare 

Monday to Friday: 08:30 – 16:00
Saturday: 08:30 – 13:00
Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays

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: http://www.vitaliberata.co.za/vita-liberata-stockist/

With Sincere Gratitude…

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I can’t believe it has been a year since this… together with Pure Beginnings, we launched Debbie’s Pure Beginnings Pregnancy Journey.

And, as we’ve wrapped up this journey, I’ve become so nostalgic looking back over the past year. Pregnancy and parenting is such a mish-mash of excitement, stress, fear, trepidation, anticipation, joy, tears and leaking boobs.

Together with the incredible Team at Pure Beginnings, we created these videos, spoke at national Childbirth Educators Forums, and opened up many, many everyday pregnancy and birth related topics for discussion.

http://https://youtu.be/DMKVPX7t1ec

If you missed any posts – you can find them here:

I love this world; this crazy, frantic, joyful, intense, scary, emotional ride. This busy, tear-filled, beautiful, messy role of Motherhood. And I’ve felt so privileged to walk this road with you all, and the Pure Beginnings Team. What an absolute privilege.

And finally, in wrapping up, I can’t help but give you some inside scoop on who exactly it is, behind the brand. They are a family. But really, they are a real family. A husband and wife team (and some awesome extras), convicted to start Pure Beginnings when their own kids were born. Even with them living in Durbs, I’ve met them on numerous occasions, and been hosted in their home and have been incredibly inspired by their hard working ethic, their gentle and beautiful natures, their humility, care for people and their product and determination to do and be better and provide better alternatives for US.

You want to support that family sending their kids to soccer and/or piano lessons? Those are the people behind Pure Beginnings.

Thank you Kate and Bruce (and Amanda) for allowing me to start this journey with Brea in the best way possible, with a Pure Beginning. xxx

Doing the best, with what you know…

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Have you seen the latest list of Pure Beginnings’ Most Loved Products of 2016?

You can find the list here, and all of these products have been reviewed on the blog (because they are so super awesome), except I missed this one – #5 on the list, the Soothing Baby Lotion – how did it slip me by?

I’ve heard from many moms who have had issues with their kids’ skin and then changed body lotions (to Pure Beginning’s Soothing Baby Lotion) that voia la – problem solved! It is not per chance. Let me show you a bit more…

I’m naturally not the ‘scare you into change’ type, and more the ‘encourage you into change’ type, but this I must say – READ LABELS!

Why so often, does skin relax, or calm after using Pure Beginnings? Well let’s read here what they do NOT use:

  • Any ingredients that are tested on animals. Pure Beginnings is completely animal friendly.
  • Any ingredients red flagged by Ecocert such as:
    • Any petrochemical derived ingredients or mineral oil (propylene glycol/PPG/PEG, petrolatum, mineral oil)
    • Parabens (Methyl, Propyl/Ethyl/Butyl)
    • Sulphated Surfactants (SLS/SLES)
    • DEA (Diethanolamine) / TEA (trethanolamine)
    • Phthalathes (often hidden under “Parfum” or “Fragrance”. Also listed as phthalate, DEP, DBP, DEHP)
    • Aluminium
    • Fluoride
    • Synthetic Colourants & Fragrances
  • They don’t use any chemical disinfectant such as Triclosan.

If your child is having a reaction to something, it is usually something that is disagreeing with his/her skin. Badies.

For you label readers, here are the ingredients in Pure Beginning’s Soothing Baby Lotion with Organic Baobab:

Aqua (Water), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Inulin*, Sclerocarya Birrea (Marula) Seed Oil, Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) Fruit Extract*, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate, Pelargonium Graveolens (Rose Geranium) Oil, Lactic Acid, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Linalool**, Citronellol**, Geraniol**

*ingredients from organic farming, **component of natural essential oils, 99.6% of the total ingredients are from Natural Origin, 96.4% of vegetable ingredients are from Organic Farming, 15% of the total ingredients are from Organic Farming.

If you didn’t make it through that paragraph above, I understand. Just let me tell you that no nasties can get through EcoCert’s super strict standards – so it is a safe and trusted stamp of approval.

Spend time with your baby, connect during paused moments of cuddling and baby massage, but for goodness sake, don’t expose them to allergy/organ toxicity and skin immune issues while doing it.

When I chat to my mom about how she raised my brother and I, it often comes back to ‘doing the best with what you knew at the time’. Baby on their back to sleep, or baby on their front? Breast milk or formula? Solids at 4 months or 6 months? Research changes the way we do things over time – but take what you have and do with it, the best you can.

Is Your Toothpaste Safe?

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I bet you’ve never actually questioned it.

One more thing I had to rethink after I had kids was which toothpaste to buy them, and given the amazing number of options overseas, it was easy to make the best choice. Flouride or no fluoride? Cute organic brand, or cheap grocery store kind? Being a fresh greenie at the time, the choice was obvious.

Again, coming back to South Africa, I had to re-look at my options. Is it such a big deal which toothpaste you use? What is the big deal anyways? Have you ever really thought about it?


Well, turns out we DO have options, and they’re pretty straightforward.

This big deal around FLOURIDE?! Let’s dive into that a little more. According to Pure Beginnings, here’s why we consider it a big NO-NO.

“Water flouridation and the use of fluoride in toothpaste has been questioned for years. The practice continues because proponents of its use argue that the doses are too low to effect us. The facts remain however that fluoride is a toxic chemical and various studies have linked its consumption to reproductive problems, lowered IQ, early puberty, abnormal thyroid function, arthritis, osteoporosis and even brain damage. Since children rarely spit all their toothpaste out (don’t we know it!) it is really important that they use a fluoride-free toothpaste to ensure they aren’t ingesting the toxic ingredient. Research reveals other ingredients, such as Xylitol, are safer, but equally effective, as fluoride in combating tooth decay. Pure Beginnings believes that using natural alternatives are a much better choice for your family.”

I agree one million percent. The safer alternative is out there and it is better for us. So what’s stopping us? My kids LOVE both the baby and kids flavours – berry (in the baby care range) and vanilla mint (in the kids range). In fact, they love it so much I have to hide it in between tooth-brushing sessions, or else they’d eat it all up.

Because these toothpastes still foam, you only need a little. Oh guys, I feel so safe and happy and confident using this product on my boys, and now our new little person. You can order some for yourself right here!

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.

It doesn’t get better than this, in my humble opinion…

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I’m greenie right? So it gives me incredible pleasure to smother natural and organic products on my kids. Not only because I know it’s best for them, but because I know by using responsible products, I’m partnering with those caring for the environment, and taking our impact on Creation seriously. (We watched Before the Flood last night, and it.is.terrifying).

A while back I went to a talk on probiotic skincare. I felt like I was in a Higher Grade Science class – and with my post-baby brain, I reeeally had to concentrate carefully. And it made so much sense to me. Talking about our microbiome, and a healthy gut. Talking of pre and probiotics and their effect on our health. I’d heard these words thrown around before in my green-world, but had never taken it all that seriously. Let’s be honest, I was a new greenie and was just getting to grips on it all, and learning about what an Ecocert certification meant was new to me.

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Fast forward to present time – and then this happened. And I stopped, and shared a moment of pure thrill and almost disbelief in the genius of it. Probiotic products for baby. Wrap these up and pop them under the Christmas Tree because THIS beats anything you can buy your newborn baby for Christmas (in my humble opinion).

Trail blazers, Pure Beginnings (who are now available at Dischem – yeeeaaahhhhh), has brought our 2 Probiotic Baby products – Probiotic Baby Sensitive Body Cream, and a Probiotic Baby Sensitive Cream Wash, both fragrance free. So no more do you need to rub a kombucha scoby onto your baby’s skin (not that any of us were doing that anyway). The formulations of these products combine the best in organic baby skin care with breakthrough innovations in probiotic technology. Done. I’m sold.

If you’re clueless about the microbiome, probiotics and prebiotics and are curious as to why I find this really, really exciting, here is some more info for you:
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pb_sensitive_cream_webHere are just a few of the ingredients they use and why they’re so different to anything else you are putting on your newborns skin…

  • Baobab Fruit Extract – a natural prebiotic which is also packed with anti-oxidants,
  • Inulin & Lactic Acid – prebiotics which deliver a food source to the good microbes, assisting them to colonise over the pathogenic ones,
  • Lactobacillus Ferment – the probiotic additive in the product that will protect the skin from pathogenic microbes but also assisting in the production of good microbes.

Both of these beauties are essential oil and fragrance free (fragrances being a real skin irritant for sensitive skins). The pH is balanced at the same as skin to ensure the skin is not stripped of natural oils and the microbiome is not disrupted, and of course it is certified by Ecocert Greenlife.

I know you want them – so here’s where you can get them. The Probiotic Baby Sensitive Cream Wash (200ml) retails for R99.99 and the Probiotic Baby Sensitive Body Cream (250ml) for R109.99.

Finding the Real Scent in everything…

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The one thing that sometimes bums me out a bit about natural products, is that a LOT of them don’t have ‘a smell’. I have a friend who just always smells amazing – and not because of her perfume either. Just that clean, fresh, ‘her’ smell. I want a smell too. And my house, and my laundry. And while I know it’s all deceiving – I like to smell good, and have my linen smell good and have my living room smell good. The thing is, there is a reason honest, natural goodies often don’t have a smell. It’s because that fresh fresh fresh smell you’re smelling… it’s all lies. (Disclaimer: many natural products do have gorgeous smells, but many also tend to go fragrance free for babies and kids with sensitive skins – my current world). And since I’m a sweaty, smelly lactating being, I’m lusting even more so after ‘a smell’. 

It’s a tricky one isn’t it? Go with that all natural ‘person/house smell’ (healthy) or have it be dandelion fresh (a treat to your olfactory sensory neurons)… Meh. It’s tough.

Fooooortunately, WE DO HAVE OPTIONS! And exciting, creative ones at that. My aunt just came to SA from overseas and she bought me a SOL burner and some DoTerra essentail oils. She read my mind. I put it on. Daily. It is now my most favorite house addition. I want one for every room. Every room. (Meet the glutton in me). House smell – tick.

There is a real problem with synthetic scents, like a REAL problem. And most fake green ‘natural sources’ are not natural at all. Trust me. They hide under the terms parfum, perfume or fragrance. Synthetic scents are a chemical toxic super storm. Why do you think ‘fragrance free’ has become the latest trend in marketing know-how?

So, ESSENTIAL OILS. Oh essential oils. And not just essential oils, but ethically sourced, certified organic essential oils. Not only do they smell about a gazillion times better than their synthetic counterparts, but honestly, it’s like comparing pecking duck to gristle on the bone. And no one likes gristle on the bone.

Walk into any Whole Foods in North America and the choices are endless. Back here though, well, it can be tricky. But, yay me, I found SOiL Aromatherapy. They have an impressively large range of organic essential oils, as well as burners, wax melts, shea butter, carrier oils as well as body and hair care products as part of their Treemendous range.

My fave baby products, Pure Beginnings, use top notch essential oils in all their products (except the fragrance-free ranges obviously). Here you can replace your (and your kids, and your babies’) usual day-to-day toiletries with a natural and safe alternative – deodorant, hair care, toothpaste, body wash… you name it!

Right now, I’m burning a Spa Valous eco-friendly body candle. It is a massage candle. Have you heard of massage candles? Massage candles are a new variety of candle serving several simultaneous functions. While they light a room, provide a delightful ambiance, and scent the immediate area with subtle fragrance, massage candles also contain cosmetic ingredients that make them an excellent body moisturizer offering anti-aging benefits and massage oil alternative. Because of their unique ingredients, a true massage candle will melt at just over body temperature. Much like a hot bath, they are comfortably warm, but not hot. (source)

There are so so many amazing things you can do with essential oils, and so many options out there – from disinfecting wounds, to encouraging deep relaxation. I used essential oils in my birth, HypnoBirthing preparation as well as my post partum recovery (hello tea tree oil bath). They are little drops of intensely gorgeous smelling gold.

I dare you to dip your toes into the world of essential oils, as opposed to synthetic fragrances, just one item at a time… find your fit and go for it.

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!

pb-care-wash

“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?