Why are Natural Bath Products a Better Alternative?

Why are natural bath products a better alternative?

We all love to indulge in body pampering sessions at home! Don’t we?

However, we often overlook the fact that what we apply to our skin can have an impact on our overall health. Most of the bath products available today are laden with toxins and harmful chemicals. We lay a lot of emphasis on nutrition, exercise and diet. However, an essential component often ignored by us are the cosmetics we use.

Exposing the body on a daily basis to harmful chemicals and synthetic ingredients may have long-term damaging effects. Ever thought about the chemicals lurking in your daily bath products? Eager to switch to all-natural bath products for a truly delightful and nourishing experience?

Well, with the wide array of natural bath delights available, you can ensure that your skin remains healthy always. Read on to learn why natural bath products make a better alternative.

The use of preservatives in bath products:

Most companies make use of preservatives and fillers in bath products to extend shelf life and yield better profits. However, such ingredients contain traces of toxic chemicals that may wreak havoc on your body. In the long-run, the use of such products can lead to serious health issues.

We all use shampoos, lotions and bath products but what we often miss is the high content of chemicals in these products. A widely used ingredient in cosmetics is SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) which is basically an engine degreaser. It serves as an ingredient to remove oils. It causes the skin and hair to lose all its natural moisture.

In the process of shampooing, we expose the entire body to the harsh chemicals in the shampoo. This results in the skin being stripped of beneficial oils. Most of the bath products that we use today are in reality detergents. They are too harsh for the skin and are often referred to as ‘bar’ and not soap.

In this context, imagine using products that are not only devoid of chemicals but will also add essential moisture to your skin? Will it not be a delightful transformation for your skin?

With the use of pure and organic products enriched with Jojoba oil, coconut oil, Olive oil, Almond oil and other essential oils, you get to nourish your skin with natural nutrients.

The benefits of Essential oil in bath products:

Essential Oils are extracted from flowers, bark, roots or peels. Enriched with natural goodness, essential oils offer a multitude of benefits for the skin and hair. Since they are made up of natural ingredients, they are absolutely safe to be used for all skin types. With their invigorating fragrance and exceptional benefits, essential oils can indeed do wonders for your skin.

If you are eager to switch to natural bath products and wondering where to begin with, we have the right solution for you. Listed below are a few products that you can add to your skincare regime.

1    Himalayan Pink Salt Coarse Granules:

Nourishing and soothing, Himalayan Pink salt granules can do wonders to your skin. They offer a range of benefits for the entire body and are can help to relax tired muscles. Immerse yourself in this bath salt to experience incredible benefits.

2    Epsom salt:

Epsom bath salt makes the perfect natural ingredient that can be effectively used to exfoliate the skin, remove blackheads and add a healthy glow to the skin. Epsom salt can also help to remove excess oil from the skin to keep it feeling smooth and soft.

3    Bath bombs:

If you are eager for a spa-like experience at home, natural bath bombs make the best alternative. Colourful and refreshing, bath bombs offer a truly enriching experience. You can easily make your own bath bombs with the purest organic ingredients for a one-of-a-kind bathing joy.

4    Organic castille liquid soap:

Created from the purest ingredients, this bath soap is the best alternative to traditional cleansers. Packed with the goodness of essential oils, the soap can deeply cleanse your skin while retaining the natural oils.

5    Lavender essential oil:

With its floral herbaceous aroma, lavender oil is renowned for its wide array of benefits for the skin. A few drops of the oil can be added to your bath water for an exhilarating feel.

6    Sweet orange essential oil:

Stimulating and refreshing, sweet orange essential oil is indeed a great product to add to your regular bath. With its nurturing benefits and citrusy aroma, it can make your bathing experience an amazing one.

7    Witch Hazel extract:

An extremely versatile ingredient, witch hazel extract is known for its wide benefits for the skin and hair. It makes the perfect natural skin toner and can be safely used on oily and sensitive skin after a nice languishing bath

8    African Black Soap:

Enriched with Vitamin A and E, the soap is free from chemicals and offers wonderful benefits for the skin. If you are looking for an all-natural soap for smooth and supple skin, give this product a try!

9    Jojoba Oil:

Rich in Vitamin E, the oil possesses the property to deeply nourish the skin. It can be used as an after-bath moisturiser to hydrate the skin and make it appear smooth and supple.

10   Sweet Almond Oil:

Abundant in Vitamin D and proteins, sweet almond oil makes a great after-bath moisturiser. It is the ideal natural ingredient for dehydrated and dry skin. With regular use, you can enhance your complexion and add a radiant glow.

With their myriad of benefits, natural bath products indeed make the perfect alternative. Free from chemicals and harmful components, they can nurture the skin and hair with their nutrifying ability.

Are you excited about giving these natural products a try?

If you are looking for natural ingredients, N-Essentials is your one-stop destination. We bring to you a wide range of pure, natural and/or organic cosmetics and essential oils. In case you are looking for more information about natural ingredients and essential oils, feel free to call us today. Alternatively, you can also email us at info@n-essentials.com.au.

Guest post written by N-Essential 

  

How To Be Water Wise

In the land down under we have our fair share of water restrictions.  What does this mean for us in terms of trying to take care of ourselves and our gardens while trying to protect the planet?

Thankfully there are a number of water wise things we can do around the house to help lessen the impact of drought and water restrictions.


~ Skin care ~
When it comes to looking after our skin there are a number of things we can do to save on water usage.
1) Fill a medium bowl with warm water and use this for your cleansing routine.  As appose to cleansing your skin in the shower where all that water gets washed down the drain.  If you follow step 2 you can use this bowl of water on your garden.
2) Use eco friendly products that are safe for pouring down drains or using on gardens.


~ Body ~
We all know showers should be timed, we've heard it all before, but are you doing it?
1) Set a timer for your showers if you struggle to have short showers.
2) Shower less often.  Gross, I hear you say, however, it's really not that bad for you.  In fact washing too often leaves your skin dry and dehydrated.
3) Remember the old days of wash pitchers and bowls?  They did this because water wasn't readily available on tap, nonetheless, they were onto something.  Washing this way, filling a bowl with water and cleansing your body with a flannel is a great water wise way to freshen up.


~ Garden ~
In most places, gardening water restrictions are still in place and in places where people rely on boar water, those underground reservoirs are drying up.
1) Collect the water you rinse dishes with in a bucket kept by the sink. If this idea seem gross to you, simply empty your bucket regularly into other buckets outside.  Use these buckets to water your plants; the thirsty one's first.  If you're using products that don't harm the environment they shouldn't affect your garden, plus every thing's diluted. 
Don't have a garden?  Get a couple of indoor plants and feed them.
2) If you can be bothered or you really need the water, use the water you washed your dishes in.  Again if you're using wholesome products this shouldn't harm your garden.
3) Reuse dishes that have seen better days in your garden: broken handle off coffee cup, baking dish cracked, porcelain jug cracked, old pasta pot with a hole in it.  Scatter these about your garden to gather small bits of water to use on your garden.  Every bit counts.


~ Cleaning ~
Cleaning is a chore.  No one wants to do it (well... some do).  We all believe mainstream products do the best job ever!  The truth is natural products do a great job too and in many instances are even easier to use.
1) I was always taught to clean the bath like so.  Fill a bath with a small amount of water, around 2cms deep at the plug hole end.  Wrap a natural soap bar in a flannel and dip the flannel and soap in the water [make video of this].  Run the flannel along the dirty areas, the baths walls and base.  First thing you will notice is how easy and effective this is!  The best way ever.  [link].
Clean the basin and counter tops this way as well.  For the toilet swishle some natural soap in a bucket while you fill it up with water, use this water to clean the loo, along with home made green cleaner.
2) Clean natural mineral brushes with natural soap as well and use this soaps for hands too.  Natural soaps do a great job at keeping hands clean and helping to kill unwanted germs (while keeping good germs alive).
3) You can collect this water and use it on your garden also.

Have any questions?  Comment below and I'll answer them.
Feel free to tick a reaction or two.

Want to use this infographic for your own blog, contact me and we'll talk. 
  

Tree Of Life Wall Painting

I love indoor trees... Well I love outdoor trees so it stands to reason I also love indoor trees.

Trees have such a majesty about them.  So huge and big and long standing.  They're like wise old people who've stood around watching the world go by - oh the stories they could tell.

When my son requested a tree on his bedroom wall I jumped at the chance.

First I drew an outline in chalk.

Then I began colouring in the tree working out which branches worked and which ones didn't.

Then the first layer was finished.  The tree still needs another layer and I'm contemplating adding some glow in the dark outline... not sure yet.

Either way we're happy with how it turned out.  Looks amazing!!

What do you think?

tree wall decal: step one outline

tree wall decal: step two paint

tree wall decal: step three complete

  

How to Avoid Online and Email Scams

After more than 10 years in the skin care beauty industry I've had my fair share of (attempted) cons and scams, such as:

1) False trademark companies telling me my trademark has ended and I need to pay up.

Scam trademark letter

2) Bridal scam emails where some supposed 'groom' wants to make a booking on behalf of the bridal party for hours worth of beauty services and pay by check.  Usually they pay too much and want to be reimbursed before their false check has cleared.  What made me think this was unusual (and thus googled scams of this sort) is the man listing the types of services he wanted plus how long they take.  Very few men I know, know such details including my husband - and I'm a beauty technician.

3) Emails supposedly on behalf of Kevin Harrington (the first US Shark Tank) wanting to interview me regarding a media campaign they're running... but the company is As Seen On TV - a home shopping channel.  I don't ship internationally and cannot see what use I am to them or them to me.

4) Bogus invoices from companies I've never dealt with.

5) Bogus product enquiries (see below image).  At first glance this email seems harmless.  They're simply asking questions about minimum order, delivery time, payment terms and warranty (all information that is available on our site), and if they checked our site they know I'm no a sir and JOLI don't delivery to the US.  Note: Dr Dean's email address is Wilson Stevens at hotmail.com; the To: section is left blank which indicates multiple recipients.  Upon further investigation I could find no record of Dr Nicolas Dean, of the address given or of the company Metrolinks.

email scam from Dr Nicolas Dean

Research anything you think maybe a scam and don't trust all things that come to you via email or in the mail.  According to one source 45,511 people were scammed in Australia in 2016 with a loss of 9.2 million dollars.  That is far too many people being too trusting and far too many companies getting away with theft.  Even if it seems legit, research, look for feedback and reviews on companies, check and recheck emails and letters and if in doubt ask someone.

How about you?  What do you do to protect yourself from scams?  Have you been scammed?  Share your story with us and comment below.
  

How To Repair A Nail

My nails have moments of growing and looking lovely, all longish and even, then one by one they'll break (usually from cleaning and gardening).  I've noticed breakage usually happens as the menstrual cycle approaches as well. Does this happen to you? And breakage begins on my dominant hand first then the other hand until all but one or two long nails remain. Admittedly I am very rough and tough on my nails (gardening, exercise, cleaning).

When they break it is mostly likely at the base of the nail edge, near the nail bed. A painful break if the nail peels back. Ouch!

To repair a nail you will need:

• A tea bag
• A quality nail file
• A quality nail glue
• Scissors
• Wooden cuticle stick or toothpicks
• Tweezers

To begin remove any nail polish. Empty the tea bag contents into a bowl, you can drink these leaves later or make a cup of tea and drink while you repair your nail. Cut a small piece of fabric from the tea bag, around 2-3mm square or rectangle. You don't need much and can cut several small pieces in case you think you will require more (it's always good to have a few small pieces ready to go).

Applying in small batches works best because tea bags aren't very flexible and tend not to curve around the nail, but set firm and straight.  Large pieces do NOT stick to the nail well so stick to small pieces.

If you already have a previous nail repair file this down gently first with a white block file.

Apply a tiny dab of glue to the broken area, then using tweezers pick up the small piece of tea bag paper and place over the glue.  Blow for a few seconds and use the toothpicks, wooden cuticle or tweezers to press the paper in place along the edges.  Press down and hold for a second or two then release, continuing to do so until the glue is dry and the paper is set in place.  Don't hold too long or the glue will stick to the items used to hold the paper down.

File down lightly with a white block file then apply cuticle oil and varnish.

step 1: nail break

step 2: smooth area with soft file

step 3: apply glue

step 4: prepared bits of tea bag cut into small millimeter pieces

step 5: apply small piece of tea bag to glued area

step 6: allow glue to dry

step 7: buff area to smooth

step 8: polish area with a polishing buffer

  

JOLI Reviews

Rose-Leah ★★★★★ I love the way they make my skin feel - fresh and moisturised. And that's just the face moisturiser and eye cream. Then there's the Lolly Musk lip balm - I probably use it too much lol because of the flavour, it's the best lip balm I've ever used. The massage oil is wonderful. Thank you for making such great all-natural, chemical-free products

Rebecca ★★★★★ Joli makes beautiful bath soaks, body creams/lotions, soaps, lip balms and heaps more. The lip balms come in many flavours, and Joli is even willing to blend the flavours to suit your 'tastes', eg chocolate-vanilla, caramel-coffee etc etc. Also, Joli is extremely friendly and offers super quick service. I love Joli Natural!

Jacqui ★★★★★ Lovely personalised service, received my order quickly, beautifully wrapped and with a free gift! :) It's the FIRST time ever I have put a moisturiser on my face at night and not woken up with greasy skin!!! I love the texture of the Fluffy Lime Eye Cream and the Wrinkle Buster [product no longer available] is soooooo luxurious... look forward to adding to this review as I try more products, but I'm off to a GREAT start. Thanks Jodi! :)

Added: Day 3 of the Fluffy Lime Eye Cream and my dark circles (which I have had for as long as I can remember) have started to lighten (I should have taken a 'Before & After' - LOL) and the whole eye area is much plumper. AWESOME!!!

Added: Loving my products! Have added to my collection with the deodorant - the only natural one that I have tried that actually works, the hair wax - also works beautifully and smells good enough to eat, and the face wash - leaves my skin feeling clean but not stripped! Can't get enough of your products... my face is healthy and glowing and NO breakouts this month. What can I try next??? :)

★★★★★ OMG your herbal shampoo bar = divine! I found it hard to believe you didn't have to use a conditioner, but you really don't (I'm still rather excited by all that!!!) Also, my son's eczema (after only 2 days!!) is calming down for the first time in 2 YEARS!! (I really should of taken before and after shots, as I am SO amazed!) He can bath in stuff OTHER then pinetarsol now! NEITHER the soap or bubble bath affect his skin AT ALL! AND finally, he smells nicer!! (rather then smelling like pinetarsol!!) Mixed in with the eczema salve which we use daily, his eczema is really on the mend! I shall be shopping again AND I've been calling my friends telling them about all this! I'm just so AMAZED! Thanks Joli xoxoxoxo

★★★★★ Heavenly Bath Milk: I love the Heavenly Bath Milk. It is nice and soft, and gives your bath a lovely subtle scent. You don't need very much - I only use about half a lid full, and that's probably a bit too much! I like this bath milk better than a leading world-known brand (which I won't mention) readily available by mass-production in their stores and on-line store. Joli's is a far superior product, at an extremely reasonable price. Thanks Joli!

★★★★★ LipBalm: I absolutely love these lip balm. I have tried them in many flavours, including caramel, strawberry, coconut, vanilla,french vanilla and lastly my favourite, lolly musk. These lip balms are easy to apply and non-greasy. Jodi is even kind enough to blend flavours if you like eg strawberry-vanilla - I can't get enough of Joli's lip balms, and would recommend them to absolutely everyone!

★★★★★ Enliven Facial & Body Scrub: I love the texture and aroma of this product! The lemon myrtle scent is really zingy and fresh. The crushed walnut exfoliates well and my skin is left feeling smooth but not dry or sore. Another great product :)

★★★★★ 'After sun' Tea Tree Moisturiser [product no longer available]: This is the first moisturiser that I have ever used at night that hasn't left me with greasy skin in the morning! It has a lovely light feel, is soothing and sinks right in! Very happy, thanks :)

★★★★★ Fluffy Lime Eye Cream: After using for 3 days I noticed a real difference to the hydration of my eye area, it's general plumpness and the unexpected bonus of lightening of dark under-eye circles that I have had forYEARS! The texture is lovely and I am very happy. Thanks! :)

★★★★★ Light Moisturiser: I loved the sample pot that Joli sent me - it will definately be added to my next order. I have quite sensitive skin and it was lovely to be able to apply lavishly. Non greasy and perfect for the hot humid weather that we experience here in Central Queensland.

★★★★★ Facial & Body Wash: I have dry flaky skin... yet I get so many blackheads on my chin (I know horrible!) every face wash that could get rid of the blackheads dried my skin even more and felt like it was burning (sensitive skin). Yet this face wash I can use daily, does not burn and leaves my skin hydrated and no blackheads. :) Yay

★★★★★ Rich Cream Facial Moisturiser: Within one week of using this cream my face was soooo soft - and I have dry flaky skin normally. I am loving it.

★★★★★ Light Moisturiser: I love the Light Moisturiser. I have it in Rose Geranium scent, which is absolutely devine. I mostly use this as a hand cream, but I do also occasionally use it as a light face cream. I would thoroughly recommend this to everyone!

★★★★★ Moisturising Lip Balm: I love this lip balm, especially without the tint. I have a french vanila lime one, and it is devine and lives in my pocket all day long. Thanks Joli!

★★★★★ Light Moisturiser: This is my favourite moisturiser for the Qld summer - I love the way it lightly moisturises without clogging up the pores and making me perspire in the humidity. I have the most sensitive skin of anyone I know and natural products are extremely important to me - Joli has a definite winner with this moisturiser!

★★★★★ Rich Cream Facial Moisturiser: I have dry, very sensitive skin and I use this wonderful moisturiser for everything - face, feet, legs, arms, hands,elbows! I love having a versatile natural product that I can quickly grab after my shower - saves time and works fabulously!

★★★★★ Facial & Body Wash: I have VERY sensitive skin and this is the first cleanser I have ever tried that I can use every day - love it!

★★★★★ Rich Cream Moisturiser: This product moisturises without leaving my skin feeling itchy or making me break out in acne. My skin is looking healthier, and I am saving money. I used to spend $130.00 on a jar of face moisturiser before trying rich cream moisturiser; what a waste of money!

★★★★★ Lip Balm: The apple flavour is good enough to eat! I have had a lot of trouble with lip balms drying my lips out, but this one keeps my lips moisturised while tasting yummy.

★★★★★ Sandman Soap [product no longer available], "I like this soap. It's gritty." referring to the exfoliating granules within the soap - made especially to exfoliate while you wash.

★★★★★ Rich Cream Moisturiser: Fantastic! Makes my skin feel softer and smoother than any other moisturiser. I used to use Oil of Olay for sensitive skin. Not any more.

★★★★★ Hair Styling Wax: Hair Wax is excellent and I have tried many!

★★★★★ Enliven Facial Scrub: This firm but gentle scrub is great for all ages - my sons and partner always let me know when they need more. I love the moisturising properties, unlike chemical scrubs which can also remove the essential natural oils in the skin. Every member of my family uses Enliven Facial Scrub!
  

Christmas Giveaway with Bamboo Village

WIN the ULTIMATE Christmas giveaway worth over $600 with our partnership Bamboo Village! 

Enter here: http://bit.ly/2j5ywto 

One lucky winner will win one huge prize from Bamboo Village and eight other great Australian companies! More details on the prizes here: http://bit.ly/2AiUeDg 

Australia entries only. Comp ends midnight on Sunday 19th of December. 

(the Facebook page to tag - https://www.facebook.com/BambooVillageEcoStore/) 

Prizes include:

• 2 Mulberry Thread Co. Bamboo Bath Towels (colours of your choice) from us at Bamboo Village
• Limited Edition Blossom Beauty Set from Zuii Organic
• Trio of Natural Perfumes from Circle Of Life Botanicals
• P'URE Papaya Renew Cream from Pure Papaya
• Ultimate Clean Home Detox Bundle from Resparkle
• Baby Starter Kit from GAIA Skin Naturals
• Charlie’s Soap washing powder from Clean & Green
• Deluxe Bath Serum and Lip Gloss from Joli Natural
• A Skinfood Course from Anna D'Amelio
• Elderberry & Chia Seed Beauty Serum, Coconut & Blackcurrant Lip Balm , Organic Cacao & Coconut Soap & Organic Cacao & Coconut Soap from Mokosh

  

Why I Quit Facebook

According to many marketing experts I have essentially committed business suicide by leaving Facebook (FB), because FB is the fastest growing social network with the ability to reach millions and millions of people world wide.

That being said here is why I decided to leave:
1) They changed their algorithms so that businesses are less likely to appear in people's news feeds unless businesses pay for advertising.
2) When businesses pay for advertising it will most likely result in some extra page likes but most likely not customer conversions.  That is up to page owners to publish ongoing page content that results in conversions (which makes sense).
3) Mixing up posts and not just 'selling' to people is what people want to see (makes sense), yet even with mixing up posts with tips, funnies, facts, videos, product information etc. it was rare to get any engagement no matter how varied the posts were.  Comments were rare, post likes were rare, page reach varied anywhere from 25 to hundreds.  This is happening with many business pages on FB leaving many business owners feeling a tad dejected, unloved and unappreciated, and like they're talking to themselves.

These two posts were a couple of JOLI's most popular posts with amazing reach yet they didn't convert to new customers (and it takes time to put images like this together).  Sadly it's a lot of effort for little return.

quality & natural doesn't have to mean expensive

Animal testing, don' support it!

4) While I've been able to hang out with some AWESOME customers and people, most of my customer base is not on FB, or if they are they don't interact via FB.
5) Sometimes people would only make purchases while interaction / friendships were maintained on FB, unfriend someone and they'd stop purchasing.  This is not the customer base I'm looking for.  I want people who are looking for genuine natural products, who have found that in JOLI and want to maintain that healthy skin care choice (FB or no FB).
6) Before FB, before the internet, businesses were successful.  There is no reason why businesses can't still be successful by other means aside from social media.  I'm going to invest in other avenues and see what momentum I can gather from that.
7) From a personal perspective friendships were ignored because FB kept everyone up to date.  No one needed to make actual contact with actual get-togethers because they felt they were keeping in touch (via FB).  Since exiting FB genuine friends are getting back in touch and actually planning catch-ups. Yay!
Not to mention I've escape the shiny happy (fake) people on FB who only ever talk about how rainbows and sunshine their life is.  When things aren't going well, and friends aren't keeping in touch, fake perfect lives can be hard to stomach.  I don't have to worry about that anymore because I'm seeing real friends in real life and keeping it real ;o)

Customers are still messaging me via email (because they have direct access to me once they become customers) and I get to talk to them there, answer their queries and share information.  They can also read the latest news and find out about current specials via the monthly Indulgence (newsletter*).  Or leave comments on the website blog and this JOLI blogspot (where I share recipes, DIY, chemical information, reviews etc. A veritable wealth of information!!).

*Sign up for our newsletter and receive your FREE Essential Natural Beauty Guide ebook.

Look forward to seeing you around and hearing from you via other methods aside from FB xo