After so many requests from both my online clients and the lovely outlets and therapists who stock Organica J products, I took the opportunity in lockdown in 2020 to formulate and test on willing human volunteers and am delighted to now be bringing my first shampoo bar to launch this week.
Black Out
I have a number of products that I formulated and tested in lockdowns, but we were hit on Black Friday (very aptly named this year as all went dark!) with a massive storm which resulted in no power for 6 days and no internet for 10 days. A little challenging running the business at one of the most hectic time of year for orders. I found out just how much things I could do with no power! It was lucky that the storeroom was full of balms and soaps, and I could merrily make the Bath & Body oils, Pulse Points and wrap soaps to my hearts content – and did!!
I had to find a friend with power and internet connectivity (unfortunately at a distance to travel). I moved the office equipment on Monday, as it was obvious that this was a long haul. So after a time where my calming blends, energy giving blends, and meditation were much needed to see me through (along with much business support and otherwise from my daughter and other friends) all is smoother now – phew!
Shampoo Bar Launch
I am absolutely delighted to be now in a position to start launching my new products and I am proud to introduce my new Gentle Shampoo Bar.
The Gentle Shampoo Bar is suitable for all hair types. It is incredibly gentle, with extremely effective cleansing and also very nourishing for hair. You can enjoy this amazing cleansing without chemicals too, which I know is so important for you all (as it is for me).
The gentle shampoo bar is also ideal for those with sensitive skins and scalps.
Uplifting Essential Oils
The bar is very delicately infused with uplifting and calming sweet orange and mandarin organic essential oils, which are lovely on hair and widely enjoyed by many. I used to always say to my aromatherapy clients ‘the sunny faces’ of sweet orange and mandarin. They cheer up any day and bring brightness and uplift with their calming presence. So the gentle shampoo was always going to have them in it. From some of the testers, the feedback was that they wanted a stronger fragrance, which I understand totally, but with essential oils on a subtle level the ‘less is more” is one of my favourite sayings! Along with the restraints of cosmetic safety regulations, the levels of oils remain as they were.
How To Use the Shampoo Bar
To use the gentle shampoo bar – work up a gentle lather between your hands then apply to hair, then rinse as normal. Please note that the lather is creamy and light, not huge bubbles, as you would find with a chemical product. You can apply again to hair and then rinse again. Some of the testers replied that they wanted to finish with their hair conditioner, but not everyone by any means. So if you need to, apply your hair conditioner and rinse to finish. You will find the gentle shampoo bar Incredibly gentle and protective for your hair, not stripping out the naturally present oils with harsh chemicals.
I have been told my my hairdresser, Pauline (she is an amazing woman!) that my hair is so much better condition since I started using my own products and also reduced the amount of times a week that I wash my hair too (I have very dry hair – with very sensitive skin)
Vegan Friendly
The gentle shampoo bar is made with. 100% organic ingredients. It is suitable for vegans, and is a gluten free recipe. You will find no preservatives, SLS , GMO or petrochemicals in it. It is, of course, not tested on animals. I do not want to use, never mind make, any product that is.
To be fully supportive of our delicate environment, the gentle shampoo bar is in plastic free biodegradable packaging.
I found that different folk like different sizes of bar, so you can choose from 90g and 45g bars to see what fits with you best.
To help get into the Christmas spirit, we are excited to announce our spectacular 12 Days of organic Christmas promotion 2021!
Enjoy our 12 days of organic Christmas from the 1st to the 12th of December, we will be running a different deal on each day. The code for each unique promotion will last 24 hours, but it will change everyday at midnight.
We have had no power or internet at Organica J HQ for over 6 days now!! But we haven’t let that stop us!! We moved the office side of the business temporarily yesterday so we can get back in touch with you all. We are now continuing to get those Christmas orders out to you at our normal pace!
All online orders are up to date and we look forward to you enjoying this fab 12 days of Christmas offers. Thank you so much to everyone who had to wait a little, you have been amazing, thank you. Just until we could find our feet again, as we have. Fingers crossed for power back soon!!
So apologies – we are a little late with this going out. The first offer is today on Wednesday 1st December and its FREE delivery on all orders until midnight with FREEDEL21 at checkout
We don’t want to spoil the surprise of all the amazing offers we will doing, but for example, one day could be a big discount on a particular item, then the next could be a free gift with each order!
It’s up to you whether to order on one day, or whether you wait until another day to see if it’s an offer more suited to you!
All we can guarantee is there will be a lot of great promotions that we have never before offered at Organica J. The promotion is a thank you to all our customers, old and new.
The codes will be announced on our Facebook and Instagram pages each day so please make sure to like/follow these accounts.
We hope you manage to get something that’s been on your Christmas list this year in our 12 days of Christmas offers!
Don’t forget there is a Gift Box of Organic Soaps worth over £50 for one lucky customer who orders until midnight 12 December
Terms and Conditions:
The codes must be used at the checkout. The codes will be announced daily on our social media channels (Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/OrganicaJ) (Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/organicaj)
The codes are only valid for 24 hours. Customers cannot request to change codes for another day’s code.
It may be the case that some promotion codes will not show up in order confirmation or at the checkout. In such cases, you will be contacted once your order is placed with details about the promotion you have applied for.
This is a blog I have been meaning to do for some time, but there was the small matter (NOT) of a pandemic to handle as well. Then a couple of months ago I sadly lost my Dad after a short illness. I thought this was definitely the right time for our remaining small family to gather our knowledge and experience together. My daughter Jo, a coach and fitness trainer, has done a fabulous blog on nutritional tips for menopause, and I wanted to add in my aromatherapy (and meditation) experience and knowledge, including my own journey with it so far. I hope that this can inform and support you in, and through menopause and peri-menopause.
Finding myself this past week arriving at 57 years (my mind maybe will catch up at some point, but it hasn’t yet! ha ha) and although I have not been period free for a year yet, so technically not in menopause yet, I have been experiencing some flushes and possible mood variations. However, it is difficult to tell with the pandemic, and two close family losses in the last 18 months.
Without it being a fear – I have been very aware approaching menopause since probably my late 40’s when a therapist told me that I was definitely peri-menopause, I knew changes were afoot. I have been incredibly lucky though – or was it awareness and some preparation and care? Everyone is different and unique with this, as in anything. That is how I treat my clients, and myself.
My Choices
I went pescetarian in my 40’s actually because of my beliefs around animals, but also very much in preparation for menopause. My initial plans were to only eat organic meat. However, I found that I just didn’t want any meat of any kind, and did not miss it. I eat very little fish now too. My body & mind is still happy with this choice.
A healthy balanced diet is extremely important to me and I do enjoy drinking Deeside Water (so not just for using in my Aloe Vera gel, Muscle Rub and Midge & Mozzie Balm, ha ha). I also keep my sugar intake modest. A glass of wine or two at the weekend used to be very fine, but I now find that alcohol and sugar can sometimes just cause hot flushes, so I don’t always now. I take a vitamin B complex vitamin from G & G Vitamins, who are a great company.
Exercise
I need fresh air, and at least a walk for exercise regularly before work (even in the bad weather). I do a fabulous weekly, outside (yes outside!) boot camp. Adding in swimming, yoga and the gym when I can too. For me personally exercise has always been a really important part of my life and I think it is incredibly helpful in this transition stage of my life.
I love, of course, also use essential oils and my blends a lot, as a fantastic support for me, alongside twice daily meditation (morning and night).
Now that is just MY chosen journey so far. Yours could be totally different and that is all absolutely fine and how it should be! I haven’t mentioned HRT, simply because I haven’t used it myself. So I cannot talk from personal experience, but I definitely work with many clients who are, or have. I have supported clients who experienced many different kinds of things in menopause and peri-menopause. Many various blends and treatments have been used to support my clients, working with each person individually.
Aromatherapy Blends to support you with menopause and peri-menopause
The main approach I am sharing in this part of the blog, is offering blends that focus more on hormonal and mood balance and alleviating anxiety or stress in menopause or peri-menopause .
I am using low levels of essential oils, it is definitely a case of ‘less is more’ . The first blend that I reach for is probably not a traditional blend for menopause, but right now its calling my name! With aromatherapy use your intuition, and go with what your body needs, it will talk if you let it, I believe. You must really be drawn to the blend for the best results.
The oils I would choose for use in menopause or peri-menopause generally are:
Clary sage, rose otto, cypress, frankincense, bergamot, jasmine, rose geranium , ylang ylang and neroli,
1 drop rose Otto, 2 drops geranium, 3 drops bergamot
Right now for me its 2 drops neroli , 2 drops frankincense, 2 drops geranium. I instantly feel calmer, more balanced. You can use this blend in a diffuser or burner with water, or blend with a vegetable oil (around 15ml – approx. a dessert spoon) for use on the body.
Other blends that I would recommend or have used, the top two maybe more specific for hot flushes, but they also more widely helpful too.
1 drop Clary sage, 3 drops geranium, 1 drops lime, 1 drop ylang ylang
2 drops jasmine, 1 drop cypress, 2 drops bergamot
How you can use these essential oils
All these can be used in a burner or diffuser with water, or blended with the vegetable oil (around 15ml) for use on the body. What I often recommend to clients and use myself a lot too is to put the oils blended in vegetable oil on your pulse points and on the upper chest area (where easily inhaled). Do this practice both during the day, if possible, and at night time before sleep.
For ease of use the ready made Roller Ball Pulse Points are also great for this. Next week a new range is being launched that I will be recommending for use in menopause and peri-menopause.
Alternatively you can use the blends above (without further blending in vegetable oil) – on a tissue by your pillow overnight.
You can also add these blends above once blended in vegetable/carrier oil in your bath too (just be careful with slips getting in and out of the bath and wipe down your bath afterwards). I most definitely have, as I bath almost every evening before bed. Or you can simply use them as an after shower body moisturiser and gain the benefit of the blends with a calm and more balanced mind – and nourished skin too!
Organica J is delighted to launch our new look jars in all our products. We hope that you like them! After some years with the same look, it was time for an upgrade. Lockdown provided me with some extra time to get the new labels created with the help of Hayley Muir of Capercaillie Communications.
It was great to work with someone who was so creative and efficient. She was incredibly helpful in throwing ideas around through to carrying out the liaison with the printer. Hayley is also an expert in website design, SEO and digital marketing. I can totally recommend her. You can find her contact information below.
A Fresh Image
The new look jars give a fresh image, while still encompassing the simplicity and purity of the product inside, that Organica J has become known for. They have been designed to be more customer friendly to handle, and to retain the look of the product as you use it. It would be great to have any feedback on what you, our customers, think of the this new look. Feel free to comment here, or email or call.
We are launching this new look in our 21st Birthday month, which is a great way to celebrate the dawning of a new chapter for us all.
Thank You!
For those customers who have journeyed with us along the last 21 years, we cannot express enough how much we value your custom. For those who have been with us any amount of time – to customers old and new – Thank you! Without you, we just simply would not be here.
Thank you! Thank you 🙂
More Upgrades and New Products
There will be further changes coming with the Bath & Body Oil Range changing soon. Followed by the Roller Balls and finally our Organic Soaps. Plus some new products coming your way soon too. We will let you know as soon as they are ready to launch.
It’s so exciting right now!
Here are some details of the professionals I have been working with on this rebrand project, who come with my top recommendation.
With the changes in the weather from freezing cold to roasting hot – some of us have been caught out with the sun.
I was one of them! Although I carefully put on sunscreen, I spent too long in the sun one day and caught a little too much the sun on my back. So it has prompted me to give you some aromatherapy blends and treatments for sunburn.
Here are some suggested aromatherapy essential oil blends to soothe skin that has been in the sun, or to replenish moisture after sun exposure.
It is, of course, preferable to always use sun cream with a good spf before going into the sun and limit your time in the sun. (I did the first well, but not the second!!). These blends can be used as replenishment for skin, this is ideal. Sometimes however we need to soothe the skin as well. So here are some aromatherapy for sunburn suggestions for you:-
Essential oils that can be helpful – tea tree, lavender, roman or german chamomile, carrot seed, frankincense, peppermint, rose geranium.
Carrier oils to use: our own comfrey macerate oil and calendula macerate oil can be really helpful as a base oil. You can also use jojoba, rosehip, sesame and of course our own aloe vera gel which is incredibly soothing and cooling. If no further sun exposure is to be had, ie overnight – St Johns Wort macerate oil can be soothing.
One suggested blend would be 10ml calendula macerate, 5ml jojoba, 5ml rosehip &10ml aloe vera gel. Add 8 drops lavender, 2 drops roman chamomile, 2 drops tea tree, 1 drop german chamomile, 1 drop peppermint.
Another possible blend would be 10ml comfrey macerate and 20ml aloe vera gel. Add 9 drops lavender, 3 drops carrot seed, 3 drops frankincense, 2 drops roman chamomile, 1 drop peppermint.
Another blend would be 10ml rosehip and 20ml aloe vera gel. Add 10 drops lavender, 5 drops geranium, 1 drop peppermint
You could also simply use the aloe vera gel (30ml) on its own with one of these blends. Or indeed if you only have lavender essential oil to hand. Use only lavender in the gel and mix together to give a simple, but effective blend. It doesn’t always need to have many ingredients to do the job well. But if you have the other ingredients to hand, the synergy of the oils is really helpful.
To mix the blends use a spoon or a stirring stick to stir to blend the oils and gel completely before use on the skin. You can of course experiment with the suggested oils. But keep to the quantities suggested for safe usage or use less is fine too.
I hope you enjoy trying these aromatherapy for sunburn blends. They can help soothe your skin after sun exposure, plus re – mositurise, calm and protect your skin.
If your skin is red and tight, then it may be preferable to use a couple of drops of pure lavender on the area first. Lavender essential oil is an emergency treatment for minor burns. Then use one of the blends later. You may need someone to help you if the sunburn is on your back.
My recommendation on a good natural, ready to buy sunscreen, would be from Green People
For severely damaged or burnt skin always seek medical advice. For complex medical conditions always contact a qualified aromatherapist or your medical professional.
