ISSUE 7 | DECEMBER 2013
The sun’s only job is not rising and setting. Read on
Bringing to you the story of TerraCycle - a company that makes proper use of nonrecyclable as well as hard-torecycle wastes – has been employing up-cycling as their motto for the last 12 years.
If you are looking to prevent food spoilage, invest in herb infused sheets. Here are the details.
Do you dare to step into the future of up-cycled fashionable winter outfits?
SAFYSLINGS
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ORGANIC REVERENCE
INNOCENCE BODY CARE
CONTENTS
ISSUE 7 | DECEMBER 2013
Oh-lief
6 Amazing Home
How a pregnant mother, desperately in search for a solution created her own brand of babycare toiletries that’s deemed as best in South Africa today.
Remedies All you need to know about healing your child naturally with kitchen ingredients.
43
03 Baby TurtleDove
Organic Hatching is
Eco-friendly
Ila Panik shares how motherhood and environmental responsibility have influenced her business venture.
One Click Away
Diapering
Touching account of an enterprising mother’s venture that’s a giant web store of baby products today.
Here’s 10 best cloth diaper brands you can trust.
Happy Bathing!
Hand Made with Love
The Town of Toys
A peek into Bathtime Kids & Bathtime Baby skincare line perfected to protect and care for baby's delicate skin and hair.
Meet Dikla Goldgraber founder of Nona Baby Boutique that specializes in adorable handmade accessories for babies.
Sawantwadi, a small Konkan town of Maharashtra, is famous for its rich tradition in handicraft.
11
31
An Aromatic Affair
Organic Innocence
Safe Herbs for Kids
Interview with Organic Reverence founder Jillian Kinsman -Barrett .
Jenessa Rode gives us the scoop on how Innocence BodyCare got its start .
16
37
Do you know Holy Basil is considered to especially benefit children who are suffering from reflux. Read on!
07
SafySlings Interview with Svetlana Sagan
21
27
45
49
53
Editor-in-Chief: Arathi Singh Managing Editor: Sharmistha Contributors: Avik Bhattacharya, Harold Robinson, Jillian Kinsman-Barrett, Ila Panik, Svetlana. Sagan, Jenessa Rode & Dikla Goldgraber Art & Design: Maddhyam Media
EDITOR’S LETTER
Green Your Parenting With 2014 knocking the door, our year-end edition finally lands with frills to thrill you through the winter chill. As always “InnovateUs” brings forth latest wellness tips and a goldmine of information for new mothers.
Write to Managing Editor: sharmistha@innovateus.net
Picking up a purely organic baby care products could be difficult as there are numerous self proclaimed brands wearing a seemingly green badge. Finding out a product that best suits the sensitive system of a baby could be quite a challenge that very often disorientates new mothers.
Delicate skin and hair of a baby requires the best of nutrients for growth and has to be safeguarded well. Conventional soaps and shampoos available in the market aren’t always the best solution. Most of these formulations contain harmful parabens, petroleum extracts and toxic chemicals. Conditions like skin irritation, rash and allergies could result from the usage of these chemical dumps and new age mothers are largely aware of the threats. After interviewing the leaders of some of the best organic baby care brands (p 7 & 37) we have carefully shortlisted the very best for you. You may find this amusing as most of these entrepreneurs had begun their ventures right after becoming mothers themselves. Shaheen Hirji (p 27) the brain behind “Organically Hatched”, a Canadian brand of repute is in fact one of the top fifty “mompreneurs” of Canada today. Mom turned entrepreneurs simply understands the intrinsic need of a baby better. No wonder brands like Oh-Lief (p 3) and Bath-time Baby & Kids (p 11) are some of the most trusted names in the world of baby toiletries. Apart from a first hand account of the unbelievable stories that made each of these brands a success, we have included a host of home remedies (p 43) that would surely come handy in common aches and ails experienced widely by babies and children. Besides this we have news of green diapers (p 45) that are different, a town of toys in Maharashtra (p 49) and candid interviews of ordinary people who have made it big through their extraordinary feats. This issue is truly a swirling mix of different colors and compiling all that took us more than the usual time. I apologize for the delay hoping all the while that you’ll love December edition even more and benefit greatly from it. Team “InnovateUs” wishes you merry Christmas and a wonderful year ahead—see you on the other side!
Happy Reading! Sharmistha
Image Courtesy: Ideasmag.co.za
OH-LIEF
New Mamas Best Friend
BRAND STORY
How a pregnant mother, desperately in search for a solution created her own brand of babycare toiletries that’s deemed as best in South Africa today. hen it comes to selecting the right baby care product for your bundle of joy, it is obvious that you wouldn’t mind going that extra mile to pick up safest stuffs for your little one. Finally some good news for the new mothers! You can sigh in relief with “Oh-Lief” natural baby products that pampers the delicate skin and hair of your newborn with love.
A Mother’s Ordeal Founded by two sisters Christine Buchanan and Louiza Rademan in 2010 “Oh-Lief” derived its name from olive oil, resonating the duo’s love for all that is natural under the sun. Christine was apprehensive of using the so called natural products in the market during her pregnancy. Being well aware of the fact that most of these self proclaimed natural products actually contained harmful skin irritants, she was desperately looking Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
for a healthier alternative. Finally the biggest predicament of a would-be mother goaded Christine in starting her very own baby care product line made from hundred percent natural ingredients. Christine & Louiza began with nappy rash balm that was an immediate success following soon with a host of organic baby and body care toiletries. With steadily rising demand for more in the market, they started mastering more complex formulations. Soon thereafter, “Oh-Lief” baby shampoo and aqueous cream hit the market. The sisters take pride in the fact that their aqueous cream is not only completely free of toxin but also works wonder in treating irritant skin problems like eczema. “Oh-Lief”, the first of its kind, purely South African brand was finally born and started becoming popular in unbelievably short time. Right from the onset of their journey, Christine and Louiza
channelized their efforts in creating products that are gentle and safe for the delicate skin of babies. Rich with the goodness of virgin olive oil and aromatic extracts of rose, lavender, lime, lemon, orange, tangerine, rosemary, or thyme, the baby range of “Oh -Lief” is sans artificial colors, propylene glycol, paraben preservatives, sodium lauryl sulfate, ethanolamines, petroleum distillates or synthetic fragrance of any kind. Some of the most popular baby care products of “Oh-Lief” are:
December 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 04
BRAND STORY
Oh-Lief Natural Olive Bum Balm
the way as showers become pure bliss with natural olive baby shampoo. Formulated with great care, olive baby shampoo is made from pure olive oil, natural clay and rejuvenating Roman aromatic plants.
Natural Aqueous Cream
It’s a balm that cures nappy rash and skin redness with its soft, delicate healing touch. The primary ingredients of bum balm are virgin olive oil, lavender and beeswax that help in forming a natural barrier. This “Oh-Lief” product is matchless in the market, only reason being it truly loves your baby’s skin and ensures that nappy cannot make your little one unhappy any more.
Oh-Lief Natural Olive Baby Shampoo
This is one cleansing wash that gently moisturizes the delicate skin of your baby without ever being harsh on the skin. The fragrance free drops of purity are formulated by combining organic olive, sesame and coconut oil and are especially suitable for treating dry skin conditions. Bathe your baby in the love of olive and be rest assured that this could be the best skin nutrition for growing skin.
wax helps you regain the elasticity of your skin post delivery. This natural concoction of baobab, olive and coconut oil moisturizes dry skin brilliantly. During your pregnancy, this could be your best friend, soothing and nourishing a growing tummy with the goodness of all that is natural. Being completely free from side effects you can use it regularly even while breastfeeding. Applying twice daily should be good enough to set you on route to a firmer, trimmer tummy.
Oh-Lief Natural Baby Insect Balm This soft ointment infused with the goodness of cold
Natural Olive Tummy Wax Behold your baby giggling all 05 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
Say good bye to stretch marks for ever as “Oh-Lief” tummy Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
BRAND STORY pressed extra virgin olive oil, beeswax, grapeseed oil, lemongrass and citronella will surely keep mosquitoes and other insects away from your kiddo.
A Hallmark of Quality “Oh-Lief” understands the downy delicate world of a mother like no one else. The
All “Oh-Lief” products are formulated sans artificial colors, propylene glycol, paraben preservatives, sodium lauryl sulfate, ethanolamines, petroleum distillates or synthetic fragrance of any kind.
management monitors their entire manufacturing process with hawk eyed vigilance. Ingredients are sourced directly from farmers and are packed in biodegradable, eco-friendly containers so that no harm is done to the environment. The entire manufacturing process is free from any kind of cruelty and the ingredients are never tested on animals unlike conventional baby skin and haircare companies since baby's skin is more absorptive than adult skin. Today in retrospect Christine confides that their journey has not been a bed of roses. There were so many hurdles that often seemed insurmountable. It was only due to the consistent love and support of their family combined with their dogged perseverance that helped them scale all odds. Today “Oh-Lief” is an epitome success in South Africa. It is more than a profit making machine that revolves around a simple philosophy of making earth a safer place for the babies, the true harbingers of tomorrow.
Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
December 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 06
INTERVIEW
BABY TURTLEDOVE
Ila Panik is a truly passionate, innovative and inspirational mompreneur who loves nothing more than designing, handcrafting and selling her very own gorgeous range of unique, funky, eco-friendly, and quality designer baby bedding & accessories. Sharmistha, managing editor of InnovateUs Magazine, was lucky enough to catch up with her to find out how motherhood and positive approach towards environmental responsibility have influenced her entrepreneurial journey. well as to limit the high amount of waste I could see babies can bring. As such a tiny & pure lil creature, I wanted to protect her from as many chemicals & toxins as I could & I realized there were actually limited solutions in the market for every day practical & necessary items like sheets, bibs, burp cloths, blankets‌ Particularly the things that she lays her head on &/or spends long hours on.
Ila, tell us about your current business. What are you doing exactly? My small team and I are handmaking baby bedding & accessories & selling them online & expanding into specialty retail 07 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
& shows. What led you to start BabyTurtledove? I started sewing things for my daughter to be able to give her organic and eco products as
As far as the waste issue goes, through sewing my own products I knew I could limit transport, packaging & material scrape waste as well as be eco friendly with my material choices. I really love re-using/ up-cycling fabrics & other notions. For example, our baby sleeping bags reuse zippers from expired baby sleeping bags, repurposed sheeting & fabric from thrift store fabric shelves or bedding sections. We also purchase materials from clear-out fabric centers (where other producers dump their scraps or left over fabrics Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
INTERVIEW that would otherwise end up in landfill). As I have entrepreneurial blood, and a few of my friends motivated me to set up a shop on Etsy, Baby Turtledove took flight. (I nicknamed my daughter turtledove as she made such lovely turtledove type coo’s… so the shop is named after her).
limiting the waste their baby accounts for. Natural & handmade items can have a lower level of waste (chemical & tangible). Finally, parents who support handmade production are also doing something really great for the economy in my opinion. They are spreading the wealth/supporting small business. They are also supporting a higher quality of life for themselves with the beauty of one of a kind products & for the producers whom are probably living a life more in line with their values (stay at home mom’s/dads, flexible work hours, etc.).
What challenges have you tackled when it comes to owning and running a business? The main challenge has been finding the time to work on the business while being a full time mom. Besides that, space is also an issue as I grow the team (I have one other sewing helper & two fantastic interns who help with everything). We are not yet quite large enough to justify buying a larger space so we work out of my workshop. Keeping our sale prices reasonable while still covering overhead is always an issue in the competitive retail industry. Why do you think buying natural, handmade products is important for babies? For me it centers around limiting the amount of chemicals babies are exposed to while they are at such a pinnacle developmental moment… their brains & bodies are developing so dramatically fast & yet they are so fragile & sensitive to their environment. I also feel that parents have a high level of responsibility for Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
…As such a tiny & pure lil creature, I wanted to protect her from as many chemicals & toxins as I could...
What products do you currently offer? Any top-sellers so far? Do you have a current favorite from your store? We offer sheets, mattress pads, bibs, developmental toys, nursery pillows, baby/child sleeping bags, baby carrier accessories, and a pipeline of additional things on the way. Our crib sheets and organic cotton filled crib mats that fit Arms Reach Co Sleepers & Stokke Sleepi Systems are our top sellers. My favorite items are our baby/child sleeping bags which we are working on expanding as well as our sky belt (which is so functional: helps mom be bag free, out in nature, promotes exercise…) and our Baby Bjorn Carrier pocket (also makes a moms life so much easier & limits the need to carry a heavy diaper bag). December 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 08
INTERVIEW
Do you have specific customers in mind? I think of any new parent as our main customer. New parents have this strong desire to do right by their new huge responsibility. And if they have the information & option, I think they make wise choices like organic/eco products. What separates your brand from the competition? Our overall package is quite attractive: handmade/custom, eco conscious, innovative so-
09 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
lutions to everyday parent needs, reasonably priced But I think what really separates us is our simplicity& functionality. I came to realize that there is a time and a place for stimulating baby, and the rest of the time baby should be surrounded by simple, soft & functional things. That is what we primarily offer. My daughter was so easily over stimulated that I had to cover her with a solid white thin sheet when I was getting her relaxed/to sleep. So although the multitude of super cute baby patterns are fun for parents, I think we have to keep in mind that baby’s eyes are taking everything in for the first time… and so simplicity is key. And although there are a ton of things out there
…We have an organic cotton car seat cover coming out that can also double as a breast feeding cover.
for baby, keeping life as simple as possible fosters the most important thing: parents & babies spending time together. So solutions which help keep things simple are so valued. Where do you look for inspiration for newBaby Turtledovebedding and accessories designs? Mainly from my need or the needs of my parent friends (moms & dads alike… actually many dad’s have given me very practical needs/solution inspiration). Where do you currently sell your products? Mainly through our site on Etsy. We are also about to put a few products in some specialty baby shops & offer them through a couple baby shows. How are you engaging with existing and potential customers via social media? We have a Facebook page & are just starting to get active on twitter. I have a book that I
Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
INTERVIEW am working on for pregnant mothers & new parents… it draws info from a large number of moms globally… thereby a whole wealth of info that we are starting to share through our social media platforms… and of course we are sharing product info as well. Are there any new products or line expansions in development that we should look forward to the future? Yes!! I am so excited by a few of our new items.
We have an organic cotton car seat cover coming out that can also double as a breast feeding cover. Some organic cotton (unbleached organic cotton flannel…. Oh so divine!) dribble& teething straps for baby carriers. And a few new toys, one of which is a place-mat size roll up mat that has chalk fabric on one side & a felt scene on the other. Babies/children can draw or create a whole range
of scenes on the felt board. So fun for travel & no plastic, reusable, developmental…..so many good things.
Connect with Baby Turtledove... Etsy : Babyturtledove Twitter : #BabyTurtledove Facebook : Babyturtledove
HAPPY BATHING!!! ath time is happy time with a better, safer skin care line perfected for babies’ sensitive skin, scalp and hair .
A CHEMISTRY OF CARE Your kids have made every moment of your life special since day one and it is finally your chance to reward them with happy hours in tub. Bathtime Baby & Kids brought to you by Oh, Baby Organic Skincare presents a range of non-toxic skin care products for your tiny tot. The products are formulated with great care to ensure freedom from harmful chemicals and are essentially vegan friendly in composition. 11 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
Keeping in mind the toll that toiletries take on the environment, the entire range is made using natural biodegradable formulae that are eco-friendly and devoid of harmful gluten. Every Bathtime Baby & Kids product speaks of a philosophy, to deliver the safest possible toiletries that in no way adversely affect the sensitive skin of babies. Conventional baby care products in the market are repertoire of chemical compounds like propylene glycols, sodium lauryl sulphate and ethanolamine. A baby’s skin is petal fresh and can absorb like sponge unlike adults. This is
what makes a baby even more vulnerable to these chemicals. Skin conditions like irritation, rashes, itches and allergies could give you a tough time if you are not alert while choosing body care products for your baby. Oh, Baby Organic Skincare ravels that extra bit of care in their products that is much needed for your baby. The natural and organic bath product line is prepared carefully ounce by ounce with the extract of safe and gentle organic plants and fruits. The products are hypoallergenic and free from footprints of parabens, glycol and petroleum distillates. Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
BRAND STORY To facilitate skin nourishment of your little one, the potions are impregnated with vitamins, antioxidants and soothing anti-inflammation botanicals that pamper your baby’s skin with goodness. The effect of the safe, natural ingredients used in the Bathtime Baby & Kids range is soothing to the skin. Your baby keeps beaming in pleasure as every bath becomes a joyful experience. The products are ultimate when it comes to offering skin protection and can enhance the appearance of skin.
AS PURE AS MOTHER’S LOVE Way back in 2005 when skin care line was launched for adults, Oh, Baby Organic Skincare was strongly motivated to do something differently. Their body care line for grown ups released under Elana All Natural Skin Care had the same organic chemistry that was highly appreciated by the users. Since then toxin free toiletries have become a signature for the brand. The company realized that there is a serious dearth of natural baby care products in the market. Especially pregInnovation and Information for Sustainable Living
nant mothers find it very difficult to pick up safe products for their highly coveted tiny guests. In an effort to bridge this gap Bathtime Baby & Kids was launched much to the relief of organic aficionados. A quick snapshot of this vegan brand fortifies the fact that quality need not always have to be a quotient of price. Happy bath time for babies!!
BUBBLY BATH Your children can have a gala time bubble bathing without you having to worry about eye and skin irritation. A hundred percent safe, soothing potion that is mild and balanced for babies. 250ml bottles are available at a price of $14.50 yielding great value for your hard earned money.
LUCKY DUCKY HAND WASH Suitable for myriad skin types, this gentle liquid soap cares for your baby the way you do. Packed with high quality surfactant, the brew
spreads out well cleaning the pores with purpose. It’s a certified vegan formula and every mommy’s delight, available at $14.50 per 250ml bottle.
BABY BUTTER A rich moisturizing lotion for the delicate skin of your darling that’s available in 90 and 250 ml packs. Priced at $7.50 and $14.50 respectively, the lotion hydrates skin profusely all the while protecting your baby’s natural skin barrier. Regular massage with baby butter is a wholesome affair for your baby that nourishes the skin with organic nutrients and antioxidants.
SO SOFT Mommies would love the way their baby’s hair grow with So Soft hair conditioner. Rich, luxuriant, bouncy hair is but a matter of time and regular application preserves the PH balance of your child’s hair in a natural way. Available in 250ml December 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 12
BRAND STORY packs, So Soft is available at a price of $14.50.
PURELY PAMPERED The name rings with truth as this wonderful massage oil pampers your baby’s delicate skin with love. Formulated with pure, organic, ingredients, the oil facilitates wholesome, natural growth of baby. 90ml packs of Purely Pampered could be procured for $13.00 only.
TOP TO TOE Tip to Toe is an excellent body wash that gently cleanses the skin, retaining the natural moisture content of the body. Impressed with vitamins and nutrients, every drop of this power potion is potent enough to help your baby derive the very best of nature. 250 ml bottles are available at $14.50 only and the benefits are of course priceless.
SILKY SMOOTH Smooth indeed like silk, this fragrant body powder lets 13 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
your baby beat the heat. You can apply it leniently on any area of the skin and keep your baby happy and comfortable throughout the day. A buy of $14.50 per 180 ml pack is undoubtedly every penny’s worth.
COMFORT CREAM This is your soothing solution to dry skin. Winter chill is going to bring thrill to your baby’s life curing dehydrated skin condition in a
Keeping in mind the toll that toiletries take on the environment, the entire range is made using natural bio-degradable formulae that are ecofriendly and devoid of harmful gluten. jiffy. Comfort Cream regenerates skin growth making your baby comfortable to the core. You can pick up packs of 90 ml for $17.50 and let your baby have a blast. Do you still need any more reasons to love your baby’s bath time kit? Just go ahead and pick up the Bathtime products for your bundle of joy!
ADVERTORIAL
INTERVIEW
An Aromatic Affair Want to ease your baby through colds, teething, colic and anxiety naturally with aromatherapy? Look no further. Certified Aromatherapist Jillian Kinsman -Barrett has founded Organic Reverence, a green business with a sole mission to create organic, fabulously eco-friendly & completely safe therapeutic body care line that are good for your kid’s health and the earth.
Jillian with her husband Dave Barret Can you tell us a bit about the Organic Reverence story? What’s behind the interesting brand name? I have been making skin and 15 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
body care products since I was 12 years old. Back when I was a poor kid growing up in the 70’s pretty much all that was available to teens with acne
prone skin was Noxema. It would irritate my skin and I would use the pure Aloe Vera gel from the plant to calm it down. So I was willing to try anything I could get my hands on that wouldn’t irritate my skin further. I found some food related recipes in Seventeen magazine for “healthy glowing skin” and I would make masks and lotions with whatever we had in the kitchen. I remember one time I found a recipe for tomato and peanut butter mask. I scared my mom one day when she came home and I had the mask on my face and all I could find in the house was chunky peanut butter instead of creamy. I had nut chunks all over my skin mixed with red blobs and my mom thought I had small pox or something. It was pretty funny. So that was the beginning of my journey to self education of natural skincare. Later, after high school, I went to the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis, where I received an amazing education in cosmetology. Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
INTERVIEW I heard the story of Horst Rechelbacher and how he started his company with only 2 or 3 hair products and I thought to myself, I could do this. I actually had the opportunity to tour their lab when I was a student and I was in seventh heaven. I was like a kid in a candy store. I took my first aromatherapy course at the Institute and several years later I began making and retailing my own organic body care products. I’m addicted to researching and knowledge and was completely self-taught in body care at that time. I would try some recipes that I found in books and tweek them to my own needs and other ingredients that I had researched and thought may work better. I started out making Body Butters, Scrubs, Bath Salts and Lip balms that I sold under the name “Get Butt Nekked”. It was brought to my attention that people loved my products, but most had no idea that they were organic and apparently it wasn’t speaking to the right audience either. So after a little guidance and much contemplation about what meant the most to me when I purchased body care products, I knew I wanted Organic to be in the name. I stand by using certified organic and naturally wild grown ingredients in my products. It adds less toxic burden not only to the consumer, but also less toxic chemicals going into our enviInnovation and Information for Sustainable Living
ronment. I essentially hold Organic farming practices as ‘Holier than thou” which is why I chose the second half of the name of my business, Reverence; because I have the utmost and deepest respect for the reasons behind the importance of Organic farming practices. I understand the correlation that conventional farming methods have on our health and ecosystems. I have always felt and argued the fact that if we want to seriously look at how to heal ourselves and than we need to start respecting and cleaning up our planet 1st. So that is how I came up with the name!
What’s your vision for your green company? My vision is to make Organic Reverence a common household name where ideally everyone would trust to use any of our products because they are safe and non-toxic for your family, your pets and the environment. I would love Organic Reverence to be recognized as an outstanding green company that is able to give back to the community and giving back to environmental causes. I also want to use my company to bring about additional awareness and educating consumers as to why it is imporDecember 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 16
INTERVIEW and body care products.
tant to not put toxic chemicals on your skin and to help change legislation on getting these chemicals out of our personal care products, not for just pregnant moms and babies, but all personal care products. Partnering and working with other organizations such as Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and Washington Toxics Coalition, where we share in that same common interest. Cosmetics labeling is very confusing for any consumer to understand, let alone an educated consumer. It is a huge problem. There are too many loopholes in the laws that allow chemicals to be added to our skincare products and you really have to be a savvy shopper and know how to read a label. I thank god for good resources such as the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) skindeep section of their website, which can help you to better determine if a products ingredients are safe to use. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ 17 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
What drove you to launch the baby care range? My son got his first cold, from me, when he was 3 months old and I tried a very popular organic baby product on the market that was for colds and flu. Even when diluted properly, he had a very severe skin reaction to it. After reading the label more thoroughly and trying to decipher which ingredient could be the actual cause of the reaction, I discovered within that same baby care line another similar product that contained the same base ingredients, but not the same essential oils, which he did not have a reaction to. At that point I decided to do a little research into the essential oils used and I could not find ONE publication that had listed the two essential oils on the label generally being recognized as safe for use babies. The Internet is a good way to research some things and that being said, others not. So at that point I had decided to take a professional aromatherapy certification course that also included making bath
What makes your particular brand of organic baby care better than other options on the market? I only use Certified Organic and naturally wild crafted ingredients in my products and 100% pure Certified Organic therapeutic grade essential oils that are safe for babies and or kids. If I cannot find an ingredient that does not follow those standard I will look to change the ingredient used. Find something suitable that is. I create synergistic aromatherapy blends for all of my products. A simple definition for synergy in aromatherapy is that a combination of certain essential oils results in an effect greater than the sum of their individual effects. I typically use 2-3 essential oils to work on several systems in the body and to help alleviate a certain condition. I also choose specific base oils for their mutually beneficial properties. I package my products in glass and not plastic. Most baby care products on the market package in plastic. They may be BPA free plastics, but I personally choose to steer away from packaging in plastics in general. Also by packaging in dark amber or blue glass bottles which helps to protect the integrity and medicinal components of the essential oils used in the product. I don’t doubt that there may be some companies out there Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
INTERVIEW that do make similar products, however I was not able to find one that encompassed all things I am looking for in a baby care product. Which is 100% pure and certified organic or naturally wild crafted ingredients. No chemical preservatives, I saw a few organic baby care products that contained the chemical preservative PHENOXYETHANOL, which is listed on EWG’s skindeep website as a known skin, eye and lung irritant. You will not see any chemical preservatives in my products.
My Products are….
100% Non-Toxic Artificial Fragrance Free Bio-degradable BPA & Benzene Free Cruelty Free Silicone / SLS / Silicate Free Fair trade and ethical Formaldehyde Free Gluten & GMO Free Mineral Oil / Petroleum Free Paraben / Phthalate Free Vegan
What has been your biggest business struggle as an entrepreneur? As a small business owner… doing everything myself, wearing all the hats in the business and trying to find enough time in the day to get it all done!! Between having to create all the products, design labels for every single product. List, market & promote those products in different Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
ways either on the web and at local markets. Shipping… that’s a whole other can of worms….the list goes on and on. Just having to figure it all out and finding the best avenues that works for my company is the hard part of starting a new business. I’m sure it’s probably the same thing every entrepreneur says. Some things I can hire out and other things just have to be done by myself and myself alone. My husband is a huge help in professionally shooting my product photos and I couldn’t do it without his help. My son and family are also huge inspirations to me especially since I make products for their needs. It’s just hard to juggle it all by yourself and it’d be nice to bounce ideas off onto another like minded person! What are your top-selling baby care products? Why it is so important to choose only organic? 2 Top-selling Products: 1. Calm for Moms, Babies and Kids - because it can be used for so many things. Boo
boos, skin rashes, calming tantrums and fussiness, teething, colic. It is calming to the nervous system in general. 2. Cold Relief - kids pass germs to each other all the time. Cold Relief is used externally and the essential oils used contain anti-virals and anti-bacterial components and naturally assists to boost the child’s immune system and to help alleviate cold symptoms. It’s a nice alternative to add into your child’s wellness routine. I think I previously answered the question of why it’s important for me to use only organic ingredients conventional with my story about why I chose my company's name…..By using only organic and naturally wild grown ingredients in my products, it adds less toxic burden to the consumers body with their skincare regime. In addition to that for developing babies, using skincare products that contain chemical additives can affect their physical development. I wouldn’t use anything less than non-toxic and Organic on December 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 18
INTERVIEW my son. I made these products for my family and I want that type of quality for all who choose to use my products. When I was pregnant with my son, my father was terminally ill with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. His doctors labeled it as “environmental causes”, which is another way of saying they cannot pinpoint what one toxin or one thing that caused his cancer. Toxins are everywhere. It’s in the air we breathe, the food we eat, in the water we consume and the products we put onto our skin. Children today are exposed to more chemicals than we ever had in the 70’s when I was growing up. They are living in a time when toxic chemicals are literally everywhere. I don’t want my products to add to that burden. I don’t want my company to be a part of that picture. That is one reason I choose not to use pesticide sprayed ingredients in my products. Chemical fragrances are known skin irritants. Organic also stands for no GMO’s!!!! GMO’s are everywhere and unless the ingredient that I am choosing to use in my product is certified organic, certified GMO free I'd rather not use it. I want my company to be representative of the changes as to where we need to go in the future with our cosmetics and skincare for both our health and our planet. Whether you are black, white, brown, republican, democratic what19 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
Dalex: Jillian & Dave's Son ever your political viewpoint and religious beliefs are, we are all in this together and we are all faced with the same toxins and diseases. As a consumer we have the buying power to make a choice. Mine is choosing to purchase and use Organic and naturally wild grown agriculture over Conventionally produced agriculture whenever possible. The less toxic burden we put on our bodies the better. What principles do you use to select greener and healthier ingredients and packing materials for your products? Do you aim to use green shipping methods as well? I’m constantly in search for ways to improve how I run my business in an eco-friendly fashion. Whether it be by reusing my shipping materials that I get from my suppliers for packaging in my gift bas-
kets or reusing the boxes and bubble envelopes/wraps for shipping out the orders to my customers. Growing up we lived by the 3 R’s and I like to practice those principals in my business as much as possible. With my company I strive to do business with and purchase supplies from companies who may be smaller and are also fellow green companies, whose facilities may be run using wind or solar power, using recycled paper goods and shipping materials, printing principals, certified organic., etc. While purchasing supplies, I look for Fair trade, ethical and Sustainable goods and supplies when ever possible. I also strive to package my products in an eco-friendly container. When choosing the best packaging for each and every product a lot goes into researching what are my best and least toxic options. I don’t trust the safety of plastics in general, so I prefer to package in glass and or a biodegradable cardboard products. I saw the documentary Addicted to plastic, and after that I consciously chose not to use plastic in my packaging and look to purchase other alternatives. I know there will be a safer, greener and lighter alternative available soon in the market place, but until then, I’m sticking with glass and biodegradable cardboard. Unfortunately glass weighs more and costs more to ship. That being said, I try to conInnovation and Information for Sustainable Living
INTERVIEW dense the number of shipments by buying in bulk and keeping the shipments down to a minimum. I am also trying to encourage free shipping offers to customers who buy over a certain dollar amount hoping that will encourage them to add more products to their current shopping cart and having one larger purchase rather smaller and more frequent purchases. I do buy locally whenever possible especially if the supply house has what I need and is a green company, however at this time much of what I need I am not able to find locally. A small female owned and operated local business, recently approached me about possibly carrying some certified organic and fair trade and sustainably produced supplies that I currently use. I am excited about that being a possible option for my company as well. How has Organic Reverenceapproached it’s social media strategy? What platforms have been the most successful? I would say I don’t quite have a strategy down just yet. Between making products and selling them at events, I’ve been so busy getting the behind the scene aspects set up. Once I get my ecommerce website completed along with all of my products listed in myEtsy shop, then I’ll start to promote more. I do love Etsy in general as a consumer. I’ve purchased nuInnovation and Information for Sustainable Living
merous items from the marketplace. Etsy opens up so many opportunities for your hand made items to receive worldwide exposure and traffic to your goods. I’ve always wanted to sell my products in their market place in addition to the website. So far I've just created a face book profile, twitter & Pinterest Acct, and then updated my Linkedin profile, but like I said I haven’t really been promoting my products or company yet through social media other than a few posts here and there. However , I do have plans to use all these social media outlets to really help me break out of the box for this holiday season and test which ones are the most successful for me!! Are there any plans to expand your product line? Yes, I have several that I am looking to add over the course of the next year!!! I plan to add at least one new product each month which will include more bath and body care as well as other medicinal aromatherapy products like my bug bite relief and cold & flu remedies for adults and pregnancy. I have so many that I am working on at the moment and I will be announcing each new product on the home page of my website as they become available. We hope to have the new website completed by the end of December or the latest January
2013 with details on how to sign up for my blog, and to receive monthly newsletters, special offers and announcements. Where do you see your business in next 5 years? Over the next 5 years, I am hoping to grow exponentially. I plan to continue to keep adding products and bringing about more brand awareness. I am looking into gradually switching from hand making some of my products to having them manufactured in a certified organic green facility. I am also looking to start wholesaling my products as early as next year and have been approaching several local stores just to get a feel as to what is out there, and letting them sample my product line. I am already receiving great interest in the line and just need to get a few ducks in a row before moving forward. I’m also visualizing the perfect eco-friendly building that would attract employees who want to be apart of company that lives by the principals I described in the previous questions. I am open to large investment options and or other potential partnerships that would allow me to fulfill that vision, as long it doesn’t compromise my company’s mission.
Connect with Organic Reverence... Etsy: OrganicReverence Twitter: #OrganicReverenc Facebook: OrganicReverence
MEET SAFYSLINGS FOUNDER Tell us a little bit about yourself. My name is Svetlana.
I am a mother to three sons. The eldest is a teen in his 19 followed by his two kid brothers who are 6.9 and 3.5 years old. My daughter born at the end of June 2013 is still a baby. Both my younger sons are being taught at home. Besides being a mother to four beautiful children, I am ClauWi baby wearing consultant and sling manufacturer.
Your brand is unique. What inspired you to start SafySlings ?
When I was pregnant with my second son , a friend told me about the slings. I loved this idea. After a course on child psychology that I underwent, I came to know more about development of infants. It is important to satiate their natural needs after birth. The baby needs to feel constant closeness with the mother. Sense of attachment with the mother that is developed during the initial years of a baby's life plays a key role in shaping up the personality of a baby. Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
As an adult he/she is able to show better affection while becoming an easier person to deal with. He/ she can overcome difficulties in the future with firmness. The very idea behind Babywearing inspired me - I could foresee great opportunity in being able to be as close as possible to my baby. By the time my son was born I already had ring sling ready. I was working in a bank when my second son was born. However I did not want to leave 3 months old baby and return to work. My husband and I began to think what else could be done. I had always considered myself to be a good tailor and it was finally my time to put my skills to test. Combining sewing with a healthy dose of psychology and natural parenting ideas made me embark on my own business “Safyslings�.
What was your first creation and how did it come to life?
I am very grateful to my husband Vitaly for supporting me December 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 22
How many versions/ categories of sling bags are you currently offering? Any new products in the works?
Our products are ergonomic backpacks, Mai Tai ring sling, baby slings and backpacks for dolls. The slings are sewn in Israel by professional seamstresses with years of experience. Israeli Institute of Standards runs stringent quality check before the products are released in the market. We use only natural fabrics cotton / linen without synthetic additives , without impregnation. With time, more and more comfortable models have been developed by me for babies and their parents.
constantly during my early years as well as now. I am sure that without his moral support I would not have dared to do this project. My first product line constituted of slings with rings and Mai Tai. From the beginning I knew that I’ll have to keep sewing only natural fabrics, minus synthetics of any kind.
ning a business?
What have been the most exciting and challenging part of starting and run-
And of course primarily the babies should feel bodily comfortable and psychologically secured.
23 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
The most interesting thing is of course the selection of suitable fabrics, as well as the creation of drawings slings, computation of optimal sizes and shapes. The task was not an easy one, because my slings had to be designed to conveniently suit varying body types.
Our connoisseurs, enthusiasts and fans have kept coming back for more all through the last 5 years at Safy all the while referring us to their friends by words of mouth. Besides slings we sew pants for Natural Infant Hygiene, bags offering sling accessories, eco-friendly bottle, babyleg, pants, booties, jewelry for moms and hand-made silk scarves. Our newest product at the moment is an ergonomic backpack for Toddlers. In our perfect fit babies from 1.5 to 4.5 years (of course this depends on the size and weight of the child). The backpack is convenient for long trips and carrying heavier than average babies with a minimal of effort. It is lightweight, easy to use, Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
takes up little space and could be conveniently folded by the parent and tied around the waist.
Your items are handcrafted, why is that?
Our earlier penchant for machine sewed product soon came to an end as we were being unable to meet the quality standards of tailoring. It took a while to identify the experienced seamstresses who are an integral part of our team today. They have a wide range of experience and are very responsible as far as quality is concerned. For us quality comes first and nothing else at the end of the day.
How do you develop product ideas? What is your usual design process like?
Oh! It may sound very funny, but often changes and improvements ideas come to me in a dream! In general, I am constantly thinking about these issues even while doing household chores or when I am with children or in the shower. I constantly endeavor to dins out newer ways of developments and enhancements for my products.
Green business is in vogue. As an entrepreneur, how have you incorporated green/sustainable business practices?
I provide consultation service in conjunction to my products helping mums to know more Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
...because my slings had to be designed to conveniently suit varying body types. And of course primarily the babies should feel bodily comfortable and psychologically secured...
about breastfeeding - explain and often demonstrate how to feed a baby in a sling and while he/she is lying on the bed. Many mothers are not aware of the habits of babies during their first few months. It is a very difficult course. I also extend consultation service about the benefits of vegetarianism, well being and proper nutrition through my blogs. I have an on-line store of environmental products for adults and children: natural cosmetics, knitwear for kids, exclusive handmade jewelry December 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 24
INTERVIEW verse impact on quality.
What have been the best marketing and promotional outlets for SafySlings, and why do you think it has been so successful?
At the moment, the method works very well "from word of mouth". Most parents do not know and do not understand the differences between non ergonomic and ergonomic carrying. On the personal or group counseling, I explain the difference between them. When parents who are using non ergonomic carry come to know of my ergonomic measures they realize the need for Safyslings. It’s anytime more convenient, more comfortable and portable than the other brands. We also keep taking part in various fairs.
What’s next?
and eco-friendly stainless steel bottles. That helpsin spreading the news and encourages businessmen to produce more and more natural products .
How do you keep a competitive edge over other similar baby sling bag designers? 25 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
We get a lot of feedback from our customers. I always listen to their wishes if they are satisfied with what they would want? And accordingly I improve our slings and backpacks. We also have a fairly wide range of colors. I try to use one sling fabric in its entirety so that there is no ad-
I have huge plans for the development and expansion of business. But I would not want speak my heart out until the time is ripe. The only thing I can relent at the moment is that my products are moving more and more towards a natural and environmentally friendly direction..
Connect with SafySlings... Etsy: SafySlings Twitter: #Safysling
Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
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ORGANIC HATCHING IS ONE CLICK AWAY
Image Courtesy :Truecuddles.ca
Touching account of an enterprising mother’s venture that’s a giant web store of baby products today.
T
BRAND STORY
he Mompreneurfrom Canada...
Worried over picking up the best baby care products for you little one? Your quest is bound to end at “Organically Hatched” that is just one click away. Be it organic candy, teething toy or skin care product, “Organically Hatched” is the best portal that brings alive a killer combo of baby products that’d surely make you go gaga. It’s a Canadian company that stores plethora of pure, organic products from the top suppliers of the country. Hatched by Shaheen Hirji, one of the top 50 “mompreneurs” of Canada, “Organically Hatched” understands the need of new mommies like no one else.
to the “inflexible work environment” that demanded longer hours, she decided to start something on her own. Finally in 2008 her online organic store “Organically Hatched” got to see the daylight. It did not take Shaheen long to figure out the product line of her company. She has had a tough time choosing natural bath care products for her son while he was an infant.
point that remains accessible 24X7. Today, her brand is more than a mere e-commerce portal. It is a boon to full time moms who find it difficult to manage their time. “Organically Hatched” is yet another name for simplicity as it is really easy to look out for a product and buy it instantly.
In fact being preoccupied with the baby recurrently, it was impossible for Shaheen to physically go looking for the right products.
Physically located in the British Columbia, this gigantic repertoire of organic baby products is a bee hive of activity. Shipload of consignments are managed and distributed worldwide to buyers from different countries.
It was during this time that she realized how great it’ be if all organic baby products could be purchased from one
The best part is that you may choose from a wide assortment of products that are useful for babies of different ages.
Shaheen, a bright, erudite, modern mom, has singlehandedly built her empire, rapidly winning the trust of mother’s hell bent on buying the safest stuffs for their babies. It all started when Shaheen found it very difficult to continue working on returning from a maternity leave of one year. Having realized that she was not being able to spend enough time with her son due Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
December 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 28
touch of rich, foamy lather. Prepared with vanilla scents and essential oil, it is free from chemicals like parabens, lanolin, synthetic colors and fragrances. Available in recyclable PET bottles, Teslie soap is one step forward to a cleaner, greener earth.
GAIA Natura l Baby Massage Oil:
A Baby’s World One look at the cutie pie range of baby care products would give you an idea as to how broad the product depth could be.
Boogie Wipes: Common cold and allergies are quite prevalent among 29 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
babies. Nevertheless it is always painful to see a bruised little nose, sore from frequent wiping. Boogie Wipe, an innovative product with added saline offers instant relief from stuck on mucous. The wipes are hypoallergenic and free from alcohol with a pleasing scent. Available in packs of ten these are hot favorite with traveling mothers and busy bee daddies.
Taslie Natural Goat's Milk Baby Soap: Your bathing beauty is going to love the
Perfected by experts from infant massage association, GAIA natural baby massage oil combines the goodness of pure almond with lavender and essential oils. Soothing and rejuvenating to the core it could also be used without any hesitation during pregnancy.
BRAND STORY
Shoo-Foo Bamboo Bath Mitt: These are towels that are tad different from the ones that you see in the mart. Made of bamboo grown without pesticide, the soft textile is antibacterial, absorbent and enables your baby’s skin to breathe. The safe, soft, environment friendly towels could be the best gift for your bundle of joy.
Dimpleskins Avocado Bar: Soap bar, especially made to suit sensitive skin, Dimpleskins Avocado is mix of palm, coconut, avocado, castor, olive, beeswax and water. Shampoo bars are available too, rewarding your baby with unfathomable freshness
that stays long after. Besides flaunting a diverse mix for toddlers, infants, school goers and mothers, “Organically Hatched” has something in store for the newbie daddies as well.
Man Sling: Experience the one of a kind feeling of being a dad by carrying your little one close to your heart no matter where you are. 365 collection man slings allow you to show your tender side however busy you may be.
Text Hook Smart Phone Holder: Stay in touch with the world while you unwind with your little one. You could simply strap
this phone holder in one sliding motion to the front bar of your kid’s stroller and walk the talk in style.
Miles to Go Although it has been just a few years that “Organically Hatched” is in business, it has firmly set its footprints already. In fact repeat business from customers is the biggest testimonial to the loyalty that “Organically Hatched” has earned from its patrons. Selected for Cribsie Awards in the “Greenest Webshop for Babies” as one of the five finalists in 2012, there’s a long way to go for Shaheen and her dream store.
INTERVIEW
Meet Dikla Goldgraber founder of Nona Baby Boutique that specializes in adorable handmade accessories for babies. We spoke to Dikla about what makes her brand sustainable and special. & Interior Design. Since my
what keeps you motivated? After giving birth to my first baby boy, I started looking for beddings that’ll match his needs as well as mine. It was most important for me to find eco-friendly yet comfortable and cozy products‌ I decided finally to do it myself! I turned to my grandmother, my Nona, who has been a skilled seamstress for over 50 years and asked her to teach me how to sew.
T
ell us a little bit about your background and the foundation for your green baby boutique. Upon completing my military service, I studied for 4 years in the University of Architecture 31 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
childhood, I always dreamt of making our earth more greener, cleaner and safer. Finally after graduating, I started my own event production & design company .
What prompted you to start Nona Baby Boutique and
I bought my first sawing machine, my first piece of fabric and with a heart full of love finished making my first beddings for my son. Then I felt strongly that this is something that I really wanted to do. My business today is to create and my boutique is inspired from the most optimistic person I have ever known and loved: my nona. Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
INTERVIEW ating market for my products with all the big companies around. However deep down, I knew for sure that my products are unique. I started tasting success for the first time when my clients started appreciating me for my hand made products and the demand for my stuffs started soaring high.
You mentioned that all Nona Boutique products are 100%eco friendly, handcrafted, and safe for babies & kids. Can you elaborate on these wonderful facts, please? Have you noticed a change in the level of awareness against toxic baby products in the last few years? My boutique is just 2 years old, however within this short duration I have noticed people looking for non-industrial products. Customers crave for personal touch that machine made goods cannot provide with. L guess this is what roots us firmly with nature helping us choose what is best for our babies.
What has been your biggest business struggle as an entrepreneur? What have Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
been some of your major successes? My biggest challenge was cre-
How do you strive to make your business more sustainable? Firstly I am always looking for ways to create long lasting December 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 32
INTERVIEW product. Ensuring that my clients get the best value for their many is my most important objective. Customer satisfaction is what keeps the ball rolling. Mom’s who had purchased my product during their first childbirth keep coming back to me to buy my products for their second and even third child. This is probably the biggest indication that my customers are utterly satisfied. To sustain the standard of my product line I insist on using fabrics with high quality. Although my product
making charge is high due to the expensive material that I use, my prices are very realistic. In fact each time before deciding the price I ask myself first whether in real life I would buy it for the price that I am planning to set. As a mom I understand the world of mothers and their concerns. This helps me immensely to enhance the value of my products manifold making them sustainable.
What are your best-selling products till date? Do you have a current favorite from your collection? It depends largely on the season but I t hink t hat 'nonaSnake' is a hot favorite right now attributing to the fact that it could be utilized in so many different ways. My personal favorite is of course our natural blankets range…
How do you manage dealing with the competition? I think every seller has his/her own customers and there is enough for every33 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
one. I believe in my products. It is this faith in the quality of my products that helps me while dealing with my competitors.
Where do you get the inspiration for new product designs? My children of course are the greatest source of inspiration. Having used my products myself I understand the unique need that each of these products could address.
What types of marketing did you originally use? Tell us how you use social media tools to engage customers? We do have a community on Facebook besides a mommy’s forum and online stores. Nevertheless I still believe most strongly in “word of mouth” campaign.
What is next for Nona Baby Boutique? To see our product benefitting every baby across the globe! I want Nona Baby Boutique to become a worldwide brand, and forever remember the values of modesty and humility.
Connect with NonaBaby Boutique... Etsy: NonaBabyBoutiqe Website: Mynona
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INTERVIEW
ORGANIC INNOCENCE In a recent interview, Jenessa Rode gives us the scoop on how Innocence BodyCare got its start and what she credits as her inspiration for amazing chemical-free baby care products!
F
irst of all Jenessa, what motivated the creation of Innocence BodyCare?
ANSWER: Well, back in 2010 I started “playing around” with making a pain-relieving salve for my own jaw pain because of an earlier diagnosis of TMJ. I had been looking online at pain-relieving salves/ lotions, and was excited to try and make my own (I’m that type of person!). I was surprised the salve worked soo great at relieving the pain, and I made a few jars of them to give as Christmas gifts. Shortly after that, during my third pregnancy, I developed a rash across my belly called PUPPPs that can sometimes occur when you are expecting and which produces a lot of itching and burning sensations. I started researching and shopping around for herbs and oils, and made myself a healing salve (currently my Deep Healing Salve, which is
37 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
INTERVIEW
my best-seller too!). It would take away the itch within minutes, and my doctor was surprised to see my rash went away within a couple months. I quickly realized that there were probably people out there who had rashes or skin conditions that this salve could help, so I went to work on creating a salve to sell on Etsy, and that’s when I opened my first online shop and started making products! Why freshly-made bodycare products? What interests you about it? ANSWER: I am super excited to offer my customers freshlyInnovation and Information for Sustainable Living
made body bare products because I find it has the very most to offer in that the ingredients retain all their essential vitamins, healing properties and absolute freshness for your skin. Because of all my personal research on chemicals, petroleum-laden ingredients, harmful preservatives and the dangers of artificiallycreated fragrances and colors, I knew that I could only make and sell what I would feel comfortable putting on my own body, and on the bodies of my children. One of the most unique aspects of my products is that the ingredients are so fresh, raw and natural that you could literally almost EAT them! Just as we all know that produce picked fresh from your garden tastes amazingly more sweet than grocery-bought produce, so products made from raw materials and made in small batches feel amazingly more luxurious to the skin! What types of babycare products are currently available? Which is your best-seller? What are your favorite products from the line right now? ANSWER: I have 3 wonderful baby care products in my Baby Luv Line so far, and those are my Baby Luv Soft n’
Gentle Foaming Bath Wash, Baby Luv Organic Whipped Body Butter & Baby Luv Organic Powder For Diaper Rash. My best seller in this line is the Baby Foaming Bath Wash, and I have to say that the Baby Luv Whipped Body Butter is my favorite product in the line. It smells amazing with Vanilla, Lavender and Chamomile essential oils so right after I use it on my toddler, I use it on myself, too! What's your inspiration for the products and packaging? ANSWER: To tell you the truth, I draw inspiration from numerous places all the time that feed my creative juices when I come up with my packaging and products! For instance, I can be in a quaint little shop somewhere, smell a candle and think of how I could re-create that scent with pure essential oils. Or if I like how a product is packaged at a store, if I notice a certain design or shape catches my eye, I’ll remember that for the next product packaging that comes out. Usually though, I draw my inspiration from within my own creative mind as I pride myself on always aiming to be original! I also dedicate my business in prayer and ask God to give me fresh ideas December 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 38
INTERVIEW
and energy to keep up with my own excessive creativity! What’s so special about your babycare line? How are the products made? ANSWER: My Baby Luv line is special in that each item is completely CHEMICAL-FREE and does not contain any harmful ingredients and surfactants, unlike most commercial baby care brands. My Baby Luv whipped body butter is so pure that you can even use it on baby’s lips to help soothe chapped lips or to hydrate their hands without worrying about them putting their fingers in their mouths right after application! I work with raw ingredients, not premade bases, and then I gently mix in pure Therapeutic39 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
Grade essential oils for their scent and soothing properties and create something both mom and baby will love! I make all my products in a separate kitchen dedicated to my business and personally test out all sorts of recipes I come up with before deciding on a “winner”! All products are made with love in a smoke -free, pet-free kitchen, so each Baby Luv product is made in a clean, sanitized environment. With a variety of handmade body and skin-care brands jumping on board the organic/natural wagon, how would you rate your success? ANSWER: Well, God has blessed my business with just enough success to keep up with orders, but not too much
success that I cannot handle the load myself! I am unique in the fact that I want to keep Innocence Body Care a business that I can manage on my own, as I enjoy pouring my precise devotion and personal dedication into everything from the packaging, to the shipping, to the mixing , to the whippin’! I am also an extremist when it comes to the purity of ingredients I want to offer my customer, and I think this is what my customers appreciate most about my products in comparison to other brands. I do not, and will not ever, include ingredients in any of my products that are “sketchy” or possibly harmful to the skin or to the environment. Instead of skin-offending, artificial fragrances (usually used even in “Organic” brands), I utilize the scent and healing properties of essential oils. Instead of petroleum-laden ingredients such as Propylene Glycol (usually used in “natural” brands), I formulate with pure oils and natural non-GMO vegetable glycerin. I love promising my customer that the product they are receiving is made with the purest, highest-grade ingredients available!
Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
INTERVIEW What’s a typical day for you? ANSWER: This is a hard question to answer, as each day’s demands are different! Right now, I am working 6-7 hours a day on the business and fulfilling orders since we are now in the busy Christmas shopping season. But I typically spend 20 hours a week working on everything from emails, making products, shrink-wrapping & packaging, shipping, etc. I am also blessed to be able to home school my oldest daughter, so after I get done with educating her I usually go up to my “work kitchen” and get busy! I usually make products Monday-Wednesday, then I ship Thursdays. Because of the season, however, I am making products ALL THE TIME right now! I love it… every corner of our house and in my work space smells different because of all my separate batches always in the works. How do you reach your green consumer target audi-
ence? What marketing strategies work well for you? ANSWER: It’s important to me that each customer knows that with their purchase from Innocence Body Care, they are helping to prevent toxic waste and pollution, as I formulate with zero toxic material, and I purchase from suppliers whose ethics are clearly written on their stance against GMO’s, pesticides and the like. Many of my products are VEGAN, and all products are bio-degradable. I always emphasize the fact that products that are non-toxic, Vegan and Organic are not only the best for our skin (since our skin absorbs whatever we put on it), but also for our earth, as we are using God’s bounty of herbs and plant extracts to bring healing to our skin instead of carcinogenic chemicals. So, what’s next for Innocence BodyCare? ANSWER: Well, I am AL-
WAYS trying out new personally-created recipes and testing out formulations, so adding new products to Innocence Body Care is always exciting for me! For instance, right now I am in the process of infusing my own Organic Jojoba oil with Vanilla beans to be used in my natural roll-on perfume line (available in 2014!). I will also have a few more scents coming out soon for my natural, aluminum-free deodorants (Shield Stick) and a musclesoothing salve infused with herbs that help soothe aches and pain. I will also be including more products geared toward men in 2014. I currently have 46 products available, and my aim is to offer even more products and product sizes for my customers in 2014! I am very excited to offer handcrafted products that are made with love and from my own recipes, and I look forward to many more happy years of mixin’ and whippin’ away in my Innocence Body .
Connect with Innocence Body Care... Etsy: Innocencebodycare Website: Innocencebodycare Zibbet::Innocencebodycare
Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
December 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 40
EDITOR’S PICK
As the cold winter sets in, customize your baby’s personal-care regime with 5 Rustic Art products to maintain their skin and hair at its best.
Rustic Art Organic Baby Soap
Rustic Art Organic Blueberry Baby Wash
Keep your baby clean and fragrant with this organic body wash especially made for the sensitive skin of a baby in soothing Blueberry fragrance.
As the name suggests, it’s meant for the most sensitive of skin types. It is pH neutral. Now you can have a baby-like skin too! -No Animal Ingredient/ No Animal Testing, Soft on skin, suitable for all skin types, completely handmade, eco Friendly Packing, free of SLS/SLeS, pH neutral. Ingredients: With goodness of Corn Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Neem Oil, Olive Oil, Aloe Gel, Shea Butter, Oil Extract Of Calendula, Chamomile, Malva, Green Tea, Vanilla. MRP: Rs 155 / 100 gm 39 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
Ingredients: With goodness of Olive Oil, Castor Oil, Neem Oil and essential oils of Rose and Lemon. Only 3-4 drops needed for per wash. MRP:Rs 450 / 200 ml
Rustic Art Organic Baby Lotion
It is made of 80% certified organic ingredients and the rest being natural ingredients. No harmful chemicals, artificial enhancers or fragrances have been used in its making. Thus, it is smooth, organic and natural nourishment for your baby’s Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
EDITOR’S PICK
delicate skin; keeping it soft, supple and glowing all day long. Made of certified organic and natural ingredients. Ingredients: Aloevera, Olive Oil, Almond Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Sesame Oil, Shea Butter, Glycerine, Rosé Wax, Vitamin E, Jojoba Oil, Calendula Oil, Wheat Germ Oil, Lavender Essential Oil, Chamomile Essential Oil, Cream Rosé Essential Oil, Blueberry Essential Oil, Safe Emulsifier, De-ionized Water. Only 2-3 squirts needed for one application on entire body. MRP: Rs 550 / 100 ml
Rustic Art Organic Baby Oil (Green Apple & Evoke Fragrance) 100% free of mineral oils and chemicals. Say ‘hello’ to soft, supple and nourished skin for your baby. Rustic Art Organic Baby Oil is perfect for
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body & hair massage. Its regular use gives a lasting glow to the skin since it is completely natural & carries enchanting fragrance of organic essential oils. What's more, it can be safely used by adults too! Ingredients: With goodness of Olive Oil, Jojoba Oil, Sesame Oil, Coconut Oil and Coco Grass. MRP: Rs 250 / 100 ml.
Rustic Art Little Laundry
pH balanced, double processed, especially for delicate fabrics like silk, baby clothes, etc. Contains no artificial brighteners, bleach, fillers, enzymes, fabric softner, foam boosters, fragrance, etc. Quantity: 1.5 to 2 tablespoons for 810 garments. MRP: Rs 170 / 500 gm
December 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 40
HEALTH
AMAZING HOME REMEDIES
after careful survey that a spoonful of honey could bid farewell to dry cough better than any so called super syrup in the market. A mixture of lemon and honey is potent enough to clear congestion quickly and sooth your little ones sore throat. The only conditional clause that accompanies this home remedy being your baby should not be less than a year old.
Beat Diarrhea Dread
East or West mommy knows what’s best for the little one. Running to your doc every now and then for bouts of common cold and constipation of your baby is a pain. Strong reliance on antibiotics could send your baby’s immune system for a toss; a scary prospect indeed for any educated parent. Wouldn’t it be great if you could treat these small aches and ails yourself in the privacy of your home? Nevertheless little knowledge is worse 43 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
than possessing no knowledge at all and therefore it is very important to know what work before administering your little one with kitchen remedies that promises relief.
Stuff for Cough Did you know all it takes to treat your baby’s recurring dry cough is plain honey and lemon juice lying in abundance inside your closet? Sounds overly simple? Yet it is true. Authorities on medicine opine
Diarrhea could be deadly if left unattended. It can drain out your little one’s body fluid resulting in severe repercussions. Hang on for a while and let your child drink salt and sugar solution at frequent intervals. Pomegranate works brilliantly in arresting diarrhea. Pomegranate rind dried to fine dust administered with buttermilk will surely put a full stop to loose motion resuscitating the joy of your life. Consuming one gram powder, twice a day is commendable dosage and be careful as to not to go beyond any further.
Set Right the Loss of Appetite How often do you have Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
to run after your toddler with his feeding bowl? Loss of appetite, a very common occurrence in babies could be due to several reasons. Take a glass of cold water and add a mixture of coriander and fennel seed with cinnamon bark and small cardamom. All the ingredients should be added in equal proportion and the mixture is to be soaked in water overnight. You can sieve the liquid in the morning and make your baby drink it while in empty stomach. Repeat this practice for some time and you’ll be amazed by a remarkable gain of appetite that’s sure to follow suit.
Tea Truce for Health Tea, a great stimulator for adults is now being prescribed by pediatricians. Wait a minute for this is no ordinary tea! About for ounce of Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
Chamomile tea could safeguard your infant’s tummy, soothing the intestinal muscles and relieving colic pain eventually. More isn’t necessarily better here so be careful not to overindulge.
Whack the Winged Wrangle Fighting bugs with baking soda may not be possible but the alkaline compound is great for treating insect bites. Prepare a paste out of a plain teaspoon of baking soda with water and apply it profusely on the affected area. It’s a simple yet effective way to healing that is hundred percent safe for your baby’s gentle skin.
Baby’s Day Out Is your baby averse to joy ride? Relax as car sickness is a very common phenomenon. Add
freshly shredded ginger to a glass filled with water and boil it for some time. A drop of honey could make the whole affair sweet and less objectionable for your baby. Allow the broth to cool and make your baby drink the fluid half an hour prior to the pleasure trip. Watch your baby getting transported from nausea to euphoria. However one word of warning, if your baby is less than two years old then this is not his cup. Cutting a long story short, certified medical professional are strongly suggesting mother’s of 21st century, “old is gold”. It is always good to have granny’s remedies handy when you have children around. Who would after all deny that the healing touch of timeless pure love that can make life beautiful and wholesome? None for sure! December 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 44
PRODUCT NEWS
Image Courtesy: Inhabitots.com
W
elcome to the amazing world of diapers that are different. If you are keen to reduce carbon footprints from your child’s life, time now to add some variety. Adieu to cloth diapers as the baby world rocks with brand new innovations taking 45 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
the market by storm. Eco-friendly diapers have evolved big time over the last few years. Making your cry baby dry baby is a matter of minutes now, with green diapers that are free from dye, chlorine and latex.
Variety is the spice of life for sure but picking up the right
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PRODUCT NEWS stuff for your baby in a mad mix could be tiring indeed. To save you from vexation, some of the best eco-friendly names that you may trust blindfolded are here.
FuzziBunz Diapers Cute and colorful to the core, Fuzzibunz diapers are your babies best friend. Way more convenient and durable than their disposable counterparts, Fuzzibunz absorbs wetness completely keeping your baby comfortable and happy. It’s a modern and trendy diaper that safeguards your baby from diaper rash and skin irritation. Available in twenty attractive colors and prints, FizziBunz comes with a lifetime guarantee for its adjustable
Foods Stores. The absorbency gel that is used as an essential constituent of the diaper is made of special polymer that soaks up wetness in a flash. Moreover, these are completely non-toxic and could not lead to skin irritation or diaper rash.
inner inserts made of biodegradable material can be disposed after use, without having to get rid of the entire diaper. You can use Gdiapers with ease as the reusable insert are both flushable and compostable causing no harm to the environment. Use the G force well and make room for a cleaner, better earth.
Cushie Tushies Made of cotton, Tushies disposable diapers offer snug comfort to your baby’s skin. Essentially, these diapers are crafted with care so that your baby’s delicate skin stays healthy and well protected.
Seventh Generation snaps that allows you to adjust the diapers as your baby grows.
Whole Food 365 Everyday Diapers Pick up these leak-proof diapers from your nearest Whole Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
GDiapers Cute Little printed G pants that come with an insert are the latest fad among trendy moms. The outer cover being reusable could be washed as and when required while the
Hundred percent eco-friendly diapers that offer the most natural protection to your baby’s behind are not only hypoallergenic but are also free from artificial fragrance and petroleum based lotions. Coming in multiple sizes, Seventh Generation diapers are comDecember 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 46
PRODUCT NEWS fortable, natural wares that keep your baby happy whole day. Instead of harsh dyes, natural pigments are used to give it a brownish color. The diapers are completely Chlorine free and available at an affordable price.
Bambo Nature What’s in a name after all but Bambo Nature probably is the one and only certified green diaper to win accreditation from Nordic Swan Eco Label. These soft and highly absorbent diapers are quite a rave among the upper echelons of elite green. Manufactured responsibly, following the most ethical codes o f standards, Bambo Nature diapers are completely devoid of Phthalates, Chlorine and other toxic chemicals. Even the smallest babies could be gifted with a touch of green as the diapers are available in different sizes starting from the tiniest ones.
47| InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
Nature Baby Care
Kushies It’s a name trusted by mommies since 1987. Kushies XPAll in one diaper is a culmination of rich experience of the Canadian brand in making baby lines. These diapers come handy with a microfleece lining fitted with an additional padding for super absorbency. The convenient hook and loop closure finally puts an end to your hassle with snap. Comfortable for both baby and mother, Kushie diapers are the hottest favorites in the market.
Earth’s Best A diaper made of corn and wheat! Sounds incredible yet it’s true, Earth’s Best brandishes a product-line that’s chlorine free and made of renewable materials including corn and wheat. These are ecofriendly, Chlorine free, disposable diapers with zero latex, dye and artificial perfume.
It cresses your baby’s skin with a hundred percent natural super absorbent padding made from maize. Nature baby care diapers unlike plastic nappies enable your baby’s skin to breathe freely and protect soft, delicate skin from rash and irritation.
Broody Chick Diapers Broody Chick, a Canadian company has introduced exceptionally comfortable, natural diapers for your baby. Free from Chlorine and other harsh chemicals, Broody Chick diapers are fragrance free, hypo-allergenic and compostable. Compared to traditional synthetic stuffs Broody Chick diapers reduce greenhouse gases to a great extent and are safe for the planet. Eco-friendly diapers are your baby’s best friend and could be an integral part of wholesome growing up. Go green the next time that you need to buy diapers for your baby. You'll be actually imbibing in your baby a deep sense of value, a respect for our planet, and help him/her evolve as a better human being.
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TRAVEL
THE TOWN OF TOYS
Image Courtesy: Fotothing.com
Y
ou are sure to be enticed by the yummy fruit baskets lying provocatively on the shelves. Pon-
dering on just how much to buy as you enter the shop you’ll get a big surprise of your life! These are not real
fruits but colorful toys made of wood, strikingly resembling the real ones. Many more surprises alike must be awaiting you in Sawantwadi, the town of toys. This small Konkan town of Maharashtra (India), lying in its backyard is famous for its rich tradition in handicraft. A great spot of tourist attraction, Sawantwadi, is a small picturesque town with the imperial palace of Raja Bhosle flanked by the shimmering Moti Talav, a calm blue lake.
49 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
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TRAVEL The artistic inclinations of Sawantwadi dates back to the imperial era of the Bhosle Gaikawad. Her Highness Satvashila Devi Ji, the daughter of Baroda Gaikwad, is a great patron of art who has transformed the erstwhile courtroom of the palace into an art museum. Veteran artisans could be spotted working here with rapt attention, giving shape to toys, paintings and mannequins that are as good as real. The dedication with which artwork is restored here is worship by itself.
Image Courtesy: Sawantwadimc.org
The quiet township of Sawantwadi is a land of artists. The real flavor of rural India with its huge reserve of raw, unschooled talent pulsates in the air of this quiet place where dreams are weaved everyday.
Image Courtesy: Sawantwadimc.org
TRAVEL with the smell of long forgotten days.
Be it wooden craft, pottery art, bamboo craft, carved Bison horn or traditional painting, Sawantwadi brings alive a rich tradition that is 250 years old. The hand made Dashabatar cards depicting ten different incarnations of lord Vishnu are a rare amalgamation of aesthetics with devotion. The cards that are being made since 350 years are available in colorful exotic boxes, smeared
To pump in some fresh blood, a government initiative termed as “Shilpa Gram� is coming up sure-footedly. The Maharashtra government is planning a village of able craftsmen who would be locally manufacturing their crafts. Tourists shall be able to witness the entire process of manufacturing and thereafter buy their kitty of oriental brica-brac. The town of toys is a peaceful plateau with palace and lakes that weaves dreams keeping them alive. Your quest to know the real India will not end until you visit Sawantwadi; the land of master craftsmen, a citadel of Konkan culture.
Travel Checklist Best Time to Visit: December to February Nearest Airport: Dabolim, Goa (87km) Nearest Railway Station: Sawantwadi Road. Mandovi Express or Konkan Kanya Express train passes through By Road: Regular MSRTC buses ply from Mumbai (499 km) Pune ( 379 km) and Kolhapur ( 165 km) Where to Stay: You can arrange local homestays with Culture Aangan
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HERBOLOGY
SAFE HERBS FOR BABIES AND SMALL CHILDREN If you one of those parents endowed with the herbal habit of ferreting out the best herbs for your child’s growth, beware! You got to segregate first, facts from fiction. The “super food” experts have researched painstakingly to dispel myths and old wife’s tales from pure, scientific facts that are based on conclusive evidence. Remember the old adage, little knowledge is a dangerous thing? Before experimenting with home remedies let's take a look at what is good for your baby.
culinary herb that facilitates digestion keeping your baby’s system clean is also considered to especially benefit children who are suffering from reflux. Child Dosage: There is no proven safe or effective dose for children.
Garlic (Allium sativum)
Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflo-
rum) Do not hesitate to bring Basil to your baby’s life. A popular There goes a saying about garlic in the Southern part of India; “Garlic could do what a mother cannot”. Be it old treaties of Ayurveda or modern medical science, this is one spice held in deep regard for 53 | InnovateUs Magazine| December 2013
the host of benefits it brings. The proverbial “An apple a day…” is no less applicable for garlic and consuming a bulb of this “wonder drug "would safeguard your baby from cold and flu. Do not forget to add an iota of garlic during the chilly winters to your baby’s regular diet. It is highly effective in battling respiratory problems and the antibacterial property of the herb could save your baby from sore throat in a jiffy. The medicinal value of garlic alleviates respiratory infection relieving asthma attacks and difficulty in breathing. Toothache, a nagging ailment in children can be relieved with garlic. Just put a clove inside the mouth so that the area of pain is copiously covered and behold the natural analgesic in action. This simple, easy to fetch herb is a real powerhouse of wellness. Child Dosage: Raw Garlic may be too strong for children. Garlic oil is safer alternative for antibiotics. Rub few drops of garlic oil onto the chest, throat and feet of an infant suffering from respiratory problems like congestion in the lungs. In case of ear infections, warm the oil to body temperature and use as ear drops.
Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza
glabra) Nothing works better than licorice when it comes to lessening lung congestion. It is also used to soothe sore Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living
HERBOLOGY
Catnip (Nepeta cataria)
throats, inflammation of the digestive tract and coughs. Naturopaths recommend it in herbal syrups and teas. Attributed to be a safe home remedy by Complete German Commission E Monographs, it is most effective when consumed in small amounts with tea. Licorice is known to have sped up recovery from stomach ulcer. Nevertheless this is one remedy that comes with a red flag. Be very careful so that only small quantity of licorice is used as overdose could be lethal. Instances are galore when excessive administration has caused high blood pressure, stress, body fluid imbalance and even heart attack in worst cases. Child Dosage: Never use more than of 4-5 grams of licorice for your child on a daily basis.
Nutmeg ( Myristica fragrans )
It is one herb that has forever remained a number one favorite across culinary
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cultures of the world. When consumed in moderation, it is known to be facilitating digestion and reducing colic pain.
Chamomile (Matricaria recu-
tita) Also known as Camomile is a quite popular herbal plant that is used to prepare tea. The herbal brew produced from Chamomile, soothes frayed nerves and can induce peaceful sleep acting as a mild sedative. Barring those who are allergic to Ragweed, Chamomile has been proved to be completely safe from any adverse side effects. Children of all ages could derive benefits from this popular herb. Child Dosage: Mix few drops of chamomile essential to calm an irritated child or to soothe achy muscles. A couple of drops of tincture before feeding time promotes digestion.
Catnip is an herbal relaxant put to heal plethora of aches and ails. Ranging from headache, hypertension to sleep disorder and infection of respiratory tracts, Catnip is known to have yielded good result in numerous cases. You need to note that Catnip has not yet been clinically proved to be a hundred percent safe remedy and side effects like excessive drowsiness may often result from recurrent usage. Child Dosage: Add 1-2 drops to ease teething or colic pain. A couple of drops before foodcan also enhance digestion.
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris )
It is the herb that used to be added to bathwater in ancient Greece once upon a time. Considered to be a panacea for conditions like cough, bronchitis, colic and arthritis, Thyme works well in treating respiratory problems.
Word of Caution It’s best not to go herbal if your baby is less than 6 months old. December 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 54
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