6 Easy Steps So You’ll Never Have to Memorise Another Chemical Name Again!
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Avoid products that contain water (Aqua).
Water brings life - this means bacteria growth. To make water a viable ingredient in skincare products, manufacturers must add synthetics preservatives. So, by avoiding any product made with water you’ve already eliminated a whole load of potential harmful synthetics.
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Avoid so called ‘Safe-Synthetics’.
Many of the ingredients in our skincare regimes are so new that it is impossible for scientists to know the long- term effects. The first commercial deodorant was introduced in 1888, however the first research to show links between deodorant and breast cancer was in 2002, over 100 years later. Our point is – what is considered safe now, might not actually be as safe as you would think.
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‘Organic’ does not guarantee quality.
This one’s a hard pill to swallow- but it’s important. To be organic a product/ingredient must meet specific criteria and tick certain boxes. However, in the cosmetic industry, there is no governing body or specification for the quality of these products. An ingredient can be certified ‘Organic’ at a farm, and then stored in poor conditions or diluted and lose all of its freshness and quality. (We learnt this the hard way after ordering 20+ samples of Castor Oil from different organic farms and seeing the dramatic variation in quality ourselves)
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Check you are getting the full story of every ingredient.
A company should know the origins and story of everything that goes into their products. If they don’t, then they simply can’t guarantee high quality, fair working conditions and organic practices. (Good to know – some plants only grow in very specific places in the world e.g. real and pure Tea Tree Oil can only be grown in certain parts of Australia. When checking for an ingredient’s origin, be aware of where they should be from to avoid so called ‘nature-identical’ replicas.)
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Look for dark or opaque glass packaging.
Natural ingredients and essential oils will oxidise and go off when exposed to sunlight. Dark glass bottles, such as frosted amber or cobalt, filter UV rays and light radiation therefore keeping your products fresh and nutritious for longer.
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Consider fair working conditions.
To create 1kg of rose oil, you need 3500-5000kg of raw plant material. It takes hours of labour and years of expertise to pick and produce high quality oils and ingredients. Try to look for brands that support their workers, farms and production line. The easiest way to spot an ethical company? Check their website, if they’re putting the effort in to support fair working conditions then they’ll want to tell you about it!
Do we really need a bathroom filled with synthetic skincare products? Or is it time to return to traditions of the past…
Earth To You is my ongoing project to reimagine modern day skincare, self-care and wellbeing rituals with natural, organic alternatives.
My journey into natural, herbal remedies began when my Mum was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. As her condition worsened, it started to feel as though every new medical treatment or pill would bring with it a fresh set of painful side effects. In an incredibly difficult time of my life, I turned to nature for help and I realised that I had found a way to bring her some comfort and calm in a sea of unease.
Fourteen years of stress and sadness left me struggling with my own health and wellbeing. I was diagnosed with MS after I lost complete sensation in over half of my body. Years of harmful chemical build up, lack of self-care and an ongoing fight with depression had confused my immune system. Lying in a hospital bed, I was at once terrified, but equally inspired. I knew that I wasn’t looking after myself and that by changing that, I could do no further harm.
I approached my MS with recognition that the body heals from within. I cleared my life of chemicals and I embraced the world of plants. I changed my eating and started to meditate and practice yoga. As I got to know my body all over again, I put my trust in nature and realised I was learning more about strength than I was about weakness. I was healing from within and I wanted to share it.
When life gives you lemons, you start fighting harder. Out of the pain and suffering of my past, has come an incredible amount of love and light. I know now that I am here for a reason that my life has purpose. I started Earth To You to make the most of my time on this planet, and to spread the knowledge that I have gained over the last 20 years of tough-times.
Earth to You is about love… love of my body, love of the Earth and love for the traditions of the past.
Our oils and botanical products are an opportunity to reset your skincare rituals, to declutter and simplify in a way that nurtures the body, cleanses the mind and benefits the planet.
From seed to soul we work directly with hand selected farms that embody every aspect of our philosophy - traditional methods, organic practices and fair working conditions.