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Our Story So Far
The new mum struggle
This post is about our journey so far, and it all started back in 2016 when I became a mum for the first time. Between breastfeeding, changing nappies, cooking, cleaning and watching my firstborn sleep, I had very little time for myself. He created an endless stream of work and joy and I got last in the sauce. Motherhood consumed me whole and my only purpose was to cater to all his wants and needs. I made little to no time for myself and I dropped all my hobbies and socialising. After a few months, we found our rhythm, but then he developed eczema. Eczema is an uncomfortable, incurable skin condition that made his dry, itchy and irritated most days.
My first instinct was to go natural with his treatment, but I suppressed those thoughts and went with the health advisor’s advice. First I tried almost every ‘gentle’ cleanser available at my local supermarket, health food store and Amazon. Though marketed as “gentle” or “natural”, most products contained a cocktail of artificial fragrances, colourants, sulphates, and drying alcohols. These ingredients not only exacerbated his condition but they are also linked to long-term health issues. I then tried prescribed washes and moisturisers from the GP, and they were not much better. They contained petroleum, and SLS as well as parabens and other nasties. They too exacerbated his eczema or did little to improve it. I ended up giving him salt baths and moisturising with raw shea butter.
Natural wholesome ingredients
Frustrated, I decided to heal his skin myself and I would do it using only natural, wholesome ingredients. I had tried everything else and they had either not worked or made his condition worse. First, I spoke to my mum about the natural remedies and beauty practices from our native Sierra Leone. From our conversations, I understood more about the beauty, power and versatility of shea butter or ori as we call it locally. Traditionally we use ori for babies and pregnant women due to its moisturising and protective qualities. After that, I spent months researching other oils and butters, natural skincare, herbalism and eczema via books, blogs, YouTube, and Pinterest.
Raise the bar
One day I was reading through one of my favourite natural wellness blogs The Nerdy Farm Wife, and she spoke about making her own soap. I was intrigued, natural soap was meant to be more gentle, nutrient-rich and most of the ingredients could be found in my kitchen. Initially, I was intimidated to make soap from scratch, so my first bar was a store-bought glycerine melt-and-pour. I added milled oats and lavender essential oil, and it turned out ok, not great but ok. I wanted it to be more moisturising and to do that, I needed to make it from scratch.
Skincare for the whole family
After more research, I braved it and made my first bar from scratch. A shea butter, palm, coconut, and olive bar, that turned out good which was better than ok. Many late nights, many fails loaves and many variations later, the shea bar (Plain Jane to you) was born. Plain Jane is a nutrient-rich bar with a luxurious creamy lather, that cleans without stripping and moisturises without clogging the pores. This soap raised the bar for all other soaps, not only did it work wonders on my son’s dry sensitive skin, but I could use it on my oily acne-prone skin too. It removed sweat and dirt after the Mr’s workouts without drying him out, and mum used it morning and night on her sensitive combination skin without it causing dryness or irritation.
Borne out of love
Our family loved this bar so much that I started giving them away to extended family and friends as gifts. One day a friend from an online community suggested I sell them. It had occurred to me, but this message from the universe confirmed it for me. I built a little collection of soaps from the base recipe of Plain Jane. It was important that only used high-powered, natural responsibly sourced ingredients and sustainable packaging that would not damage the planet. I also made sure each bar would solve a specific skincare problem, clays for oily sweaty skin, poppy for sea-safe exfoliation, lemon for sporty folk and lavender as part of a night-time routine. There was something for everyone and people loved them! These 150g bars of soap are suitable for the whole family, suitable for sensitive skin, lasted ages, are cruelty-free and eco-friendly. GoodNatured Skincare’s brand ethos and philosophy are simple, “do good to the body, do not harm the planet”.
The Start Of Something Good
Through the process of creating something to soothe my son’s dry irritated skin, I found my purpose. I rediscovered myself, reconnected with my roots and built a business that does good. As our GoodNatured journey continues, I will always be grateful to the humble soap bar. It soothed, and nourished my young son’s sensitive skin and gave me the drive and purpose to help other families like mine make easy skincare and wellness choices whilst looking after the planet.
There you have it, our story so far. It has been a bumpy ride with a twin pregnancy, covid and an unsuccessful rebrand. But we are on the upswing again and I am so excited for our future. Thank you so much for spending time with me today, have an amazing rest of the week and I’ll see you on social media and in our newsletter.
Mazel
Mama, Owner & Founder
