How Natural Products Protect the Earth

We hear a lot about products being environmentally friendly these days, but what does it really mean?

An environmentally friendly product is one that causes little or no damage to the earth either during its production, its use or once it is finished. Realistically, anything we make or do has some impact on the environment but an environmentally friendly product is one that makes the least impact of all.

Bath and body products can do a lot of damage to our earth. They often contain synthetic materials and chemicals which artificially provide fragrance or some supposed benefit to our skins. We don’t really know what the long term effect is on the human body but we can already see what effect they have on the world around us. We won’t even talk about the testing on animals…..

Did you know that talc comes from great big open mines? Some of them have even been located inside National Parks. Not only are they digging this out of the earth, they then turn the products including talcum powder which has been linked to cancer.

Mineral oil sounds nice and gentle, doesn’t it? Sadly, mineral oil is poorly named because it is actually derived from petroleum. This is the same product that we know as baby oil and for generations it has been plastered all over our skins. Not only does it stop our skin from breathing but it as it passes through the body it interferes with the elimination of toxins. We damage the earth by mining petroleum, which is not a sustainable product, only to damage ourselves by using it.

You have probably seen reports on how phosphates are feeding the algae in our waterways and causing our fish to die and our water to be polluted. Phosphates are found in laundry and dishwasher products. SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate) is another chemical that is in most of the soaps and hair products we use. Although they say it is ‘derived from coconut’ SLS is actually quite corrosive and can cause skin damage. It is also used on animals when manufacturers test for skin reactions. Can you imagine what happens when a chemical cocktail of our household cleaners and cosmetics is flushed into our waterways?

Natural products are made from plants and products that occur naturally in the environment. They are environmentally friendly because they do not interfere with the earth or with plant and animal life. The materials are sustainable so that balance is maintained. Natural products are not processed with chemicals so they have no poisons to seep into the earth nor are they tested on animals. Natural, environmentally friendly products have no side-effects on us or on the Earth. The waterways stay clean and the micro-organisms that are the basis of our food chain stay healthy.

Look around your home and read the labels on the products you are using. How natural are they? Try eliminating chemical products from your home. Why not start by replacing your harmful bath and body products with our natural range? Every step towards natural products is a step towards a healthier life for your family and for the planet.

Coconut Oil is good for you

Coconut Oil is different from most other oils because it is solid at room temperature. I remember years ago buying my first bottle of coconut oil and expecting it to be a fragrant, liquid oil. I thought I had a faulty product when I opened it and saw a solid white mass like wax instead of oil.

Coconut Oil has many benefits for the skin which is why it is a favourite ingredient for soap makers. Coconut oil provides a protective barrier on the skin, protecting it from daily damage. It is an oil that really helps to give your skin a more youthful appearance as it is absorbed into the cells of your skin, helping to keep them strong and healthy. Coconut Oil contains anti-oxidants which are known to help fight off the free radicals which cause such damage to your skin.

Virgin Coconut Oil is pure and has not been damaged by vigorous refining processes. It has antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. In fact, it has health benefits far beyond skin care. Scientists have found that by cooking with coconut oil it has a positive effect on heart disease, blood pressure, cholesterol and much more.

There is no real fragrance from Coconut Oil. It has a very light scent to it but certainly does not smell of coconuts!

Soap and skin care makers love to use Coconut Oil because of its wonderful health and skin protection benefits. It is easy to use, taking only a gentle heating to melt, but it also stays stable during the production process. That means that it will produce a quality product each time.

If you look at our lovely range of soaps (http://www.purelynaturaliving.com/TheSoap.html) you will notice that they all list Coconut Oil as an ingredient. Now you know why. When you use our soaps you know that you are doing the best that you can do to keep your skin healthy and gorgeous.

Natural Baby Wipes

Have you ever thought about making your own baby wipes...well here is a really easy recipe and great for little bottoms, not to mention it's quick. You don't need to buy anything special, you should have most of the ingredients in your cupboard.

1 ltr of brewed chamomile tea
1/4 cup Olive Oil
A few drops of Lavender Essential Oil
Poured over the folded cloth wipes & drain of the excess

I found out about this recipe from my sister who was trying to save money, after having her children.  I have been using them for my son and have had no need for any rash ointment.  I love these and they are also so much cheaper than the ones you buy in the store and there's not nasty chemicals

Why We Use Quality Oils

You have probably wandered shops or markets and seen lovely ranges of sweet smelling oils with prices ranging from really cheap to seriously expensive. Perhaps you have wondered what the difference is between them. Let me tell you a little about essential oils.

Some of the oils you have seen are probably scented oils. They are oils laced with a fragrance so that they smell wonderful. These oils are created in a laboratory and they do not have any health or therapeutic properties about them. They will make your room or products smell lovely, though.

The more expensive oils are probably ranges of essential oil. Essential oils are derived directly from plants and herbs. They can come from many different parts of a plant. Some oils use the bark, some the berry and some the flowers, fruit or leaves of the plant. These contain oils that are known to have health benefits for us.

Even among essential oil ranges you will find quite a variation in quality and price. If you are choosing oils for their therapeutic qualities then it is worth paying the extra price and buying the best quality oils you can find.

At Purely Natural Living we use both scented and essential oils in our products. We label them clearly so that you know what ingredients go into every item that we make. We use high quality Bramble Berry scented oils for their lovely fragrances. Sometimes it is not possible to get an essential oil in that fragrance. It may be far too expensive. For example, rose fragrant oil is only a few dollars per bottle but rose essential oil can be around $50 and even then it is only 3% of the oil blend. Scented oils bring us perfume that we may not be able to get anywhere else.

We use quality essential oils in our products because we know that they are pure and not diluted with other oils. They do not have cheaper but similar smelling plant oils substituted for the real thing. With the cheaper oils you don’t really know how the oil was produced or where they sourced their plants from. Some regions produce plants of purer quality than others so of course the oils extracted from them are much better in quality. We use quality essential oils because they are far more likely to have health benefits than the cheaper oils.

Scented and essential oils are both beautiful products but it is worth buying the best quality that you can. Your nose will notice the difference.