Tag Archives: pure beginnings

Have you met Finn & Fern yet?

,

Pure Beginnings, South Africa’s most trusted organic baby and kids’ brand, is proud to announce the launch of their newest product, their certified organic kids Fun Time Conditioning Shampoo with marula oil.

This latest addition to the Pure Beginnings brand is the perfect natural alternative to comparative conventional hair care offerings for children. Formulated specifically with children in mind, the Fun Time Conditioning Shampoo is extremely mild and does not contain parabens, silicones, sulphates, colourants or synthetic fragrances. Perfect for everyday use, it’s ideal for children with a normal to dry scalp. The shampoo helps maintains the natural moisture of the scalp and its rich lather won’t irritate little eyes, so bath time tears are kept at bay.

“This conditioning shampoo provides a gentle, all-in-one shampoo, and it completes our range of safe and effective hair care products for the whole family”.

Natural Oils which complement the hair and scalp:

Pure Beginnings always considers the impact that its products have on the natural environment of the skin and hair. Their new, all-in-one conditioning shampoo contains Marula oil, organic baobab fruit extract, organic aloe and organic Rooibos. The mild surfactants do not strip the hair of natural oils, and each of the ingredients used plays an important role in ensuring the skin and scalp are nurtured and protected. Marula oil assists in sealing damaged hair strands and locking in moisture, baobab fruit extract nourishes dry hair, whilst organic aloe aids in calming and soothing the scalp.

“This Conditioning Shampoo has been specially formulated for children of all ages. Safe for even the most sensitive skin and scalp, you can use it with complete peace of mind, no matter the age of your child”, says Bruce Moore-Gordon, owner of Pure Beginnings.

“As a brand, we are committed to providing safe, effective and convenient products for the whole family, whilst still ensuring all our ingredients are of an organic and natural origin”, he continues.

Natural Ingredients:

Marula Oil is high in the antioxidants Vitamin C and E, as well as oleic acid, and helps to seal damaged hair and lock in moisture.

Organic Baobab Fruit Extract acts as a natural conditioner for the hair and scalp. It helps to detangle and moisturise dry hair.

Organic Aloe helps to soothe and calm the scalp.

Pure Beginnings Fun Time Conditioning Shampoo is certified organic with Ecocert, has sustainably sourced its ingredients through Phytrotrade Africa and is Vegan accredited. Available at Baby City, Takealot, Wellness Warehouse, Faithful-to-Nature and leading independent health stores.

Day Zero Survival Checklist, Naturally…

, , , ,

Guys. Remember when I wrote this post yeeeeeeeeeeeeears back on using 10L of water a day? And how funny it was because, really, it was so very unrealistic and so not real, and I could laugh about it because I had a gazillion liters of water in my taps and under my house and water was life and, well, I had plenty of it…

Well, how the tables have turned. Cape Town now finds itself in this real-life nightmare. This real-life nightmare which has gone from shock-horror scare tactics, and overracting about how bad it all is, to genuine scare tactics, queueing for water at the shops while trying to wrap our minds about lining up for a daily ration of water. Where? Who knows. How will it work? No one can quite tell us that either. SABC News keeps playing this segment highlighting how some rural communities have lived on a trickle of water for centuries, and while it is eye opening and inspiring, THIS IS CAPE TOWN. Wealthy, on the international stage, leading in arts and culture, Table Mountain, V&A Waterfront, best coffee shops in the world CAPE.TOWN.

So here we are: 

So, here’s my humble 2c on how we can defeat Day Zero. #defeatdayzero.

Firstly, I’ll gently nudge you into OBEYING the freaking rules set out by the City of Cape Town. In point form:

  • Amongst the most obvious…
  • Please don’t shower every day. You really don’t have to. If you smell good all the time we will start to judge you.
  • Collect grey water for EVERYTHING. (Please also store this safely! I have a toddler around the house so we are really careful about where and how water is stored).
  • Flush once a day (with grey water from the dishwasher or washing machine).
  • Wash your clothes and your dishes on ECO cycles. Test them and see which cycles use less water.

Secondly, my ECO-POINTERS:

My personal choices for the checklist below would be Nu-Eco hand sanitizer, Pure Beginnings biodegradable wet wipes (as well as mozzie spray, because those mozzies like water collection spots it seems!) and EcoPack‘s biodegradable bowls and cups for your home.

Also, as Wellness Mama suggests, you can use arrowroot powder as a dry shampoo alternative for bonde hair and Cocoafair cocoa powder for dark hair. I kid you not.

Also, go with a buddy to collect water at the spring, day or night. Consider it bonding time – turning a crisis into a standing coffee date (literally, standing).

Finally, some extra thoughts courtesy of EcoPack:

  1. Make a Stay Soft & water solution to spray clothes and hang up to dry
  2. Clean counters with disposable wipes
  3. Wash yourself with wet wipes
  4. Throw toilet paper used for urinating in a lined bin instead of the toilet – add sawdust or bicarb to control odor
  5. Fill toilet cistern with water instead of straight into the toilet
  6. Use microfiber cloths rather than sponges as they become unsanitary faster
  7. Ladies can extend the life of their underwear by wearing panty liners
  8. Use store bought water for drinking only
  9. Use biodegradable & compostable disposable cups, plates & bowls where possible to save water
  10. If you have to wash dishes, wipe as clean as possible with paper towels first
  11. Buy food that requires no water during preparation
  12. Wear fabrics like cotton that breaths to avoid odors from developing due to sweat & bacteria
  13. Use a bicarb & coconut oil mixture as deodorant as it is more effective than traditional store bought deodorants
  14. Use vinegar in a spray bottle for cleaning surfaces.

We’re in this together Cape Town! We really are. Let’s live like it.

Pic credit: www.ewn.co.za, www.msn.com, www.businesslive.co.za, www.ecopack.co.za, City of Cape Town.

With Sincere Gratitude…

, , , , , , ,

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…

, , , , ,

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.

Aluminium under your armpits, anyone?

, , , , ,

There was this amazing underarm I used to buy overseas. It was made by a popular store brought brand, and it smelled like watermelon. I LOVE anything watermelon and so this had my name all over it. With coupon culture as it goes in North America, I often used to get it half price, so… I was stocked up, on watermelon underarm.

I must now ask myself a few questions:

  1. WHY ON EARTH would I want my underarms smelling like watermelon?
  2. Surely there is nothing attractive about watermelon smelling underarms.
  3. (The glitzy sticker on the tube should’ve given that away)
  4. There is nothing normal about ones underarms smelling like watermelon.
  5. Oh, and… aluminium.

I will extend myself some grace as a then-ignorant-20-something, who just loved all things watermelon. But really, wow, how I’ve grown.

I had no idea that 99% of underarm/roll on/deodorants (call them what you will) have aluminium in them. Aluminium. ALU-MINIUM. Did you know this?

Most antiperspirant concerns center around the active ingredient – an aluminum-based compound that temporarily plugs the sweat ducts and prevents you from perspiring. Typically, antiperspirants are coupled with a deodorant, which contains the pleasant scent that stops you from smelling.

That pleasant fragrance comes with it’s problems too – often accompanied by the endocrine disrupting phthalates. A number of studies in recent years have clearly linked aluminum-based antiperspirants with the increase the risk for breast cancer. Source

Right then. Fresh perspective. We need an alternative. We need to be more careful.

Here is it. Pure Beginnings have 4 different natural deodorants which do not contain aluminium. Their amazing different scents include Monsoon, Forest, Sahara and Fragrance Free (for super sensitive skins).

These eco-deo’s are awesome. They are safe, natural and smell amazing. While I do still perspire when I use it, I’m okay sweating. I know it is our bodies’ natural way to cool ourselves down. What makes me more concerned is when I don’t sweat. And so this deo ticks all the boxes for me.

Give it a go, and tell me what you think? You can order it online here and it retails for only R59.85.

Is Your Toothpaste Safe?

, , , , , ,

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!

Why we love Baby Massage

, , ,

Does baby massage sound a little first world to you? I mean, if you’ve got other kids, you’re a little too busy packing lunch boxes, cleaning koki off the walls and running after a naked toddler with a potty in hand to take a little time out for some baby massage, aren’t you?

I first learnt about baby massage at a moms group back in Vancouver. We were all handed grapeseed oil (I’d never heard of it before then), undressed our babies, placed them in a circle and were shown baby massage. What sounded like an ‘optional’ extra activity, is actually pretty significant.

There are TONS of benefits of baby massage. In fact, third time round, dare I say that newborns can be a little boring sometimes? They’re awesome, but there’s not allll that much you can do with them… but you can do this! So this is a total win.

  • It is a fantastic way of affirming your bond with your baby (which is critical if you understand how babies’ brains develop).
  • Encourages digestion and eases baby’s colic, constipation and gas/wind.
  • Improves blood circulation and skin conditions.
  • Encourages sensory stimulation and routine building.
  • Helps build parents and baby’s self esteem.
  • Improves baby’s health and general well-being.
  • Helps baby sleep for longer and stimulates neurological development.
  • Helps you become more confident in handling your child and better at recognising their needs.
  • Research has shown that baby massage can be a way in which a mother engages in positive ways with her baby (relieves stress for both mom and bub).
  • It can be a great way for partners, grandparents and siblings to bond with the newest addition to the family.
  • Regularly massaging your baby may help them to sleep and settle better too. Your baby’s muscles relax, and breathing becomes deeper as massage raises levels of the ‘feel-good’ hormone oxytocin in both you and your baby. This helps you both feel calmer and relaxed. (This can also help with breastfeeding).

Although massage is beneficial for all babies, it is particularly useful for those with special needs, such as Down’s syndrome or cerebral palsy, as it provides a unique way of communicating and soothing them.

baby-massage

THE HOW TO:

So firstly, it’s ideal to create a relaxing, cosy environment for bubs. Post bath, when they’re relaxed and warm, is my best time, but here are some general tips:

  • Choose a time when your baby is content and alert, not tired or hungry.
  • Try sitting on the floor, bed or sofa, with your child safely on a towel in front of you.
  • Find a position that’s comfortable, gives you good eye contact with no overhead lights and where your baby is warm.
  • It’s up to you whether your child is nappy-free, but it can help to at least loosen the nappy when massaging the tummy.
  • Use a safe and natural or organic oil or cream as some may end up in their mouth. I prefer oil, such as Pure Beginnings’ Soothing Baby Massage & Bath Oil with Kalahari Melon.
  • Your child may end up with some oil in their mouth (via their hands or feet), so you really do want to make sure it’s safe.

It can be a nice idea to introduce a massage after bath and before bed as part of a bedtime wind-down.

Getting Started

Before beginning, ‘ask permission’ by warming a little oil between your hands near your baby’s ears, and ask ‘can I give you a massage?’ Cheesy, but cute (and teaching boundaries :)) This may sound a little strange but your child will become familiar with this cue and know that massage is about to start. It also gives your baby a chance to let you know if they’re not feeling like a massage (ha ha, alrighty then).

It’s great to massage the whole of your child’s body using a range of techniques (a couple are given below). You can repeat each stroke a few times, always responding to what your child seems to enjoy. The ‘I love you’ stroke was one of my faves and one I’ve never forgotten.

i love you massage

  • Once you have ‘asked permission,’ gently hold one of your baby’s legs between your palms.
  • Then, with one hand, hold your baby’s ankle securely. Mould your other hand around the top of your child’s thigh, then slide it down the leg towards the ankle. Aim for a ‘milking’ action – as if you were milking a cow.
  • Then swap hands and repeat. Always keep your child’s ankle supported and use slow, flowing strokes.
  • Next, cradle your child’s foot in your hands and use your thumbs to stroke over the sole of the foot from heel to toes, one thumb after another. This can also be done on the top of the foot. Gently squeeze and rub each toe between your thumb and finger.
  • Then, holding your child’s foot in your hands, press the pads of your thumbs all over the sole of the foot, like a cat padding a cushion.
  • Finish by repeating the ‘milking’ stroke in the opposite direction, i.e. from ankle to thigh. You can use the same technique on her arms.
  • You can massage tummy in circular movements, and roll bubs over and massage her back and bum.

Here are some tips to help you massage your baby safely:

  • Please don’t use oils that are synthetically scented, petroleum-based or contain nuts – you know better than that.
  • When massaging your child’s arms or legs, always support the ankle or wrist with one hand.
  • When massaging your child’s tummy with a circular motion, go clockwise rather than anti-clockwise.
  • Keep oil away from her face. Use the residual oil on your hands for gentle facial massage.

Importantly, if your child becomes upset or falls asleep, stop massaging.

Enjoy baby massage

If your baby doesn’t seem to enjoy massage right away, don’t be bummed. It’s a new experience for you both and it can take a bit of getting used to. Try a few minutes the first time and build up as your child gets more used to it.

There’s no reason why you can’t continue massaging your child into later childhood. Studies show this can have a positive effect, not just on your child’s physical health, but on their emotional well-being and relationships with others – including you!

Credit: www.ntc.org.uk, Pure Beginnings, www.the-gentle-touch.com, 

My Summer Must Have

, , , , , , , , ,

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…

, , , , , ,

probiotic-baby-slider

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.

screen-shot-2016-10-17-at-10-58-10-pm-510x728

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:
probiotic-prebiotic-510x510

pb_sensitive_wash_web

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…

, , , , , ,

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.