Beki is a Complementary Therapist based in Nottingham and an independent consultant with Neal’s Yard Remedies. She lives in Nottingham with her husband Colin and their crazy cat, Jinpa (who should be called Tinker!).
FROM CLUELESS TO CLUED-UP
15 years ago I read an article about organic food which ended with the question: ‘what do we ingest through our skin’. The article got me thinking, so I researched it and discovered we ingest up to 70% of what we put on our skin! 70%! And I didn’t have a clue what I was putting on my skin. So off I trotted to my bathroom to find out.
The first thing I learned was that not many products had ingredients labels. The second thing I learned was I couldn’t understand those that did! Confused, but undeterred I hit the internet and waded through (what felt like treacle at times!) ingredient safety information. Finally, I compiled a list of ingredients that I didn’t want to use on my skin and armed with this list; I hit the shops.
You can probably guess the ones I visited – those that claim to be natural, handmade, cruelty-free, better for you in some way. I was horrified to find that every single product in every single shop had at least one, sometimes several, ingredients that I didn’t want to use. This was my first experience of ‘Greenwashing’.
Eventually, I found just six brands that I could trust and one of those was Neal’s Yard Remedies.
NEAL’S YARD REMEDIES – FEEL THE LOVE
Neal’s Yard Remedies (NYR) offers natural, certified organic and ethical skincare, essential oils, diffusers, superfoods and supplements. For those not familiar with NYR, you’re in for a treat.
· Our award-winning skincare works!
· We only use natural and organic ingredients that have been ethically and sustainably sourced.
· Our products are handmade in our eco-factory in Dorset, and we’re independently owned by the Kindersley family.
· We’re the only UK Health & Beauty company to be rated 100/100 for ethics by The Good Shopping Guide.
· We’ve never tested on animals and are members of the Leaping Bunny.
· We provide full ingredients lists for every single product.
· All our products are vegetarian, and most are vegan.
You can join NYR to get fantastic discounts for yourself, family and friends. You can host a party or workshop to get free and half price shopping. Or you can buy your favourite products at events or my online shop – http://www.midlandsorganics.com.
MY LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE
I cried at the first NYR meeting I went to. The meetings at my corporate day job were typically about making more money and doing more with less. But at NYR, meetings are about ‘people empowering people’, ‘sustainability’ and ‘fair trade’. THIS is what business should be. I had finally found my professional home, and I cried tears of happiness at the realisation.
The supportive and nurturing environment at NYR gave me the confidence to achieve a dream I had previously given up on, and in 2016 I left my 18-year corporate career to start my own complementary therapy business – Fusion Therapies, offering treatments including Aromatherapy, Indian Head Massage, Reflexology, Reiki and more.
I use NYR products in my treatments, and many of my clients have joined my team to benefit from the discounts and extras being a consultant brings.
Please stop by the Neal’s Yard Remedies stand and say hello, try a few products and let me know if you’d like to find out more about joining, having a party or maybe booking a therapy in Nottingham.
Beki’s website www.midlandsorganics.com
