Monday, 22 September 2014

Where it all began…

Hello Beauties...

I just wanted to introduce myself, I've been wanting to start this blog for a while now but it seems as though fear has been really holding me back, as well as not wanting to let go of some cosmetic brands  which I really love! 

So, I began this healthy beauty journey with my hair, I really wanted long, thick, healthy hair and I found myself coming across all these girls on social media also searching for healthy hair and documenting their journey towards it! I began to really look into it and look at what I could do to make my hair grow, I think I was so focused on wanting my hair to grow and imitating the girls and products on YouTube that I wasn't really aware of what I was actually putting in my hair. At that point my hair was relaxed (now for those of you who don’t know what relaxing is, it is basically chemically straightening your hair so you lose your natural curl pattern). I am of African descent so I have afro hair which is known to be thick and coily so from a very young age (I think the age of 10) my mum had been relaxing my hair, it became such a norm for me. I didn't even ask questions it was just a way of life to make my hair more manageable and more silkier. So for years I wasn't really looking after my hair, I was washing it every 2 weeks and adding petroleum based products here and there to ‘moisturise’ my hair. To be honest my hair looked pretty healthy it was longer than most of my peers with the same texture hair so I thought this whole relaxing regime was working out for me. It wasn't until I was watching these girls on YouTube that I actually started taking notice of what I was actually putting in my hair and the effects of it. Anyway so I started looking into natural and organic products that were free from certain toxic chemicals and preservatives. This is when my eyes were really opened! Everyday we use dozens of products that we think are safe and the reality is they are not! What is worse is that we are not made aware of these ingredients and the possible long term effects of them- this really scares me! The fact that some of these toxic chemicals that are linked to severe health problems are not being talked about is shocking really. Anyway I’ll get into that in another post; you can see that there is a lot of passion there!



So yes! I began to really look at what I was putting in my hair the products I was buying and really opting for more organic products, I also eventually stopped relaxing my hair as I realised that it completely did not make sense for the direction I was going, I am currently 6 months post my last relaxer. The decision was not an easy one to make as relaxer is all that I have known and it’s not like my hair was extremely unhealthy! Anyway I rest assured that I have made the right decision, cutting out the chemicals was never going to be a bad decision just an uncomfortable one! Around that time I also began taking my Christian faith more seriously so treating all of my body as a temple was very important to me.

So given that I was on the right path for my hair I turned the direction onto my skin! I can’t really complain, I’ve always had good, clear skin, apart from struggling with a bit of uneven skin tone my skin was never really a problem for me growing up. However, I never really looked after it, I would always take my make up off before I went to bed and give it a quick wash but never the TLC that it really need and this was when I started to notice that my skin was starting to reflect this, I started to get small break outs here and there which left a small bit of scarring, I didn't know what was going on as I had been so used to clear skin. This was when I really made that decision to consciously take care of my skin, so I went over to my beloved YouTube to see what products people were using for their skin and I came across Farah Dhukai’s channel of DIY and organic skincare masks, cleansers and toners and I really was amazed. Not only was she using clean ingredients for her DIY products but they were also cheap too. I also come across SunkissAlba on YouTube who is also an advocate for natural skincare and make-up! It was so great to see people really educating themselves and wanting to educate others on natural skincare. I soon became obsessed with finding out more about organic skincare and this is where the passion began! Currently I am transitioning to using only natural and  toxic free products and DIY products and I love it. Knowing what the ingredients are, being able to pronounce them and knowing what is going inside my body is an amazing feeling. 




I started this blog because I am now making the full transition to non toxic make up, everyday cosmetics, skincare and haircare; I know that this is going to be very hard especially on the make-up side. As a young black woman I know how hard it is to find products that aren't organic that match and compliment my skin tone, so finding organic products is going to be a mission and it is going to take a lot of perseverance to let go of those staple products and brands that I love but once again I know that it’s not a bad decision it’s just an uncomfortable one but I guess nothing ever great came from staying in comfort zones! I am also on this journey to help and educate others of all skin tones and types and be some sort of role model I guess. At the end of the day our health should be the most important thing and I believe that if people really knew and were conscious of what they were putting into their skin they would really wake up and make a change! I also want to show people that you can still look amazing and fabulous with organic products and to really set and establish this healthy, organic, toxin free make up and skincare trend. I am based in London, so it is also a platform for UK based organic beauty brands to stand up and be heard.  

A lot of us, including me are very happy with our make-up brands so we don’t want to let go. I am here to make it known that letting go is the right decision and knowing what I know now about the products that are in some of these popular brands I don’t think I can ever fully be ignorant to it. Yes, ignorance is bliss but prevention is also better than cure! So join me as I embark on this journey to being healthy, beautiful and staying fabulous with no compromises. Think about it wouldn't you want to look amazing and know that it’s in a healthy way as well? Having people ask you what make-up you’re wearing and what you do to get your healthy glow and being able to tell them that it’s all toxic free and organic products. A quote that I really love is: ‘Wisdom always chooses to do now, what it will be satisfied with later on’ so let’s get started! 

#organicbeautyjourney #obj

Lots of Love,


xoxo





Pictures from google images, I do not own them
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